Table of contents for Issue 1002 in RAIL

Comment rail@bauermedia.co.uk @RAIL BRITAIN’S railway is battered. If it’s not storms, it’s strikes. Too often, the result is potential passengers choosing to drive instead, having decided that they cannot trust the railway. The network seems to lack resilience. Without donning rose-tinted spectacles, there was a time when the railway kept running. If those days ever existed, they’re gone now. When Storm Isha rolled in, many rail lines in Scotland closed with ScotRail saying there would be no rush-hour services on the morning of Monday January 22. The following day, ScotRail ran no services from the evening through to the end of Wednesday morning as Storm Jocelyn blew through. ScotRail and Network Rail Scotland both said they were making the safety of staff and passengers their priority. Managers at both companies…

A report on single-leg pricing (SLP) says it is unable to detect any major effect on revenue, which was the measure of success. This is cautioned by the observation that the results have been potentially affected by COVID and subsequent travel changes, with less business use. Released by the Department for Transport on January 24, the ‘Intermediate Report’ by consultancy SYSTRA is dated November 2 2022. It covered the trial (introduced by LNER in January 2020 and since made permanent) that initially covered LNER journeys between London and Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh, and which has since been extended to all LNER trains. Regarding ticket types and potential switching, the report says: “The removal of the Off-Peak Return is a significant driver of ticket choice behaviour and revenue impacts.” Market share…

Builders are now at work on Curzon Street station in Birmingham, with West Midlands Mayor Andy Street visiting the site on January 24 to mark the formal start. Contractor Mace Dragados Joint Venture (MDJV) is constructing earthworks before starting foundations and piling this spring. Work on the station building itself should start this summer, according to HS2. The company said: “Work on the station façade will begin in summer 2025, with construction of concourse steelwork and the roof due to start in autumn 2025. “The internal fit-out of the station will start towards the end of 2025 and finish at the end of 2028. “Operational testing and commissioning will run from summer 2026 to autumn 2028.” Work has been under way for some time on the approach viaducts to the…

The week-long Great British Rail Sale returned in January, promising to slash rail ticket prices over a six-week period to tempt non-rail users. Now in its second year, the industry initiative sought to bring train operators across England and Wales together, offering up to 50% off selected Advance and Off-Peak fares. The week-long sale ran from January 23. Discounted fares from the 19 participating train operators had to be purchased at least seven days in advance of the date of travel, for use between January 30 and March 15 2024. Last year’s rail sale attracted 70,000 customers to the railways who hadn’t travelled since the pandemic, according to the Great British Railways Transition Team. But while the Department for Transport and train operators worked to promote this year’s event, comments…

Network Rail is looking to appoint four contractors to deliver overhead line electrification in Scotland, as part of a £450 million framework that will initially concentrate on the line to Aberdeen in work set to be valued around £250m to £300m. NR plans to award a five-year framework contract from 2024. Although such contracts have a maximum value, they are ‘zero value’ deals because they do not guarantee that NR will deliver any work from them. The company is currently calling for contractors to complete pre-qualification questionnaires, from which it will ask selected contractors to tender for the deal with a deadline for submissions expected in May. Network Rail’s funder in Scotland, Transport Scotland, published a plan in 2020 saying that by 2035 the rail routes to Aberdeen (and to…

Passengers using TPE’s West Coast services are set to see new catering on board, particularly in First Class, in a trial that starts this month. TPE plans to bring hot, plated food into First Class and bring at-seat ordering into Standard Class, with hot food from this summer. It says it will also increase staff levels on board to give dedicated catering hosts in each of Standard Class and First Class. Customer Service and Operations Director Kathryn O’Brien described TPE’s catering as “a little clunky and fragmented”, noting that there’s no catering into Scarborough or Cleethorpes and that only 50% of TPE’s services have catering on board. Subscribe at greatmagazines.co.uk/rail-mag…

Govia Thameslink Railway is seeking long-term solutions to replace its diesel fleet, according to its new Decarbonisation Roadmap. Compiled in collaboration with Network Rail, the 43-page document forms part of the operator’s commitment to become carbon ‘net zero’ for all its energy needs by 2050. It outlines the scope to reduce carbon emissions and will be subject to annual review. It highlights GTR’s current dependency on its 17-strong fleet of three-car Class 171/2, two-car Class 171/7, and three-car Class 171/8 ‘Turbostars’, necessary for the unelectrified Hurst Green Junction to Uckfield and Ore to Ashford ‘Marshlink’ sections of its network. With the oldest Class 171s now 25 years old, GTR acknowledges that there are “limited proven alternatives [other than diesel] for traction power away from electrified routes”. It says that research…

