Table of contents for Issue 1010 in RAIL

rail@bauermedia.co.uk @RAIL SOUTHEASTERN’S next generation of trains looks set to provide level boarding across its suburban network. That was a welcome pledge from Managing Director Steve White, as he revealed a shortlist of five manufacturers invited to negotiate to supply trains to take over from his ageing Networkers, which date from the early 1990s. Only one of those five, Stadler, has suitable stock already in UK service. Its Class 745s work on Greater Anglia (see RAIL’s train test on pages 46-53) alongside ‘755s’, while ‘756s’ work in Wales and ‘777’ electric multiple units carry passengers on Merseyside. These trains have floors that match the height of standard platforms in Britain, 915mm above rail level. It means that passengers using wheelchairs can board without having to ask for help and a…

Eurostar has unveiled plans to increase its fleet by investing in up to 50 new trains. The new fleet will operate alongside Eurostar’s cross-Channel fleet of 17 Class 374s and eight Class 373s. It will increase the fleet from 51 to 67, with some of the new trains replacing older stock. Eurostar has set a timeline for the first of the new trains to be in service from the early 2030s. The news comes as Eurostar Group celebrated strong financial results in 2023. The group posted revenue of just over €2 billion (£1.7bn) and underlying profits (EBITDA) of just over €400 million (£342m), alongside a continued growth in passenger numbers, which reached nearly 19 million last year. “In our 30th birthday year, Eurostar has set out ambitious plans to carry…

SOUTHEASTERN is inviting five train manufacturers to negotiate to replace “as soon as possible” the operator’s 30-year-old Networker fleet that runs metro services in London. The five companies are Alstom, CAF, Hitachi, Siemens and Stadler. Southeastern said on May 15 that it was “too early to confirm specific designs or principles”, but Managing Director Steve White has supported level boarding. This will need low-floor trains, with Stadler the only manufacturer with such a train already in UK service (on Merseyrail, Transport for Wales and Greater Anglia). “We want customers at Southeastern to be able to travel independently and with confidence,” said White. “And one of the barriers to achieving that at the moment is the step between the platform and the train. If we could make that level, it would…

Poor oversight by safety regulators is one of the reasons why a freight wagon rolled unattended from exchange sidings in the Ministry of Defence’s Kineton munitions depot in Warwickshire on May 25 2023. A Rail Accident Investigation Branch report adds that the MoD’s contractors operating the site did not have sufficient expertise and resources to manage properly the risk of rail operations at Kineton, and that the MoD did not provide effective safety leadership over its contractors. The incident occurred when an empty FAA flatbed wagon owned by DB Cargo and leased to Kuehne+Nagel ran away down a gradient for 1.5 miles. It only stopped when the gradient reversed, having crossed Banbury Road automatic open level crossing. The wagon ran away after staff had left for the day. It was…

Avanti West Coast’s cancellation rate has fallen to 2.3% in Period 1 (April 1-27), down from 6.1% in Period 13 (March 3-31) and 7% in Period 12 (February 4-March 2). The cancellation rate for Manchester services, where Mayor Andy Burnham has fiercely criticised the company, was 0.5% for Period 1, with ten trains cancelled over the four weeks. The improvement comes after AWC negotiated a new rest day working deal with drivers’ union ASLEF. The deal allows AWC to use overtime to cover for gaps caused by it needing to train drivers on its new stock from Hitachi. This deal increased payments, with AWC telling RAIL that drivers are now paid a flat rate of £600 to work a rest day. Previously, they were paid £125 plus an hourly rate,…

Govia Thameslink Railway passengers can now benefit from a weekly ‘cap’ which means walk-on fares will not exceed the cost of a season ticket. Passengers using a pay-as-you-go card between Brighton and London Victoria will save nearly £125 a week after making four journeys and being capped beyond the third day of travel, according to the train operator. Passengers between Bedford and central London could save £65 after four days. They will be notified when their journeys reach the cap, and will be charged up to the value of the best-value weekly ticket for their route. If they make additional journeys within the seven-day period, these will be free. GTR said 30,000 customers use the keyGo system. It said post-pandemic office returners would not have to worry about buying the…

