Tabla de contenidos para Issue 1013 en RAIL

rail@bauermedia.co.uk @RAIL THE often patchy performance of Britain’s railway network, the General Election and the price of a sandwich at King’s Cross station seem trivial compared with the plight of Ukrainian rail workers risking death every hour in the worst war zones. They risk their lives from well-targeted missiles and flying bullets, doing their routine (but crucial) jobs in a war zone with hardly any protective clothing. Around 5,000 people need strong helmets and vests. You, working with RAIL and industry trade body Rail Partners, can help by contributing to our ‘Kit for Kyiv’ appeal (see pages 6-7). While companies can afford much more, even an individual donation of just £20 could literally be the difference between life and death. It is two and a half years since the invasion…

Railway Children was the official charity partner for this year’s Rail Live. The charity helps vulnerable children in the UK, India and East Africa, and was raising awareness of both its UK work and how individuals and businesses can support its aims. “We were delighted to be chosen as the charity partner for Rail Live 2024, an honour that allowed us to network with some of the biggest names in rail, said Head of Corporate and Events Fundraising Mary McLaughlin. “Being given the opportunity to align with such a prestigious event in the rail calendar enabled us to have many valuable conversations with industry professionals and get our message out there to more of our peers in the industry.” www.railwaychildren.org.uk…

There is too much tokenism and not enough action on tackling climate change and the future of sustainability for rail, Railway Mission Chaplain Mike Roberts told attendees at a Rail Live keynote panel discussion. “There is a fatigue with short-term goals with climate change and sustainability. It’s about making it more than just tokenism,” he said. His views were echoed by Rail Forum Chief Executive Elaine Clark, who added that the industry was frustrated with the lack of progress. “If there is progress, it isn’t quick enough in some areas,” she said. Ensuring that sustainability remains a core focus within decision-making, and not just a footnote in tender documents, is a challenge, according to Caspar Lucas, Technical Director, AtkinsRéalis Rail Consulting. Clark argued that some of the issues lie in…

Rail Live this year featured the introduction of a new theatre. The Engineering Theatre, sponsored by Pandrol, focused on some of the biggest topics facing rail engineering, while the Policy and Leadership Theatre also returned. Day One (June 19) kicked off with a focus on recruitment in rail and how the industry combats an ageing workforce. Panellists discussed how to improve the image of rail to attract new recruits and broaden diversity. Johnny Schute, chief operating officer for the Rail Safety and Standards Board, presented the audience with the learnings of PRIMA (Proportionate Risk Response to Implementing Mitigating Speeds to Assets), as well as discussing how best to understand climate resilience. In the Engineering Theatre, Permanent Way Institution CEO Stephen Barber shared insights into how best to tackle the changing…

Rail industry members converged on the Newark Showground on June 19 for the annual Women in Rail’s Big Rail Diversity Challenge. Now in its ninth year, the event has become a cornerstone for promoting diversity and teamwork, with various companies participating in a series of physical, mental and skill-based challenges. Testing communication and teamwork, the challenges included activities such as Human Table Football, Shelter Building, and the Catwalk Challenge. Importantly, they were designed to involve every participant. Key industry partners such as the British Transport Police and the Railway Children charity participated, creating challenges that tackled real-world issues and promoted social responsibility. The prizes went to winning teams from East Midlands Railway, the Railway Industry Association, 3Squared Ltd, and Worldline UK&I.…

SKY-HIGH prices for food and drink at 200 stations are unlikely to be kept in check unless the Department for Transport makes it easier for competitors to challenge the near-monopolies of a handful of profit-driven global companies. These are the findings of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), in its long-awaited report into how passengers and station users have little choice but to pay up to £5 for coffee in a paper cup, and around £6 for a baguette or hot pastry. These prices are far higher than the High Street. There is also concern that prices are set to be the same, regardless of the location. ORR reveals that SSP (Select Service Partner), a UK-based company, has a third of the shop spaces and half of the £700…

London Northwestern Railway wants to run services between Manchester, the West Midlands and London. Under the plan, LNWR’s existing services between London Euston and Crewe would be extended to Manchester Victoria. Additionally, trains currently running between Stafford and Crewe would be extended to Manchester Airport. The changes, proposed to start in summer 2026, would create new direct connections from Rugeley, Lichfield, Tamworth and Atherstone in the West Midlands to both Manchester and Warrington. LNWR has also confirmed it is planning to run the new services on its Class 730 electric trains. The ten-carriage trains, built in the Midlands by Alstom, will have a capacity exceeding 1,200 passengers. LNWR currently runs an hourly service from London Euston. Ian McConnell, managing director of West Midlands Trains (WMT), which operates LNWR, believes this…

