Table of contents for Issue 816 in RAIL

 By the time this is published, the dreadful Southern strike could be over - or it could be continuing its bloody trajectory. “The blunt truth is this is a dispute which we have been putting off for 25 years - and you can see why.” Carnage has been wrought in the lives of ordinary people in whose name this fight is being fought, but they deserve much better from everyone involved. The Government is disingenuous in standing back, Southern stands rightly charged of ham-fisted and heavy-handed management, while the unions are increasingly seen as Luddite. Confusion has been worsened by the description ‘Driver Only Operation’ when no such thing is proposed. Ill-informed media coverage has often been factually incorrect. Finally, on Tuesday December 13, the ASLEF strike which brought Southern…

Scottish Minister for Transport and Islands Humza Yousaf is confident of the timescales regarding electrification and the introduction of the Class 385s. Speaking to RAIL at Glasgow Shields Road on December 11, he said: “There will be a step change. Electrification is the biggest change in a generation. We are planning for electrification, and we have no reason for changing that. Things are moving to the timetable we planned.” However, Yousaf remained critical of the delays and Network Rail going over budget ( RAIL 815): “The projects overrunning is unacceptable, and I am still not satisfied with the HLOS [High Level Output Specification] process. The way we create processes has to change.” He said that the infrastructure project procurement and early cost estimates, and the fact that the costs went…

OPERATION of track and trains will be brought together again, under plans unveiled by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling on December 6. In a speech to the Policy Exchange, he said: “It will be a process of evolution and not revolution, but I believe it will mean a better railway on a day-to-day basis, and it will mean that it is much easier to meet the challenges today’s network faces.” Speaking about Network Rail, Grayling said it was “a committed organisation with a fantastic safety record, the safest major railway network in Europe. But it has been too cumbersome, has not always been an unqualified success in delivering the upgrades our railways need, and does need to focus much more on passengers.” He said it “needed to change”…

SECRETARY of State for Transport Chris Grayling has blocked Transport for London’s aspirations to run rail services outside the capital, by opting to use the Southeastern franchise to pilot greater integration between train operators and Network Rail (see pages 8-9). TfL has long sought powers to operate more rail services beyond its existing boundaries, and earlier this year the Government signed a prospectus on handing control to TfL of some suburban routes operated by Southeastern, Southern and South West Trains. TfL claimed in a business case delivered in October that for every £1 invested in devolution proposals there would be £4.30 in benefits ( RAIL 812). These benefits were claimed to include more reliable services, better customer service and improved disabled access at no cost to central government. Instead, Grayling…

The Direct Award for the InterCity West Coast (ICWC) franchise could last for 24 months, if an option to extend it is granted. The Department for Transport announced on November 4 that the West Coast Partnership (WCP) deal would run ICWC ahead of the planned introduction of HS2, and would also run the first four years of the new railway (RAIL 814). WCP is due to start in 2019, which meant that a DA was required for the planned 12-month gap. On December 6, DfT issued a short-term contract information notice that stated: “The term of the contract shall be formed of both a core period of April 1 2018 to April 1 2019 plus an optional extension, callable by the Secretary of State, of a maximum 13 additional reporting…

A STRIKE by drivers belonging to the ASLEF union halted all 2,242 daily Southern Railway services on December 13 and 14, making it the most disruptive industrial action on the railway in more than 20 years. Normally busy stations across south London, Surrey and Sussex were deserted as passengers worked from home, took the day off or attempted to drive. As this issue of RAIL went to press, talks were taking place at the conciliation service, ACAS, to find common ground between the ASLEF and RMT unions and the train operator. However, an overtime ban and a further 24-hour strike by ASLEF on December 16 remained on. Southern advised its passengers not to attempt to travel, and most passengers stayed away. No buses were laid on instead, and the company…

The £41 million Edinburgh Gateway interchange was officially opened by Scottish Transport Minister Humza Yousaf on December 9, two days before it opened to the public. Located in the west of city, the interchange gives access to Edinburgh Airport and is part of the Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP). “This £41m investment will offer huge benefits to rail passengers travelling to or from the Gogar area, integrating the rail network with the tram network and providing a convenient link to Edinburgh Airport,” said Yousaf. He added the project was delivered “on time and on budget”. ScotRail Alliance Managing Director Phil Verster said: “This new interchange is a wonderful example of our vision for Scotland’s railway.” The station has two 265-metre platforms that can accommodate ten-car trains. A step-free access bridge links…

Network Rail is scheduled to complete the required infrastructure works that would enable the start of the Sheffield tram-train trials in summer 2018. Rail Minister Paul Maynard confirmed the date in a Commons Written Reply to Clive Betts (Labour, Sheffield South East) on November 30. Maynard explained that an announcement regarding the entry into traffic could not be made. He said: “The Rotherham to Sheffield tram-train pilot project has been subject to review. This is due to problems with Network Rail’s complex programme of works to modify the heavy rail network in order to allow the operation of the innovative tram-train vehicles. The final outcome of this review work is still being considered.” He added: “A decision as to a public start date would be made by South Yorkshire PTE…

The number of Signals Passed at Danger (SPADs) fell in the second quarter of 2016-17 to 63, a decrease of 23.2% from 82 a year ago. The number of potentially severe incidents fell from three to two, those described as ‘potentially significant’ from 25 to 17, and those in the ‘no significant risk’ category from 54 to 44. The provisional figures from the Office of Rail and Road suggest the Moving Annual Average for SPADs in the second quarter of the financial year was 66.3, the lowest figure for the quarter since 2012-13.…

Freight moved: data, measured in net tonne kilometres, shows the amount of freight which is moved on the railway network, taking into account the weight of the load and the distance carried. Freight moved is disaggregated by seven commodities which are also summed to provide an overall total freight moved. The seven commodities are coal, metals, construction, oil and petroleum, international, domestic intermodal and other. In addition to the seven commodities listed above, the amount of goods used for railway engineering work is also reported, under the ‘infrastructure’ category. This is not included in the totals published in the freight moved tables and charts. Freight lifted: the mass of goods carried on the rail network measured in tonnes, excluding the weight of the locomotives and wagons. Unlike freight moved, it…