PRIME Minister Rishi Sunak accused drivers’ union ASLEF of running a “campaign of contempt”, on the day the latest national rail strikes started on January 30. Co-ordinated to run on different days on a regional train operator by train operator basis, ASLEF members were on strike for five days over a seven-day period from Tuesday January 30 (as this issue of RAIL went to press) to Monday February 5. An overtime ban was in force from January 29 to February 6 (RAIL 1001). The PM also called on train operators to “act in the best interest of their passengers” and use the powers of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023, enforcing its requirement to provide at least 40% of normal services. He claimed that the powers are a “key…

Talks continue between the RMT and London Underground after a further £30 million was ‘won’ for the 2023 pay round. A Tube strike planned by the RMT for January 5-11 had been called off on January 7, after the RMT “made progress in discussions with Transport for London” (RAIL 1001). TfL has agreed to work towards introducing in April 2025 an enhanced National Rail travel facility based on the Staff Privilege rate, according to the RMT. RMT LT Regional Organiser Jared Wood added: “By standing together as an all-grades union we showed that management’s full and final offer was not the best they could do. RMT company council reps are now engaged in talks with LUL, and the other unions, to seek agreement on a new, far improved offer.” RMT…

A heavy rail link to Dublin Airport and the Athenry to Claremorris line could be open and operating within five years if given the go-ahead by government. Appearing before the Irish Parliament’s Joint Transport Committee, to outline the company’s plans for 2024 and beyond, Iarnród Éireann Chief Executive Jim Meade also confirmed that the company hopes to deliver the Navan Rail link by 2030. He told the committee that the draft All-Island Rail Review recommends improved speeds and frequency, electrification, new and enhanced routes, and greater regional balance by developing a rail network that will sustainably serve a growing population. He said that Iarnród Éireann strongly supports all recommendations in the draft review. Sinn Féin TD for Leitrim, Martin Kenny, asked Meade about the possibility of building the DART line,…

Buses replace trains into Portsmouth for a week over February 12-16, while Network Rail renews 1,094 metres of track across four platforms in Portsmouth Harbour station. Engineers also plan to refurbish 592 metres of track at Vernon Bridge, replacing jointed rails and renewing the bridge’s wheel timbers. The week will involve further work on signalling between St Denys and Swanwick, with 12,000 metres of cables installed to extend the signalling’s life by 50 years, according to NR. For passengers, this means no trains from Southampton Central and Eastleigh, through Fareham, to Havant and Portsmouth Harbour.…

THE Government is under fresh pressure to speed up a wholesale reform of rail fares, after a new Which? mystery shopper report revealed that passengers can be charged up to 52% more if they buy tickets from station platform machines instead of going online. It will be six years next month since the Office of Rail and Road conducted its own investigation into ticket machines, but this latest damning report shows that little has been done to work out fair prices. The Which? study, published on January 18, comes two months after the policy U-turn on ticket office closures, which has protected vulnerable passengers who may not have access to computers or mobile phones to obtain advice on bargains and split ticketing. Trust is also undermined by the Which? revelations…

HITACHI is continuing its delivery of new trains from Newton Aycliffe to both Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway, with three fleets of Classes 805, ‘807’ and ‘810’ multiple units being built, delivered and now on test. Avanti West Coast has placed orders with Hitachi for 13 five-car Class 805 bi-mode multiple units and ten seven-car Class 807 electric multiple units. They have been financed through Rock Rail and Standard Life Aberdeen, and are aimed at providing extra capacity as well as replacing Class 221 diesel-electric multiple units (DEMUs) still in its fleet. The 13 five-car Class 805s will replace ‘221s’, with the latest set (805009) now delivered for testing. The first sets were delivered by GB Railfreight using diesel haulage, but the more recent sets coming off the…