HS2 has completed the latest stage in its year-long project to slide the half-kilometre Wendover Dean Viaduct bridge deck into position in Buckinghamshire. The viaduct is being assembled in three stages and will eventually stretch for 450 metres. Over a 20-hour period in early May, engineers slid the 3,130-tonne structure 270 metres, using Teflon pads to reduce friction. One of 50 major viaducts on the HS2 project, Wendover Dean is being built at a slight gradient. Each section is pushed out from the north abutment, before the next section is attached behind it. The sections range from 90 metres to 180 metres in length. This process will mean that the weight of the deck will increase with each push, with the structure eventually weighing nearly 3,700 tonnes by the end…

Iarnród Éireann Chief Mechanical Engineer Peter Smyth has admitted that the planned depot at Kilcock (west of Dublin) to maintain the new Xtroplis units on order from Alstom may not be ready until 2030. Speaking at the unveiling of IÉ’s first Class 90000 battery-electric multiple unit at Alstom’s factory in Katowice (Poland), Smith said; “The new depot is part of the Railway Order for DART [Dublin Area Rapid Transit] + West, which we applied for 18 months ago. “We’re expecting to hear imminently on that, and it may or may not trigger a Judicial Review. That pushes the start point back for the depot, so we’re at risk of the depot not really being available to the end of 2030.” In September, the first BEMU will be shipped to Ireland…

Tyne & Wear Metro has started daytime testing of its Stadler Class 555 units, with 555005 used from May 15 between Newcastle and North Tyneside on the Metro’s coastal route. The tests will allow the new five-car electric multiple units to gain mileage accumulation, and follow a detailed night-time testing phase. Special netting has been fitted to each set of doors, to prevent passengers accidentally boarding the new train should it stop at a station. Stadler is building 46 Class 555s, which Tyne & Wear Metro says will “herald a new era of comfort, quality and reliability”. Two more new trains arrived in April, bringing the total number now delivered to seven. Stadler has now built 23 of the trains. The total order is worth £362m.…

Students at Lumo Lumo has completed the first year of a partnership with Newcastle College which puts students on six-week work placements at its headquarters, on the site of the former Stephenson locomotive works. Help for passengers East Midlands Railway is offering appointments at Derby station to passengers who may need help to use trains, if they are unfamiliar with the station or rail travel. GA’s taste of Sicily Greater Anglia’s on-train buffets now offer Sicilian wines from Suffolk company Vinca Wine. The company says that it tries to offer local products on its trains.…

The Branch Line Society raised over £11,000 for Martin House children’s hospice with two May Bank Holiday charter trains. The ‘Return of the Shedi’ on Friday May 3 and ‘May the Fourth be With You’ on Saturday May 4 operated with GB Railfreight, Freightliner, DB Cargo and 71A Locomotives Limited providing traction for the trips. Over the two days, ten locomotives featured. “We are thrilled that so much money has been raised for such a deserving cause,” said the Branch Line Society. “Martin House provides family-led hospice care, free of charge, for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses.” 71A’s Class 33 D6515 Lt Jenny Lewis RN was used on both days as the main tour locomotive, using London Underground 4-TC set as stock. On the Friday, the ‘33’ worked…

GB Railfreight 66737 Lesia has undergone a repaint at Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh, emerging with Ukrainian flags and white numbers. The ‘66’ is named after the wife of GBRf MD John Smith. It was chosen as she often joked that her age “was 37” - hence the locomotive has the 37 part of its number in a larger font. On May 10 it worked a special birthday celebration train for Mrs Smith from Wellingborough to Oakham and back, using Locomotive Services Limited coaches. Her parents were both Ukrainians who settled in the UK after the Second World War.…

UK Railtours is taking the sole main line Class 52 ‘Western’, D1015 Western Champion, back to Westbury on July 6. The ‘Westbury Wizzo’ starts at East Midlands Parkway and heads south to Bedford, before heading west to Bletchley, and then south to reach the Great Western Main Line. The Class 52 will therefore be back on one of its regular BR routes for about 90 miles, to the Wiltshire town of Westbury. After a lengthy break, the return trip is via Swindon, Oxford, Bicester and High Wycombe.…

