Table of contents for Issue 992 in RAIL

nigel.harris@bauermedia.co.uk @RAIL BACK in 1995, when I slipped into RAIL’s driving seat for the first time, that good old British staple - fish and chips - cost just £1.68. Today, even in Lincolnshire, it’s £13.85. Prices are such a powerful reflection of elapsed time. Also in 1995, a pint of bitter cost £1.48, a litre of four-star petrol was just 51p (even after price increases of 26% in five years!), while the median London pay was… wait for it!… £19,000 a year. Changes on the railway have been equally marked. Wikipedia tells us there have been 75 train operators since the first franchised service - operated by South West Trains (owned by Stagecoach) ran on February 4 1996. Back then, franchises were determined by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising…

“THIS industry has really quite gone to sleep in the last two or three years. It has lost its place in the sun. We need to push to think differently.” That was the message to MPs on September 6 from Robin Gisby, chief executive of the Department for Transport’s Operator of Last Resort Holdings Ltd (DOHL). He also told MPs that TransPennine Express will remove 16 trains a day from the timetable from December, to “stabilise” the business. Gisby and DOHL Chairman Richard George were summoned to appear before MPs on the House of Commons Transport Select Committee to give evidence on the public sector owning group, which is responsible for one in five passenger services. The date marked 100 days since they took over the former FirstGroup company. Gisby…

Midlands Connect is keeping up the pressure on the Government for investment in its campaign for better services to Shropshire, Chester and the Welsh Marches. MPs and regional leaders assembled in Westminster on September 5 to hear North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat) address local businesses and councils, the Welsh Government and Network Rail. In February, Midlands Connect proposed a series of upgrades to raise line speeds and service frequencies, as well as upgrading the A5, the A49, and building the Pant-Llanymynech bypass. It would like to see Hereford-Cardiff journey times cut to under 60 minutes and more stations opened between Hereford and Abergavenny. Pressure to run Birmingham-Black Country-Shrewsbury trains at 90mph is ongoing, and Morgan is mobilising local residents to campaign for reconnecting Oswestry and Baschurch. Midlands Connect…

An online petition to “Require train operators keep ticket offices and platform staff at train stations” reached 103,000 responses within a few days, passing the 100,000 threshold required for it to be considered by Parliament. The petition remains open until October 18. In its response, the Government said: “The rail industry must modernise to provide the service passengers deserve, moving staff from behind the ticket office screens.” ■ Petition and government response at: https://bit.ly/3EyObuf…

Representatives from 184 disabled and older people’s organisations visited Downing Street on August 31 to petition Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ditch plans to close ticket offices across England. Three teams of petitioners went into No. 10 to petition over a two-hour period. The petition calls on the Prime Minister “to ensure our safety, security, accessibility and ability to independently travel by train in England and across the UK”. It has three demands: ■ For all ticket offices to remain open and all staffed stations to remain staffed at all times with safe level of staffing. ■ For all trains to have guards (also known as train managers or conductors) at all times. ■ For all unstaffed stations to become staffed at all times with safe level of staffing.…

TRAIN leasing company Eversholt Rail has abandoned its Swift Express Freight project using its four converted but unused Class 321 electric multiple units. At a high-profile launch three years ago, Eversholt claimed it had prospective takers queuing up for what could become a fleet of up to 50 100mph units. In the end, only one company - Varamis Rail - actually signed a contract. But with the prototype conversion (321334) operating successfully between Birmingham and Glasgow five nights a week since January, Varamis Managing Director Phil Read has told RAIL that he is still very much in business and that the company is in talks to take the units over. “We are working towards an amiable agreement,” he said. “Eversholt is helping us, and we may well acquire the other…

Alex Robertson has been appointed chief executive of Transport Focus, effective from December 1. He succeeds Anthony Smith, who announced his departure in February after almost 25 years with the passenger watchdog. Robertson joins from the Pensions Ombudsman, where he has been chief operating officer since 2020. Prior to that, he spent more than five years at Transport for London in policy and public affairs. He has also worked for the Electoral Commission, where he was director of communications and programme director for the 2014 Scottish Referendum and 2016 EU Referendum, and was also executive director with the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman. TF Chairman Nigel Stevens said: “I look forward to working with Alex as we seek to ensure TF continues to be a powerful voice for the transport user,…

“We must use the North’s Strategic Transport Plan as a means of ensuring that it has an efficient, high-quality, inter-connected and decarbonised transport system by 2050.” That was the message from Transport for the North Strategy, Analysis and Communications Director Katie Day, after public consultation on TfN’s Strategic Transport Plan (STP) closed. The final STP will be published in early 2024 and will “lay the foundations for the transport infrastructure investment for the North for decades to come”. Hundreds of comments were provided during the 12-week consultation. They cover a range of matters, from the importance of local bus services to moving more freight from road to rail and taking action on transport decarbonisation and affordability. “At its core is a clear vision for the North’s transport network, supported by…

Career railwayman Gareth Jones died on September 7, three days short of his 85th birthday. Born in Merionethshire in north-west Wales in 1938, he started volunteering at the Talyllyn Railway in 1951, and spent two seasons there before joining British Railways in 1953 (at the age of 15) as a cleaner at Machynlleth on ex-GWR steam types such as ‘Dukedogs’, ‘Manors’ and ‘63xx’ locomotives. He moved to Tyseley in the West Midlands in September 1954 to become a fireman, and then returned in that role at Machynlleth five months later. After 13 years at Machynlleth, he moved to Willesden in 1967 as a driver on both diesel and electric traction, before moving to Bescot, where he became a traction trainer on diesels and then in 1990 progressed to be a…

