Table of contents for Issue 1007 in RAIL

rail@bauermedia.co.uk @RAIL THERE’S trouble in Derby. Production lines in Alstom’s train building plant at Litchurch Lane lie idle. The company’s UK order book is empty. Those lines can produce 700 vehicles a year -arguably far too much for the UK market, which Alstom shares with competitors such as Hitachi, CAF and Siemens, all of whom have some sort of production facility in Britain. But Derby remains the last site where rolling stock can be designed, developed, built, tested and delivered. Losing it would be a major blow. It’s a blow made even harder with the coming need to replace large fleets of second-generation diesel units that British Rail introduced in the mid- to late-1980s. Indeed, Alstom UK Managing Director Nick Crossfield told the Transport Select Committee last December that he…

Passengers became stuck in lifts at railway stations 601 times in the year from October 2022, and over the year 1,331 railway lifts developed more than 8,600 faults. The figures come from a report by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) that examined lift reliability. On average, there were more than six faults per lift, each taking an average of 20 hours to repair. ORR Strategy Policy and Reform Director Stephanie Tobyn said: “Lift reliability is crucial for an accessible railway. Out-of-service lifts pose barriers for disabled passengers, as well as those with mobility issues, pushchairs, or luggage. “When a lift is unavailable, accurate information is then essential for confident journey planning. While progress is being made, sustained focus and further improvement is vital.” ORR said it had found…

BATTLING climate change and its effect on Network Rail’s drains, cuttings and embankments sits at the centre of the company’s five-year plan, published on April 2. The plan covers Control Period 7, which runs from April 1 2024 to March 31 2029. NR will spend £45.4 billion to operate, maintain and renew its 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts, thousands of signals and level crossings, and stations. “Tackling climate change, safely improving train performance, and adapting and responding to changing commuter habits, while managing an ageing infrastructure, requires the whole industry to rally for the benefits of all rail users,” said NR Chief Executive Andrew Haines. “While there are challenges and opportunities ahead, our mission is constant - we’re here to connect people and goods with where…

TRAIN performance, measured by the percentage of trains arriving on time, should marginally rise over the next five years from 66.9% in 2024-25 to 67.1% in 2028-29, according to Network Rail. “Our plans for the next five years aim to deliver a good level of train service reliability and punctuality, and support freight growth,” the company said. NR’s CP7 plan said it was difficult to predict factors such as weather which affect punctuality and reliability of rail services. As a result, the Office of Rail and Road has set firm targets only for the first two years (see table) for NR in England and Wales. The rail regulator will then set targets for the remaining three years, with NR’s plan only giving a range of likely performance. With the final…

The five years of Control Period 7 will feature major work at Old Oak Common, in west London, to build an eight-platform station on the Great Western Main Line to form an interchange with High Speed 2’s station alongside. NR’s Wales and Western CP7 delivery plan says: “The station is scheduled to open in May 2030 and during the construction period extensive access will be required. We are working closely with HS2 Ltd and will work to collectively minimise the impact on train service performance.” However, the delivery plan provides little detail of how it plans to maintain rail services and punctuality while this work goes on. At the same time, it notes that recovering performance on the Thames Valley (between Paddington and Reading, passing Old Oak Common) is a…

Repairs to last December’s landslip on Network Rail’s Old Dalby test track should be complete by this summer, the company said on April 4, after it started removing 17,000 tonnes of soil and vegetation from the site. NR plans to install 370 metres of drains, replace 265 metres of track, and install new overhead line equipment. The line runs for 13 miles between Melton Mowbray and Edwalton and has been a test track for new trains and technology since 1966.…

Network Rail has awarded framework signalling contracts that could be worth up to £4 billion to seven companies for the period from 2024-34. Conventional signalling contracts worth £1bn are going to Alstom, AtkinsRealis, Hitachi and Siemens. European Train Control System (ETCS) signalling contracts worth £3bn are going to Alstom, AtkinsRealis and CAF, Thales and VolkerRail, and Siemens. Initial projects that NR expects to deliver under this framework are Midlands Rail Hub, Transpennine Route Upgrade and West Coast Main Line (North) - known as Trilink.…

The Department for Transport has announced that it intends to make further direct awards for three passenger rail contracts - East Coast, South Western and Essex Thameside - which suggests that a switch back to asking companies to bid competitively for operating contracts remains some way off. All three have been direct awards since 2021, operated by LNER (a DfT subsidiary), South Western Railway (FirstGroup and MTR) and c2c (Trenitalia). The new deals will last for 24-60 months for East Coast, and 36-96 months for SWR and Essex Thameside. The current LNER contract has been under direct government control (OLR Holdings Limited, DOHL) since the termination of the loss-making Virgin Trains East Coast contract six years ago. It was the government’s stated intention then that any future deal would integrate…