A number of locomotives have been confirmed as guests for the host of summer diesel events that will take place around the country in the next few months. Moving from the Llangollen Railway to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for the latter’s July 12-14 gala is Class 26 5310. This event should also feature the return to traffic of 20228, which has been fully restored. It was based in France from 1992-2005 and has been returned to its British Rail look. Also taking part should be 20137, 5081, 37215/248, 45149 and 47105/376. After starring at the Swanage gala in early May (see below), 50021 Rodney will be attending both the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (June 20-23) and the Spa Valley Railway (August 2-4). At the former, it will be joined…

OPEN access operators are parasitical and cut passenger choice, two rail union leaders told the House of Commons Transport Select Committee on May 14. At a further session to scrutinise the Department for Transport’s draft rail reform bill, which aims to create Great British Railways to oversee the network and its operators, ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan responded to questions about open access operators by saying: “They have a captive audience from a certain location and the main line railways tend not to run any more trains there because they have the operators. There is less choice now. “You either go by Grand Central, by Hull Trains or another, or you wait two hours for a train.” RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch was earlier asked about the role of rail…

‘GatEx’ marks 40 years’ service New stairs at Middlesbrough Main line move for ROG ’93’ Cowlairs and Irvine depots go electric Formal opening for Siemens’ Glasgow office Hendy celebrates Barmouth renewal…

FOR apostles of the Midland Railway, all lines lead to Derby, which remains today an important rail hub as well as hosting Britain’s final ‘design and build’ rolling stock factory. Primary rail services run south towards London and Birmingham or north to Sheffield and beyond, and there are secondary routes towards Stoke-on-Trent, Newark Castle and Matlock. The old Midland spread further, serving Peterborough and Lincoln to the east, Bristol and Bath to the south-west, and Manchester to the north-west, while its main line stretched from London St Pancras to Carlisle. As with so many lines, there’s a tension between running long-distance express services and local trains. For the routes radiating from Derby, the stations most affected are Belper and Duffield on the line north, Spondon on the way to London…

Opinion Industry Insider EXPRESSIONS of Interest have been issued by both Eurostar and Southeastern for the acquisition of rolling stock, to cater for operations in very diverse markets. For Eurostar, the intention is to acquire 50 new trainsets for use on existing routes serving the UK and the Thalys network of services operated in France. The existing Valero rolling stock will be retained, but the 24 remaining Class 373 half-sets and 26-strong Thalys fleet will be withdrawn. The 34 Valeros were supplied by Siemens between 2012-17, displacing Alstom as the previous builder of Channel Tunnel high-speed vehicles. There is likely to be intense competition for the new order, to be announced in late 2025, with Hitachi and CAF also likely bidders. Eurostar has recently reported that the merger…

FORMER Virgin West Coast manager Chris Gibb is putting forward a radical alternative to the cancelled HS2 route between Birmingham and Manchester. Gibb envisages maximum use of existing assets, including a major refurbishment of the Class 390 Pendolino fleet with a 155mph upgrade. Gibb was chief operating officer overseeing Virgin West Coast. He has pulled his plan together with the help of his many contacts at all levels of the industry. Called Getting the Job Done - A new approach, it suggests that it is “unrealistic” to freeze HS2 as a London to Birmingham railway. The document makes the point that in a little over five years, HS2 will be ready to run, yet currently there is no acceptable industry operating plan and passenger proposition. Instead, Gibb’s plan would offer…

Alstom expects discussions with the UK Government and Transport for London over a train order that might keep its Derby’s plant open to be concluded no later than the end of May. It told RAIL that it was in intense discussions, but would say no more than the three parties had “agreed to conclude discussions as soon as possible and no later than the end of May”. RAIL 1008 reported that in mid-April, Transport Secretary Mark Harper had told Derby North MP Amanda Solloway that the Department for Transport had “secured approval in principle” to fund a further five Class 345 electric multiple units. This came on top of funding confirmed in March for five units. Harper also said that the onus was on Alstom to provide competitive prices.…

A new station on the eastern outskirts of Okehampton will feature a single 100-metre platform and a car park with 200 spaces and electric vehicle charging points. Okehampton Interchange will have a bus stop and will be a two-minute drive from the A30 road. Set to open in 2025, its funding comes from government’s Levelling Up Fund (£13.4 million), Devon County Council (£1.4m), West Devon Borough Council (£120,000), and Network Rail (£25,000). A footbridge with a lift and stairs will link the car park with the platform. The Dartmoor Line to Okehampton reopened in November 2021.…