Many of West Coast Railway’s Class 37s were out in force for Network Rail throughout January on line clearance and route proving exercises, as heavy storms and severe snow affected many parts of Scotland and the north of England. On January 14, 37676 Loch Rannoch, 37706, 37518 Fort William and 47804 travelled north from Carnforth to Carlisle, where the ‘47’ was detached and the trio of Class 37s carried on to Mossend. 37518 then ran light to Fort William, while 37676/706 were sent to Perth. Two days later, 37685 Loch Arkaig ran light from Carnforth to York. By January 18, 37676 was at Inverness and undertook a snowplough run to Kyle of Lochalsh and then back to Dingwall. Its next job was on the Far North line, but it got…

DIRECT Rail Services has put its final six Class 37s up for sale, thereby ending a 27-year association with the English Electric Type 3s. Following the end of last autumn’s Railhead Treatment Train work, it is selling 37407/419/422/424/425 and its sole ‘heavyweight’ 37716. The sales come after the recent disposal of 37069/218/401/402/423. “The decision comes as part of DRS’s commitment to the environment, fleet modernisation, and adapting to evolving operational needs,” said a DRS spokesman. “The Class 37 have played a vital role in DRS’s operations, from nuclear flask trains to freight, snow clearing and much more. “The decision to retire the Class 37s is driven by the need to modernise our fleet, embrace newer technologies, and meet the environmental and operational challenges of the future. This move aligns with…

The first two of GB Railfreight’s recently imported Class 66s (66306/307) are ready to enter traffic and were just waiting for paperwork issues to be signed off in early January. They should be followed shortly afterwards by 66308/309 in February and March, while 66310 has recently been repainted into GBRf colours at the UKRL site at Loughborough. It is the first GBRf ‘66’ to be painted there, as opposed to by Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh. The decision to switch repainting to Leicestershire was based on ease and location. Meanwhile, 66311-313 are also at Loughborough, while 77506 (to become 66314) arrived in the UK on January 26. It will be followed by 77505 (66315), provisionally in March, with the last, 29003 (66316), due in April. Both 66306 and 66307 have…

Network Rail engineers are close to completing the steel structure which will form the framework of Troon station’s new Platform 1 building. NR is working with partners, stakeholders and the local community to redevelop the structure, which will include a ticket office, waiting area, and a ‘changing places’ facility for people with disabilities and their carers. The framework has 127 pieces of prefabricated steel extending more than 400 metres in length, and weighing approximately nine tonnes. Engineers will next pour the concrete slab that will become the floor of the building. In July 2021, a fire destroyed the canopies, an overhead power cable and the station’s historic Platform 1 building. It led to a temporary closure of the line, pending a review of the damage. NR, with lead-contractor AMCOGiffen, is…

THE first Class 701 Arterio to carry South Western Railway passengers finally did so on January 9. But you wouldn’t have found the 1025 from London Waterloo to Windsor on any timetable - this was an additional train slotted into the day. SWR did everything it could to conceal it until the very last moment. The first train was confirmed only the night beforehand - an unexpected additional service, slipped into the published schedule without telling passengers. It wasn’t exactly a triumphant entry into service. RAIL was invited along on the condition that nothing was said publicly before the train pulled out of Waterloo’s Platform 19. It’s easy to understand SWR’s nervousness. Countless deadlines have been missed. Most of the delays have been no fault of the train operator, but…

LNER is scrapping all walk-on Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak fares from February 5, on journeys between London King’s Cross to/from Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed or Edinburgh. Both tickets account for more than one-in-ten journeys on LNER. It is the latest step towards an airline-style advance booking-only system, which rail users have denounced as signalling the end of affordable, immediate travel. In a two-year pilot of a pre-booked semi-flexible ticket, it means the £87 flexible Super Off-Peak ticket is axed, leaving the Anytime Edinburgh/London one-way £193 as the only ‘walk-up’ option. LNER says off-peak and super off-peak fares “only represent 11% of journeys”. Instead, it says there will be more advance fares available and for purchase up to five minutes before departure. On January 29, RAIL searched for travel two weeks later (Tuesday…