As Rail Minister Huw Merriman formally opened Dore & Totley station’s second platform on April 8, a local user group claimed that the £150 million Hope Valley improvements (RAIL 1006) will not lead to more trains running. Hope Valley Railway Users Group Chairman Chris Morgan said more stopping trains were needed, adding that the original point of the scheme had been to provide another fast train path per hour through the corridor - now much more difficult because Manchester and Sheffield are too congested. “We’ve gone through two years of mayhem at the station and get nothing extra back apart from perhaps better punctuality of the existing train service,” he said. Adding a second track and platform through Dore & Totley reverses a bottleneck created by British Rail’s removal of…

Work on the new White Rose station, between Morley and Cottingley on the main trans-Pennine route to Manchester via Huddersfield, has ground to a halt amid rising costs which have yet to be explained. The station will serve a retail park, a growing area of employment, and a bus interchange. In time it will link to the proposed mass transit Leeds line, which forms part of an ambitious scheme being worked up by West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA). Once open, White Rose will replace Cottingley station, half a mile further down the line. The most recent quoted cost is £26.5 million, of which £22m is coming from WYCA. But in March, the team behind White Rose announced a “temporary pause” in construction following an “unforeseen increase” in project costs, prompting…

AmcoGiffen is to assess and repair Glenfinnan Viaduct in a £3.4 million Network Rail project. Work started in April. NR said it would include protecting the viaduct from water erosion and repairing concrete, and that rail services would not be affected. The structure is the longest concrete viaduct in Scotland, spanning 1,000 feet, and is listed Grade A, which means that it is nationally important. It straddles the River Finnan, 17 miles from Fort William on the West Highland Line.…

Transport for Wales is claiming success from its increase in services along the Wrexham-Bidston line in North Wales. It says that for the first 12 weeks of 2024, over 80% of services arrived within three minutes of schedule, up from the 50% recorded in 2023. A new timetable last December moved service frequency on the 27-mile route from one train every hour to one train every 45 minutes, which added four trains each way per day. Part of the improvement has come from introducing Class 197 diesel units to complement the Class 230s already running, but which TfW has found to be sometimes unreliable. Wales’ newly appointed cabinet secretary for transport, Ken Skates (a previous encumbent) said that he was pleased to see TfW’s hard work beginning to deliver significant…

DB Cargo has continued its mass clear-out of redundant locomotives by offering a further 31 Class 60s for sale. It means all but five of its remaining Class 60s are now on the market, following those made available in March (RAIL 1005). The latest vehicles for sale by tender are 60003/005/023/025/027/030/031/033-035/041-043/045/049/051/053/054/058/067/069/071-073/082/083/088/091/094/097/500. The only Class 60s remaining with the company that have not been tendered for sale are five of the final handful of locomotives that were in traffic until early 2024 (60011/017/024/062/074). The move follows the recent advertisement for 16 Class 60s which had received ‘Super 60’ overhauls in 2011-13 (60001/007/010/015/019/020/039/040/044/059/063/065/066/079/092/100). Of the latest batch, 60088 was withdrawn back in November 2005, whereas 60054 was only retired in January 2022 and 60091 in September 2021. The latter two are also…

London Northwestern Railway, part of West Midlands Trains (WMT), will relinquish its lease on its 37 four-car Siemens Desiro Class 350/2 electric multiple units (EMUs) once sufficient Class 730s are in traffic. But it will retain the 30 Class 350/1s, ten Class 350/3s and ten Class 350/4s which it leases from Angel Trains. West Midlands Trains spokesman Andrew McGill told RAIL: “Some ‘350/2s’ will go as a result of the ‘730/0s’ coming into service in the West Midlands, but the bulk will go when the ‘730/2s’ come in on the West Coast Main Line.” As yet, no new home has been identified for the 25kV AC EMUs. But as they date from 2008, they are unlikely to go for scrap. By early April, WMT had nine Class 730/0s in traffic.…

South Western Railway’s Vivarail Class 484 electric multiple units have been suffering severe wheelset problems, allegedly caused by the track on the 8½-mile line from Ryde to Shanklin. The units, converted from London Underground D78 stock that dates from the early 1980s, only entered traffic in November 2021, replacing the Class 483s which dated from 1938. 484001 is reported not to have worked since last summer. Replacement wheelsets are being sourced.…