Locomotive Services Ltd has indicated that it has no immediate plans to run any more Fort William-Mallaig ad hoc charters (RAIL 1007), but that the position is constantly under review. Meanwhile West Coast Railways, despite restarting its steam-hauled ‘Jacobite’ with a mix of Mk 2 air-conditioned coaches fitted with central door locking-fitted and non-CDL Mk 1s, has said it presently does not have sufficient CDL Mk 2s to allow it to start running its high-summer second ‘Jacobite’ train, which runs in the afternoon.…

Train drivers could soon be recruited from the age of 18, following a consultation launched by the Department for Transport to reduce the minimum age from 20. The DfT claims “thousands” of opportunities could open up for teenagers “as early as this summer”. It would mean that apprentice drivers could be recruited straight from school. The proposal has the support of drivers’ union ASLEF. The railway is facing a looming wave of retirements, with the DfT revealing that the average age of a train driver is 48. The DfT stated that the number of young people entering the industry “remains relatively low”, adding: “Lowering the minimum age for people to start their train driving careers would give more choices to people leaving school or college, as well as encouraging more…

THE RMT union has claimed a “significant win” after ScotRail accepted continued driver-and-guard operation on its £63 million newly electrified line to Barrhead, and its £140m East Kilbride electrification project, on which work started earlier this year. As a result, six days of strike action by guards at Ayr, Dumfries, Glasgow Central and Stranraer depots - scheduled for three consecutive weekends on May 18/19, 25/26 and June 1/2 (RAIL 1009) - have been called off. Instead, ScotRail has agreed a five-year period in which to negotiate any changes, by which time the East Kilbride scheme will also be completed (due December 2025). ScotRail had wanted to introduce the Strathclyde Manning Agreement (SMA), which allows trains to run without a guard on newly electrified routes. This is fiercely opposed by the…

THE economic prospects of Birmingham and Manchester are being seriously damaged because of the Government’s failure to come up with any plans to improve the West Coast Main Line, to replace the cancelled northern leg of HS2. That’s the claim in a report by the independent National Infrastructure Commission, which roundly criticises the Government’s lack of joined-up policy. The NIC is a publicly funded body that recommends major policy changes needed to improve the nation’s competitiveness and quality of life by 2050. It is led by Sir John Armitt, one of the country’s most senior civil engineers who was chief executive of Railtrack and Network Rail from 2001-07. He warns that the lack of investment in the WCML north of Handsacre, and a lack of ideas about better connections to…

Stagecoach has settled a long-running legal case worth £25 million in compensation to train passengers. The lawsuit was originally brought against the company in 2019, when it owned South West Trains. It faced allegations that the franchise, which ran many suburban routes from stations in central London, had overcharged its passengers over boundary fares. The case centred on passengers who carried a London Travelcard not being offered a cheaper ‘boundary fare’ ticket when travelling inside the capital’s fare zones, thereby effectively paying twice to travel inside London and onwards to destinations outside of the zones. Stagecoach South West Trains did not admit to any legal liability for any wrongdoing, but a spokesperson for Stagecoach Group commented: “We are pleased that the Competition Appeal Tribunal has approved the collective settlement that…

RAILWAY Children has been announced as the official charity partner for this year’s Rail Live, which continues to break records as the event approaches. The charity, which supports vulnerable children in the UK, India and East Africa, will seek to raise awareness of both its UK work and how individuals and businesses can support its aims. “Railway Children is delighted to have been chosen as the charity partner for this year’s Rail Live,” CEO Rob Capener told RAIL. “We have attended the event for several years, and always benefited from the opportunity to network with individuals and businesses from the rail industry that support us so enthusiastically. “This year we are excited to be partnering with Rail Live to showcase further the work we do at Railway Children, have some…

NORTHERN is inviting tenders for a fleet of new multiple units, comprising a mix of electric, multi-mode and battery-electric which could total 329 new units of three- and four-car sets - a total of 1,163 vehicles. It is looking for one or more suppliers for the new vehicles, with the contracts also including associated equipment and (where necessary) supporting infrastructure. The first contract is for electric multiple units (EMUs) as Lot 1, which includes options to order further units and/or additional centre-vehicles, for passenger service between 2029 and 2031. Northern estimates Lot 1 to be 11 three-car units. Phase 2 of this deal is an estimated requirement of 34 three-car and 16 four-car units, but these may alternatively be called off under Lot 2 or Lot 3 as a direct…