“Our Simpler Fares pilot aims to make buying tickets even easier and give customers a better experience with just three ticket types.” That’s the pitch LNER’s marketing people used to launch its new ‘70min Flex Ticket’. But what the weasel words in the PR hype misleadingly fail to make clear are: ■ Passengers already experience “just three ticket types”: Advance, Off-peak, and Anytime. ■ This con of a pilot involves withdrawing the reasonably priced flexible off-peak ticket and replacing it with a more restricted ticket only able to be used 70 minutes either side of a specified journey, having been purchased in advance of travel. In LNER’s world, doing away with an easy to understand, turn-up-and-travel off-peak ticket, flexibly available on any of the most popular leisure time trains, and…

Transport Secretary Mark Harper lifted safeguarding from HS2’s Phase 2a (West Midlands to Crewe) on January 18, which means that HS2 Ltd can no longer object to proposed developments along the route. However, Harper retains his powers to compulsorily purchase land for Phase 2a, because this is contained in the Act of Parliament authorising the line’s construction. Last autumn, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government would no longer build the line to Crewe (RAIL 994), in a decision that has been almost universally condemned. Harper has also closed the Rural Support Zone, Extended Homeowner Protection Zone, and Homeowner Payment schemes associated with Phase 2a. The Need to Sell scheme remains open. Safeguarding remains in place around the site of the future Handsacre Junction, to allow HS2 tracks to join…

TRADE unions “need to use their power wisely”, TransPennine Express Managing Director Chris Jackson told a conference of stakeholders in Manchester on January 26. He said that unions needed to “consider the impact that some of their decisions and approaches are having on the customer”. He added: “I would describe the pendulum as skewed in one direction. It needs to be brought more central so that we can collectively make the right decisions in the interests of our customers who, ultimately, pay our wages. I think that’s a really important thing to remember.” Jackson said that industrial relations felt “angsty” at a national level. He told the conference: “In my mind, I listed the disputes that have been or are currently ongoing with ourselves, but also with our partners. “Hitachi,…

“I just feel like my freedom is taken away. Every journey is hard. When things go wrong, it makes you feel… disabled. There is nothing you can do to help yourself.” On January 20, Sarah Gifford attempted a return journey from her home on the South Coast to London Victoria, using Southern Railway. Her normal route from Worthing was not possible, due to planned engineering work. Southern suggested changing at Three Bridges instead. But the lifts at Three Bridges were not working, so as a wheelchair user, that option was not available. Instead, Gifford would need to travel on a different route, from a different station - Ford via Horsham. Southern then told her that the lifts at Horsham were also out of order. For her return journey, she was…

Unite has secured a pay rise for Hitachi staff at Great Western Railway, resolving an industrial dispute. But Hitachi engineers, repairs and maintenance crews at LNER remain on strike, as Hitachi has not made the same offer to them. They maintain the Class 800 and ‘801’ trains, supplied to the operators via a contract with Agility Trains (a consortium of Hitachi, Axa UK and John Laing). It was awarded the ‘design, manufacture and maintain’ contract as part of the Department for Transport’s Intercity Express Programme. At GWR, in ‘year one’ staff secured a 6% increase on basic pay plus a £1,250 lump sum payment backdated from April 1 2023. In ‘year 2’ it is a 5.2% basic pay increase, effective from April 1 2024. However, Unite and RMT members at…

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has told Transport for London to run a three-month trial with all London Tube and rail fares made off-peak on Fridays. Peak fares apply between 0630-0930 and 1600-1900 on TfL and London’s National Rail services. The move is part of a ‘revitalise Fridays’ plan, working with businesses, hospitality and other stakeholders to encourage people back into the city. The trial will “need the support of the wider rail industry”, and the Mayor’s office said that “early discussions about this and the technicality of how it will work are now under way”. Following these discussions, the trial is expected to begin in March and last for three months. Sample peak Tube fares are £5.60 from Zone 6 to Zone 1; off-peak £3.60. Richmond (Zone 4) to Hammersmith…

LNER is to axe direct London King’s Cross services to/from Glasgow Central/Motherwell and Stirling/ Falkirk Grahamston from the December 2024 timetable. Instead, the trains will start/terminate at Edinburgh. LNER will retain a Stirling call in its daily ‘Highland Chieftain’ Inverness service. A consultation on the change, which closes on March 18, is prompted by “very few” passengers using the trains, according to LNER. It added that there are “already rail links provided by other operators”, although these require a change of train. The direct Glasgow Central service is a legacy of 1990s electrification, when it became faster to travel via the East Coast Main Line. Since Pendolino services started in 2007, it has been around one hour faster to get from London via the West Coast Main Line. From 2011,…