NETWORK Rail is putting forward five options to restore direct rail services between Kent and Gatwick Airport, around 20 years after such trains disappeared from timetables. The simplest option would extend hourly Tonbridge-Redhill services the extra four miles along the Brighton Main Line to the international airport. NR says this is “credible and appropriate to take forward for further work”. At the other end of the scale, it suggests running trains from Gatwick through Tonbridge and on to Maidstone West, which was the destination of the trains withdrawn in 2003. Changes in 2008 axed Tunbridge Wells-Horsham trains which also directly served the airport. Since then, Kent passengers have been forced to change trains to reach Gatwick. Rather than Maidstone West, Network Rail thinks there is a stronger case to serve…

Network Rail is calling on motorists and pedestrians to use level crossings safely, by releasing footage of three incidents around the West Midlands. The clips show a van driver driving through lowered barriers at Blakedown on March 18; a pedestrian forcing their way through closed barriers at Hartlebury on March 13; and a motorist crossing to the other side of the road to dodge closing barriers at Langley Green on March 4. Network Rail said it has recorded 60 cases of misuse from train driver reports or hidden cameras since January 2024. It said four counted as near misses.…

Transport writer Opinion GATWICK Airport has a great rail service. It’s been transformed by Thameslink’s expansion in the 2010s and now has a much wider range of direct trains. Thameslink has certainly made it easier for me in York, with a pretty simple change between King’s Cross and St Pancras. But changing trains to reach an airport is usually something that deters passengers. This is apparent for Gatwick, where more passengers come from stations to its west (using direct Great Western Railway services that reverse at Redhill) than it does from Kent to the east (where passengers must change at Redhill). Instead, airport users from Kent drive. A recent report from Network Rail’s Southern Region strategic planning team notes: “From a cross-regional connectivity perspective, getting between Gatwick and…

THE end of train manufacturing in the UK is edging closer, with a redundancy consultation for 1,300 manufacturing staff under way after Alstom confirmed it is shutting production lines at Derby Litchurch Lane, after 148 years. There are a further 500 design engineers at Derby (none of Alstom’s competitors design trains in the UK). If Derby’s production lines stop for an extended period, this function is under threat of moving overseas. It would leave the UK as the only G7 nation unable to design and build trains. The last train (720141) from the current order book of 2,500 Aventra electric multiple units left the factory on March 21. The news is not unexpected. In May 2023, Alstom raised the problem of an upcoming 27-month production gap between the end of…

Politicians may not understand the difference, but in industry terms it is vital. Derby is the only place in the UK which designs and manufactures trains. Manufacturing has components (such as bogies) made on site, while train design is carried out alongside, providing a unique facility. Other UK sites, such as Siemens (Goole), Hitachi (Newton Aycliffe) and CAF (Newport, Wales) are merely assembly plants. They receive the main components from abroad, often including complete bodyshells, which they then assemble. The high-value element of any train is its traction package (diesel or electric). These are also made overseas and sent to the UK for fitting at assembly plants. A manufacturing plant creates more jobs and provides wider economic benefits to the UK, as most of the cost of the train is…

Signalling renewals in Control Period 7 will feature an increasing emphasis on deploying European Train Control System (ETCS) technology, but the bulk of NR’s work will remain with conventional renewals and refurbishment. In Scotland, the emphasis is on conventional resignalling, with Transport Scotland deciding against following the ETCS route. Scotland expects to see its plans lead to a reduction in costs per SEU (signalling equivalent unit) from £421,000 to £315,000. Meanwhile, NR in England and Wales plans on ETCS costs per SEU of £315,000, with an ambition to cut them to £190,000 or less. NR in England will continue deploying ETCS on the southern end of the East Coast Main Line, and begin developing three schemes to commission in CP8 (2029-34) -St Pancras, Brighton Main Line and Paddington-Old Oak Common.…

Over the five years of Control Period 7, Network Rail’s regions will renew more than 380 miles (600 kilometres) of drains, costing over £560 million. The emphasis on drainage comes as NR suffers increasingly from flooded tracks and landslips, often by caused by poor drainage, but belies the fact that renewals will fall when compared with CP6 but maintenance will increase. There’s money too for earthworks, with over £1.5 billion allocated to strengthen 300 miles of cuttings and embankments. With this money, NR’s North West and Central Region highlights work coming at Ashton Heath and Worleston, while Southern plans work at Balcombe and three sites along its Wessex route to Exeter Central - Honiton, Crewkerne and Gillingham. Wales and West Region highlights the Severn Estuary and Teignmouth (where work to…

Tracking passengers NR’s System Operator will buy mobile phone data for the whole rail industry, to better understand when people travel in order to improve route closure planning for engineering work. NR adds that having the data will also help it assess operator claims for lost revenue. Payments to rail bodies Among Network Rail’s costs for CP7 are £141 million that it expects to pay for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), £78m for the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), and £19m for the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).…