NR PPE contract West Midlands company Direct Corporate Clothing has been awarded a multi-million-pound contract to supply protective work clothes and footwear for Network Rail. It will run for four years. The company has invested £15 million in its expansion programme. Eversholt school visits Eversholt Rail staff are visiting primary and secondary schools in the Huddersfield area during the 2023-24 academic year, to introduce teachers and pupils to a range of engineering skills and technology. Northern recruiter Matthew Moxon has joined Northern from Legal & General, to lead a new team to recruit staff and ensure that existing employees can develop their careers. He started on September 4.…

Army veteran Bruce Spencer has joined Swadlincote-based MTMS as Group Strategic Lead, to study the business’s long-term aims. The Derbyshire maintenance company supplies chemicals, consumables, paints and coatings, along with depot maintenance. “I will be looking towards the next three years and at what we are doing now, and suggesting how we evolve,” said Spencer, who previously served in the Adjutant General’s Corps with the Worcester and Sherwood Foresters. “I will be looking across all facets of the business, examining how it operates cohesively. Derbyshire’s strategic location makes it an ideal hub for nationwide services.”…

There will be no weekend passenger services around Cambridge for much of the autumn, to help speed up the construction of a new station and to proceed with the area’s £194 million resignalling scheme. The new Cambridge South station serving the business park and Addenbrooke’s Hospital is beginning to take shape. Network Rail will use the blockades to carry out engineering work between Ely, Peterborough and Kings Lynn, as well as track and drainage renewals at Manea…

“HOW on Earth did we get here? I wake up at night wondering what they were thinking.” That was the despairing remark from one senior industry insider - and it reflects a widespread sentiment among railway managers. The ticket office closure ‘plan’ is off the scale in relation to recent proposals from the Government on the future of the railways, as it seems to make no sense in practical, economic, social, or technical terms. And yet it has, shockingly, an endorsement from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a man who takes helicopters for 50-mile journeys and who probably thinks a booking office is part of a library. Sunak said recently that “it was the right thing to do”. And while his knowledge of the railways is probably akin to mine on…

Network Rail NW&C (Liverpool Central Tunnel Repairs) What happens if more than 100 metres of tunnel, deep under a city centre, has deteriorated to the point that urgent action is required? Close the line to all traffic and subject rail users to months of delays and inconvenience? Or deliver an engineering solution so clever that railway staff don’t even know that work is underway? When parts of the High Neck tunnel roof, a deep tunnel that runs from Liverpool Central to Brunswick station, required urgent attention, Network Rail turned to the latter. It created a temporary working deck high above the running lines so that the significant repair and overhaul work could be carried out safely and without interruption to Merseyrail services running below. From this structure, engineers made improvements…

National Rail Awards 2023 Winner Buckingham Group/Nexus (Metro Flow) Nexus, operator of the Tyne & Wear Metro, wanted to improve the frequency of its service. It looked across the whole of its network and highlighted the single line section just beyond Pelaw Junction to a point just before Bede station as a problem. It caused frequent delays, which had led to huge repercussions across the rest of the network. However, there were actually two lines between Pelaw and Bede. Nexus only had use of one, while the other was Network Rail’s. This line hosted one freight train a day to and from an oil terminal, which operated a couple of times a week. This is in stark contrast to Nexus, which operated 200 trains a day through this section…

Porterbrook (Safer Switches and Crossings) This train-borne monitoring system, which uses video and thermal imaging technology, is transforming the safety management of Network Rail’s key safety critical assets. A cross-industry team developed the concept and introduced it into service in just six months. This includes modifying rolling stock, modifying the technology, and training and engaging the workforce. It has rapidly resulted in a 50% reduction in on-track inspection, mostly during high-risk night hours, a reduction in track faults, and an increase in productivity. It has eliminated the need for dual inspections. The data is stored in the Cloud for engineers to examine in the safety of an office environment. Detailed resolution down to 5cm enables items as small as a missing bolt to be detected. It is presently being used…

South Western Railway (Hampshire Community Rail Partnership) Hampshire Community Rail Partnership, nominated by South Western Railway, was voted this year’s worthy winner of Outstanding Contribution to Society, “because they’ve done something different and really showcase the power of volunteering and the difference it can make to people’s everyday lives”. Formed in 2008 as Three Rivers CRP, the Hampshire CRP covers 50 stations including 28 station adoptions. Since becoming fully funded, it has grown to three part-time directors, two full-time rail officers, approximately 100 volunteers and some 400 steering group and stakeholder members. But it wasn’t just scale that impressed the judges. They added: “We were struck by the sheer ambition and dedication of the volunteer team. This entry really demonstrates the integral role the railway and its public spaces can…

Derby (East Midlands Railway) The award for Large Station of the Year remains in the East Midlands having switched to Derby from last year’s winner and regional rival Nottingham. The judges said the station has been “transformed into a benchmark for large stations”, having undergone a significant upgrade and remodelling in 2018. They added: “The entire station experience has been improved to create a unified travel experience. It has modern ticket halls on each side of the station, supported by extensive car parking, bus services and taxis. “The generous retailing in the ticket hall and platforms is supplemented by a delightful customer lounge. Meanwhile, smart and helpful staff assist passengers on their journeys, supported by extensive information systems.” The station opened in 1839 after the Midland Railway chose to base…