A theft deterrent scheme costing £600,000 has begun at Cambridge North station’s cycle parking area. Greater Anglia, in partnership with Sustrans and Cambridgeshire County Council, says the improvements will tackle the issue of cycle security and help prevent thefts, with better lighting and CCTV. Perimeter fencing means that entry will be via key fobs, each to be ordered annually for £25 on a first-come, first-served basis from the GA website. Work is expected to be complete this spring.…

Great Western Railway told Which?: “Ticket machines are not intended to provide the same range of tickets as online or in-person sales, instead offering ‘ticket collection following a digital sale’ or ‘walk-up fares’ prior to departure.” It added that “current regulations do not allow train operators to recommend split tickets from ticket machines or ticket offices”. Virgin Trains Ticketing Director Mark Plowright told RAIL: “It’s important to note that the Which? report only compared against Trainline and didn’t look at the value offered by other online retailers through points, rewards and other perks. “Competition between apps such as VTT is driving great value for customers who have a smartphone, but all rail passengers deserve best value for their journey wherever they choose to buy their tickets.” Anthony Smith, chair of…

The operator of Southampton’s container port has increased its incentive to freight companies switching from road to rail. Since last September it has offered £70 for each container changing mode on journeys of less than 140 miles from Southampton. This has now increased to £100. The aim is to reduce carbon emissions on trips to the large Midlands distribution centres, which are closer to the port than the accepted financial break-even for rail versus road freight. DP World says early indications are that up to 4,000 tonnes of CO2have been mitigated through an increase in rail usage. It states that since its modal shift programme was announced, rail use has risen from 21% to 27% of inland distribution, particularly across the Midlands rail network. This has been boosted by the…

The refurbishment programme on the remaining Avanti West Coast Class 390 Pendolinos at Alstom’s Widnes facility is nearing its conclusion. Completed in December were 390040 and then 390039 Lady Godiva, while 390005 City of Wolverhampton was outshopped on January 6. Its space in the programme was taken by 390001 Bee Together, which was released on January 20. That allowed 390011 City of Lichfield to enter for its upgrade. Barring any enforced changes, the programme for the remainder of the fleet is 390043, 390047, 390049, 390008 Charles Rennie Mackintosh, 390042, 390046, 390002 Stephen Sutton, 390010 Cumbrian Spirit, and finally 390013 Blackpool Belle, which is due to be finished in late June. That will conclude the programme of 56 sets and 574 vehicles upgraded with new materials and an improved layout for…

DB Cargo has moved ten of its Class 66s into a new WBHT pool for modification with a new gear ratio, to make them more suitable for heavy haulage (to replace the Class 60s). The ten are 66149/156/161/167/171/174/181/183/194/221. The first to be modified is 66221, with 66167/174/181/ 183/194 also stopped for their upgrade. They are to be renumbered in the 66951-960 number series to differentiate them from the standard machines. The regearing will be the same as the Freightliner Class 66s and will increase their tractive effort from 409kN to 465kN. DB Cargo has also introduced a WBVT pool for Class 66s on hire to Victa Railfreight. Two locomotives (66200/206) have been added to this new pool. DBC finally stored its final three Class 60s on January 24, with 60024/062/074…

Locomotive Services Limited’s InterCity charter arm ran a two-day tour on January 27-28, taking its ScotRail push-pull set with 47712 Lady Diana Spencer and a Driving Brake Standard Open to East Anglia, covering lines rarely visited by Class 47s. On the Saturday it ranged from Crewe to Ipswich via Nuneaton, Ely, King’s Lynn and Bury St Edmunds. It then continued to Felixstowe before heading to Norwich for an overnight stay via the Bacon Factory Curve. On the Sunday, the tour returned to Ipswich and reversed before heading to Lowestoft via the East Suffolk line through Beccles, prior to visiting Sheringham. After a break in Norwich it went first to Great Yarmouth and then home to Crewe via Ely and Leicester.…

