Rail Express September 2017 by Mortons Media Group Ltd

RETRO CLASS 60 SURVEY FREIGHT Details of last passenger workings

A full history of cement traffic from Clitheroe

and the rarest ‘Tug’ for haulage

Essential reading for today’s rail enthusiast

ON SHED!

RAIL EXPRESS No. 256 SEPTEMBER 2017

A comprehensive guide to all remaining modern traction depots

42 PAGES

OF MODELLING ‘Q’ STOCK

RETURN How the London Transport Museum is bringing this historic unit back to life

■ FGW POWER CARS Modelling the green HSTs

■ IN-DEPTH REVIEWS ‘OO’ gauge ‘156’ and 4-TC

■ ‘JANUS’ SHUNTERS The industrial locos in action

■ GOVERNMENT REJECTS ELECTRIFICATION IN FAVOUR OF BI-MODES

Issue No. 256 September 2017

CONTENTS

HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL: Wigan Springs Branch depot has seen better days – but, unlike many others of the modern traction era, at least it is still there and in rail use. Pictured on August 5 are stored No. 08605 (left, in DB livery) and RSS’ active No. 08703 (outside the shed building in EWS livery), plus various Multi-Purpose Vehicles and departmental stock. For more on current depots, see our main feature on page 16. Jack Taylor

HEADLINE NEWS Electrification gives way to bi-modes; Route changes possible in next East Midlands franchise; London Midland announcement is delayed; Chinnor ‘31’ returns to operational use; Survey reveals passengers feel better about rail travel; Scotland plans for growth in passenger and freight traffic; HS2 alignment confirmed as construction contracts awarded; Birmingham needs a ‘Midlands Hub’ approach; Network Rail must cut spending as debt rises; Ten Class 66s up for sale as 20 Class 60s sold to Wabtec; Barrow Hill set for gala reopening.

RETRO FREIGHT: CLITHEROE A full history of cement traffic to and from the Lancashire town.

0-60: CLASS 507 Putting a Merseyrail EMU to the test on a rare 70mph section of the Liverpool network.

MODELLING There has been a number of new 4mm releases out this month, including a ‘Janus’ industrial shunter, Class 156 DMU, 4-TC EMU, and Colas Class 60 – all of which get our in-depth evaluation. There’s also a new ‘37’ and ‘66’ for ‘N’ gauge modellers.

REVIEWS A selection of new railway books.

EXPRESS MAILBAG Lichfield line lament; Hertford hardship; ‘Clay Tigers’.

LU WORLD

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Behind the scenes restoring the historic ‘Q’ Stock.

RAILTOURS Two trips to Old Dalby announced; By ‘Deltic’ to Swanage; A Class 59/2 returns to Yorkshire.

PRESERVATION ‘Rat’ returns to Waterman; Sparrowhawk outshopped in blue; Two railways suffer vandal attacks; More ‘117s’ for G-WR; Spa Valley ‘Deltic’ called off; Isle of Wight gala to feature first ever main line diesel.

ON SHED! The first of a major four-part survey of active modern traction depots across Britain.

TIME TRAVELLER September news from decades gone.

CLASS 60 FLEET FOCUS When did locos in the current ‘Tug’ fleet last work a passenger train, and what’s the rarest of the bunch?

POWER BY THE HOUR All DRS Class 88s now commissioned; Reprieve for stored Freightliner Class 66s.

POWERSCENE Our class-by-class round-up of notable workings.

UNITARY AUTHORITY More Class 319s are stored at Long Marston; First ‘Pacers’ get GWR green livery.