THE Light Rail Safety and Standards Board (LRSSB) has launched a national campaign aiming to enhance pedestrian safety around UK tramways. Tram operators in Edinburgh and Blackpool have already signed up to the campaign, which promotes the adoption of measures making pedestrians more aware of their surroundings when close to a tramway. The Board has developed improved signage and is using geolocation technology to alert people to their proximity to the tracks. LRSSB Chief Executive Carl Williams explained: “Our own studies have shown that pedestrians are often distracted by their mobile phones, or simply oblivious to their surroundings, and fail to show the same care that they would when crossing a busy road. “Over-familiarity can also be a factor in many accidents, with people who use trams on a regular…

Network Rail has warned passengers travelling between Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly that the line between New Mills Central and Chinley in Derbyshire will be closed in July and August for emergency repair work. Engineering teams have been working around the clock at Hague Bar (New Mills) to stabilise the earth that supports the line. But to complete the work safely and quickly, NR says the line needs to close between July 6 and August 25. Buses will run between Marple, New Mills and Chinley. The team will be drilling foundations into the earth and building a wall between the railway and the river to stop the movement of the ground. If the work is not carried out, there is a risk of 50,000 tonnes of earth falling from the railway…

AVANTI West Coast’s £117 million refurbishment of its Class 390 Pendolino fleet has been completed, with 390020 the last set to pass through the Alstom facility at Widnes for its upgrade. The UK’s biggest ever fleet upgrade has featured the refurbishment of all 56 trains (574 vehicles) in just over two years, at a rate of one completed train every two weeks. The Angel Trains-owned Pendolinos have served routes between London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, and Edinburgh for 20 years. The overhaul has included: ■ New, ergonomic Standard Class seats - some 25,000 in total. ■ Conversion of one First Class coach on each of the 35 11-car Class 390/1s to provide more than 2,000 extra Standard Class seats. ■ A new onboard shop. ■ Improved lighting. ■ Greater use…

Ashville Aggregates has acquired a Class 153 single-car diesel multiple unit from Porterbrook that it wants to convert into a waiting room at its railhead at West Drayton (west London). The unit, former London Midland 153334, is currently at Porterbrook’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre, near Stratfordupon-Avon. Owner Daniel Ashville-Louisy said the ‘153’ had been acquired for conversion to a reception ‘building’ at its main headquarters, allowing visitors and customers to sit in a relaxed atmosphere while waiting for their appointments. The unit will be rewired and fitted with LED internal lights. The toilet will be made larger, and some of the seats are to be removed and new linoleum or tiled floor added. The seating arrangement is not yet finalised, but there are a number of options - including…

A host of new trains entered traffic in early June - principally Class 730s, ‘777s’ and ‘805s’ for West Midlands Railway, Merseyrail and Avanti West Coast respectively. This in turn has allowed other trains to move to new operators. AWC accepted 805008 into its passenger fleet on June 2, followed by 805010 the next day and 805003 on June 4. On June 24, 805013 was delivered from Hitachi, but had not entered traffic as this issue of RAIL went to press. That left 805006/007/013 still to carry passengers by late June. West Midlands Trains put 730036/038 into traffic on June 10, followed by 730045 two days later, while on June 18, 730205/222 were taken from Oxley to Doncaster for store, with Rail Operations Group’s 37608 Andromeda undertaking the move. The…

Network 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 Bristol: The former Midland Railway section of Bristol Temple Meads station (closed to passengers in 1965) is to be further revitalised, with three shops to complement the current function room and offices. The old trackbed is used as a covered car park. Buckfastleigh: The South Devon Railway is seeking to raise £3 million to improve the station, create a dedicated carriage overhaul and restoration building, improve its locomotive facilities with a…

The last new locomotive designs to be delivered for use in the UK were the Class 68 diesel in August 2014, and the similar looking Class 88 electro-diesel in January 2017. Both were ordered by Direct Rail Services and were designed by Vossloh. The latter was then taken over by Stadler, which built most of the locomotives at its plant in Valencia. But in 2021, Rail Operations Group (now owned by Star Capital) placed an order for ten Class 93 tri-mode Bo-Bo machines, with an option for another 20 locomotives. This locomotive is designed from the same platform as the ‘88’, but has many changes - not least of all the cabs which, while bearing some similarities, are most definitely different. The 86-tonne locomotive runs, in the main, off the 25kV…