Bristol City Council has commissioned a feasibility study into rail improvements, in a bid to enhance local rail services. The aim is to carry out a ‘high level assessment’ to identify whether a number of options could have viable business cases. Among the areas being examined are new approaches for improving local rail frequencies, examination of options such as the ‘Henbury Loop’, new stations to serve Ashton Gate, Horfield/Lockleaze and St Annes, and consideration of whether these options are best delivered as a package or as standalone projects.…

CHILTERN Railways began operating trains right the way through from Oxford to London Marylebone on December 12, finally completing what it calls the first new rail link to be built between the capital and a major British city for over 100 years. Network Rail and Chiltern have invested £320 million in the route, which opened as far as Oxford Parkway in October 2015 ( RAIL 787), and has now been extended the remaining four miles to Oxford’s main station. More than 1.5 million passengers used the link in its first 12 months, and this figure is now expected to rise by 850,000 per annum. Two trains per hour now run between Oxford and Marylebone in each direction, formed of between three and nine cars for peak-time services. Journey times for…

Network Rail has announced that it is on schedule to reopen the Settle-Carlisle Line as a through route on its target date of March 31 2017. The scenic route has been partially closed since December 2015, due to a half-million-tonne landslip at Eden Brows in Cumbria ( RAIL 796). Northern services have been running from Leeds as far north as Appleby or Armathwaite, where replacement bus services are in operation to Carlisle. Meanwhile, NR has been constructing a £23 million engineering solution beneath the damaged section of railway. A concrete and steel structure designed to stabilise the short section of embankment above the River Eden is nearing completion, although NR will still need to finish ancillary earthworks improvements near the foot of the embankment in the first months after reopening.…

ScotRail has introduced 1,300 additional peak-time seats on the Borders Railway. The changes were due to come into force from December 12 (as this issue of RAIL went to press), with two trains strengthened from two-car to four-car formations. The trains are the 0758 Tweedbank-South Gyle and 1652 Edinburgh Waverley-Tweedbank. This means that trains departing Tweedbank between 0700 and 0800 will be formed of at least three carriages. It also means that four off-peak trains each weekday will gain two additional carriages. Class 170s will also be introduced onto the Borders Railway. “I am pleased that, working closely with ScotRail, extra capacity during the busy peak periods has been identified and secured for 2017,” said Scottish Minister for Transport and the Islands, Humza Yousaf. “This is in addition to our…

“It is apparent that as the industrial dispute on Southern has continued, staff sickness levels have risen,” Rail Minister Paul Maynard told Kelvin Hopkins (Labour, Luton North) in a Commons Written Reply on December 2. Hopkins had asked whether Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling had written to MPs to say that pressure from trade union leaders had prompted staff working for Govia Thameslink Railway to call in sick. Maynard continued: “We have consistently called for the union to stop all industrial action, which is not about jobs or safety, and which is doing nothing but hurting passengers, not least when Driver Only Operation is already in operation on the network.”…

Crossrail Minister Lord Ahmad visited Bombardier’s Derby works on December 12, to inspect production of the new Class 345 electric multiple units that will operate services. His visit followed the switch of testing of the trains from Derby and Melton to the Shenfield-Liverpool Street route, ahead of introduction in May 2017. “The new Elizabeth Line trains are a great showcase of British design and manufacturing,” he said. “I am delighted to take my first ride on the trains that will run on part of the network from May next year.”…

London Underground Ltd was fined £500,000 on December 2 for breaches of health and safety law, after a maintenance worker was injured in an accident at a disused station at South Kentish Town. The accident happened on September 22 2014, when the worker fell 9.5 metres from a tower scaffold while cleaning a former lift shaft. The worker suffered a number of injuries and was in hospital for ten days. The sentencing was carried out at Blackfriars Magistrates Court on October 7, following an investigation by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which prosecuted LU under a breach of Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. LU pleaded guilty. ORR’s investigation found LU failed to properly plan, manage and supervise the work. Evidence showed procedures…

A new bay platform at Doncaster was opened on December 12 by Transport Minister Andrew Jones. Platform 0 is the first part of a £21 million upgrade at Doncaster, which includes adjustments to track and installation of bi-directional signals. The platform will be used by Northern trains terminating from the north, relieving pressure on Platform 1. Network Rail’s London North Eastern and East Midlands Route Managing Director Rob McIntosh said: “While the most visually impressive part of the upgrade is now complete, work will continue in the coming months behind the scenes on the track and the systems around the station. “We continue to develop our plans for the enhancements across the rest of the East Coast Main Line, to improve this vital rail link for the passengers and businesses…

A SIGNIFICANT phase in the long-running restoration from scrap condition of 50030 Repulse took place at the end of November, following the removal of the locomotive’s four radiators for overhaul. The project to restore the Class 50 has maintained a low profile in recent years, but a huge amount of work has been done on 50030 at Rowsley South on Peak Rail, as its owners work towards returning it to service. 50030 is one of two Class 50s owned by the Renown Repulse Restoration Group (RRRG) - the other is 50029 Renown. The radiators were removed from 50030 on November 23, becoming the first major components to be removed from the locomotive for overhaul. RRRG spokesman Mark Burrows told RAIL: “The day was the culmination of a lot of preparation…

West Coast Railways 33207 Jim Martin crosses Dolemeads Viaduct (Bath) on November 18, with the empty coaching stock for the following day’s ‘Christmas Cheshireman’ steam-hauled charter that ran from Bristol Temple Meads to Chester. The Type 3s were a regular sight through Bath in the 1980s, powering trains between Cardiff and Portsmouth Harbour that are now worked by Great Western Railway Class 158 diesel multiple units. WCR owns four ‘33s’, three of which are stored. The ‘33/2’ is largely used for ECS moves.…