Lee was a High Speed Onboard Manager when he joined Southeastern in 2015. But he has since become a pioneer in mental health, founding the Railway Mental Health Charter (RMHC) and creating a health-aware culture where colleagues can speak about anything affecting them at work. Lee told the judges that he had used his own experience of suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following childhood trauma as a catalyst to make a difference to other people around him. In 2020, he developed a peer-to-peer mental health advocate programme at the operator, to which 167 colleagues applied for the 20 places available. Sixteen people subsequently came through the training, which was accredited by the British Association of Counselling Practitioners, and these advocates went on to support more than 1,000 people during…

PLANS to introduce a national rail freight growth target could be heavily undermined unless operators are given a fairer deal on track access charges and improved network performance. That is according to senior industry leaders who, faced by mounting costs and a rising number of cancellations, are calling on the rail regulator to adopt “a more pragmatic approach” to its proposals for Control Period 7 (April 2024-March 2029). This includes a U-turn on track access charges which, under current plans from the Office of Rail and Road, are set to rise in real terms (in addition to annual inflationary increases) by nearly 25% by the end of the decade. This compares with a freeze in track access charges for the first two years of Control Period 6, followed by an…

Rail Minister Huw Merriman has told MPs that train operators will soon be given incentives to invest and take risk. “We are looking to incentivise the private train operators to take more risk and gain more reward, using their own balance sheet,” he told MPs on the Transport Select Committee. “The changes we are about to put back in will bring more private enterprise into the train services, and that’s where they will start to differ between the two models.” Asked whether he treated public sector operators differently from private companies, Merriman said: “The differences have become less. The private operators previously paid their money, then it was down to them to grow their numbers. Now they are collecting the revenue and passing it through - the taxpayer is taking…

Services on London Underground’s Bakerloo Line are back to normal, after a five-week blockade between Queen’s Park and Harrow & Wealdstone to install concretesleepered track, upgrade the power supply and drainage, and resignal a 20-mile section of the route. Six stations - Harlesden, Kensal Green, Watford High Street, South Kenton, Headstone Lane and North Wembley - have had their canopies weatherproofed and tactile paving laid on platforms. The work, completed on August 25, cost £29 million.…

Plans to reform ticket offices have come from the industry and not from politicians, according to Robin Gisby, chief executive of the Government-owned Directly Operated Railways. Gisby chairs LNER, Northern, TransPennine Express and Southeastern, which together carry one in five of all UK passengers. On September 6, he told MPs on the Transport Select Committee: “We are not responding here to directions or challenges from ministers. Proposals to reform what happens at stations have come from the industry.” He said the changes were driven by changing customer needs: “It is a great result that the numbers of people who need some form of help with accessibility are growing. And they are growing more than the overall market. “Office of Rail and Road figures for last year show 1.3 million journeys…

More than £150,000 has been donated to the family of a Nottinghamshire police officer who died after being hit by a train. Graham Saville (46) died in hospital after being struck by a train on the East Coast Main Line at Balderton (near Newark) on August 24. He had been responding to concerns over the safety of a man, who was also admitted to hospital with less serious injuries. Former police sergeant Dan Fletcher responded to the tragedy by setting up a fundraiser that will provide financial support to Saville’s widow and two children. He told the BBC: “The incident took place half a mile from my back garden, where I was present at the time, and I heard the aftermath. “Initially my intention was to raise as much money…

The highest public transport ridership since the pandemic was recorded over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Transport for London reported the highest August 25-28 figures for four years on trains, Tubes and buses, owing to the large number of cultural events being staged, such as the 75th Windrush Festival and the Notting Hill Carnival. Bus patronage was 10% up on 2022, and passenger numbers were up by almost 6% on the Underground. However, it was a different picture on the following weekend (September 1-3), with many passengers struggling to get home amid widespread cancellations caused by the RMT walkout and ASLEF work to rule. The complete shutdown on Friday September 1 was followed by a skeleton Saturday service because of an overtime ban. Passengers complained of queues at ticket machines…

East Midlands Railway has launched a new period dignity scheme which offers free sanitary products at its busiest stations. Available at Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leicester, Lincoln and Kettering stations, the free products are aimed to support females who may not have access to the products they need -particularly out-of-hours, when retailers may be closed. Station users can use the code phrase ‘Package for Sandy’ or ‘Ask for Sandy’ at the supervisor’s office, to be given a pack discreetly.…

Carmont’s signaller stopped August 12 2020’s 0638 Aberdeen-Glasgow service with an emergency call at 0701, after hearing from the driver of the 0639 Montrose-Inverurie of a landslip near Ironies Bridge, around three-quarters of a mile south of the signal box. This halted the 0638 (headcode 1T08) 570 metres short of the landslip. Meanwhile, route control decided to send 1T08 back north, but this needed an NR mobile operations manager (MOM) to secure crossover points at Carmont to allow 1T08 to cross from the southbound to northbound line. It took the MOM until 0855 to reach Carmont because of flooded local roads. Around the same time, route control discussed sending the 0600 Perth-Inverurie (1A43) back to Dundee, after it was halted by water flooding into the cab from its air-conditioning. In…