You’d be forgiven if you’ve not heard of SLC Rail - it is still a relatively small company based in the Midlands. But many in the rail industry would bill it as a major force in the realisation of many high-profile station projects, and a forward thinker when it comes to innovative ways of funding new stations. Around the Midlands and beyond, SLC Rail is often seen as a go-to choice for those wanting to get third-party rail schemes (those not being built by Network Rail) off the ground. The origins of the company can be partly traced back to another major rail innovator -Chiltern Railways. Indeed, the late Adrian Shooter (Chiltern’s managing director) was also chairman of SLC Rail for many years. And SLC Managing Director Ian Walters is…

WELCOME to the RAIL Crossword. In this issue, two successful solvers can read about the remarkable exploits of Dr Shirley Sherwood -the woman who, with her husband, restored and relaunched the vintage Orient Express train. After studying biology at Oxford, Dr Sherwood spent 12 years working as a research scientist, and she was a key member of the Nobel Prize-winning team which developed Tagamet, the first block-buster drug. At the age of 45, she left science to relaunch (with her husband Jim) the fabled Orient Express train. This was the beginning of a new career in the hotel and leisure business, culminating in the sale of the Orient Express Hotels (now Belmond), a 50-strong chain of five-star hotels, for $3.2 billion in 2019. In 1990, she started the Shirley Sherwood…

JUST £20 can save a life. That’s the message behind a major new campaign launched at Rail Live 2024 and supported by RAIL itself, to equip Ukrainian railway workers with key safety equipment. In a session chaired by UK industry body Rail Partners, Oleg Yakovenko explained that “right now, daily”, Ukrainian railway employees are working in “very difficult circumstances”. Ukrainian Railways’ Director of Strategy and Transformation said that people are working in “close proximity to the war zone” and that even away from the front lines, “the railway infrastructure is attacked, all the time”. Since 2022, when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, more than 2,500 railway workers have been injured or killed, with around another 10,000 becoming internally displaced. Through this, Ukrainian Railways (UZ) has played an essential role…

Ukrainian Railways (UZ) is a state-owned, joint stock company administering railway infrastructure and rail transport in Ukraine. It is the world’s sixth-largest rail passenger transporter and world’s seventh-largest freight transporter. Since the start of the conflict on February 24 2022, UZ has played an important role in the war effort, including: ■ Transporting millions of refugees to safety. ■ Rebuilding infrastructure, including the bridge at Irpin (a strategic suburb west of Kyiv) in 29 days - a task which would normally take months. ■ Supporting the travel of world leaders and diplomats into Ukraine as well as transporting President Zelensky. ■ Initiating a campaign to engage children in the railway so that their association isn’t just one of evacuation and war, but to demonstrate the potential of rail for adventure…

Growth targets need to be set for freight in the future, regardless of which party gained power in the General Election (the nation went to the polls after this issue of RAIL went to press). These must also run parallel to ensuring that innovation and investment in the rail freight sector is supported. That was the view of the panel at this year’s Rail Live freight acceleration talk, at the Policy & Leadership Theatre. The panel included Julian Worth, freight lead at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), who told the audience that a growth target was needed to ensure that rail freight growth continues its recent upward trajectory. “A rail freight target is needed, absolutely. Because what it does is gives assurance that the industry is backed,…

RESOLVING the two-year ASLEF pay dispute will be high on the agenda for the new government. The drivers’ union has held 16 one-day strikes since July 30 2022, and has withdrawn rest day working (voluntary overtime) on 11 different blocks of dates since May 2023. Further industrial action was put on hold when the General Election was called, pending the appointment of a new Transport Secretary. ASLEF has been in dispute with the 14 train operators in England controlled by the Department for Transport since May 2022. Its most recent action was five days of strikes and an overtime ban spread over six days from May 6-11. It is seeking a straightforward ‘no strings’ pay rise that recognises the “significant cost of living increases” since the last pay rise in…