• I’m sure I was not the only one to be incensed by the recent Tonight programme: High Speed Rail: is it worth it? The reporting was biased against HS2 (as expected), and utterly failed to give a rounded assessment of the advantages and the options. It stuck on repeated plugging of the same issues, and all the time there were stupid images of toy trains rushing around, which was a complete waste of time. The Mexborough objectors’ meeting was given pride of place, with repetitive shots of angry ranting residents of the new housing estate. This was really a calamity on the part of HS2. They might have known what sort of reception the plan would get, and could have avoided it by changing the route. Why didn’t the…

We help people take a strategic view and then effect the changes that are needed.Ian Horseman Sewell, Managing Director, FCP “United we stand, divided we fall” is a well-worn phrase extolling the virtues of working in partnership to achieve mutually held aims. It’s also a maxim to which Network Rail has increasingly subscribed, following 2011’s Value for Money report written by Sir Roy McNulty. One of McNulty’s recommendations to improve pan-industry performance was taken up with particular enthusiasm by NR, in the form of alliancing. Hitherto rarely seen in major infrastructure delivery and operation in the UK, this amounted to new partnerships and ways of joint working being formed between suppliers, with NR often being embedded as the client at the very heart of the project. This month’s Department for…

The construction of railway (and later road) vehicles in Valencia (Spain) goes back to 1897, when Talleres Devis y Noguera was formed. After a merger in 1947 with a Barcelona heavy engineering company called MACOSA, the Valencia plant focused more on rail-related products. Steam, diesel and electric locomotives were built and overhauled, while bogies were produced for home and overseas applications. Other rail vehicles produced have included trams, diesel and electric multiple units (DMUs and EMUs), and freight wagons. In 1989 the company was acquired by GEC-Alsthom (later Alstom). When Alstom suffered financial problems, part of the deal agreed with the European Commission for the granting of state aid by the French Government was the sale of the Valencia factory in April 2005 to Germany’s Vossloh A.G. The company Vossloh…

When I travelled to Newton Aycliffe a couple of weeks before Christmas for the Hitachi train launch (about which much more in the next issue), I met historians Gerald Slack and Michael O’Neill, who are trying to find a good permanent home for one of the most beautiful trade union banners I have seen. The banner, which depicts a classical woman’s figure swathed in a white dress beckoning workers to a better life (see right), was made in 1915 for the Bishop Auckland (No 1) branch of the National Union of Railwaymen by the country’s foremost manufacturer - George Tutill and Co, which (incidentally) is still in business. The banner was given to the small Bishop Auckland Station History Group by the National Railway Museum, which apparently is wary of…

SELRAP’s founding chairman and RAIL contributing writer Steve Broadbent explains how SELRAP began, and why this reopening is so important. “In 2000 I was living in West Yorkshire and looking for a new way to develop my hobby of campaigning for better public transport. I was surprised to find there was no specific group aiming to reopen the short missing link between Skipton and Colne, closed in 1970. “What motivated me to form this group a year later were the challenges. The line crosses the Lancashire/Yorkshire border, and so any progress relied on positive engagement between the relevant bodies, two Parliamentary constituencies of different colours, development agencies and people. On the other hand, the reopening seemed a simple task to this then middle-aged but naïve campaigner, as the trackbed was…

IN RAIL 801’s The Fare Dealer, I wrote about the appalling lack of information on the London Underground, saying it was strange in view of much else on the system being very modern indeed. LU has spent £1.5 billion alone on the new 192-train Metropolitan, Hammersmith and District fleet, while many lines with ‘movingblock’ signalling allow up to 30 trains per hour to run. Yet at many stations the information is positively archaic, and even lacks behind that found at many of National Rail’s unstaffed halts. Indeed, at Rayners Lane, which I described as Britain’s least-informative interchange, there is no information at all. One reader told me he thought that it at least had screens in the booking-hall, so I recently returned for another look. There is nothing whatsoever, either…

In RAIL 814’s The Fare Dealer I mentioned that anyone can download the fares database from the Rail Delivery Group website, at http://data.atoc.org/member-area. Some readers have been perplexed and think it’s only for those who have applied to use it, so I thought an explanation would help. You initially register, but there are no formalities, and once you select your username and password you can start. You click Member Login and then, on the Member Area on the left, click Data Download. Four entries appear: Timetable Feed; London Terminals Feed; Fares Feed; and AvantixFares Application. The first three are technical and of no use to those without special software, so it’s only the last that you need. Only the latest version is shown, and you click download and save. Historically…

THE first Hitachi Rail Europe Class 385 for ScotRail was unveiled at Glasgow Shields Road on December 11, a week before it begins testing on the Scottish rail network. Four-car 385102 is the first of 70 electric multiple units built by the Japanese company for SR. In total 46 three-car and 24 four-car trains will be delivered. There is an option for a further ten EMUs and discussions have taken place between Hitachi and Transport Scotland, which ordered the ‘385s, but no deal has been signed. Initially the EMUs will be used on Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk trains from September next year, before being introduced on routes across the country. Speaking at the launch, Scottish Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said: “We are on the cusp of a rail revolution,…

Commissioning of the Class 385s for passenger service begins in July, Hitachi Rail Europe AT100 & AT200 Programme Manager Andy Radford told RAIL on December 11. Speaking at the unveiling of 385102 at Glasgow Shields Road, Radford explained how the project will progress. He said that interiors will be finalised in February, and that the first four trains to receive them will be T5 and T6 in Kasado (Japan) and T7 and T8 in Newton Aycliffe. These are the fifth to eighth trains to be built. He said that 24 trains will be in traffic at the start of the December 2017 timetable, and that initially they will need to operate as seven-car formations. This means that a mixture of three-car ‘385/0s’ and four-car ‘385/1s’ will be delivered. Radford explained…