101 SHUNTER SPOT RSS moves into Norwich Crown Point depot.

102 COACH COMPARTMENT GWR BFOs converted to BSOs.

103 WAGONS ROLL VTG swallows rival wagon leasing firm NACCO.

104 IRISH ANGLE Four liveries now adorn 071 Class; Extra trains in new NIR timetable; Repaints for RPSI diesels.

The major depot at Neville Hill, east Leeds, has a mixture of steam-age buildings and more modern purpose-built facilities. This shot is taken inside one of its older sheds on August 23, 2013, as East Midlands Trains power car No. 43054 receives some attention. DC Collection

Editor’s Comment PRINT & DISTRIBUTION

Newstrade & distribution Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU. 0203 787 9001 Printed by William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton Published Third Friday of every month This issue August 18, 2017 Next issue September 22, 2017 Advertising deadline September 7, 2017 ISSN No 1362 234X

Paul Bickerdyke Rail Express Editor

© Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Behind the scenes

HEDS, depots and workshops have always held a fascination as places where locomotives and units go to be serviced or repaired. Sadly there are no longer as many such places as there once were, but there are probably still more than you would imagine left in regular use. So this month we begin a four-part survey of all depots surviving in rail use, beginning with relics of the steam age in the Midlands, North of England and Scotland. Opportunities to visit such places are also much reduced these days – partly because there are not so many left, but also because the survivors are often working round the clock every day of the week. So when open days do come up, they are usually well attended – witness those at Slade Green and Carlisle Kingmoor in July (see page 9). Another is coming up on September 2, when Great Western Railway opens the doors to Old Oak Common. This will be

the last chance ever to visit there, as the depot is due to be swept away to make room for a new HS2/Crossrail interchange station. Tickets were still on sale as this issue went to press, but are expected to sell out. Then later on September 22-24, the magnificent roundhouse at Barrow Hill, Derbyshire, will stage a gala event to mark its £1.2 million restoration. A wide range of heritage steam, diesel and electric locos will be on show, plus others from the major main line operators too, so demand for tickets will be high. Rail Express is one of the sponsors of this event, and we are offering you the chance to win tickets – make sure to check out the details on page 13. Paul Bickerdyke

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EDITORIAL

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Simon Bendall Editor Rail Express Modeller

David Russell

Power by the Hour Shunter Spot Name Game Spectrum

Preservation Unitary Authority Coach Compartment

Gareth Bayer Wagons Roll

Christopher Westcott

David Rapson

LU World (with Piers Connor)

Powerscene

William Watson Irish Angle (with Alan McFerran)

‘Industry Witness’ News Writer

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HEADLINE NEWS

Electrification gives way to bi-modes New wires are out, bi-modes are in as the Government looks to cut future rail investment.

The first of the Hitachi-built Class 802 bi-modes No. 802001 went out on test overnight on August 4/5, followed by No. 802002 on the evening of August 5 – the latter being pictured at Bolton Percy (five miles south of York) running from Doncaster to Darlington. Class 802s are for use on Great Western Railway services to Cornwall and Devon, and feature an uprated engine when compared to the otherwise similar Class 800 bi-modes for GWR and Virgin Trains East Coast. Tom Robson

By ‘Industry Witness’ THE Government has shocked the rail industry, campaigners and passengers by announcing that future electrification schemes have been largely rejected in favour of using bi-mode vehicles, now described as ‘BMU’. The announcement came in a report into future rail spending plans, which was published on the last day of parliament (July 20), effectively preventing any debate on the contents. It is also reflected in the content of the next High Level Output Statement for the period from 2019 to 2024 (the so-called Control Period 6). Campaigners for electrification were especially surprised by the news because it came at the same time as the Government announced that new petrol and diesel cars would be banned by 2040.