The first of the six Class 37s recently sold by Direct Rail Services has been moved, with Europhoenix using 37601 Perseus to collect 37407 from Crewe Gresty Bridge on May 13. 37601 was taken to Leicester depot, where it was assessed and reactivated. It has already been reunited with a set of Blackpool Tower nameplates and been moved into the EPUK pool. And no time was wasted in returning it to traffic. On May 16, it worked the 0950 Leicester-Water Orton with 37218 (also making its main line debut in Europhoenix ownership). The pair then worked the 1041 Water Orton-Worcester. 37601 joins 37069/218/423 as recent Europhoenix purchases and swells EP’s fleet to 11 Class 37s (37069/218, 37407/423, 37510, 37601/608/611, 37800/884 and 37901). Meanwhile, Harry Needle Railroad Company is arranging for…

TWO Class 50s are set to return to Aberdeen on August 26, marking the first appearance of the class in the city for nearly 50 years. The Class 50 Alliance’s 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance, both of which should be back in BR ‘large logo’ blue after their recent stint in GB Railfreight colours, are due to arrive on a three-day charter train promoted by Pathfinder Railtours. The return trip will include a visit to the recently reopened Leven branch in Fife. The train starts at Taunton on Friday August 26 and runs to the Granite City via Birmingham New Street and the classic Class 50 route of the West Coast Main Line (with the last pick-up at Stafford) for an overnight stay. On Saturday August 27, the train heads…

Avanti West Coast 805011 was delivered from Hitachi’s factory at Newton Aycliffe to Oxley depot on May 16. Other new trains delivered recently have included London Northwestern Railway 730214/219, which were taken from Derby Litchurch Lane to Oxley on May 11 by 37608 Andromeda. They were followed by 730023 on May 16, behind 37884 Cepheus. Merseyrail took delivery of 777043/045 from Long Marston on May 16, leaving just 777053 in store in Warwickshire. It is still waiting for delivery of 777033/035/047 from Poland. Meanwhile, 507028/033 were sent for scrap at Newport on May 7, hauled by 37884. They were followed on May 13 by 507011/015 (hauled by 37800), leaving just nine Class 507 in traffic by mid-May.…

Contributions for by far the UK’s most published column by the same author - now in its 43rd year - are most welcome from all sources. Personal observations, society magazines, website printouts and live links, transport group newsletters and media cuttings (with dates, please) are sought to maintain topicality. Please email your contributions direct to hj@howardjohnston.co.uk, or rail@bauermedia.co.uk WESTERN Hereford: Land between the station and the medical centre is to be redeveloped as a covered bus interchange, in a project promoted by the local authority. Improvements will also be made to the forecourt area, with 144 cycle spaces. Lostwithiel: Network Rail is to install a temporary station footbridge, because passengers are unable to easily access both platforms at busy periods. The original structure, which was removed over 50 years ago,…

THE first semaphore signals to grace the railway appeared at New Cross Gate in south-east London in 1841 - courtesy of engineer Charles Gregory, who was later knighted and became president of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Since then, drivers have been peering from their cabs at coloured lights or semaphore arms, interpreting the message those lights and arms give, and controlling their trains accordingly. The trains themselves neither knew nor cared what the signals said. But later came warning systems in cabs that alerted drivers to cautionary signals, and which would apply the brakes if the driver failed to acknowledge their warning. These systems have become more advanced, to deliver Automatic Train Protection (ATP) or at the very least Train Protection and Warning Systems (TPWS) that prevent trains passing…

Opinion IF there is one place in the world where HS2 is loved, it is Birmingham. The outgoing West Midlands Mayor Andy Street was (rightly) impassioned about its effect on the city, as is his successor, Richard Parker. And with good reason. Despite my criticism of the HS2 project, the scheme’s PR people have been very open about allowing me to visit the work in progress- and it has been quite an eye opener. While nothing will make me do a ‘reverse ferret’ and start saying that HS2 was really a fantastic idea all along, we are where we are -as politicians are wont to say. Therefore, the best must be made of the money spent so far, and of the potential to make the best use of the section…