Body camera take-up ScotRail has deployed more than 1,000 VB400 body cameras to improve safety for staff and passengers, according to camera maker Motorola. ScotRail Safety Director David Lister said the cameras had improved staff morale and cut reported incidents. New Sleeper service European Sleeper launched its open access overnight service between Brussels and Prague on March 27. The service carries sleeping car berths, couchettes and Standard Class seats. Northern IT chief Northern’s new IT head is David Sparling. He joins from Anchor Trust and was previously head of IT at the British Library.…

Rail regulators have amended National Conditions of Carriage to cap at £5 the maximum train operators can charge to administer refunds for tickets. The change took place on April 1 and applies to unused tickets where their terms and conditions allow passengers to ask for a refund. It follows a review by the Office of Rail and Road which found that processing refunds typically costs less than £5 while the previous maximum administration fee was £10. ORR Strategy Policy and Reform Director Stephanie Tobyn said: “The processing of refunds is now predominantly done digitally, which has resulted in lower administration costs. The results from our review provided industry with a clear action to make sure these savings are reflected in the refund fee, and we are pleased that the rule…

Britain should replace its oldest diesel multiple units (numbering around 1,000) with battery trains, according to a report published on April 11 by the Railway Industry Association. The trade body said using batteries means that around one-third of the rail network need not be electrified, which it said represented a huge capital cost saving compared with Network Rail’s 2020 strategy that called for 90% of UK tracks to be wired. RIA also called for cross-industry collaboration, after noting that the Great British Railways Transition Team has conducted similar analysis into rolling stock futures, but not published it. Collaboration should bring a plan that balances early and efficient carbon reduction with whole system and whole life costs. Overall, RIA says that one-third of the network is already electrified, another third does…

The Government has restated its £50 million promise to the Mid-Cornwall Metro project, which intends an hourly coast to coast timetable between Newquay, St Austell, Truro and Falmouth. Doubling the present service level from Newquay to Par should commence next May, with a through service to Falmouth starting during 2026. Transport Secretary Mark Harper used a visit to Newquay on March 27 to confirm his earlier commitment to the project, which requires installation of a passing loop at Tregor Moss and relaying track into the second platform at Newquay, Other works include resignalling and upgrades to level crossings, a new footbridge and lifts at Par station, and improvements to Roche and Bugle, and Penryn. Mid-Cornwall Metro is a joint venture between Network Rail, Cornwall Council and Great Western Railway, which…

WEST Coast Railways ran an empty stock train in the path of its 1015 Fort William-Mallaig ‘Jacobite’ on April 8, returning as the 1410 from Mallaig. The working followed Locomotive Services Limited saying that it would run an 0852 Fort William-Mallaig and 1132 return passenger trains on April 8/9, with 37409 Loch Awe and 37667 Flopsie. WCR had hastily sent for the two ‘37s’ (37676 and 37685), with seven coaches and general utility van (GUV), to run empty from Carnforth to Fort William on April 5. WCR 37518 Fort William was already there, having moved north two days earlier. The private operator usually runs the ‘Jacobite’ with steam traction throughout the summer, and it is a hugely successful operation because the train featured in the Harry Potter films. However, because…

Signalling between Bedlington to Ashington on the Blyth and Tyne line has transferred to Tyneside Integrated Electronic Control Centre (IECC), resulting in the closure of four signal boxes on March 28 and one gatebox on March 9. Now closed are signal boxes Newsham, Bedlington South (now downgraded to a gatebox for the adjacent level crossing), Bedlington North (built 1912) and Marcheys House (1895), as well as North Seaton gatebox (1872). NR demolished Marcheys House on March 29 and North Seaton on March 17. Signalling on the route south of Bedlington will transfer to Tyneside IECC in late May and that part of the line remains closed. In the meantime, freight for Lynemouth runs via Morpeth, having run-round at Bedlington. Driver training for the new passenger service is set to start…

LARGE sections of the West Coast Main Line - including Euston station - were shut for four days over the Easter weekend as Network Rail carried out a series of major national engineering projects costing a total of £90 million. Most notable among 493 individual assignments was the commissioning of the connection to Maritime’s new SEGRO Logistics rail freight terminal in Northampton, next to Junction 15 of the M1 motorway. Much of the track layout at the new junction has been in place since last autumn, and daily services are planned to run over it later this year. The date of the UK-wide programme was selected for a time when fewer passenger and freight trains ran, with diversions and bus substitutions commonplace. NR claimed that 95% of passengers were still…