The number of rail passenger journeys made in the second quarter of 2016-17 (Q2, July-September 2016) showed an increase of 0.7% compared with the corresponding three-month period in 2015-16. This was the lowest growth rate recorded since Q4 2012-13, according to figures released by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on December 8. The overall number of passenger journeys made in Q2 was 425.1 million. The ORR figures also revealed that in the past 12 months 1.73 billion passenger journeys were made. Within this figure, open access operators were responsible for a record 0.6 million journeys in the latest quarter. Passenger revenue from these 1.73 billion journeys raised £9.3 billion, with franchised operators accounting for £9.2bn and open access operators £71.6 million. In Q2 the number of passenger kilometres…

HS2 will serve Edinburgh in journey times of 3 hours 40 minutes in 2033, but work is ongoing to meet an ultimate aim of three-hour journeys between London and Scotland’s Central Belt. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) explained the plans to Lord Steel of Aikwood (Liberal Democrat) in a Lords Written Reply on December 5. Steel had asked what discussions there had been regarding extending HS2 to Edinburgh. Ahmad replied: “HS2 will serve Edinburgh on completion of the ‘Y’ network in 2033, with journey times reduced to 3 hours 40 minutes. “In line with the joint ministerial statement on March 21, the Department for Transport, Transport Scotland, Network Rail and HS2 Ltd are working together to identify any and all options with strong business cases that could further improve journey…

84,000 Southern passengers are to be repaid the equivalent of a month’s travel to compensate for disruption. Annual season ticket holders can claim a refund for four weeks of travel against their 2016 tickets, to be paid directly into their bank accounts or claimed as vouchers. For passengers with a Brighton to London annual season ticket, this represents a £371 refund. The one-off compensation payment is in addition to the improved ‘Delay Repay 15’ scheme, which began on Govia Thameslink Railway services from December 11. This enables passengers to claim a refund if services run more than 15 minutes late. They can recover 25% of the cost of a single fare for delays of between 15 and 29 minutes. Previously passengers were only entitled to a refund when journeys were…

The RMT action is now heading into a tenth month. Govia Thameslink Railway has held no further talks with the unions to find a solution, and said the continuing overtime ban by drivers means passengers face “severe, significant and unpredictable” disruption every day. The operator has suspended until further notice: ■ West London Line services. ■ London Bridge-Beckenham Junction services. ■ Brighton to Seaford services, replaced by buses. Southern normally provides drivers to operate Great Western Railway trains on the North Downs Line. However, Southern has said it could no longer crew these services, forcing GWR to hire additional qualified staff with minimal notice. ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan has warned that Driver Only Operation is “inherently unsafe”, despite his members running services that way for 30 years. He said:…

“Every worker has the absolute right to carry out their duties without the fear of verbal or physical assault. HUMZA YOUSAF Transport Minister announces a campaign highlighting violence against transport workers. “There should be automatic and fair compensation, a fares freeze for everyone affected, and renewed effort to end the disruptions. Anything less is not good enough. JAMES MACCOLL Head of Campaigns at Campaign for Better Transport wants better compensation for Southern season ticket holders. “Rail passengers are not interested in the finer details of the structure of the railways, they just want trains that are punctual, safe and reliable and don’t cost the earth to use. LIANNA ETKIND Public transport campaigner at Campaign for Better Transport hopes Grayling’s reforms will work. “Scotland’s railway is undergoing its biggest transformation since…

A new platform officially opens at Cardiff Central on January 3 2017. Platform 8 has been built above the south-side entrance building and will be used by trains travelling to Penarth, Barry Island and Vale of Glamorgan. It is part of the £300 million signalling renewals project in the Welsh capital. Track for the platform was installed earlier this year. The platform is bi-directional and enables trains to depart westwards from Platforms 7 and 8 simultaneously. The signalling project also includes track and signalling upgrades around the station. “This brand new platform is designed to ease congestion, and is just one of the many elements of this highly complex project to remodel and modernise the railway in South Wales,” said Christian Irwin, programme manager for Network Rail Wales. “It will…

Two Greater Anglia Class 156s will be fitted with equipment that monitors wheel impact force on rural routes. Perpetuum will supply wireless, energy-harvesting sensors that will provide in-service alerts of wheel damage and impact forces on the two-car diesel multiple units. This is designed to support GA and prevent wheel failures. Initially two ‘156s’ will be fitted, but it is expected that the rest of the DMU fleet will also be treated. “This provides a step-change in wheel monitoring in the UK, as the sensors will provide alerts regardless of train location and routes covered,” said Perpetuum Commercial Director Justin Southcombe. The system works by converting wheel vibration measurements into wheel impact force.…

ALMOST 100 million passengers used London Waterloo in 2015-16, making it once again Britain’s busiest station. In contrast, only 12 passengers used Shippea Hill station - Britain’s least used station. The figures were revealed by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) on December 6. The numbers are the estimated figures for entries and exits at stations. Becky Lumlock, Wessex Route Managing Director at Network Rail, said: “The new figures released today by the ORR demonstrate the extraordinary growth in the number of people using the railway, and underline the need for the national Railway Upgrade Plan and the £800 million investment in the Waterloo & South West Upgrade. “Passenger numbers are at their highest level since the Victorian era and are continuing to grow, so it is vital that…

Dr Amy Pressland, International HR Projects Manager at DB Cargo, has been nominated to co-lead the Yorkshire branch of Women in Rail. The voluntary role involves Pressland joining Jennie Pitt, from Virgin Trains East Coast, in heading the group that is designed to empower women in rail across the region through training, networking events and other activities. “Women in Rail supports diversity in a range of different ways.” said Pressland. “It is incredibly important to continue this work at both a regional and national level.”…