A new dispute between Avanti West Coast and train managers in the RMT union has seen its members vote by 98% in favour of industrial action short of a strike, on a 75% turnout. RMT has 381 members involved in the dispute, which is over a breakdown in industrial relations over ticket scanning. It is the latest in a series of disputes over ticket scanning at train operators in England and Scotland, which involves the RMT demanding extra payments for scanning electronic tickets. Some disputes (such as at ScotRail) have been settled with an agreement for a per-ticket-scan payment to conductors. The RMT has yet to announce what action it plans to take, but it is thought likely to include a ban on scanning e-tickets. A similar ban is already…

More than half of all journeys on London’s Northern City Line, between Finsbury Park and Moorgate, are now made using European Train Control System (ETCS) cab signalling technology, instead of lineside signals. And the number is set to steadily increase as more drivers are trained in the new technology. Under ETCS, drivers are continually fed a safe target speed to aim for, on a computer screen in their cab. This enables trains to run closer together, giving a more consistent and reliable service. The first passenger train ran to the City of London using digital signalling technology in November 2023. Since then, Govia Thameslink Railway has been training its Great Northern drivers to use the system. Introducing digital signalling on this busy commuter line is an important step towards replacing…

Station retailing nowadays is all about fast food and drink. A 2022 survey revealed that around 80% of passengers spend money there or on the train, while there is a general decline in sales of confectionery, tobacco, newspapers and periodicals. An unnamed company no longer in railway retailing told ORR: “The industry is dominated by SSP, which has very close ties with Network Rail. It has protected leases, the product quality is terrible, and it aims to grow total revenues and not much else.” Another former retailer added: “For passengers, the current station catering offering does not offer particularly good value for money compared with outside alternatives. “However, passengers are a captive market similar to airports or event venues. It is therefore expected that prices in stations will be higher…

Rail services on the South Coast were significantly disrupted on June 23, leading South Western Railway to issue a rare ‘Do Not Travel’ instruction in the Southampton area. Network Rail’s signalling centre at Eastleigh was affected by a system failure in the early hours of the morning, following upgrade work. Some components were damaged and had to be replaced. No trains were able to run between Eastleigh and Brockenhurst, affecting all services to Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth. Services between Fareham and Southampton were also suspended. The cancellations led to long queues on a busy summer Sunday, with the failure coinciding with the Isle of Wight music festival. Four cruise ships were also in Southampton docks on a ‘turnaround’ day, leaving thousands of holidaymakers attempting to get home, many with heavy…

Harry Needle Railroad Company has entered into a partnership with construction company Swietelsky (UK) to provide traction and maintenance support. “An agreement of mutual benefit has been reached which will involve HNRC facilitating access to the Worksop Traincare facility for on-track machines [OTMs] and Kirow Rail Crane maintenance, supporting existing and future workloads,” said Swietelsky’s Dan Ryder. “HNRC will provide access to a fleet of main line locomotives for which Swietelsky has identified a business requirement. “HNRC offers a unique and innovative option for Swietelsky. Benefiting from recent investment, it boasts a centrally located heavy maintenance base with good access, where our OTMs can receive all levels of maintenance required to keep them in the very best condition, assuring continued high performance. HNRC also has available a vast fleet of…

The Irish Department of Transport has appointed Sean Sweeney as project director to deliver the Dublin Metro linking Swords and Dublin Airport to Charlemont south of the city centre. Running for 18.8km (11.7 miles), much of it underground, MetroLink will be a high-capacity, high-frequency metro railway with 16 new stations. It is estimated to cost €9.5 billion (£8bn) and open by the mid-2030s. Sweeney has previously held leadership roles on major infrastructure projects in Australia, New Zealand and the US. Most recently he was chief executive of City Rail Link - an underground rail link in Auckland’s city centre.…

Great Western Railway has named 802109 Shania Train after Canadian pop star Shania Twain, following a ‘request’ by BBC DJ Nick Grimshaw, who performed the naming at Paddington on June 20. The driving car has pink hats and train graphics added. Meanwhile, two preserved shunters have been named, with BR Blue 03063 at the Mid-Norfolk Railway now named Paul A Mobbs and BR General Grey 08694 christened Annersley MPD at Ruddington. And elsewhere, Freightliner named 59201 Westbury PSB 1984-2024 at Cranmore on the East Somerset Railway on June 14. The operator has also had 08530 painted in its orange and black livery at the LH Group site at Barton-under-Needwood.…