When I started researching the Liberation Line: the last untold story of the Normandy landings, the story of how the rebuilding of the railways after D-Day was a key factor in the ultimate victory in the Second World War, I thought I was researching a piece of history. I was wrong. The conflict in Ukraine has shown that the use of railways in warfare remains as important today as it was 80 years ago. That was unexpected. As was the extent to which this simple truth has been forgotten. The subtitle of my book - the last untold story of the Normandy landings - was suggested to me by the author of the foreword, General Mungo Melvin CB OBE, the historian of the Corps of Royal Engineers. He recognised both…

Some final thoughts from the team at RAIL @RAIL Send contributions to: mike.wright@bauermedia.co.uk Inspired by All Change for the Bakerloo Line by the Pyramids, we asked for songs that mention specific London Tube lines (Stop & Examine, RAIL 1001). We were expecting an extended playlist, but ended up with enough for one side of a vinyl album. No doubt what was top of the pops, however. Step forward Finchley Central by the New Vaudeville Band from 1967, described by Roy Ledger as “a cracking song”. It features the lines: “Finchley Central on the Northern Line; and on the platform by the kiosk; that’s where you said you’d be mine.” Robin Wood, Nick Ralph, Gina Muskett, Martin Yallop, Mervyn Partyn, Sue Jacobs, Brian Eirian, Rick Zaple, Stephen Wood, Mike McGowan and…

DIRECT trains between Rochdale and London could re-start in 2027, more than a quarter of a century after the previous service was axed. It depends on Office of Rail and Road (ORR) approval for the FirstGroup application, made under its Lumo open access brand, with trains planned to run via the West Coast Main Line. At the same time, Virgin has also applied to run WCML open access services (see separate story). FirstGroup says it would operate the route using “brand new British-built trains”. The stock has not been revealed, other than being “electric and battery-powered”, but RAIL understands that an order would be placed for Hitachi 800-series trains, similar to those already operated by Lumo. The bid represents a reversal of fortunes for the region’s 1.6 million people, “providing…

Alstom has won an £8.8 million deal to paint and repair c2c’s fleet of 74 four-car Class 357 electric multiple units. Repairs include fixing corrosion to body ends, side vents, sole bars and roofs. Alstom will carry out this work and a repaint at Ilford. Class 357s work c2c’s routes from London Fenchurch Street to the Essex coast at Shoeburyness via Southend Central. Angel Trains owns 28 of the units (11 ‘357/2s’ and 17 ‘357/3s’) and Porterbrook owns 46 Class 357/0s. Adtranz and successor Bombardier built them between 1999 and 2002 in Derby. Alstom now owns Bombardier.…

THE rail industry must talk more clearly about the costs of safety and the risks of running trains, according to Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines. He told RAIL there was a “perverse reluctance to talk about the honest cost of safety”, adding: “In CP7 [2024-29] we must be much clearer with [staff] about the honest consequences of decisions. Help them make more refined decisions. “I’m a huge believer that if you give people better information, they will make a better decision. To do that, we have to be comfortable - it’s taken me longer than I would have wanted to even get my senior leaders comfortable talking about the price of safety. “Network Rail has just had the best-ever level of safety in the history of Network Rail for…

Seven men have been sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court after being found guilty of conspiring to steal rail from trackside and depot locations across the east of England between March and November 2016. Jaspreet Oberoi was sentenced to 30 months in prison, Lee Clark 27 months in prison, Dean Tonks 19 months suspended for two years, Ricky Collins 15 months in prison, Daniel Hemmings 12 months suspended for two years, David Anginotti 42 weeks suspended for two years, and Shaun Webber 49 weeks suspended for two years. During the investigation, British Transport Police found that some of the men had insider knowledge of the location of rails, which they passed on to other conspirators. Access to sites was then gained, and rail loaded onto vehicles and driven back to a…

Southern plans to double from hourly to half-hourly its service between London and Portsmouth via Gatwick Airport, and to extend trains to Portsmouth Harbour to better connect with ferry routes. The change is one of several Southern is making in its summer timetable that starts on June 2. Others include running four rather than two trains per hour between Brighton, Worthing and Chichester (with one running via Littlehampton). It has decided not to withdraw its hourly Brighton-Portsmouth service, but to introduce an all-stations Brighton-Littlehampton, and shift from hourly to half-hourly its Brighton-Southampton service (adding a Woolston stop).…