THE Borders Rail Monitor Group has criticised what it calls “the shocking failure of rail forecasting”, after ScotRail confirmed 1.3 million passenger journeys were made on the Borders Railway in the first 12 months since it opened. The 30½-mile line opened on September 6 2015 (RAIL 783), and according to SR the passenger figures were broadly in line with business case projections. ScotRail Alliance Managing Director Phil Verster said: “Projections are just that; assumptions made about how many people are likely to travel at different times of the year. “We now have a much clearer picture of what to expect in future years and will incorporate these learnings into our business planning and marketing.” But in a statement David Spaven, from the Borders Rail Monitor Group, said: “The big story…

Two rakes of locomotive-hauled stock are among the 107 nonelectric vehicles that will be sent off-lease by ScotRail by 2019. The operator is introducing a total of 200 additional vehicles, compared with the fleet size it inherited when Abellio replaced FirstGroup as the train operator. The additional vehicles include 121 High Speed Train carriages cascaded from Great Western Railway and 234 Class 385 vehicles being built by Hitachi Rail Europe. Their introduction will allow SR to remove existing trains from its fleet. Sixteen three-car Class 314 electric multiple units (EMUs), which date from 1979, will be sent off-lease, as will examples of Class 156, ‘158’ and ‘170’ diesel multiple units, although the exact figures have yet to be determined. All SR’s Class 15x fleet are two-car trains, while all its…

The Department for Transport, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), Which? and Transport Focus launched a new action plan on December 13 aimed at making it easier for passengers to buy tickets, and highlighting cheaper fares. Among the promised measures is a reduction in jargon at ticket machines, websites and on tickets themselves, with terms such as ‘Any Permitted’ and ‘London Terminals’ removed except where they “actively help” passengers understand a ticket’s validity. Passengers will also be told if they could obtain cheaper tickets by travelling at a different time, and when advance purchase ticket numbers for a specific price are running low. These measures will be implemented by the end of 2017. Also, from September 2017, passengers will be able to buy advance tickets on TransPennine Express, Northern, East Midlands…

Hockley upgraded Greater Anglia and Essex County Council have completed the upgrade of Hockley station. GA refurbished the station buildings, canopy, platforms and footbridge, while the council spent £15,000 to improve access to the station and information about onward bus transport. Chiltern boosts WiFi Chiltern Railways is increasing the data allowance for its free onboard WiFi service on trains between Birmingham, Oxford and London, from 75MB to 125MB. The company says the move will improve the passenger experience and allow it to assess what the ultimate level of provision should be. Thirsts ‘quelled’ on GA Greater Anglia has introduced local beer on its Norwich-London trains. Quell , brewed by Lacons in Great Yarmouth, is available exclusively in 330ml cans.…

Trams have started testing on Metrolink’s Second City Crossing (2CC), with the first tram running along the new railway in the early hours of December 1. They will run from St Peter’s Square to Exchange Square. The line is due to open early next year, and will connect the newly expanded St Peter’s Square stop with the Exchange Square and Victoria via Princess Street and Cross Street. The first part of 2CC opened in December 2015, when trams began running to Exchange Square from Victoria.…

WESTERN Brentford: The Borough of Hounslow Council is financing a new study into reviving passenger services over the West London branch from Southall. Clifton Bridge: The site of the former east Bristol suburban station, closed on September 7 1964, is available for re-use following the departure of Avon & Somerset Police’s mounted horse and dog section. Oxford: The station’s train crew building has been demolished to enable the bay platforms to be extended. Pilning: The station footbridge has been closed and removed. Eastbound passengers are now able to travel via Severn Tunnel Junction. Swindon: The new station forecourt has been named Sir Daniel Gooch Place, with a plaque in the style of a Great Western steam locomotive. EASTERN Durham: Platform 1 is to be extended by 20 yards at its…

Hitachi Rail Europe five-car bi-mode 800002 has been used to test European Train Control System (ETCS) on the Hertford Loop and at Network Rail’s ERTMS National Integration Facility (ENIF) base at Hitchin. The Intercity Express Programme Class 800/0, which is destined for Great Western Railway next year, was fitted with a more advanced version of ETCS than the current trackside systems. Its cabs were fitted with ETCS Baseline 3 (supplied by HRE), whereas the trackside system uses Baseline 2 (not supplied by HRE). The system, when in use, will be used to boost capacity by enabling more trains to run closer together. Further tests are planned - while HRE’s Baseline 2 system is approved for use on the UK network, Baseline 3 requires more tests. “Only by linking new trains…

IT’S almost three years since the sea wall at Dawlish was damaged by extreme weather conditions that were described, at the time, as “once in a lifetime”. Since then, there have been 36 days of disruption. The sea wall section between Dawlish Warren and Teignmouth may attract the headlines, but there is far more to the South West’s railway system. Thus campaigners have made the case to Government for investment, to boost a region that has experienced 128% passenger growth since privatisation. The Great Western Modernisation Programme has not been the big success Network Rail had hoped. But while the wires being erected late on the line from London to Bristol and Cardiff may be embarrassing, the impact on the far South West could be much worse. Without these wires,…

“The goal is to use the funds so that the Trust helps individuals make a difference to society.”Keith Heller, Chairman of the Trustees, EWS Educational Trust The EWS Educational Trust is the perfect example of the railway not only looking after its own, but also looking to the future. Its aim is to encourage talent and unlock potential, by providing a financial grant towards the cost of further education of people with close relatives who work (or who have worked) in the rail freight industry. Discretionary grants (not loans) can be awarded to individuals seeking to pursue a qualification in higher education, to those with a sporting or artistic talent, or to those who may need help with specialist equipment or technical support (special access funding). It started from the…