Victa ‘66s’ swap The two Class 66s provided by DB Cargo to shunt trains for Victa Railfreight at Peak Forest have been swapped with 66032/143, and are now in the WBVT pool. They replace 66200/206, which revert to the WBAT general use fleet. Cappagh ‘60’ overhaul Work is progressing on the overhaul of 60099 by UK Rail Leasing at its Loughborough site. It is the first of the 14 Class 60s Cappagh acquired from DB Cargo in August 2021. WCR ‘33’ in maroon West Coast Railways has repainted 33029 in a new coat of the company’s maroon livery.…

Harry Needle Railroad Company has acquired two previously preserved Class 33s (33053 and 33208) from Ed Stevenson. The ‘33/0’ has already moved to HNRC’s Worksop site for storage. 33208, which as D6593 was one of the first preserved diesels to be main line-registered in the post-privatisation era, was hired by Valley Lines for six months in 1998 to work commuter trains on the Cardiff to Rhymney line. However, it has not worked for over a decade and has been at the Battlefield Line for nine years pending overhaul. The ‘33s’ are likely to be made available for spot hire or sale. Neither are main line-registered.…

Vivarail bought 226 redundant London Underground D-stock vehicles in 2014 for conversion to national rail services at its depot in Long Marston. Ten units were rebuilt for the Isle of Wight. A small number of vehicles were adapted for the Marston Vale line and for Transport for Wales in Wrexham. Great Western Railway is also using a former Vivarail train to trial fast-charging battery technology on its branch between West Ealing and Greenford in West London. Vivarail entered administration in November 2022, and most remaining vehicles have since been scrapped. The Long Marston site, home to Rail Live, is now owned by Porterbrook.…

CHRIS Gibb’s proposal for an alternative to High Speed 2 north of Birmingham demonstrates the limits of rail planning under the current structures. He’s acted on his own initiative, instructed by no one, in a situation where the railway’s major players have no remit. It’s not Network Rail’s job to propose answers to fix the problem that government created last autumn by cancelling the northern half of High Speed 2. Nor is it HS2 Ltd’s problem. Nor the West Coast Development Partnership, headed by First and Trenitalia as the operators of the Intercity West Coast passenger contract. The problem clearly lands at the Department for Transport’s door. But, to date, it’s shown little visible ambition to solve it. Gibb told RAIL in mid-June that he expects Peter Wilkinson’s appointment within…

ON a random weekday in mid-June, Avanti West Coast listed 131 passenger service departures from London Euston. This gives some perspective to the request by different open access operators for another 44 daily paths. When you include the four paths for Grand Union’s Stirling service that the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has already approved, that represents a 37% increase on today. With the West Coast Main Line already declared congested in parts, there cannot be space for all these extra trains. It will be for ORR to decide which of the prospective operators should be allowed onto the tracks. Two of the open access bids fit into the classic mould for such operators. FirstGroup’s Lumo is bidding for six return paths for Euston-Rochdale trains, while WSMR (Wrexham, Shropshire…

Some final thoughts from the team at RAIL @RAIL Send contributions to: mike.wright@bauermedia.co.uk A train carriage has been transformed into an interactive art installation at Hamilton Central station in Lanarkshire, as part of a community project to champion positive mental health. The Hope in Hamilton artwork features uplifting messages collected from people in the local area and presented on a ticker display. It is the result of a project by Rail 74 Community Rail Partnership, supported through Avanti West Coast’s Station Community Fund, as well as funding from CrossCountry and ScotRail. People being supported with their mental health contributed to the design through a series of Samaritans-backed workshops. Artist Rob Mulholland, from Arcadia Sculpture Centre in Loch Lomond, then brought the participants’ ideas to life using a train carriage donated…

■ To make donations and for more information on the initiative, visit: https://www. we-aid.org/en/initiatives/allrail-support-ukraine-rail-taskforce/ ■ For industry colleagues, to find out more about how you can support colleagues at Ukrainian Railways, contact media@railpartners.co.uk ■ To see a list of corporate donors and to find out more about Rail Partners with Ukraine and #KitForKyiv, visit https://www.railpartners.co.uk/ukraine ■ Kit for Kyiv is being run in conjunction with the international Global Ukraine Rail Task Force, with all donations in Sterling going directly into the campaign.…