UPDATED plans for what the West Midlands Rail Executive calls a “30-year rail revolution” reflect the changes in rail use and funding since the COVID pandemic and the call for electrification to remove diesel multiple units. “Much has happened since we published our first rail investment strategy in December 2018,” it reports. “The previous core commuter market is now less important due to changing working patterns for many office workers. “The implications of the huge amounts of emergency Government financial support will be felt for some time.” In a reality check, it adds: “The rail industry is being asked for efficiencies and, while we would wish to see full services restored at the earliest opportunity, this means that timetables are unlikely to return to previous frequencies for some time on…

“We strongly support a rolling programme of electrification and are working closely with Network Rail on their prioritisation process for the West Midlands,” says WMRE. The “key immediate electrification priorities” are: ■ Snow Hill Lines (Stratford/ Leamington-Birmingham-Worcester-Great Malvern). ■ Nuneaton-Birmingham. ■ Sutton Park Freight Line (including services to new Aldridge station). ■ Camp Hill Line, Bromsgrove-Droitwich Spa and fast/freight lines between Kings Norton and Barnt Green. Followed by: ■ Nuneaton-Coventry-Leamington-Oxford/London Marylebone. ■ Nuneaton-Leicester-Cambridge/Felixstowe. ■ Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury. ■ Oxford-Worcester-Hereford.…

THE hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals who conceived and created an outstanding new railway - the Elizabeth line - have been honoured with a bespoke Special Award at RAIL’s National Rail Awards. One of the most complex infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the UK, the Elizabeth line has carried more than 100 million passengers since opening in May 2022. And not only is the Elizabeth line rated as the UK’s busiest (it now carries 6% of the country’s entire passenger numbers with more than 600,000 passenger journeys made each day), it is also the UK’s most punctual railway. The Special Award was due to have been presented in front of more than 1,000 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on September 14 (after this issue of RAIL…

Registration has opened for the biggest free wellbeing event for the rail industry - Rail Wellbeing Live (RWL) on November 7-9. The three-day online event offers everyone in the rail industry the opportunity to connect with colleagues and high-profile speakers to get inspiration, tips and guidance on how to tackle a wide range of health and wellbeing issues. RWL is funded entirely by organisations across the industry that want to take an active role in supporting the health and wellbeing of their colleagues. They are: Alstom, Angel Trains, Arriva, Atkins, BAM Nuttall, Eversholt Rail, FirstGroup, Govia Thameslink Railway, Hitachi Rail, Keltbray, Keolis, KPMG, LNER, Network Rail, Octavius, Office of Rail and Road, Rail Safety and Standards Board, Siemens, and West Midlands Railway. The fourth annual Rail Wellbeing Live will address…

STRIKES over pay will continue at the ‘DfT 14’ train operating companies until an acceptable offer is made, say the ASLEF and RMT unions. In response, the Rail Delivery Group has called on the unions to “acknowledge the real financial trouble that the rail industry is in” and negotiate changes to working practices. The dispute involves the 14 train operating companies (TOCs) in England that are controlled by the Department for Transport. Setting out his union’s position in an exclusive interview (RAIL 991), ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan is in no mood to compromise. ASLEF’s most recent industrial action entailed its members striking on September 1 and staging an overtime ban on September 2. And on the eve of the most recent RMT strike on September 2, RMT General Secretary…

A Polish company claims it will “revolutionise” railways by enabling trains to levitate on existing railway lines, using magnetic technology. Nevomo has trialled a system on a 700-metre section of test track at Nowa Sarzyna using a two-tonne, six-metre-long vehicle. It says the vehicle rose above the track at 70kph (43mph), and claims passenger trains using this technology will be able to run at 550kph (340mph). The announcement was made in Brussels, as the work has largely been funded by EU grant. The claims by Nevomo, which calls itself a “deep tech” company, are extravagant. It styles the trials as “a groundbreaking achievement that marks a turning point for the railway industry” and as “a world-first accomplishment that has the potential to revolutionise transport”. “For the first time in railway…

LONDON Mayor Sadiq Khan has indicated his support for a proposed new railway link between Heathrow Airport and Waterloo, Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire. He said the Heathrow Southern Rail Link could be “transformative”, enabling more people to reach the UK’s busiest airport. The long-standing proposal involves a new line from the station beneath Terminal 5 to the existing network at Staines. The station was built with provision for future services from Reading, on a new alignment starting near Slough. But both projects have stalled, with no indication of how they would be funded. A southern route would enable services from Waterloo via Clapham Junction, with the possibility of services from Woking, Guildford or even Basingstoke. Trains would then continue beyond Heathrow to Old Oak Common and potentially to Paddington using…

What a year it’s been. So many projects coming to fruition, so many new trains coming on stream, a thriving freight sector, great plans for the future, and a vibrancy and optimism that we are making the railways better for our customers. Yes, there have been a few problems along the way, but these are far outweighed by all of the successes: fantastic companies and amazing people making a real difference to our industry. And that’s what our own Oscars - the National Rail Awards - are all about. A chance to recognise and celebrate those achievements, meet with colleagues, forge new business relationships, and to build a bigger and better railway. This year our two most recent categories, Environmental Excellence and Outstanding Contribution to Society, attracted a large number…