SOUTHERN Region ‘4-VEP’ electric multiple unit 3417 Gordon Pettitt returned to London Waterloo on January 27 after a gap of 6,820 days - more than 18 years. Organised by the Southern Electric Traction Group (SETG), with broad support from across the rail industry, including South Western Railway, GB Railfreight, Siemens, Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road, the event celebrated the birthday of former Southern Region General Manager Gordon Pettitt, after whom the EMU is named. Currently undergoing restoration to operational condition at SWR’s Strawberry Hill depot in south-west London, 3417 is not yet fitted with central door locking (CDL) or current safety systems, so it was ‘top-and-tailed’ to and from Waterloo by GB Railfreight Class 73/1s 73109 Battle of Britain 80th Anniversary and 73119 Paul Taylor. Owing…

Northern says the number of fines it issued to passengers travelling without a ticket in 2023 was 20% below that in 2022. Northern issued 41,234 penalty fares between January 23 and December 23 2023, compared with 52,394 for the corresponding period in 2022. Its £100 penalty fare came into effect just over a year ago, on January 23 2023. The operator says it has looked at different ways to combat fare evasion in recent years, from revenue protection teams at known hotspots, to introducing new technology to help expedite ticket checks at stations and on-board its trains.…

THERE are times when I need three or four columns to adequately comment on what is happening in the rail industry - and this is certainly one of them. So, forgive me if this is a bit of a ‘round the houses’ catch up on some (but not all) of these events. But we are living in interesting times - which, as the Chinese apparently warn us, does not necessarily mean good times. Indeed, it is quite the opposite. The changes to the ticketing arrangements introduced in great haste by LNER on the London-Edinburgh route are, in some respects, more significant than the now-abandoned plan to close 1,000 booking offices across the country. First, an apology. Tweet in haste and repent at leisure. When I first heard about the idea,…

WELCOME to the RAIL Crossword. In this issue, three successful solvers can enjoy journeys along Britain’s heritage railways, with a copy of Steam Trains Today (courtesy of Profile Books, www.profilebooks.com). After the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, many railways were gradually shut down. Rural communities were isolated and steam trains slowly gave way to diesel and electric traction. But some people were not prepared to let the romance of train travel die. Thanks to their efforts, many lines passed into community ownership and are now booming with new armies of dedicated volunteers. In Steam Trains Today (paperback, 372 pages, retail price £9.99), author Andrew Martin meets these volunteer enthusiasts, finding out just what it is about preserved railways that makes people so devoted. He rides the lines and meets many…

“We believe that making fares simpler, smarter and fairer, while introducing value for money and modern flexibility, will encourage more people to choose to travel by rail - the most sustainable travel choice.” David Horne, Managing Director, LNER “We look forward to hearing how the trial progresses and will be monitoring that it does indeed deliver better value for money tickets for passengers.” Alex Robertson, CEO, Transport Focus “We are delivering on our commitment to reform the railways, working with operators to provide passengers with simpler and more flexible tickets that better suit their needs.” Huw Merriman, Rail Minister “It is great to see this next step in the simplification of rail fares. This pilot will move the dial towards simpler and better fares for customers.” Stewart Fox-Mills, Fares, Ticketing…

HS2 joint venture contractor Skanska Costain Strabag (SCS) is preparing to assemble the first tunnel boring machine (TBM) destined for Euston station, following the breakthrough of TBM Lydia into Old Oak Common’s eastern box on January 24. SCS staff joined media teams to witness the grinding noise of TBM Lydia translate into cracks in the box’s sidewall - and then the spectacle of concrete lumps falling away to reveal the TBM’s rotating cutter head. Once it had stopped turning, a couple of tunnellers emerged from behind the head to drape flags from it, as staff gathered below for a group photograph. The picture marked Lydia’s completion of an 853-metre drive to construct HS2’s Atlas Road Logistics Tunnel. It will never actually see HS2 trains, having been dug purely to carry…

There might not be sufficient West Coast Main Line capacity to run today’s freight services once HS2 opens to Handsacre Junction, according to Freightliner Chief Executive Tim Shoveller. Talking on BBC Radio 4’s PM programme on January 24, Shoveller said: “We don’t think there’s going to be any more capacity for freight through that critical section through Stafford. “We might even struggle to run some of the trains we’re running today.” He explained the problem to PM’s Evan Davis: “When HS2 ends at Handsacre, in addition to the trains that already run, there will also be additional HS2 trains, so we will be trying to run more trains over the same section of track that exists today. We know that it’s just not going to fit. That’s a really perverse…