CASUALTIES

The casualties from the original programme are the extension of wiring beyond Cardiff to Swansea, the Midland Main Line project to Nottingham and Sheffield (where Kettering will be the limit of electrified working), and the Windermere branch. The Cardiff Valleys modernisation had previously been abandoned given Welsh Government uncertainties about whether a light rail system would offer better value for money than electrified heavy rail infrastructure, which has left the project in limbo to await the evaluation of bids for the new Wales and Borders franchise. Another loss is the proposed electric spine, which was intended to link Southampton with the West Coast Main Line, then carry on to the Midland Main Line via Bletchley and Bedford. It would also have seen the third-rail between Southampton and Basingstoke converted to overhead wiring. This project had previously been criticised, however,

6 RAIL EXPRESS September 2017

as no provision had been made in the business case for the conversion of passenger trains to dual voltage (third-rail and overhead), while freight operators did not foresee giving up diesel-hauled operations. Electrified working over the main trans-Pennine route via Diggle will also not now take place, much to the chagrin of the newly-elected mayors in the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester. The vision for a Northern Powerhouse based on improved rail connectivity is also fading, as the current incumbent at the Treasury has less enthusiasm for the project than was evident in the George Osborne era.

STOCK CASCADES

There will be knock-on disruption to the rolling stock cascade plan, as train operating companies will be forced to make other plans to either replace or modify rolling stock to make it compliant with the 2020 deadline to provide vehicles suitable for carrying passengers with reduced mobility (the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations, or RVAR). It is also not a straightforward option to simply replace planned all-electric IEP operation with bi-mode trainsets. The power output of a bi-mode Class 800 will

always be reduced compared to the allelectric Class 801 option, and it is known that point-to-point timings will also be slower than the 40-year old HST vehicles they will replace. This will not be the case for the Class 802 variant, however, because the engines will be rated at 940hp compared with 750hp for the earlier design. The ‘802s’ are so far being supplied to Great Western Railway, Hull Trains and TransPennine Express, and feature three engines per five-car set and five in a ninecar set. It is ironic that the Midland Main Line had a better financial case for electrification than the Great Western and, although outer suburban services to Kettering will switch to electric power, bi-mode trains will be needed beyond there for the northern half of the route to Sheffield. As things stand, the route’s current HSTs cannot be used beyond the end of 2019 as, in addition to the passenger mobility issue, effluent is discharged directly to the track. The DfT has announced that all companies with a Government contract will be required to cease such practice from December 31, 2019, with Network Rail negotiating with independent operators to follow the same

policy in that timescale. The other part of the existing MML main line fleet is the Class 222 ‘Meridian’ units, where each vehicle in the set is powered by a 750hp engine, thus giving superior performance to even the uprated Class 802 sets and giving faster point to point timings as a result.

DIESELS IN THE LAKES

The Windermere branch is to be worked by the converted ‘Flex’ Class 319 units cascaded from Thameslink diagrams. Northern is to receive eight of these converted four-car BMUs, which are now designated as Class 769, for introduction in the May 2018 timetable. This vehicle type is also seen as a solution to a potential vehicle shortage for local services in the Cardiff area. Five units are to be allocated there to allow existing rolling stock to be converted to comply with RVAR disability legislation. At least the Barking to Gospel Oak wiring will be completed as a result of weekend line closures taking place between July and September. This project has overrun despite a phased eight-month route closure in 2016/17. London Overground needs the work finalised to enable the introduction of new four-car Class 710 trains in early 2018. E

Production of bi-modes is ramping up at Hitachi’s plant in Newton Aycliffe (County Durham), as this shot taken on August 6 shows. The full sidings contain (from left) all-electric No. 801201, bi-modes Nos. 800023, 800024, 800xxx, 800017, 800xxx, ScotRail EMU No. 385103, and bi-mode No. 800020. James Garthwaite

HEADLINE NEWS

SPA VALLEY SEXTUPLE-HEADER:

IN BRIEF

The end of the Spa Valley Railway’s summer gala traditionally features a lash-up of many of the locos that have taken part over the weekend. This year was no different, as Nos. 50026, 33063, 33201, 20059, 31101 and 31289 headed the 18.00 Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge on August 6 – pictured at Pokehill Farm. The gala had featured various combinations of locos, including doubleheaded workings with the two ‘31s’ and the two ‘33s’. Adam McMillan