Huddersfield station’s track layout is undergoing comprehensive reconstruction as part of the ongoing Transpennine Route Upgrade. Over the Easter weekend, work concentrated on new track installation at this location and towards Mirfield. And ongoing disruption will mean services diverted around Huddersfield over most weekends until June 9. Over Easter, buses ran between Huddersfield and Bradford Interchange, to Lockwood on the Sheffield route, and to Halifax. In other parts of Yorkshire, Leeds also fared badly because of widespread engineering works. No local services ran to Doncaster, to Sheffield via Moorthorpe, or to Knottingley via Wakefield Westgate. Stopping trains to Sheffield ran only to Castleford, and between Barnsley and Sheffield. Leeds-Lincoln services only ran south of Barnsley, and Nottingham-Leeds services did not run north of Sheffield. Passengers could not get to Selby…

‘25’ moves for repairs The Class 25 based at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, 25059, has been moved to Barrow Hill for contract repairs after several years stopped following flood damage. Trial ‘319’ for scrap Trial battery-powered 319454, in a ‘leading in rail innovation’ wrap, has been sent to scrap. It moved by road from Long Marston to Sims Metals at Newport on April 3. ‘69’ on sand test GB Railfreight has tested a Class 69 on its sand train, with BR blue 69007 Richard Trevithick hauling the 1226 Middleton Towers-Goole on March 27.…

Locomotive Services Ltd has taken a lease on two sidings at Fort William Tom na Faire depot, and on April 3 it sent 37409 Loch Awe and 37667 Flopsie from Crewe to Fort William along with a rake of coaches (see pages 16-17). On April 8/9, the Class 37s top-and-tailed the 0852 Fort William-Mallaig and 1134 return - trains which were opened to the public. With West Coast Railways having cancelled the start of its ‘Jacobite’ season, owing to its rolling stock no longer being compatible due to their lack of central door locking (RAIL 1006), speculation is mounting that LSL could be looking at the viability of running a Mallaig service this summer aimed at the tourist market. The same day as 37409/667 headed north, WCR also moved 37518…

As more new fleets come into traffic, plenty of trains currently in service should come off-lease in the next 12 months - some without new homes to go to. The entry into traffic of Class 730s with West Midlands Railway will have big implications for the existing Porterbrook Class 323 and Angel/Porterbrook Class 350 fleets. The first three of WMR’s 26 three-car Class 323s (323208/214/220) have already moved to Northern, where they have joined 17 existing units (323223-239). They are also due to be joined by 323202/203/205-207/209/210/212/213/217-219/241-243, which will leave seven units ‘homeless’. And once the Class 730/2s enter traffic, that will allow WMR’s 37 four-car Class 350/2s fleet to be replaced. London Northwestern Railway has already dispensed with its Class 319 units, which have gone for scrap. Elsewhere, disposals…

COLAS Rail, GB Railfreight, Freightliner, Harry Needle Railroad Company and Locomotive Services Limited are all pledging locomotives from their fleets to support heritage railways with their summer diesel gala events, to boost visitor numbers and provide much-needed income to the lines. On May 10-12, the Swanage Railway diesel event has a Class 37 being sent by Colas, 20302/311 from HNRC and a Class 69 from GBRf, with 69007 Richard Trevithick requested. They will be joined by heritage locomotives including Class 24 D5054 from the East Lancashire Railway, D1015 Western Champion from the Severn Valley Railway, 50021 Rodney based at Eastleigh works, and home-based Class 33 D6515 Lt Jenny Lewis RN. The following weekend (May 16-19), the Severn Valley Railway’s Spring diesel event will feature 37409 Loch Awe from LSL, a…

WESTERN Dawlish: The new station footbridge and lifts were officially opened by local MP Anne Marie Morris on March 15, and the waiting room on the seaward platform has been brought back into use. The general appearance of the 1875 Grade 2 Listed Italianate design station will be enhanced by a £23,000 grant from the Railway Heritage Trust. Evesham: The delayed publication of an updated Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline is preventing progress with redoubling five miles of the North Cotswold Line between Evesham and Pershore and the four-mile section between Wolvercote and Hanborough. The proposals were submitted back in December 2019. Filton: Updated plans for around 6,500 new homes on the site of the former airfield will boost passenger numbers at nearby stations - including Bristol Parkway. Old Oak Common:…

…

TWO articles in national newspapers at the beginning of this month have highlighted the importance of a little-understood aspect of the railways - their vital role during times of conflict. I have long been obsessed with this facet of railway history, as it has been much neglected by both chroniclers of war and of the railways, despite the vast literature on both of those topics. It was in researching my first general history books on the railways that I noticed the importance of the iron road in several aspects of the way that war was waged. As a result, a decade ago I wrote Engines of War, whose core thesis was that railways were largely responsible for the huge increase in the scale and extent of conflicts. Just compare the…

