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Previous Issues
April, 2011March, 2011
May 2011
1) Birse Metro wins part of £75m London orbital rail deal
2) Businesses pledge for high-speed rail link
3) Construction work to proceed on Crossrail mixed-use development
4) Special rail fares and standby trains for Olympics
5) More rail travellers face peak-time trap as fares set to rise 30%
6) Train operators may be handed job of repairing their own track
7) Rail metal theft triples and costs £1m a year in Wales
8) Huge boost to train services on key Olympic rail route
9) Rail investment call as traveller numbers are predicted to soar
10) Buckinghamshire rail users celebrate £1m investment
Birse Metro wins part of £75m London orbital rail deal
Transport for London has awarded a contract to Birse Metro to build the £12m final part of the £75m orbital London Overground rail network. The new stretch of railway from Surrey Quays to Clapham Junction will complete the missing link to an oribital overground railway around the capital. Although most of the extension will run along existing National Rail lines, construction work has just begun on a new stretch of track to link London Overground services at Surrey Quays with the existing railway at Old Kent Road. The works include building a new 1.3km railway link with associated signalling, telecommunications and power supply.
Businesses pledge for high-speed rail link
More than 40 Greater Manchester businesses have pledged their support for a campaign to bring a high-speed rail link to the region. Susan Williams, campaign director for the North West Rail Investment Campaign, addressed companies at attendees at this month's Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce property and construction lunch to rally support for the £32bn scheme. She highlighted the significance of businesses signing up to the campaign before the consultation period ends on July 29. If approved, work on a line from London to Birmingham will be complete by 2026, with an extension to Manchester and Leeds scheduled for 2032. Richard Critchley, transport policy manager for the Chamber, said: "Susan put forward a very strong case for the HSR campaign, highlighting its importance for Greater Manchester, the north west and the whole of northern Britain, so much so that 43 businesses signed up to the campaign at our lunch event.
Construction work to proceed on Crossrail mixed-use development
Proposals for a new mixed-use development connected to a Crossrail station in central London have been approved, which could generate new construction jobs. Westminster City Council has given permission for Crossrail and Portland Estate to start construction work next year on an over-site development above the eastern exit at Bond Street station, comprising 300,000 square feet of retail, commercial and residential space. The council granted permission for a new ticket hall to be built in Hanover Square as well; furthermore, Crossrail and Grosvenor will also submit plans later this year for a western exit and another accompanying over-site development to be built at the station. David Allen, the rail network's finance minister, commented: "Sites above other Crossrail stations are being developed to ensure we take advantage of the regeneration opportunities Crossrail is bringing to London."
Special rail fares and standby trains for Olympics
TRAIN services will be boosted next summer during the Olympics, it's been announced. The times of last trains will be later, special fares will be offered to event ticket holders, and standby trains will be available at key points. Both Network Rail and London Underground will suspend all routine engineering work. Network Rail said the railway industry had worked with the Olympic Delivery Authority to develop the timetable earlier than usual, so that spectators will be able to buy tickets and book seats from late June – more than a year before the opening ceremony. The 2012 London Olympics will run for 16 days – from Friday 27 July to Sunday 12 August – and the Paralympic Games will occupy 12 days from Wednesday 29 August to Sunday 9 September. In all more than 2,000 extra trains are planned during the Olympics and more than 1,500 during the Paralympics. The normal morning and evening peak hours will be extended, and there will be a third peak when the Olympic Park or other venues close. This will be handled by strengthening services all day in and around London, and also before and after events in the provinces.
More rail travellers face peak-time trap as fares set to rise 30%
Cheap rail tickets could rise by up to 30 per cent and more commuters could be trapped into buying peak fares under a review published yesterday. Some of the most sought-after – those just after the rush-hour – will be costlier. In other cases the hours when only high-price tickets can be used could be extended. Ministers insisted last night there were no plans to scrap cheap or ‘saver’ fares outright or that the changes marked the end of the ‘turn up and go’ railway.
Train operators may be handed job of repairing their own track
Private train companies could be handed responsibility for trackrepairs in a move that campaigners warn will put profit before safety. A major study designed to reduce the £5bn cost of subsidising the rail industry is expected to recommend stripping Network Rail of responsibility for lines in at least seven regions, with "vertical integration" of train firms and maintenance. The report by Sir Roy McNulty, the former head of the Civil Aviation Authority, is due to be published this week. It is expected to say that the Office of Rail Regulation should ensure there is "greater emphasis on the cost implications of safety regulation", leading to concerns that work could be delayed to save money.
Rail metal theft triples and costs £1m a year in Wales
Police and rail authorities step up the pressure on rail metal thieves who cost the network £1m a year in Wales. Network Rail and police are stepping up their efforts to catch rail metal thieves in Wales, claiming they are costing the railways around £1m a year. The number of cable thefts on the Wales and the Marches network tripled from 28 in 2009/10 to 84 in 2010/11. Some 600 hours of train delays in the region are attributed to the loss of cables controlling signals and points. Mark Langman, route director for Network Rail, said they were serious criminal acts and had to stop. "Every day passengers and essential freight deliveries upon which our economy relies on are being delayed by thieves looking to make a quick buck at our expense," he said. Metal theft has been identified as a growing problem in Wales in recent years, with brass band instruments, manhole covers and public sculptures being targeted along with railway lines.
Huge boost to train services on key Olympic rail route
The upgrade, funded by TfL, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), the Department for Transport, Network Rail and the Stratford City Implementation Group, means that London Overground services from Richmond and Clapham Junction to Stratford will run four times an hour every day, increasing the total number between Willesden Junction and Stratford to eight trains per hour in the peak. This is an increase from the 4 trains per hour that currently operate on that section. In addition four trains per hour will run every day on the Gospel Oak to Barking line and up to eight trains an hour between Highbury & Islington and Dalston Junction on the East London route. As part of the upgrade Transport for London also funded a fleet of 57 brand new air-conditioned trains, and a station refurbishment programme that has delivered cleaner and safer and well-staffed stations with better access, new information, help points, lighting and CCTV.
Rail investment call as traveller numbers are predicted to soar
BUSINESS leaders have called on the Government to invest in Yorkshire’s rail network, after research claimed passenger numbers would soar over the next 13 years. In Leeds peak demand is expected to increase by 62 per cent while in Sheffield the predicted rise is 56 per cent, according to a study from Network Rail. The rail operator believes there could be hundreds of thousands of extra passengers across northern England, and called on the Government to invest in a Northern Transport Hub – a project that would allow 700 extra trains a day and potentially generate £4bn for the economy. The head of business representation at the Leeds, York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, Mark Goldstone, said transport investment must remain a national priority. He said: “Overcrowding and delays are problems that blight many of Yorkshire’s peak time train services and this report shows that it is likely to get substantially worse unless there is a firm commitment from Government to increase capacity for both passengers and freight.
Buckinghamshire rail users celebrate £1m investment
Chiltern Railways celebrated today after over £1 million of improvements for rail users in Buckinghamshire were officially unveiled. In partnership with Network Rail and Bucks County Council, Chiltern Railways invested £630,000 to make improvements to Aylesbury station and Princes Risborough station. The company also invested £500,000 to restore a 1960s ‘bubble car’ to help with providing additional capacity during busier times of the day on the Chiltern Railways line. For the official celebration the company asked Josh Hailey from year 3 at Oak Green School to unveil a plaque at Aylesbury station. The company has a strong community relationship with the school and previously the children have created beautiful hanging baskets at a number of stations and are currently working on a project called ‘Helping Hands’ where they will produce a piece of art for Aylesbury station.