NEW CHARTER OPERATOR

Route changes possible in next East Midlands franchise from 2019 Liverpool services may be lost to TransPennine Express, while those from Stansted Airport may be gained from CrossCountry. By ‘Industry Witness’ THE process to award a new contract for the East Midlands franchise has commenced with the publication of a stakeholder consultation document by the Department for Transport. The franchise is currently operated by Stagecoach and is to be extended until August 2019. As electrification will now only take place as far as Kettering, changes are proposed to the pattern of services. Longer distance trains serving Sheffield and Nottingham will no longer call at Luton, Bedford, Wellingborough and Kettering, which will be served by other services. This will enable faster journey

times for the inter-city operations, but could mean the loss of through services between London, Oakham and Melton Mowbray. Away from the Midland Main Line, other services will be subject to review. East Midlands Trains currently operates the Norwich to Liverpool service, for which there are relatively few through passengers. It will be recalled that the long-established service pattern was to provide through trains between Norwich and Birmingham before the switch to offer a Stansted Airport to Birmingham service was made. There are various future options, with the possibility that a Nottingham to Liverpool route might be better

placed in the TransPennine Express franchise combined with a reversion to Birmingham to Norwich trains and a link between the East Midlands, Cambridge and Stansted Airport. To optimise journey opportunities, it is suggested current Birmingham to Stansted Airport operations would come under East Midlands rather than CrossCountry control. As has become a standard DfT requirement, bidders are required to demonstrate how an integrated operating team, made up of Network Rail and TOC management, can be established. Greater use of private funding for infrastructure improvements and station facilities is also encouraged.

London Midland announcement is delayed THE London Midland franchise has been operated by Govia since November 2007, and was due to end on October 15 this year. However, this has now been postponed to either December 11 or February 5, 2018, to allow the continued evaluation of the two bids made by Govia and a partnership formed between Abellio, the East Japan Railway and Mitsui & Co Ltd. The industry expectation has been that Abellio and its partners have been successful, and it is unclear why there is a delay. The new franchise will be operated as two business units divided between the longer distance secondary services that use the West Coast Main Line, and local services in the West Midlands where devolution of responsibility to local authorities is likely to take place.

LOCOMOTIVE Services, which trades under the name Icons of Steam, has been granted a train operating licence for main line passenger excursion trains. The award follows a significant amount of work to gain the necessary safety certificate, access agreement and train operating licence required to operate services on the national rail network. Charters will be operated mostly with steam, and the company also announced that it has received a Network Rail Gauging Certificate for both No. 46100 Royal Scot and No. 34046 Braunton to run from the operating base at Crewe along the North Wales Coast Line to Llandudno and south over the Welsh Marches to Cardiff.

ANGLIA TIMING RUN GREATER Anglia staged a timing run from London to Norwich and back on August 6, ahead of the introduction of new 12-car Stadler-built ‘Flirt’ EMUs from 2019. Three Class 360s, Nos. 360104+111+ 115, were used for the run, as ‘Desiros’ were deemed to have the closest characteristics to the new stock. The special left Liverpool Street at 10.00 and reached Norwich in a net time of 94 minutes, returning at 12.30 in a net time of just under 90 minutes. Both runs were delayed in the Stratford area. An Ilford driver was used throughout, with an Ipswich conductor between there and Norwich.

RAIL FACTORY FOR WALES SPANISH rolling stock manufacturer CAF has selected the Celtic Business Park at the Llanwern steelworks site, near Newport in South Wales, as the location of its future UK factory. The 46000m2 plant will be designed to accommodate the production of a range of different vehicle types, including diesel and electric multipleunits, trams and high speed trainsets. The company selected the St Modwen’s Celtic Business Park industrial and warehousing development for its road, rail and port access, as well as the availability of local people with engineering skills. CAF expects the plant to employ 200 staff when it opens in autumn 2018, rising to 300 by 2019.