National Rail Awards 2023 Winner AmcoGiffen & Network Rail (Eastern Asset Maintenance Response Team) Network Rail AmcoGiffen employs 144 people to cover the NR contract and, in 2022, those people attended 1,441 Network Rail jobs. Of these, 407 were emergency call-outs. Clearly this situation was not sustainable. Both organisations developed a new ‘one team’ way of working. This required a multi-disciplinary approach while building a collaborative team in order to allow work to be delivered efficiently. They had to respond quickly and be creative, for example, in resolving issues during the Christmas break. Although a small team, all parties made a proactive effort to establish positive, constructive working relationships. The team members said that this was aided significantly by making the effort to listen to each other and work…

BAM Nuttall (SMD Framework) BAM Nuttall recognises that the construction industry is a big contributor to carbon emissions and climate change. The industry is responsible for 39% of all global carbon emissions and just under 40% of all energy use. BAM’s publicity literature says: “At BAM, we know that we’re part of the problem. But that means we can be part of the solution too.” The judges were bowled over by BAM’s commitment to ensure that these are not hollow promises but that the company is actually doing something meaningful. This ranges from reducing diesel fuel consumption on its rail operations by 766,000 litres to actually planting trees in Scotland when it can’t carbon offset in other ways. “Real trees,” the judges said, “that can be seen growing and not…

Southeastern Railway (Customer Information) Southeastern carries more than 400,000 passengers per day to and from Kent and East Sussex to five major London termini. That’s a lot of people to keep informed. Recognising that giving passengers timely and accurate information can improve satisfaction levels, Southeastern has joined forces with various partners to develop and deploy numerous groundbreaking, industry-leading enhancements. Its Worldline Customer Information System (CIS) drives CIS displays and automated PA announcements. These have not only benefited passengers but have had a much wider benefit to the whole rail industry. Southeastern has developed three separate but linked new information systems: a dynamic route map showing real-time status on every route and station; an information management system which allows much better identification of priority trains and travellers, especially during disruption; and…

MTR Elizabeth line The judges said they had “no difficulty in agreeing” on this year’s top passenger operator given how MTR Elizabeth line and colleagues from Transport for London have quickly overcome a series of challenges to run what is now Britain’s busiest railway. Following the commencement of operations through the core section of the route beneath central London in May 2022, the judges were impressed by “how the service has settled in so smoothly and with such a high degree of reliability”. With further timetable uplifts and the introduction of additional through-running following in November 2022 and then earlier this year in May, footfall has now reached 600,000 journeys a day. In February, TfL announced that 100 million journeys had been made in the previous nine months on the…

Staines (South Western Railway) A new entrant to the National Rail Awards, Staines has gone straight to the top of this category after “exceeding the judges’ expectations”. Located 19 miles down the line from Waterloo, the west of London station is located close to the junction between routes to Reading and Windsor & Eton Riverside. Opened in August 1848, the two-platform station used to be one of three to serve the Surrey town, prior to the closure of Staines High Street and Staines West in the 1960s. Served by a basic off-peak frequency of six trains per hour, it is a busy commuter station that (prior to the pandemic) recorded some 2.7 million entries and exits per annum. A full refurbishment was completed in 2008 with ticket barriers installed on…

Azaz Khan, Station Assistant, Arriva Rail London and Ray McDonagh, Station Assistant, Arriva Rail London Azaz and Ray were nominated individually for what, at first glance, looked like a project to transform wasteland at South Tottenham station into a community garden. But on further examination, the judges quickly realised that the duo’s efforts extended far beyond “making the garden look nice”. Azaz said that since working at the station for the past 14 years, he had concentrated on doing his job well. But with no experience or past interest in gardening, the opportunity arose in 2020 to get involved in making the area outside the station more presentable. “I can’t change the whole of Tottenham, but I can change this small part,” was the mindset he adopted. South Tottenham is…

Winner Monika Stepien, Customer Service Assistant, LNER Shortly after 0100 on February 14 2023, LNER Customer Service Assistant Monika Stepien was working the night shift at Durham station. Having noticed two workers checking points and track to the south of the station, she knew that significant upgrades had been carried out in the preceding weeks. This meant that it was not unusual for blocks to be in place on different lines, ensuring that no trains came through on lines where staff were working. But upon noticing the track workers, Monika checked her map screens that showed where blocks were in place. She quickly noticed that not only was there no block in place, but a southbound freight train was also rapidly moving along the track towards Durham and Darlington. Monika…

Opinion Industry Insider THE decision to remove nearly new, locomotive-hauled rolling stock from the core Trans-Pennine route is another event that moves the prospect of net zero rail carbon emissions further into the future. It was an innovative idea to provide these ‘Nova 3’ sets, made up of 13 five-car Mk 5A coaches built by CAF, with a similar outline to the replacement Caledonian Sleeper vehicles. Haulage is provided by dedicated Class 68 diesel locomotives from Direct Rail Services -as an interim measure until overhead wiring currently being installed is commissioned, which will allow the diesels to be replaced by electric locomotives. The decision has been overseen by the Directly Operated Railways team at the Department for Transport, following termination of the TransPennine Express Emergency Measures Agreement using the…