Opinion Guest Columnist TWENTY-FIVE years ago, a quiet evolution started in one corner of the rail industry, with the launch of the UK’s first train ticketing website. At ‘The TrainLine’, until that point purely a telesales business, the then-management team felt there were considerable advantages to putting their booking system online for direct access by passengers. But news coverage on the day of launch was cynical, with reporters questioning whether the move was a mere distraction technique, given that then-Transport Secretary John Prescott was expected to give the industry a dressing-down on the same day for poor punctuality. At first, internet retailing was a niche sales channel for the rail industry. Tickets had to be printed and posted to customers, and Trainline shut down its website overnight owing to a…

WELCOME to the RAIL Crossword. In this issue, we revisit the stories of Amazing Women by Rail. Two successful solvers each won a copy of this fabulous booklet in RAIL’s 998 Crossword, and now we have three more copies up for grabs, courtesy of London Northwestern Railway. Back in the spring of 2018, a collaboration of rail organisations in Cheshire and the North West published Discover Amazing Women by Rail - a project that encouraged people to explore local lines and at the same time learn more about 32 inspirational women and their stories. A special booklet featured short biographies on amazing women such as leader of the British Suffragette movement Emmeline Pankhurst, novelist Elizabeth Gaskell, and singer and comedian Gracie Fields, plus the station/area with which they are connected,…

Some final thoughts from the team at RAIL @RAIL Send contributions to: mike.wright@bauermedia.co.uk A former Southern Railway ‘rustbucket’ has been renovated and donated to a charity supporting homeless and other vulnerable people in West Sussex. Before the pandemic, Southern had used the Citroen Relay van as a mobile information unit at community events. By the time opportunities at such events picked up again, the operator had bought a new, larger and more versatile vehicle. Stored in the open at Horsham Dept for four years, the van had become unroadworthy and been dubbed the ‘rustbucket’ by staff. But with money raised from donations, a renovation has turned it into a distribution centre for the foodbank that Horsham Matters provides, as well as offering services such as advice and internet access to…

The Midland Railway’s expansion and growth, with a policy to manufacture in-house rather than using contractors, saw Derby Works bursting at the seams. An 1873 reorganisation resulted in a new Carriage & Wagon Works built at Litchurch Lane in 1876, south of the existing factory, which became solely a Locomotive Works. The first carriages were assembled from kits sent from Detroit (America) by the Pullman Car Company, before the MR started building its own designs. Adopting US mass-production methods, from 1919 output was 200 wagons and ten coaches every week. The plant’s sawmill was, at the time, the largest in Europe. At its creation in 1923 the London, Midland and Scottish Railway retained Litchurch Lane and the London and North Western Railway’s Wolverton Works to build carriages. After nationalisation in…

High Speed 2 has launched the fourth and final tunnel boring machine (TBM) that is digging the new lines through Northolt Tunnels in west London. TBM Anne is digging 3.4 miles from Victoria Road near Old Oak Common to Greenpark Way in Greenford. HS2 launched TBM Emily on the same journey in February. Meanwhile, TBMs Sushila and Caroline are halfway through their dig from West Ruislip to Greenpark. Between them, the four will dig twin 8.4-mile tunnels from Victoria Road to West Ruislip - one tunnel for each of HS2’s twin tracks. ■ On April 8, HS2 Ltd started a two-week market engagement exercise to assess interest in building its 2.4km automated people mover between International station, the National Exhibition Centre and Birmingham Airport. HS2 expects to award the contract…

Eastern: Rerail critical locations and remove high-speed switches and crossings on timber bearers… deploy European Train Control System (ETCS) on southern end of East Coast Main Line… complete Cambridge resignalling… refurbish overhead line equipment in targeted campaign while warning of significant renewal backlog to address in CP8… repair Liverpool Street station roof… increase maintenance of drainage (to compensate for lower renewals). North West and Central: Renew track at Manchester Piccadilly and Hanslope Junction… use high-output track renewals to maximise delivery in limited access… life extend conventional and mechanical signalling while preparing for ETCS on West Coast Main Line (North)… improve concourse roof at Marylebone… renew OLE around Birmingham New Street and WCML (North)… integrate maintenance and renewals plans. Southern: Replace TEML-41 in Wimbledon signal box… renew SIMIS-W signalling at Havant……

LNER is to be hit by fresh industrial action in a dispute with ASLEF, with drivers striking on Saturday April 20 and refusing to work overtime from Friday-Sunday April 19-21. The action is separate from the ongoing 22-month national dispute about pay which also involves LNER, although it is related to what ASLEF described as LNER’s “failure to adhere to the agreed bargaining machinery”. ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan claimed that LNER is “changing terms and conditions on a whim”. He added: “We are not prepared to put up with being bullied and pushed about by a company that thinks it can break agreements whenever it feels like it.” The dispute with LNER over breaking of agreements has been ongoing for nearly two years. According to ASLEF, it started with…