Services on South Western Railway’s Island Line on the Isle of Wight have increased from one an hour to one every 40 minutes. But the operator will not achieve a full timetable during the summer season, as previously promised. The 8½-mile route between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin was upgraded in 2021 to enable two trains an hour in each direction, with a new passing loop at Brading. But there has only been one train an hour since the start of the year. Island Line has five two-car Class 484 trains. But two have suffered extensive damage following flooding, and the remaining three have been affected by excessive wheel wear. From June 2, the service increases to three trains every two hours, to provide improved connections to Wightlink ferry services…

Northern’s new managing director and chief operating officer have officially started their new roles. Tricia Williams was appointed as Northern’s new managing director in August 2023, replacing Nick Donovan. She has been with Northern since 2020, joining as chief operating officer. Replacing Williams as chief operating officer will be Matt Rice, who was previously Network Rail’s North and East Route Director. He will lead all Northern service and engineering functions across the north of England. Northern began its procurement process for up to 450 new trains last summer. As well as introducing a potential new fleet, Williams will be tasked with improving Northern’s performance. Passenger numbers for the operator have returned to near pre-pandemic levels, but in 2023 cancellations across its network rose to 7.5%, against a national average of…

There is a rare chance to visit the Lincolnshire coast on a Hastings ‘Thumper’ diesel-electric multiple unit on June 8, when Hastings Diesels runs a charter to Skegness using its seven-car unit 1001 with three power cars. The train, which will be operated by GB Railfreight, starts at Hastings and runs to Kensington Olympia. It then takes the East Coast Main Line to Peterborough, where the train will take the Werrington dive-under and head north through Spalding. It will then reverse at Sleaford before the last 40 miles to Skegness. After a break at Skegness, the train will return home, with the exact route still to be finalised.…

The second of ten Class 66s being regeared by DB Cargo to increase their haulage capability has entered traffic, with 66652 (converted from 66164) now in use. It was sent out to work on the Wolverhampton to Boston steel turns on May 13. It follows 66651 (ex-66221) in being modified, as DB Cargo seeks to replace the Class 60s it has recently withdrawn. Another eight locomotives are to be converted to 66653-660, with 66149/194 likely to be the next two that emerge capable of hauling heavier trains.…

The last of the three Network Rail Class 97/3s has been named, with 97304 now sporting Rheilffordd Talyllyn Railway nameplates. It was previously named John Tiley. The naming was carried out at Barmouth on May 15 when the ‘97/3’ arrived with saloon 975025 Caroline and 37418 An Comunn Gaidhealach. Other stock named recently include two Transport for Wales Class 197 units, with 197001 now Philadelphia Robin and 197004 Vancouver Red Dragon, in honour of Hollywood stars (and Wrexham FC owners) Rob McElhenny and Ryan Reynolds. Great Western Railway named 800024 HRH The Princess Royal at Paddington on May 2.…

DCR ‘56’ returns DC Rail’s 56103 returned to traffic in early May, after repairs by Boden Rail Engineering at its Colwick depot. Its first turns were in multiple with classmate 56098, on long-term hire from GB Railfreight. GCR gala guest Pilot Scheme Cass 20 D8001, which is 67 years old this year, has moved to the Great Central Railway for a summer stay and will take part in the line’s September 6-8 event. Retro look for ‘73’ GB Railfreight 73128 is being outshopped in Network SouthEast livery, ready for its renaming on May 31 at the Kent & East Sussex Railway.…

Heart of Wales website Heart of Wales Line Community Rail Partnership has a new website, which it says is designed to promote sustainable travel and outdoor exploration along its route. It includes a series of short walks from stations along the line, presented in English and Welsh. ITSO’s smart update ITSO has updated its ‘smart ticket’ specification to include digital tickets held in wallets on mobile phones and wearable devices such as smart watches. ITSO holds a 15-year deal to maintain Britain’s national standard for public transport smart ticketing. Bridge restored Duffield station’s Victorian footbridge is now restored, after Network Rail completed a four-month, £900,000 project with contractor Amco Giffen. The bridge’s span features lattice parapets and dates from 1892. New Trainline VP Trainline has appointed Alice Coverlizza as vice…