WELCOME to the RAIL Crossword. This issue, we look again at the London Underground. The RAIL 982 Crossword featured as its prize A Photographic Journey Through the London Underground, Look Again, courtesy of Pen and Sword Transport (www.pen-and-sword.co.uk). And it proved so popular that we have two more copies on offer to successful solvers. What is there to see? That was the question that the authors of this book heard all the time when explaining their photographic project. And their answer is… Look Again. A Photographic Journey Through the London Underground: Look Again (hardback, 152 pages, retail price £25) aims to encourage its readers to see the London Underground in a different light. It offers a multitude of images ranging from architecture to technology, and from old design classics to…

Network Rail has switched on 116 new digital signals across southwest London and Berkshire, as part of a four-year, £116 million programme. The railway reopened on September 2 after a 14-day staged closure between Barnes and Virginia Water, Windsor & Eton Riverside and Hounslow. Control of the signals has now moved to the Basingstoke Rail Operating Centre, which is shared by NR and South Western Railway. The previous signals were almost 50 years old and controlled by a signalling centre at Feltham. As well as the signals, engineers have replaced 11km (6.8 miles) of cabling and upgraded seven level crossings along the busy commuter lines. The Feltham and Wokingham resignalling programme is due for completion early next year, when Wokingham signal box will also be closed. In total, 80 miles…

A consultation on proposed changes to ticket offices closed on September 1, with 680,000 responses received by watchdogs Transport Focus and London TravelWatch. The Times reports it is the biggest-ever consultation response, surpassing the Government’s 2012 equal marriage review (228,000 responses) and the BBC Charter in 2016 (192,000 responses). Opened on July 5, the consultation was extended after widespread criticism that the timescale was too short given the scale of the proposals. If enacted, 956 ticket offices - the majority of those in England - would close (RAIL 991). Stations in Scotland and Wales are unaffected. “I am grateful to all who have taken the time to contribute to the consultation. Their views will form a vital part of the process as we move towards our response,” said Transport Focus…

As part of its inquiry into Accessible Transport, the House of Commons Transport Select Committee was due to hear evidence about the ticket office closure proposals on September 13 (as this issue of RAIL went to press). The first session was to include RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch and representatives from leading charities. Questions were expected to focus on the practical implications of closures, whether they would have a negative impact on passengers with accessibility needs, and if the consultation itself was accessible. In the second session, the TSC was to hear from representatives of Transport Focus and the Office of Rail and Road. MPs were to focus on the role of these organisations in the consultation, how the consultation was designed, and how they will analyse the responses. MPs…

The Railway Industry Association has welcomed the appointment of Stephen Morgan as new Shadow Rail Minister. The 42-year-old MP for Portsmouth South replaced Tan Dhesi in the role on September 5, following a reshuffle of the shadow cabinet by Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer. Dhesi has been appointed Shadow Exchequer Secretary of the Treasury. Morgan has been an MP since 2017 and has previously held the shadow portfolios for communities, defence procurement, the armed forces, and schools. “Morgan takes up his position at a pivotal time. There is much work for him to do, to promote and campaign on this positive agenda,” said RIA CEO Darren Caplan.…

NETWORK Rail must pay £6.7 million following its guilty plea to charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 that followed a fatal derailment near Carmont on August 12 2020. At the High Court in Aberdeen, Judge Lord Matthews said in passing sentence: “Very few people who saw them, especially in this part of the world, will ever forget the images of the power cars and the carriages at Carmont. “But, distressing as these images are, they were only of machines. Their loss pales into insignificance compared to that of those who tragically lost loved ones in the calamity and those who were passengers on the train. All of them have had to live with the memories of the effects of this tragedy. “Those who died were Brett…

More than 540,000 passengers have used Worcester Parkway station in the past 12 months, Great Western Railway has announced. Since opening on the North Cotswold and Birmingham-Bristol lines in February 2020, the station has been performing way ahead of expectations. At a special event held on September 8, the operator claimed that current footfall had not been anticipated for another 11 years. To mark the occasion and to officially open the station, a plaque was unveiled by Lord-Lieutenant of Worcestershire Beatrice Grant.…

Plans to upgrade one of the West Midlands’ “most outdated” stations are being worked up as part of a £2.4 million improvement scheme to create a “sustainable transport hub” at Dudley Port. Dudley Port is already a major focus for transport investment, with a new tram stop on the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill West Midlands Metro extension currently under construction, alongside plans for high-quality walking, cycling and public transport measures in the area. Located on the Stour Valley line, it will be the only rail-tram interchange on the new Metro extension. The frequent route 74 bus offers direct links to Dudley, West Bromwich, and Birmingham. The funding will also be used to kick-start development of the business case for the full redevelopment of Dudley Port railway station - currently one…

Thanet Parkway station in Kent was officially opened by Rail Minister Huw Merriman on September 8. The Southeastern-managed two-platform station has been open to passengers since July 31. It is served by hourly domestic high-speed services between St Pancras International-Margate and main line trains to and from London Bridge, Cannon Street and Charing Cross. Merriman unveiled a plaque and took a short trip on Trainbow - the first of the Class 395 Javelin fleet to have received a refresh as part of a £27 million upgrade.…

The Gwili Railway has been ordered to pay £36,000 by Llanelli Magistrates Court, after a volunteer fell from the roof of a coach and sustained a broken leg. In a prosecution brought by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, the Gwili Railway Company Ltd pleaded guilty and was fined £18,000, plus £18,000 prosecution costs. The incident at the Welsh heritage railway occurred at Llwyfan Cerrig Yard on June 16 2022. During a task to pull ‘tent fabric’ over a frame erected over two coaches, the volunteer slipped and fell from the roof of a Mk 1 coach to the ground. A Prohibition Notice was served by the ORR on June 28 2022. The ORR’s investigation found that there was a “lack of…