Freightliner is working with energy company Zero to deliver “fossil-free locomotive operation by 2040”, which involves exploring alternatives to diesel such as Zero’s synthetic fuel. The freight haulier wants a 55% reduction in its greenhouse gases by 2033, and says it will need around 26 million litres of alternative fuel. It said: “This level of demand is reflected by Zero’s rapid scale-up of fuel production, including plans to build the world’s first commercial-scale synthetic fuel facility in the next two years.”…

A GB Railfreight train derailed after passing a signal set at danger at West Ealing at 0610 on April 5. The train was hauling a set of wagons used to supply Heathrow Airport with aviation fuel. It was returning from Colnbrook (beside the airport) to Grain oil terminal (on the Thames estuary). The three wheels of the Class 66 locomotive, 66776 Joanna, came off the rails at a set of trap points beyond signal SN216 on the West Ealing goods loop (pictured below). Network Rail said the wagons, which were empty following the delivery, remained on the track. Nobody was hurt in the incident. The Up lines towards Paddington were closed for much of the morning, so that Network Rail could assess whether it was safe for trains to pass.…

Avanti West Coast passengers north of Preston face two months of Sunday disruption, with Network Rail closing the route to Carlisle from Sunday April 14 to Sunday May 26, with Monday May 27 (a Bank Holiday) added as well. Buses will replace trains. North of Carlisle, AWC services will be diverted from their usual route via Motherwell to run via Mossend and Wishaw on Sunday April 14 and 21. For Sunday April 28 up to June 2, buses will replace trains. Network Rail said it was installing 675 metres of drains at Brisco (just south of Carlisle) and renewing 900 metres and refurbishing 2.5km of drains at Shap. It is also renewing track at Southwaite. In Scotland, NR is spending £5 million to renew track around Gushetfaulds, including 620 metres…

Complaints to HS2 Ltd fell significantly in October-December 2023, according to Independent Complaints Commissioner Sir Mark Worthington, although he said that noise, traffic, lighting, road conditions and site management issues continue to be raised by the public. Worthington also noted that HS2’s failure to meet reopening dates of the ‘Greatworth T’ road near Banbury had left local communities both frustrated and angry. In his latest quarterly report, published in early April, he said that reopening dates needed to be realistic. He added that last autumn’s decision by the Prime Minister to halt work between Old Oak Common and Euston had led to uncertainty that fuelled frustration. He said he hoped the government would “move at speed to tackle the vacuum of information that was created in the autumn”.…

DELIVERING a simpler, better railway will be a key focus of this year’s Rail Live. Great British Railways Transition Team Interim Lead Director Rufus Boyd will lead a discussion at the event, which will also consider how a planned new ‘guiding mind’ will work with regional authorities to shape a strategic approach to rail as part of local transport systems. Boyd joins a line-up that includes key speakers such as Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines, incoming HM Chief Inspector of Railways Richard Hines, and Rail Safety and Standards Board Chief Operations Officer Johnny Schute (RAIL 1006). To be held at Porterbrook’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre on June 19/20, Rail Live 2024 has continued to attract record-breaking interest and exhibitor bookings. By mid-April, visitor registrations were up 57% on…

London was not easy to reach or to travel through over Easter. Closure of the Elizabeth line’s central section over the Bank Holiday weekend, to enable signalling software updates, restricted services to Paddington-Maidenhead/Heathrow and Shenfield-Liverpool Street. Meanwhile, the London Overground was shut at various times from Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt and Chingford, from Highbury & Islington to New Cross Gate, New Cross and Clapham Junction, and between Sydenham and Crystal Palace. The closures were for station improvements at Surrey Quays and resignalling on the Crystal Palace line. The Docklands Light Railway failed to run between Stratford and West India Quay, Westferry and Canning Town, and Tower Gateway and Shadwell. And more is to come on London Trams, which are not running from East Croydon to Beckenham Junction, Elmers…

High Speed 2 has gained planning approval from local councils for viaducts over the River Blythe and at Saltley. It said this meant it had design approval for all eight structures that will carry its line into Birmingham. The River Blythe viaduct will sit near HS2’s Interchange station. It will be a 475-metre structure over the river, its floodplain, and Meridian Road (near Hampton in Arden). At Saltley, a 225-metre structure will take the B4144 road over HS2 as well as the Birmingham and Warwick Junction Canal, the Birmingham-Derby rail line, and the River Read. The other six structures are Aston Church Road overbridge, Balsall Common viaduct, Burton Green green tunnel, Water Orton’s pair of viaducts, a pair over the River Cole, and HS2’s crossing over the A446 at Chattle…