 A combination of higher fares and declining train service performance is undermining consumer confidence in rail use. The big picture is one of a relentless rise in passenger numbers using infrastructure that has undergone little capacity enhancement, increased ticket prices to meet the cost of projects, and staff resistance to efficiency measures. “There is a lot at stake for all concerned in finding an acceptable way forward at Southern.” A new intervention by the Government to counter the decline in performance is to broker a merger of infrastructure and operating functions in the day-to-day delivery of services. This was previously tried in 2012 when a ‘Deep Alliance’ was created between South West Trains and the corresponding Network Rail route directorate. The arrangements broke up because the parties could not agree…

 BRITAIN has a safe railway. It is the safest in Europe by many measures, including the number of passenger fatalities and the number of injuries per billion passenger train kilometres. This record is the result of considerable work at all levels - from senior managers to the newest members of staff. “Yes, there’s a chance during disruption that a train might run without an on-board supervisor. But it’s surely sensible to get a train away, rather than delay it further or cancel it?” How then to explain the front of a new leaflet from rail union RMT? It says: “A London Midland Production DANGER Coming Very Soon To A Train Company Near You.” This is scaremongering of the worst sort. The RMT paints a picture of Britain’s railways as dangerous,…

October 2015: Fabrication of bodyshells in Japan February 2016: First bodyshells completed September 2016: First train arrives for testing at Velim, Czech Republic December 2016: 385102 unveiled at Shields Road December 2016: 385102 begins testing on Network Rail metals May 2017: First electric trains on Edinburgh-Glasgow route (Class 380) September 2017: First ‘385’ runs on Edinburgh-Glasgow in passenger traffic December 2017: All Edinburgh-Glasgow trains via Falkirk are ‘385s’ May 2018: ‘385s’ run to Falkirk Grahamston, south Glasgow and via Carstairs December 2018: ‘385s’ run to Stirling/Alloa/Dunblane December 2018: Eight-car ‘385s’ introduced on Edinburgh-Glasgow May 2019: ‘385s’ run on Shotts route Source: ScotRail…

Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling has created a company charged with delivering the East West Rail project, calling it “one of the most strategically important rail projects that can unlock housing and development”. He said the line’s closure (post-Beeching) was a decision now regretted. “To put it bluntly, it is one of our most important corridors,” he said. Most of the old route remains, but is partially derelict, he said, adding: “Despite millions of pounds of pre-funding, it is stuck in a long pipeline of Network Rail projects that are funded for some time in the next decade. “I want to go faster. I want to get going. I am going to establish East West Rail, which will become a new and separate organisation to Network Rail. “In…

Dear Boris, Thank you for your letter of 17 April about the possibility of TfL taking on responsibility for a number of rail services in the London area but outside the Greater London boundary. While I am generally a great supporter of what you are doing in London, I would not be in favour of changing the current arrangements - not because I have any fears over the immediate future, but because I would like to keep suburban rail services out of the clutches of any future Labour Mayor. Obviously, similar concerns apply over a future Labour government as well, but the continuation of the system we have at the moment does at least mean that MPs and local authorities from outside the London area would have a remit over…

“It would be no exaggeration to say that the railways of this country are crucial to its economic future. Without them our economy would grind to a halt. ” CHRIS GRAYLING Secretary of State for Transport announces plans on December 6 to bring track and train operations closer together. “ Everyone in the railway wants to transform services for our customers, including better reliability. ” PAUL PLUMMER Rail Delivery Group Chief Executive is positive about Grayling’s plans “The next time the Transport Secretary comes to the Commons to talk about railways I half expect him to be sporting mutton chop whiskers and a stovepipe hat. ” ROB FLELLO Stoke-on-Trent South MP is unimpressed by Chris Grayling’s plans for Network Rail. “ Inviting private train companies to take responsibility for safety-critical…

Nick Clements commutes from Chichester. On strike days, services are severely curtailed. “Does anyone care about passengers in all of this?” he asked. “This amounts to 13 days of strikes in 25 working days. It is now time for the Government to step in and do something about this disgraceful situation. “We have had a year of daily delays amounting to five, six or seven hours a week. While we can claim for compensation, this does not in any way make up for the delays. This compensation often arrives up to four months after the event. I firmly believe Southern should reduce the price of tickets by 50% for the duration of this disruption. “It is now overdue for some railway professionals to be put in charge of running Southern…

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) failed in its attempt to stop the strike in the High Court. It argued the action would restrict freedom of movement provisions under EU law, but the judge, Sir Michael Burton, refused to grant an injunction blocking the strikes. He said they had been sanctioned by a lawful ballot and did not unlawfully restrict freedom of movement. He added that GTR had made a “novel and persuasive attempt” but “it must fail”. GTR tried to challenge the ruling in the Court of Appeal, but that was also rejected just hours before the strike was due to start. ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan said: “Britain’s worst private train company has wasted shareholders’, passengers’ and taxpayers’ money on a case it was always going to lose.” Newly-appointed GTR…

THE amount of rail freight moved in the UK in the second quarter of the current financial year (Q2, July-September 2016-17) fell by 4.3% compared with the corresponding period last year, according to the Office of Rail and Road. A total of 4.23 billion net tonne kilometres (ntk) was moved, a decrease of 0.19 billion ntk. Coal dropped to 0.32 billion ntk (down 38.1%), while the ‘other’ category, which includes biomass, dropped 18.7%. This was the first year-on-year fall since Q2 2011-12. Metals dropped 14.8% to 0.36 billion ntk, and international dropped 4.2% to 0.11 billion ntk. However, construction and domestic intermodal both rose, with the former recording 1.10 billion ntk (up 8.3%) - the highest amount for any quarter since the time series began in Q1 1998-99. Domestic intermodal…

Lawrie Quinn is to take on a two-year term as the regional chairman of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in London. Quinn, who is Atkins Project Director, Transportation, will focus on sharing knowledge and promoting civil engineering across all sectors by working with industry, schools, universities, local government and the media. He has more than 35 years’ experience in railway and civil engineering, including at High Speed 1 and Crossrail. • Atkins’ chief engineer of transportation, Richard East, was appointed as chairman of the railway division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers earlier this year.…