BARKING RIVERSIDE EXTENSION APPROVED

CHINNOR RETURNEE: Class 31 No. 31163 undertook a short test working at the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway on August 5, which was its first run in four years. The loco was owned by Chinnor’s late chairman Richard Floyd, who bequeathed it to the railway. Final repairs to the vacuum system were completed just a few hours before this shot, and the short move from the sidings to the station with a rake of empty stock was to test the braking system. The end of the 18-month restoration is now in sight, with further loaded test runs due throughout August. If successful, the final job will be to relivery the loco in a scheme described not only as authentic but unique amongst the surviving ‘31s’. Phil Marsh

THE Government has approved a Transport and Works Act Order for the extension of London Overground’s Gospel Oak to Barking line to Barking Riverside. This will see a three-mile electrified branch built from east of Barking to the Riverside terminus, which is the site of a new 10,000-home and retail development. The £263 million extension is fully funded, including a £172 million contribution from the site’s developers, with the rest coming from Transport for London. Construction should begin in summer 2018, with train services commencing in late 2021.

September 2017 RAIL EXPRESS 7

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HEADLINE NEWS

Survey reveals passengers now feel better about travelling by rail Overall satisfaction is up according to the latest study, but the woes at Southern are still clear. TRANSPORT Focus has published its latest National Rail Passenger Survey for spring 2017, which finds that overall satisfaction by train operating companies (TOCs) varied between 72 and 97 per cent. Comparing the figures with those for spring 2016, seven improved (Southeastern, Gatwick Express, c2c, Heathrow Connect, Heathrow Express, Greater Anglia, and Hull Trains) and none significantly declined. All other TOCs had no real change in their overall satisfaction results. The highest ratings for overall satisfaction were achieved by Hull Trains (97 percent), Heathrow Express (97 percent), Grand Central (94 percent), Merseyrail (94 percent), Chiltern Railways (92 percent) and Virgin Trains (92 percent). The lowest were Southern (72 per cent), Thameslink (75 percent), Great

Northern (79 percent), Southeastern (81 percent), and Great Western Railway (81 percent). Significantly, the three lowest are the constituents of the TS&GN contract that is managed by Govia. Overall satisfaction by individual routes within TOCs varied between 63 and 97 percent. Satisfaction by individual routes regarding value for money was between 33 and 87 percent, punctuality/reliability between 51 and 98 percent, and levels of crowding between 57 and 94 percent.

SOUTH EAST LAGS

For London and the South East operators, 82 percent of passengers were very or fairly satisfied overall compared to 79 percent last year. The percentage of passengers satisfied with all train and station

factors improved for 30 service areas and declined for none. The biggest improvement in satisfaction was with station shelter facilities (up by nine percent). For the long-distance operators, the proportion of passengers who were very or fairly satisfied overall was 89 percent, up one percentage point from last year. Passenger satisfaction for the various train and station factors improved for 21 service areas and declined for one. The biggest improvement in satisfaction was the increase of six percent for train toilet facilities. For regional operators, 87 percent of passengers were very or fairly satisfied with their journey overall, an increase of two percent on last year. Passenger satisfaction for the various station and train factors improved for four service areas, one declined

and the rest were unchanged, with availability of seating up three per cent. Nationally, the percentage of passengers satisfied with their journey overall was 83 percent, up compared to the 80 percent recorded in spring 2016, and the proportion of passengers satisfied with punctuality/ reliability was 77 percent – up from 73 percent last time. The percentage of passengers satisfied with all train and station factors increased for 28 service areas, the rest being unchanged. The biggest improvement in satisfaction was with availability of seating at the station, up eight per cent. The NRPS provides a network-wide picture of passenger satisfaction with rail travel. They are compiled from a representative sample of passenger journeys collected twice a year. E

Although the Scottish Government is looking to grow rail freight in the next control period from 2019-2024 (CP6), sadly one contributor to that will not be oil traffic to either Lairg or Fort William. The Colas-hauled trains reported last month are confirmed as only a temporary measure, with the long-term future for these flows being roadhauled instead. Colas ‘Grid’ No. 56302 is pictured at Dingwall, on the Far North Line, on July 26 with the Grangemouth to Lairg trip – Class 56s being historically very rare beasties in this part of the country. David Ross