RAIL Live just keeps getting bigger and bigger, with 2024 proving to be another record-breaking year for the UK’s largest outdoor rail exhibition. Nearly 7,000 visitors came through the doors at Porterbrook’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre in Warwickshire for the 2024 version of the event. Katie Gordon-Hill, Head of Exhibitions - B2B at Bauer Media, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that this year’s Rail Live proved the biggest so far - full of the latest industry kit and with plenty of insightful debate at a time when the railway has much to look forward to. “It was great just to wander around and chat to people at what has become Britain’s premier outdoor rail show. Our new transport plan made access much easier, while coping with greater numbers, which bodes…

“WE’VE all seen the debacle of what has happened to HS2, but what we need is a vision. And it doesn’t matter who is in power, that vision is not altered. Because it is about investment - and rail needs investment.” That was the message from ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan, delivered from the Rail Live stage on June 19. Whelan cited rail investment in Spain, and asked for any future government to “put the wheels of steel back together, end fragmentation, and start thinking about a joined-up strategy that enables us to build a railway fit for the future”. On Great British Railways, he said: “One area where it can make a real change is the fare structure. As it currently stands, it is far too complicated, fragmented, and…

Heaping blame onto the private sector and the operators must not happen when rail reform finally takes hold, Rail Partners Chief Executive Andy Bagnall told a Rail Live audience. “Some think that if the private sector is removed, it will solve all the problems that we see in rail. But we don’t think that holds up to scrutiny,” he said. “As we reform the system to address some of the weaknesses, we must preserve some of the strengths of the previous system.” Bagnall, whose organisation represents the train operating companies, was speaking at Rail Live alongside Milda Manomaityte, innovation director at the Railway Industry Association, and Syeda Ghufran, director of engineering and asset management at Siemens Mobility (UK). He said that both within the industry and away from the shifting…

A fresh set of 14 days of strike action by engineers is under way at London Trams (formerly called Croydon Tramlink, and part of Transport for London), in a pay dispute. It follows a four-day strike in May. The strikes are affecting transport to this year’s Wimbledon tennis championships. The station’s Wimbledon interchange with Network Rail is one of four termini on the 17-mile system. Engineers who maintain the trams and infrastructure first went on strike in March. They are seeking pay parity with staff at TfL’s London Underground, who are paid up to £10,000 a year more yet require the same qualifications and perform the same roles. A nine-day strike on June 30-July 8 was to be followed by a five-day strike from July 11-15. Trams only ran between…

Some 600 Manchester Metrolink employees who are members of the Unite union are being balloted for strikes over a “woeful” pay offer. The ballot closes on July 8, with Unite saying strikes “could take place” before the end of August. The tram operator offered a 4.5% increase in 2024 “despite years of below-inflation pay increases”, according to Unite. Metrolink is a Keolis/Amey joint venture and runs the tram network under contract to Transport for Greater Manchester. Unite members include drivers, controllers, engineers, customer service representatives, and business support. The union wants “guarantees of above-inflation rises over the next three years, due to accepting less than inflation (RPI) last year and a reduction in the pay progression scales within the drivers and customer service roles”. Unite Regional Officer Colin Hayden said:…

Train operators closed 7.6 million delay compensation claims in the last reporting year (April 1 2023 to March 31 2024), according to the Office of Rail and Road. That figure was 30% higher than the previous year, even though passenger journeys were only 16% higher. ORR attributes the rise in claims to a “slight” deterioration in train punctuality. Separate figures for passenger complaints showed an increase of 0.6% year on year. The highest proportion of these (20%) related to punctuality and reliability.…

London Mayor Sadiq Khan says he wants to extend Night Tube services on the Underground to most of the capital as soon as the money becomes available. He also wants to step up frequencies of existing Friday and Saturday trains on the Victoria, Jubilee and Central lines, on part of the Piccadilly Line, and on the Charing Cross branch of the Northern Line from three to six per hour during the highest demand times of 0000 to 0130. Off-peak fares apply until conventional services begin at 0530. The Night Tube has proved a popular feature - for example, making it easier to leave the O2 venue after events and reaching Heathrow Airport. It was introduced in August 2016. After a brief suspension at the height of COVID, the service has…

Eurostar may be forced to reinstate services to Ebbsfleet and Ashford stations because of the threat of competition from Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, Dutch company Heuro, and Spain’s Evolyn. That is the wish of Kent County and Ashford Borough Councils, whose petition to restore services to the international stations (they have been suspended for four years) has reached 57,000 signatures. Eurostar claims that 2026 is the earliest date it will consider calling again at the international platforms. Ashford Council Leader Noel Overden said: “The local strength of feeling is clearly reflected by recent meetings and the petition, which we welcome. The prospect that Eurostar is not likely to return anytime soon represents a real challenge for residents and businesses. It’s nonsensical to have to travel via London.” Total passenger business…