British tech company hyperTunnel is expected to demonstrate its new construction technology at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence’s site in South Wales this year, after winning government funding. The Basingstoke-based company’s technology aims to “transform how tunnels and underground structures are built, repaired and maintained”, using artificial intelligence, machine learning and ‘swarm’ robotics. It says the technology “will help more underground projects become technically and financially viable, anywhere”. The funding grant will help build a 20-metre-long pedestrian underpass at the GCRE. The tunnel is to be designed to allow the track above to remain open throughout the construction process.…

Network Rail says it has nearly completed Hope Valley Line improvements, following the first of four weekend line closures in January and February. The first closure coincided with stormy weather, but 12 signals were installed and a new signalling system commissioned over 13 miles between Stockport and New Mills. NR also installed 380 metres of track at Grindleford and lifted in the first set of stairs for an accessible footbridge at Dore & Totley, where NR is building a second platform. Further closures beckon, including one for nine days at the end of March that NR says will complete the Sheffield-Manchester line’s upgrade.…

A new £10 million rail stocking facility, the biggest of its kind in the country, is under construction at British Steel’s Scunthorpe site. The investment forms part of the company’s strategy to support the supply of sectional rail for Network Rail. Currently, rails are stored in different locations across the country. But once the new purpose-built facility opens, it will provide dedicated storage to ensure rails can be safely handled, stored, and available for loading in a central UK location. The facility is scheduled to be completed this summer, with a capacity of around 25,000 tonnes of 108-metre-long finished rail.…

Emergency work to stabilise a cutting north of Fareham station closed the line to Eastleigh from January 29 to February 2. Engineers found the site close to Fareham tunnel was at risk of another landslip. Steel nails 25 metres long were drilled into the slope and reinforced with concrete. In 2022, the line was closed for nine days when Network Rail spent £2.28 million on easing the gradient of the steep cutting sides, excavating 5,000 tonnes of soft clay and building an 80-metre-long retaining wall (RAIL 961). Network Rail said at the time that further remedial work could be expected. Now earth movement has been detected at a different part of the same cutting. Eight years earlier, in 2014, a collapse on the same line at Botley closed the route…

THE Government’s claim to be ‘levelling up’ its spending across the UK does not appear to be working for rail, with London and the South receiving almost half the total investment despite only having around a third of the population. Latest figures from the Department for Transport, published on January 25, also suggest that passenger figures have not fully recovered since COVID, more services are late or cancelled, and subsidies to train operators continue to be high. Freight business has also declined, although rail remains one of the safest modes of transport with fatalities steadily decreasing while the number of passengers increased. The overall investment chart shows that the North of England, the East, the Midlands and Wales are still losing out, with only a tiny shift in their handouts…

THE first entries are already starting to come in for RAIL’s National Rail Awards 2024, which celebrate outstanding achievement across the railways. Britain’s biggest and most respected rail awards recognise the people, companies and initiatives demonstrating innovation and excellence, from senior management to individuals on the front line, as well as safety triumphs, major engineering successes, and environmental sustainability. They recognise outstanding accomplishments over the past year, but particularly look to highlight initiatives which demonstrate innovation and deliver measurable improvements in performance. By doing so, the NRAs seek to promote the industry’s longer-term success and sustainability, which depends on a highly skilled, diverse, motivated and engaged workforce, and exceptional leaders. This year, RAIL is encouraging more entries from the light rail, underground and tram sectors, which have been underrepresented over…

East Midlands Railway hopes to improve rolling stock reliability by installing cameras at depots that will monitor trains as they enter or leave. The equipment, from One Big Circle will use high-resolution line scanning, thermal imaging, video cameras, and acoustic sensors to assess trains. This should replace manual inspections, which EMR says are time-consuming and more dangerous. The project, known as DepotMATE, has attracted ‘first of a kind’ innovation funding from the Department for Transport.…

FirstGroup is launching a new advocate network to bring together women and ethnically diverse colleagues who have benefited from personal development programmes. The First Connections network forms part of its commitment to create a more diverse and inclusive business, and to attract, develop and retain talent. It will offer training, leadership, and development programmes aimed at underrepresented groups. The company is pinning hopes on the network evolving into a forum where advocates host regular webinars and share experiences and knowledge. FirstGroup’s rail subsidiaries include Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway, South Western Railway, and open access firms Hull Trains and Lumo.…