The £7.4 million Innovation in Railway Construction competition has moved into its second phase, with teams briefed on the next stage of the programme. The winners will demonstrate their ideas at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) test track being built in South Wales. In October 2022, organisations were invited to apply to the Government’s Innovate UK programme for a share of up to £575,000 for feasibility studies, as part of the Innovation in Railway Construction competition funded by the Department for Business and Trade. In the initial round, 24 projects involving 36 organisations were successful in winning funding for feasibility studies on their ideas. Successful projects in the second round will be funded to develop their ideas to concept stage at the GCRE site in 2024. The projects…

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has set out the next phase of the introduction of high-speed mobile coverage across the Tube network, as the first stations in the West End go live with 4G and 5G coverage. Coverage is now available in ticket halls and on the Central Line between Oxford Circus-Tottenham Court Road, with further section of the Northern and Central lines getting coverage in the coming months. The first Elizabeth line stations go live by the end of the year, while coverage will now be expanded across the Docklands Light Railway and between Highbury & Islington and New Cross on London Overground in the next two years.…

“The industry must never lose sight of the fact it exists for people to travel, and telling them not to do so must be an absolute last resort.” That is the conclusion of Transport Focus CEO Anthony Smith, in a new report from the watchdog. Generating valuable insight into how the three simple words ‘do not travel’ are received, TF’s research provides pointers for improving communications during times of severest disruption. It discovered passengers’ reactions differed depending on the timing and language used. “The railway should reflect on when it is right to say ‘do not travel’. Passengers would rather be given the facts, so they can make an informed decision,” said Smith. “Generally, passengers felt that the ‘do not travel’ messages shown to them contained the information they needed.…

Network Contributions for by far the UK’s most published column by the same author - now in its 42nd year - are most welcome from all sources. Personal observations, society magazines, website printouts and live links, transport group newsletters and media cuttings (with dates, please) are sought to maintain topicality. Please email your contributions direct to hj@howardjohnston.co.uk, or rail@bauermedia.co.uk WESTERN Bristol: The new eastern entrance to Temple Meads station is in the 2024 works programme, two years ahead of the planned opening of the university campus on the nearby site once occupied by Bath Road depot. Exeter: The red brick former superintendent’s office at St Davids station is to be demolished to allow the adjacent platform to be extended. Parts of the building have been promised to the Cholsey &…

IMAGINE a world where, by 2050, Ireland’s shrivelled railway network once again reaches into disconnected rural corners, and its two capitals, Belfast and Dublin, enjoy fast and frequent inter-city services. Imagine also that governments on both sides of the border have, between them, found £30 billion or so to make it happen. Many would argue this is precisely what the island needs. Provincial towns are growing and for governments serious about taking radical steps to reduce carbon emissions, this sort of thinking appears to make long-term sense. It’s to be found in the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, carried out by consultant Ove Arup on behalf of government departments both sides of the border. The report has taken two years to emerge and a ‘strategic environmental consultation’, which started in July,…

Does giving a town or community a new or improved railway link have a restorative or a transformative effect on that town and its economy? We certainly believe it to be true. So did the Victorians. The Light Railways Act 1896 was an attempt to give rural communities a boost. Cutting red tape encouraged railway developers to build railways that might otherwise have been uneconomical. The Conservatives took this a stage further by backing the West Highland Railway Guarantee Bill. Passed on August 14 1896, this guaranteed financial security to backers of the West Highland Railway’s extension to Mallaig. Without government backing, a line to unlock the deprived communities west of Fort William was previously considered financially unsustainable. But is there any way to prove it? “I have anecdotal evidence…

PHOTOGRAPHS don’t convey the devastation of a major railway accident. I say this having visited the site of Heck’s head-on collision between a GNER express and a Freightliner coal train, the day after it occurred back in 2001. Wrecked coaches were tossed aside as if they were toys, and bogies lay where they should not. The scene that greeted me was extraordinary. Everything was out of place - not as I was used to seeing it. The sight affected me more than I thought it would. Later, in giving talks to railway groups about how we put RAIL together, I’d include a picture of Heck’s accident and then find I couldn’t get my words out when it came on screen. Few people witnessed at first-hand the devastation at Carmont, following…

National Rail Awards 2023 Winner Network Rail (The Flow Footbridge) The judges were wowed by this bridge which “has the potential to revolutionise the way footbridges are built and replaced on the rail network, reducing costs and improving safety and sustainability. The collaborative approach employed could also set a new pattern for approaching complex technical problems that require supply chain engagement”. The Flow Footbridge was created by Network Rail during the pandemic period as a Research & Development project. It soon snowballed and gained eight private sector partners. At its heart, this is a modular yet adaptable design of lightweight footbridge, where the main structure is made from fibre-reinforced polymer. It’s a hugely innovative structure. Firstly, making it from polymer (a world first) reduces the weight by about half…