Locomotive Services Limited, through its InterCity operation, has announced August 10 as the date for the first multi-traction tour to use five types of ex-BR diesel heritage locomotives. The ‘North West Wanderer’ starts at Crewe behind 50050 Fearless, which will work as far as Carlisle. From there ‘Peak’ 45118 The Royal Artilleryman will take the train to Preston via the Settle-Carlisle Line. The Class 45 will then give way to Class 40 D213 Andania, which will work via Hellifield, Wennington, Carnforth and back to Preston before handing over to 37401 Mary Queen of Scots and 37409 Loch Awe. The Class 37s will then work a circular run via Bolton, Manchester Victoria, Rochdale, Copy Pit and back to Preston. Finally, the last leg back to Crewe along the West Coast Main…

LOCOMOTIVE Services Limited’s Royal Scot arm and the Scottish Railway Preservation Society have entered into a partnership that will enable the SRPS’s Mk 1 coaching stock to be upgraded with central door locking (CDL), thereby ensuring its long-term survival on the main line. “The SRPS and Royal Scot are delighted to announce they have entered into an exciting, long-term and mutually beneficial partnership that will see LSL offer traditional-style railway carriage accommodation, and ensures the long-term deployment of SRPS’s main line-capable fleet of carriages,” said SRPS Finance Director Andrew Wells. “The SRPS has invested significantly in terms of volunteer and financial resources in overhauling its carriage collection to meet the latest safety standards required. “This has recently been boosted by arrangements with third parties to expedite this work, with some…

THE Island Line on the Isle of Wight is to close completely for a month in September, and then partly for nine months. The 8.5-mile route from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin will close between September 6 and October 6 for what South Western Railway calls “vital maintenance”. Ryde Pier will close from September 6 until May 2025 “while life extension work continues”. It means that passengers will not have seen a consistent service along the whole route for more than four years. The entire route closed for ten months in 2021 for complete overhaul, including track and signalling. The pier then closed for nine months in 2022-23, with less than half of the planned work completed. Rough winter weather was blamed. SWR said the month-long full closure would include…

Network Rail has defended an extensive year-long lineside tree removal programme, promising conservationists that it will not harm nesting birds or protected species. It says it needs to ensure that there is no vegetation within 20 feet of a running line. Work has begun on some 25 miles of the Edinburgh-Glasgow main line via Falkirk High, and most of the Borders Railway to Tweedbank, which will carry on until May 2025. Most of this will take place overnight. Other routes will be similarly treated.…

WHAT now? Despite the length of the hustings, none of the questions about the future of the rail industry have been answered. I am, of course, writing this before the result of the General Election is known. But my assumption is that Sir Keir Starmer is now safely ensconced in Downing Street. From my numerous conversations with key players in the industry, uncertainty is the overriding feeling in the industry - even among those who will be directly affected by Labour’s plans to move the franchises back in-house. An article in the Sunday Times on June 30, which included an interview with Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, was well-informed but still failed to answer fundamental questions about how plans for the future of the railways will play out in the…

Rolling Stock When diesel motive power was divided between operators in the lead-up to railway privatisation, Freightliner received an allocation of 125 Class 47s, of which seven were stored and four withdrawn. These were generally well-advanced in their maintenance cycle, but they had to handle some heavy trains and were seen as unreliable. It took until 1997 for the company to announce plans to address the situation. During the 1980s, BR’s engineers had judged that the Class 47 engine was becoming beyond long-term overhaul, and Brush Traction privately had discussions with General Motors to offer a re-engineering project based on the substitution of a GM power unit. The project was dropped because it was judged too much of a hot potato, but was revived after rail privatisation in 1994. Using…

Opinion Industry Insider UNLIKE other transport modes, rail has control of its means of way and access to the system. It is therefore in a position to optimise its output, essentially the timetable for passenger and freight trains, with the expectation of high service delivery standards. For Britain’s rail network, there has always been a need for significant investment, either from the private sector or the state. In the early years, where lines were promoted, funding for construction came from shareholders who often backed local routes, to allow improved access to freight markets for local producers. Local lines were gradually absorbed into larger groupings, as revenue could not sustain the operating costs or investment needs which could be afforded by larger enterprises. This trend culminated in the ‘Big Four’ being…