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Previous Issues
January 2010
March
1) Aidrie-Bathgate rail link officially open
2) More disruption feared on London Midland
3) Network Rail intends to create a devolved route for Wales
4) A passionate railway lover on why the Government's new high-speed line is a fast track to disaster
5) High-speed rail a 'white elephant', say business heads
6) Network Rail admits safety breach
7) Kent and Sussex heritage rail extension set to reopen
8) FirstGroup may give up First Great Western franchise three years early
9) First of 20 new trains arrives at Belfast docks
10) CP5 funding reserved for CP4 rail projects
Aidrie-Bathgate rail link officially open
Transport Minister Keith Brown has officially opened the new £300m* Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link yesterday. Funded by Transport Scotland and built by Network Rail, the new route allows passengers to travel direct from Helensburgh and Milngavie, in the west, to Bathgate and Edinburgh in the east. Keith Brown, Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, said: "The completion of the £300 million Scottish Government-funded Airdrie-Bathgate Railway link will now open up new economic and educational opportunities for those living along the 14-mile route; the longest new passenger line in Scotland in over a century. "This major project is one of a number of transport infrastructure improvements being delivered across Scotland, making a real difference to local communities.
More disruption feared on London Midland
MORE disruption is feared on the London Midland network, after just three routes saw trains on Sunday as the result of a pay dispute between the company and the drivers’ union ASLEF. The core issue is that Sunday working is not compulsory. Two years ago, London Midland increased Sunday pay to double-time, to attract more volunteers. Now the company has said that this level is ‘not sustainable’, and a reduction in pay has caused a ‘silent protest’ by drivers. They have simply failed to agree to work any Sunday shifts – which are not included in their contracts.
Network Rail intends to create a devolved route for Wales
Network Rail announces today its intention to create a new, powerful, devolved business unit dedicated to serve customers and passengers in Wales and the Marches. This move is part of the company’s latest drive to increase its responsiveness at a local level and will create a new Wales route for the very first time in railway history. Leading the change, Network Rail’s chief executive, David Higgins, said: “Network Rail has saved money and transformed the railway through central control but to make further improvements in Wales we now need to increase responsiveness at a local level by operating with a one-Wales strategy. “We’re devolving accountability so that we can get closer to our customers and be in a better position to deliver improvements to passengers and freight users, while forging stronger ties with the Welsh Assembly Government to unlock any untapped potential on the railway.
A passionate railway lover on why the Government's new high-speed line is a fast track to disaster
When the first railway line between London and Birmingham was being mooted in the 1830s , a Berkhamsted landowner, Sir Astley Cooper, called the idea 'preposterous in the extreme' and suggested that 'if this sort of thing be permitted to go on, you will in a very few years destroy the noblesse'. Well, it did go on, and Britain ended up with 20,000 miles of railways - without losing its noblesse. In fact, the railways did much less damage to the environment than the roads that followed because, in the words of one historian, 'the railway etches in fresh detail to the scene. It rarely jars and usually pleases'.
High-speed rail a 'white elephant', say business heads
A group of business leaders has called for the proposed high-speed rail link between London and Birmingham to be scrapped. In an open letter, the group calls the plan an "expensive white elephant", and a "vanity project". The Transport Secretary Philip Hammond insisted the £17bn project would deliver major strategic benefits to the economy. Work on the line is due to start in 2015, if the route is approved. A public consultation began last month on the proposed location of the new track in the Chilterns, Buckinghamshire and Warwickshire. Expensive 'train set' The project, known as HS2, is designed to shorten journey times between London and Birmingham, before connecting to Manchester and Leeds. In total, it will cost an estimated £32bn. But the letter to the Daily Telegraph says "an extremely expensive white elephant isn't what the economy needs".
Network Rail admits safety breach
Network Rail has admitted health and safety failings over the 2002 Potters Bar train crash. The track and station owner told Watford Magistrates' Court it will plead guilty to proceedings brought by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) over the condition of tracks at the disaster site. Six passengers and a pedestrian were killed when a West Anglia Great Northern express train travelling from London to King's Lynn derailed at a faulty set of points in Hertfordshire on May 10 2002. Peter Palfrey, chair of the bench at Watford Magistrates' Court, referred the case to St Albans Crown Court for sentencing on March 30 at 10am. Prashat Popat QC, representing Network Rail, said the organisation will plead guilty to failings surrounding the installation, maintenance and inspection of adjustable stretcher bars, which keep the moveable section of a track at the correct width for train wheels.
Kent and Sussex heritage rail extension set to reopen
A two-mile section of railway that has been closed for more than 25 years is expected to reopen later this month. Spa Valley Railway said a service would run between Tunbridge Wells and Eridge on 25 March, subject to confirmation by the Secretary of State for Transport. The line, which runs across the Kent/Sussex border, was closed by British Rail in July 1985. Reopening costs have been funded by donations from the public, Spa Valley Railway members and rail firms. 'Phenomenal energy' Paul McKinnell, director of Spa Valley Railway, said: "It's taken many years of negotiations with Network Rail but we are delighted that after the disappointment of previous false starts we can, at long last, announce that the first public train will depart from Tunbridge Wells to run to Eridge at 1150 on Friday 25 March.
FirstGroup may give up First Great Western franchise three years early
FirstGroup is considering handing back the £1.1bn First Great Western rail contract three years ahead of schedule as the economic downturn and delays in the introduction of the new generation of intercity trains threaten the viability of the franchise. A unique break clause in the transport giant's contract allows it to terminate the franchise in 2013, and save £826.6m in payments to the government over the following three years. FirstGroup is giving this serious consideration because it is already missing revenue targets as the recession hits demand for services that include the London-to-Swansea and London-to-Oxford lines and routes throughout south-west England. In a further hindrance to FirstGroup, the business case envisaged a modern fleet of trains generating enough revenue to cover the rapid escalation in fees from 2013 to 2016. But the government confirmed this month that the new intercity trains would arrive from 2016, not 2013 as first thought.
First of 20 new trains arrives at Belfast docks
The first of 20 new trains for Northern Ireland Railways has arrived at Belfast docks. It will be put into service by the end of this year. The full fleet will be introduced next year. The new trains, together with those brought fully into service in 2005 - will replace all the older trains currently in operation. Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy said it represented a £114m commitment to modernise rail services. "The first of these ultra-modern trains will enter passenger service by the end of the year, offering the public a high standard of performance, comfort, safety and accessibility and I look forward to the full fleet being delivered and introduced to passenger service during 2012," he said. "Passenger numbers on railways now exceed 10 million annually, a 60% growth rate since 2002 and despite the difficult budget constraints, significant planned investment on the railways network highlights my own and the Executive's commitment to improving services.
CP5 funding reserved for CP4 rail projects
Money from Network Rail’s control period 5 ( running from April 2014 to March 2019 ) has been reserved to fund control period 4 projects that are already underway , according to Network Rail’s recently published CP4 delivery plan. The report states that approximately £300m has been allocated for CP4 from CP5, which will have an impact on schemes such as extending electrification to Bromsgrove and the Midland Main Line improvement programme. It is also expected to impact on projects such as redoubling the Kemble to Swindon route, a popular proposal which would significantly increase capacity on this busy route.