Scotland plans for growth in passenger and freight traffic THE Scottish Government has issued its High Level Output Specification (HLOS) for Control Period 6, which covers the period from April 2019 to March 2024. The HLOS recognises that rail travel is still growing in Scotland, and looks to continue providing extra capacity for both passenger and freight services. It states that investment will be needed to continue to meet the demands from the growth of rail. However, the problems encountered in the current CP5 period (2014-2019) with delayed projects – such as electrification of the main line between Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh – mean that a

8 RAIL EXPRESS September 2017

different approach will be needed to reflect lessons learnt. To this end, Transport Scotland has established a Major Rail Projects Portfolio Board to provide additional assurance to Scottish Ministers about the progress and management of major rail projects in Scotland.

ALWAYS OPEN

Cross-border rail services are seen as vital connections for passengers and freight, contributing to regional economic development within Scotland. Therefore the HLOS requires that where maintenance, renewal or enhancement activity is required on cross-border

routes, including those for High Speed Rail works, at least one route will be available at all times for the passage of timetabled sleeper, passenger and freight services to and from London. Network Rail is asked to maintain the network in such a manner as to enable the operators of the ScotRail franchise to deliver a public performance measure (PPM) of 92.5 percent for every year in CP6, and for the operators of the Caledonian Sleeper franchise to meet their right time targets. Rail freight growth is also expected, and Transport Scotland requires all reasonable steps to be taken to see a

rise of 7.5 percent in rail freight traffic in Scotland, of which at least 7.5 percent will be new business – such as traffic flows not previously carried by rail. Both targets should be achieved by the end of CP6 in 2024 and be measured in net thousand gross tonne miles, relative to start of CP6 in 2019. Finally, while rail traffic is already seen as a relatively low contributor to carbon emissions, Scottish Ministers require Network Rail to work with industry through CP6 to develop and deliver continuous reductions in carbon emissions for passenger and freight traffic as well as non-traction energy use at stations and elsewhere.

HEADLINE NEWS IN BRIEF DLR HITS 30

OPEN DAY 1: July saw two open days held at depots at the opposite ends of the country. The first was at Slade Green, South East London, on July 15 – mainly for Southeastern staff but with limited access for the public too. On show were representatives of Southeastern’s Class 376, 377, 465 and 466 units – plus also ‘Javelin’ No. 395016 (pictured), the heritage Class 201 DEMU No. 1001, preserved Class 416 2-EPB No. 5759 and NSE-liveried MLV No. 9002. Locos on display included West Coast’s No. 33207, Europhoenix Type 3 No. 37884 and Rail Operations Group’s newly-repainted No. 47813. Jamie Squibbs

OPEN DAY 2: July 22 was the date for DRS’ annual open day, which alternates between Crewe Gresty Bridge and this year’s venue at Carlisle Kingmoor. The weather was poor, but 2500 visitors still came to see members of the company’s diverse fleet (which covers Classes 20, 37, 57, 66, 68 and 88) – raising more than £29,000 for charity in the process. 'Newbie' No. 88008 is pictured inside the depot raised on jacks, the shed being the driest place to be for much of the time. John Hales

THE Docklands Light Railway is celebrating 30 years of service, and to mark the anniversary a ‘30 things to do by DLR’ travel guide and an easier to read line map have been released. Each year, 122 million customers use the railway as London’s population continues to grow, compared to just 6.7 million in its first year of operation. The new line maps will use different colour shades for each branch of the railway, simplifying journey planning for customers and helping to provide clearer interchange information. The ‘Destination DLR’ travel guide features 30 places that are all easily reached by the DLR including a variety of attractions across east and southeast London.