Network Rail has completed its project to replace the Richmond Street bridge in Ashton-under-Lyne, with the route reopened to traffic on November 14. The previous century-old structure had come to the end of its life. The new 730-tonne bridge was installed over the August Bank Holiday using an 800-tonne crane. Network Rail Scheme Project Manager Mark Ashton said: “We recognised that the work to install this new bridge would cause some disruption. However, it was coming to the end of its useful, safe life. To ensure the railway and road bridge continued to be safe and reliable, we had to replace it.”…

A significant change to the methods used to estimate usage across London stations has been implemented for 2015-16, and should be taken into account when making any comparisons to data from previous years. As Britain does not have a fully gated rail network, a complete recording of passenger flows through stations is not possible. In the absence of comprehensive and robust count data, ORR commissioned Steer Davies Gleave (SDG) to produce these usage estimates annually. Estimates of station usage are based on the Origin Destination Matrix (ODM), which is a comprehensive matrix of rail flows throughout Great Britain. The ODM is derived from the MOIRA2.2 rail planning tool, which itself is derived from LENNON, the rail industry’s ticketing and revenue system, with some variations for specific circumstances. Interchanges at stations…

Network Rail has set up an independently-chaired review to “help the company break down the barriers to competition in all elements of delivering projects”, according to Chief Executive Mark Carne. In a speech to The Future of Rail conference in London on December 1, Carne told delegates: “Network Rail’s transformation is moving us to being a public sector body that acts like a private business, with a clear focus on what customers want. Competition is key to that ambition, but I too often hear that the barriers for new suppliers with potentially different ways of working are substantial. “I want to encourage contestability in all elements of railway project delivery, to encourage third party funding and financing of projects, innovation and new models of delivery. “We have to open our…

ScotRail is in the market for diesel multiple units (DMUs), but its plans are being thwarted by a lack of trains and delays to the Great Western Main Line electrification. The operator confirmed to RAIL on December 6 that while it wanted more trains, they had to represent value for money. It cited leasing charges of around £120,000 per carriage per year, which it said does not include the costs of train crew and mobilisation. Overall, it said a two-car DMU costs in the region of £600,000-£700,000 per year to run. A ScotRail Alliance spokesman said: “We are doing everything possible to try and bring in more seats as soon as we can. Any options we explore have to provide value for money, as there is a huge expansion coming…

HIGH Speed 2 is the only solution to the “huge challenges” faced by large parts of Britain’s motorway network, says the non-executive chairman of HS2 Ltd. Speaking at a one-off session of the Transport Select Committee on December 12, Sir David Higgins told MPs: “Will the Government continue to invest in rail? There is no other solution to the huge challenges our motorway network now has. Whether the M1 or M6… the only capacity to move large numbers of people is mass transit. The UK is ahead of many of the Western capitals now.” Higgins pointed out that cities such as Sydney are at gridlock following decades of roads investment, and that with commuter capacity potentially released on the West Coast, East Coast and Midland Main Lines following completion of…

Chris Burchell is the new chairman of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). Arriva’s Managing Director for UK Trains takes up the role on January 1 2017, having been appointed at a meeting of RDG directors on November 29. He replaces Martin Griffiths, who chaired the RDG board for a planned three-year term from December 2013. Griffiths remains chief executive of Stagecoach Group. Burchell said: “The RDG exists to enable train companies and Network Rail to succeed in transforming and delivering the modern, successful railway that Britain needs and wants. “The railways have delivered remarkable growth, with passenger numbers doubling over the last 20 years. But this growth has brought challenges as the railways have become more crowded and the limits of capacity that can be delivered from the existing network…

THAMESLINK and Siemens unveiled their new depot at Hornsey on December 13. The new facility, built by Volker Fitzpatrick, is where their fleet of Class 700s will be maintained and serviced. The north London site now boasts a three-road shed on the site of the old Coronation Sidings, as well as extra stabling space around the existing depot. All three companies acknowledged the challenge of keeping the depot running while expansion work took place around it, and Thameslink Engineering Director Gerry McFadden described the new facilities as fantastic. “It’s the most complex and tricky rebuild programme I’ve come across - it’s a brilliant job,” he said. Hornsey’s southern site now features 14 stabling roads, a carriage washer, a wheel lathe and an underframe cleaning road, in addition to the six-road…

The £10 million investment in the continuing development of mitigation around Dawlish ( RAIL 814) accounts for 20% of the £50m investment in rail resilience projects mentioned in the Autumn Statement, Rail Minister Paul Maynard said on December 1. He was responding to a Commons Written Question from Anne Marie Morris (Conservative, Newton Abbot), who had asked for a breakdown of the spending. “This funding will allow Network Rail’s development work to continue on the three highest priority Devon coastal sites identified in the geo-technical study which Network Rail published on November 17,” Maynard explained. “This work will include the development of an application for the necessary planning consents for the work on the cliffs along the coast to the immediate northeast of Teignmouth.”…

Completion of the first phase of the Manchester Victoria-Leeds Calder Valley Line upgrade was marked on December 8 when Rail Minister Paul Maynard visited Rochdale station. Some 1,200 metres of new track has been installed around Rochdale, a new 135-metre bay platform has been built at the town’s station, and signalling upgrades have increased line speeds on the route. The next part of the upgrade will start in March 2017 between Todmorden and Bradford, and involves track and signalling upgrades.…

Three lucky readers have each won a free copy of David Lawrence’s new book British Rail Designed: 1948-1997, courtesy of Ian Allan Publishing, by correctly answering the question we ran alongside an extract of the book in RAIL 814. The answer to the question: When was D0280 Falcon released to BR to begin trials? was c) October 1961. Christopher Young (Keighley), Shaun Morris-Armitage (Bradford) and Steve Davison (Reading) should all receive their copies between Christmas and the New Year.…