South Western Railway is trialling air-purifying technology at one of its busiest stations. Located on Platform 4 at Salisbury, the new Pluvo Column is “designed to help combat the effects of air pollution” and will “monitor and remove harmful pollutants using its advanced air filtration technology”. The totem doubles as an information point with a text-based chat function, providing customer feedback to SWR. Further columns could be installed at SWR’s stations if it deems the trial a success.…

In late January, former CrossCountry Trains 43007/378 and ex-LNER/East Midlands Railway 43295/306/307/316/320 were being readied for loading onto a ship for export from Great Yarmouth. A number of HST trailers will travel with them. They are destined for Mexico to join 43022/158/170, which are already in central America. The one set in use, with power cars 43022/170, currently works a 6½-hour, 200-mile daily coast to coast trip in the south-east of Mexico, between Salina Cruz and Coatzacoalcos, heading out one day and returning the next. Currently, the other turn is operated by a locomotive and coaches, but the aspiration is to have three trains in each direction worked by HSTs. To meet that level of availability, it looks as if eight sets will be needed, which suggests 16-20 power cars…

Rail Management Services (RMS) is moving its main base of shunter hire and maintenance from Wolsingham on the Weardale Railway to a more centralised location in the Midlands. RMS has also continued to increase its business presence, having recently been involved in Positive Traction’s 08e electric shunter project whereby 08308 was rebuilt to run on battery power. It is also in the process of a complete overhaul of a Class 08 to supply a new hire contract. Due to the increasing workload, RMS is also looking to take on additional engineering staff. Commercial Director James Steward said: “Our agreement to be based at the Weardale Railway came to a natural break point and by mutual agreement RMS decided to centralise its operations in the Midlands. “Most of our workforce is…

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 Evesham: The former Midland Railway station building known as The Signal House has been sold in auction for £215,000. Opened in 1864, on the Ashchurch-Barnt Green line once jointly managed from 1932 by the LMS (passenger) and GWR (freight), it was closed to passengers on June 17 1963. Its most recent use has been for offices. Plymouth: The walkway and cycle path on the old railway alignment to Plymstock is to…

IN the days before freight wagons had anything other than hand brakes, a goods guard played a vital role in controlling the speed of his train. Other than the locomotive brake under the driver’s control, his was the only other brake that could be applied while a train was moving. Railway rule books made this clear. Take the London and North Western Railway’s 1916 Rule Book as an example. Rule 178 said: “In travelling down steep inclines, Guards of Goods trains must, in order to steady the trains and assist the Engine-drivers, apply the rear Hand-break [sic], care being taken not to skid the wheels…” The key phrase here is “steady the trains”. As a loose-coupled train (one without continuous brakes) rolls down an incline, its wagons will only slow…

Opinion Industry Insider THE Minimum Service Levels legislation has failed its first opportunity to provide a basis for rail services during strike days - in this instance called by drivers’ union ASLEF at individual train operating companies between January 30 and February 6, with the addition of an overtime ban in place from January 29-February 6. In theory, train operators are able to issue work notices to relevant traincrew (in consultation with ASLEF) requiring them to sign on for diagrams to enable a minimum service equivalent to 40% of the normal timetable on strike days. In practice, LNER was the only operator ready to issue work notices. But the response from ASLEF to call an extended strike between February 5-9 caused second thoughts, and when the proposal was withdrawn the…

Some final thoughts from the team at RAIL @RAIL Send contributions to: mike.wright@bauermedia.co.uk Wewere delighted to receive an email from Davey Thompson, who has contributed to our recent RAIL 1000 celebrations by renumbering his own Class 91. “Many congratulations on your 1000th edition of RAIL magazine, and I was really chuffed to see a locomotive carry the name RAIL,” he writes. “As a member of the Blyth and Tyne Model Railway Club, we always try to keep up to date with the new locomotives coming out on the market, and I thought this would be a welcome addition to our fleet. “I had a spare Hornby Class 91 I thought I would convert to carry your branding. It will also be seen at our open days on our club layout.”…