HS2 alignment confirmed as construction contracts awarded A Sheffield loop will be created using Network Rail lines, but the proposed depot at New Crofton will have to move. By ‘Industry Witness’ THE Government has finalised the route for Phase 2 of HS2 north of Birmingham, while awarding the first construction contracts for Phase 1 south of Birmingham. On the Yorkshire branch, trains will now use the existing city centre station at Sheffield rather than providing an out-of-town stop at Meadowhall. This will involve a realignment of the route through Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to allow a short spur to be built from HS2 near Pinxton (Derbyshire) to join the Midland Main Line at Stonebroom (north of Alfreton), thus reaching Chesterfield and Sheffield on Network Rail metals via Clay Cross. There will also be a connection back to HS2 from Network Rail at Clayton (north of Thurnscoe on the Rotherham to Wakefield Westgate line), creating a cut-off so that trains can rejoin the high-speed route to

Leeds plus the spur that allows trains to reach Newcastle. The change of route has brought about the need to move the proposed train maintenance depot at New Crofton (near Wakefield) to an alternative Aire Valley site. The current estimated project costs are £27.4 billion from Euston to Birmingham Curzon Street and the spur to reach the West Coast Main

“Most of Britain’s largest civil engineering firms are involved” Line, £3.8 billion for the stretch to reach Crewe, and £24.8 billion for the sections to Manchester Piccadilly and Leeds together with the spurs required to allow through working to Newcastle and Glasgow using existing infrastructure. Contracts worth £6.6 billion for

Phase 1 construction have been awarded, and most of Britain’s largest civil engineering firms are involved in the consortia that have secured work. The Euston tunnels, the approach to the terminal and the Northolt tunnels will be built by SCS, which is comprised of Skanska, Costain and Strabag (Austria). The Chiltern tunnels and Colne Valley viaduct will be the responsibility of Align, which is made up of Bouygues (France), VolkerFitzpatrick and Sir Robert McAlpine. The section between the North Portal Chiltern tunnels and the South Portal of the Itchington Wood tunnel via Brackley will be built by CEK, which is formed of Carillion, Kier and Eiffage (France). The route beyond to Birmingham Delta Junction and the spur to the WCML has been awarded to Balfour Beatty and Vinci (again from France). Decisions have not yet been made on the station design contracts.

Birmingham needs a ‘Midlands Hub’ approach NETWORK Rail published a route study for the West Midlands, Chilterns, and East West Rail routes on August 4, which has identified a number of improvements for future rail travel. In the short term, there are plans for a programme of upgrades to stations on the existing route into London Marylebone by 2024 to accommodate longer trains with more seats for passengers. In the long term, the study also looks at improving access to London from the Chiltern Main Line by connecting the route with the new HS2,

Crossrail and Great Western Main Line interchange at Old Oak Common. A Midlands Rail Hub would see improvements in the Birmingham area that would allow up to 150 extra trains per day in and out of the city – providing 85,000 extra seats across the Midlands, and improved connectivity between the East and West Midlands. An estimated 24 million extra annual passenger journeys are predicted in the Midlands area by 2023, meaning continued investment in the railway is needed to meet future demand.

Upgrades identified as part of the Midlands Rail Hub include building the Bordesley Chord so that services can access Moor Street instead of New Street, and provide the potential for new stations at Moseley, Kings Heath and Hazelwell. This would also require additional platforms to be brought into use at Moor Street, while Snow Hill would also get an extra platform. The number of tracks through Water Orton would be increased from two to four to accommodate more passenger and freight services.

A DLR train arrives at the original Isle of Dogs terminus at Island Gardens in 1992. The skyline behind the train has changed significantly since then. Peter Whatley

CROSSRAIL 2 MOVES CLOSER THE Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling and the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan have issued a joint statement on the future of Crossrail 2, which will cross London from the south west to north east. While they agreed that London needs new infrastructure to support its growth, they want to see how London could fund half of the scheme during construction. The Mayor and the Transport Secretary agree on the need to ensure a funding package that works for both London and the rest of the country but also delivers the new capacity and connectivity that London needs. They agreed a way forward in the coming months to examine ways to improve affordability while maximising the key benefits of the scheme. Campaigners in other parts of the country claim that it will be unfair if Crossrail 2 goes ahead while other schemes remain unfunded.