Off-lease Mk 3 carriages that formed NC64 have moved to Laira for refurbishment, ahead of their introduction with TransPennine Express next year. Also moving with the nine carriages was Restaurant Buffet First (RFB) 10229, which was sent off-lease by Greater Anglia. The coach is redundant following the conversion of other RFBs into Trailer Standard Open Buffets (TSOB), to add more capacity. The other nine coaches moving to Laira had been leased from Porterbrook as cover while Greater Anglia’s rakes of Mk 3s were refurbished. When this was completed NC64, which had been leased by Virgin Trains West Coast, was sent off-lease. NC64 will be leased by TransPennine Express for use with crew training for its drivers for Class 68s and for coaching stock, ahead of the introduction of ‘68s’ hired…

HSTs put to good use One wonders how many local authority heads travel by rail, and whether their minds might be changed by comparing new with second-hand stock. For my part, being able to open windows, spacious interiors, and seats and tables that line up with windows are all far superior to the hermetically-sealed carriages and airline-style seats that many have to make do with these days. It would indeed be a great sadness and loss to see any of the High Speed Train sets go to the scrapyard. For capacity, why not use them on routes such as Norwich to Cambridge, Liverpool to Norwich, on summer trains to the coast (as another correspondent has already suggested), and anywhere else where a two or three-carriage train frequently results in overcrowding?…

Freight access charges John Smith, of GB Railfreight, worries that the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) may increase the track access charges for freight (RAIL 813). The industry needs this like a hole in the head. Track access charges for freight should be reduced. If this does not happen, then legislation must be put in place to abolish the ORR. Colin Hyslop, Ayrshire Carriage lengths I was interested in the interview with Greater Anglia Managing Director Jamie Burles (RAIL 814). On the Sudbury to Marks Tey branch, I am hearing that the new trains will be three carriages long. At Sudbury, Bures and Marks Tey, the platforms only take two carriages. Selective door opening or extensions? Lloyd Smith, Suffolk What a waste of money So, as many of us…

INCrEASEd activity at Birmingham Airport, as a result of HS2, will significantly increase the airport’s contribution to the economy both in Gross Value Added (GVA) and jobs, according to a new Airport Operators Association report. The report explores how suitable surface access to airports boosts connectivity, productivity and the economy. It states: “It is estimated that the HS2 rail link will increase Birmingham Airport’s contribution to the UK economy by £52 million and create 1,300 jobs through direct, indirect and induced impacts. “There are likely to be wider benefits, too. The new link could help Birmingham Airport capture 750,000 extra passengers by widening its catchment area. This in turn would help the airport attract more major airlines and develop its long-haul flight routes, improving international connectivity further.” Airport’s future additional…

Passengers want to see staff, and to talk to them when they need a bit of help - it’s that simple! Transport Focus’s research backs this up. In addition, like many other industries, the railway is constantly being challenged to look at how it can be more efficient and make best use of its resources - one of its biggest resources being its staff. In many of our research projects passengers have described the contribution that staff can have in making their journey experience a positive one. They are the human face of the railway. For those operators keen to improve passenger satisfaction, it is important to understand at which stages of the journey passengers value staff the most, and the contribution they want staff to make to their experience.…

1942 Founded in Zurich (Switzerland) by Ernst Stadler. 1945 Battery-powered and diesel-powered locomotive production starts. 1984 Passenger rail vehicle production starts. 1989 Stadler bought by Peter Spuhler, who is also the President and Chairman. 2015 Rail Vehicles in Valencia acquired, giving Stadler a new foothold in main line diesel-electric locomotive building. • Head office in Bussnang (Switzerland). Other locations include Altenrhein and Winterthur (both Switzerland), Berlin (Germany), Siedlce (Poland), Valencia (Spain), Szolnok (Hungary) and Minsk (Belarus). • Sales and service support sites located in Algeria, Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and the USA. 7,000 employees. • Product range: LRV (tram 80kph, tram-train 100kph); DMU 140kph; EMU Regional 160kph, inter-city 200kph, high-speed >260kph up to 249kph. Locomotives - electric, diesel, dual, shunters and special purpose vehicles.…

A decade or so ago I wrote a book called On the Wrong Line - How Incompetence and Ideology wrecked Britain’s railways. I think the two ‘i’ words are again in danger of wrecking the railway, which - as Nigel Harris mentioned in his editorial in RAIL 814, is in danger of suffering from a perfect storm. The much trailed and leaked speech by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling on December 6 was the hallmark of a minister desperate to show he is doing something when he is hamstrung by ideology and incompetence - both his own and that of various other players in the industry. Let’s start with ideology. Grayling has a clearly deep-seated loathing of the public sector, perhaps because he once worked for the BBC.…

“We recognise that a growing economy in the North needs bigger and better transport networks, and we are keen to understand if the reopening of the Skipton-Colne line could play a part in the growth. “The line does have potential to connect communities to opportunities either side of the Pennines, but we are also keen to understand if the line has the potential to play a more strategic role in relieving capacity on other busy cross-Pennine routes, particularly for freight.” Alex Hynes, Managing Director, Northern “Although a new link between Skipton and Colne may offer an alternative trans-Pennine route for Drax biomass services, it’s the lines either side that need careful scrutiny. The devil will be in the detail, and we wouldn’t want to be constrained by a track layout…

Loco2, the excellent booking website for overseas travel, has done some research and produced interesting infographics - it can be seen at www.loco2.com/blog/traintravel-infographic. These compare journeys across the Continent, to see if there’s any truth in the claim that Britain has Europe’s most expensive fares. They show that while we pay the highest walk-on fares in Europe, our advance fares can compare well with the cheapest available on mainland Europe. They also show which are generally the cheapest days to travel. However, as with all such presentations, you have to be careful what is being shown. For example, it shows what are usually the fares between London and Glasgow 30 days before travel (£40), the day before (£82), and on the day (£134.10), plus the cheapest possible (£20). It doesn’t…