Highland Spring Group (Blackford rail freight facility) Highland Spring is one of the UK’s leading bottled water brands. It has taken its responsibilities to be a more sustainable and environmentally friendly business seriously. It introduced a recyclable and recycled bottle in 2018 and followed this with the Eco Bottle in 2019. But its biggest commitment to helping the environment is the construction of a dedicated rail freight terminal on the Stirling-Perth main line. This facility, adjacent to Highland Spring’s bottling plant at Blackford, is the realisation of a ten year dream. It was officially opened in August 2022 and became fully operational in January 2023. It has already enabled 40% of the firm’s output to be despatched by rail, achieving an annual reduction in road transport emission in excess of…

Porterbrook/Southern (Project Aurora) & Avanti West Coast/Alstom (Pendolino upgrade) The judges made no bones about awarding this category to both Porterbrook ⁄Southern and Avanti West Coast⁄Alstom. They said: “Two really excellent and similar projects both focused on passengers and sustaining what are basically good trains.” Project Aurora was a £100 million scheme to extend the life of Southern’s Class 377s and ‘387s’. This is the largest train fleet in Britain and the initiative not only prevents it from becoming obsolescent but also eliminates differences between the various sub-classes. What impressed the judges the most was that impetus (and, more importantly, funding) for the project came from leasing company Porterbrook. Another innovation was that the work was carried out by Southern at its Selhurst maintenance depot. The time saved by not…

Southeastern Railway Southeastern might employ 4,500 people but it views itself as one team. It prides itself on being a great place to work and it’s committed to the health, happiness, success and motivation of its employees. It has recognised the benefits of a diverse and inclusive team and nearly 30% of new hires are women while BAME employees comprised 39% of new hires in Q4 of 2022 alone. Employment surveys demonstrate that its diversity and inclusion initiatives are making a difference. However, Southeastern has concentrated on areas beyond the more ‘obvious’ issues, such as D&I. It has launched a ‘Menopause Awareness’ e-learning course for line managers, its ‘Cognassist’ tool to support neurodiverse colleagues, launched the ‘Colleague Mental Health Advocate’ programme to help deal with traumatic incidents that they might…

Glasgow Central (Network Rail) “Glasgow Central is a superb station,” said the NRA judges. Highly commended in the same category in 2022, the Grade A Listed station won high praise for providing “thoughtful amenities”, including a multi-faith room and ample seating. The judges added: “The staff at this station keep trying [to impress] and succeed very well. They understand its significance and responsibility in the life of Glasgow and manage to make using trains easy through excellent communication, signage, ticketing and customer service.” The station was opened by the Caledonian Railway in August 1879 before undergoing a major rebuild to increase capacity between 1901-05. The overground (High Level) station boasted 13 platforms served by an additional bridge over the River Clyde while a smaller underground (Low Level) station had also…

Okehampton (Great Western Railway) Okehampton is no stranger to the National Rail Awards after the project to reopen the station and the Dartmoor Line that serves it triumphed in both the Outstanding Teamwork and Outstanding Contribution to Society categories in 2022. Originally opened in 1871, Okehampton re-joined the national network for the first time in nearly 50 years on November 20 2021, when Great Western Railway services commenced running between the Devon town and Exeter. In what was the first of the Department for Transport’s ‘Restoring your Railway’ initiatives to bear fruit, the reopening reversed the closure by British Rail in 1972 of the remains of the Southern Region’s ‘Withered Arm’ route from Coleford Junction (on the Barnstaple-Exeter line) to Okehampton. Over the next five decades, the line remained open…

Dyan Perry OBE, CEO, HS1 Ltd Dyan Perry (Née Crowther) has become one of the most recognisable faces in the UK rail industry, having held some of the most challenging and high-profile operational roles it has to offer. From joining British Rail as a graduate trainee in 1986, she climbed the ranks at BR and then Railtrack, prior to becoming the UK’s first ever female managing director of a train operating company in 2002. For the next two years she led the turnaround of Arriva Trains Northern after it had officially been ranked as the UK’s worst performing TOC. She then joined Network Rail, where she became director of operations in 2010 and then route managing director for NR’s largest route (London North Western) in 2012. In June 2014, Dyan…

The Elizabeth line “It’s true to say that the Elizabeth line rather zig-zagged its way to success, but that success has been spectacular and well worth waiting for.” That was the unanimous verdict of the NRA judges who, after receiving five incredibly strong entries for the mega-project across several categories, felt its “consistently very high standards of excellence and achievement” made it worthy of special recognition. With entries varying from the delivery of infrastructure and rolling stock through to delighting customers and a new tool for managing train crew displacement, the judges added: “These joint entries for construction and operations all contributed to making the Elizabeth line such a memorable success. “We are delighted to make this Special Award on behalf of the vast army of men and women who…

Some final thoughts from the team at RAIL @RAIL Send contributions to: rail@bauermedia.co.uk Congratulations to the winners of our two recent Stop & Examine mini-quizzes. First up (RAIL 989) was our ‘Liz quiz’ based on stations on the Elizabeth line. And our two winners are Guy Babbs and John Savage, each of whom win a copy of Design on the Elizabeth line, courtesy of Capital Transport (www.capitaltransport.com). The answers were: 1 Two, three, four, five (Heathrow Terminals) or seven (Seven Kings); 2 South (Southall) or West (West Drayton, West Ealing); 3 White (Whitechapel); 4 Mary (Maryland); 5 Harold (Harold Wood. Harold I 1035-40 and Harold II 1066, who was killed at the Battle of Hastings. Although we’d love to see any new station being named Aethelwulf or Aethelbald!). Then came…