Pioneer Class 507, 507001, has been earmarked for preservation, in light of the imminent withdrawal of the last Class 507 750V DC electric multiple units in use with Merseyrail and their replacement by new Stadler Class 777s. The Class 507 Preservation Society has reached an agreement to take over ownership of the unit, which has clocked up 46 years in use on Merseyside and was recently reliveried in its original British Rail blue and grey colours. BREL built 507001 in 1978 at its York Works. On October 25 1978, Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a plaque at Moorfields station to open the Merseyrail network, before travelling on 507001 to Kirkby. The Class 507 PS is working to save the three-car EMU from the scrapyard and has launched an appeal to cover…

The three remaining ex-Heathrow Connect Class 360/2s destined for the Global Centre of Rail Excellence test track at Onllwyn in South Wales were collected from Bicester and moved to the Dean Forest Railway at Lydney on April 2-4. Rail Operations Group facilitated the move of 360202 using 37611 Denise and 37901 Mirrlees Pioneer on April 2. The other two units (360201/203) moved over the following two days. The units were then prepared for movement to the GCRE by road.…

CrossCountry is to take five additional five-car Class 221 Voyager diesel-electric multiple units (DEMUs) from Beacon Rail, when they are returned to the rolling stock owner by Avanti West Coast following their replacement by Class 805 bi-mode units (expected later this year). This is in addition to the seven units already pledged to the operator, increasing its fleet by 12 units (60 coaches). XC already has a Voyager DEMU fleet of 34 four-car Class 220s and 20 five-car and four four-car Class 221s. The 12 new trains will provide additional capacity of about 25%, offering more than 36,000 extra seats per week. They should all be in traffic by May 2025, although some should be in use ready for the summer 2024 timetable. As well as the additional trains, the…

Option 1: Extend hourly Tonbridge-Redhill all-stations trains to Gatwick and run a peak hourly shuttle between Tonbridge and Redhill only. Option 2: Run two trains per hour between Tonbridge and Gatwick all day (effectively extending Option 1’s shuttle to the airport and running it all day). Option 3: As Option 1 but run the shuttle all day. Option 4: Run hourly fast Maidstone West-Gatwick Airport plus Option 1’s shuttle all day. Option 5: Run hourly fast Ashford-Gatwick Airport plus Option 1’s shuttle all day. Source: NR.…

Analysis Getting to the heart of the matter News WIDESPREAD electrification is unlikely to be affordable or deliverable. That’s the view of the Great British Railways Transition Team, as expressed by Head of Strategic Planning Rich Fisher to a seminar held by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on March 19. However, Fisher added that there was a case for targeted electrification to follow current plans to wire the Midland Main Line and the trans-Pennine route via Huddersfield. These targeted schemes fill lengthy gaps, but also wire end-to-end routes. The gaps include Cardiff-Swansea, Wootton Basset Junction-Bath-Bristol Temple Meads-Bristol Parkway, Newbury-Castle Cary, Reading-Basingstoke, and Hurst Green-Uckfield. Fisher’s targeted longer routes include Felixstowe to Peterborough and then to Doncaster via Lincoln (the Great Northern/Great Eastern ‘joint’ line), Didcot to Birmingham…

“If you look at the communities where we run our services, some of them are very deprived.” Eric Aboagye works on the gateline at London Bridge. “We go through all this training for all these years, so we can give back. We can get the youth off the street,” he says. Eric has worked in customer services at Southeastern for 23 years. He’s involved in a project with The Prince’s Trust, and now also in a new initiative to increase social mobility, involving his employer and Justine Greening, the former Transport Secretary. “I see it as an opportunity to share my experience to the new ones coming in,” he explains. “One time, the guy I was mentoring came into work and said he’d been looking for a job for a…

Opinion Industry Insider THE need to mothball the Derby Litchurch Lane works owned by Alstom, because of a lack of orders for building new rolling stock, is not the first time that doubts have surfaced about its future. Previously, long-term prospects for the plant looked bleak, following a government procurement decision in 2011 to favour Siemens to construct 1,140 Class 700 vehicles and provide servicing depots for the expanded Thameslink routes, with deliveries beginning in 2015. A subsequent uproar revealed that rejection of the Aventra design was more related to financing costs than the train specification, as the Derby-built vehicles were more expensive than those provided by Siemens on account of respective credit ratings. Rolling stock financing in Britain has been dominated by the three rolling stock leasing companies to…