DB CARGO SELLS ‘TUGS’ RUMOURED for some time, the sale of 20 stored Class 60s by DB Cargo to Wabtec has now been confirmed. The locos are all at Toton in the WQDA pool, and comprise Nos. 60003/4/5/6/8/13/14/18/22/23/ 25/27/30/31/32/37/42/50/51 and 52. The major overhauls needed to return the locos to service will be split, with electrical repairs done at Brush, Loughborough (where they were first built) and the mechanical work at Toton. It is thought, but not confirmed, that the locos could be destined for use with GB Railfreight. Further speculation is that this would be connected to the construction of the first phase of HS2.

September 2017 RAIL EXPRESS 9

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HEADLINE NEWS IN BRIEF EXTRA TRAINS FOR TFL TRANSPORT for London has said it will have to order four extra Class 345 Elizabeth line EMUs as it looks to run more services on the line than initially planned. The improved service frequency has been announced following collaboration with the Department for Transport, Network Rail and train operators to produce a final timetable. To run the additional services, TfL said the number of trains operating on the Elizabeth line will increase from 66 to 70 trains, and has therefore taken up an option in its contract with Bombardier.

WATERLOO UPGRADE HALF of London’s Waterloo station – the busiest in the country with almost 100 million passengers a year – was closed on August 4 for 24 days to extend platforms 1-4 and modify platforms 5-8 so that tencar trains can be used from December. Ten platforms had to be closed as part of the £800 million Waterloo & South West Upgrade, which will allow for 45,000 extra passengers every morning and evening to and from Waterloo. As part of the blockade, all platforms at the former international terminal have been brought into use to provide extra capacity. With service levels reduced during the works, a number of suburban stations also had to be closed, including Chessington North and South, Norbiton and Queenstown Road.

Network Rail must reduce spending after debt rises Some track renewal and upgrade work is being deferred to offset overspending in the current financial period. By ‘Industry Witness’ NETWORK Rail’s annual report has revealed that the amount the company owes has risen to £46.3 billion, up almost £5 billion from the £41.6 billion owed in the previous year. This debt is no longer supported by private sector bonds since the Government decided that the company will be funded by state grants – with the debt therefore being on the Government’s books. The Statement of Funds Available for the next five-year control period between 2019 and 2024 (CP6) has been put off while an assessment is made of the money needed for enhancements, electrification, and renewals in the period. Operating and maintenance costs are also subject to scrutiny, as these have exceeded the regulatory target. To keep within the original budget

as required by the Treasury, it has been estimated that project and renewal work worth £3.5 billion will not be undertaken in the period to 2019, with a £992 million cut taking place in 2016/17 alone.

SAFETY ISSUES

The HM Chief Inspector of Railways has intervened by saying that renewals rather than enhancements must be given priority after 2019, as the number of infrastructure-based safety incidents has levelled out. Attention has also been drawn to a number of dangerous incidents as a result of landslips that have caused train derailments. There has been further evidence in a report produced by Network Rail non-executive director Chris Gibb that cuts in spending on renewals and maintenance on the Southern network has led to a situation where

DB puts ‘66s’ up for sale

NEW STATIONS AGREED THE Department of Transport has announced that five new stations are to be built across England and Wales, providing long-term benefits to passengers and the wider economy. The Government will invest over £16 million in the schemes under the New Stations Fund, which gives local communities improved rail services. All of the new stations will be accessible, with step free access throughout. The stations are Horden Peterlee (County Durham), Warrington West, (Cheshire), Reading Green Park, Bow Street (Ceredigion, Wales) and Portway Parkway, near Bristol.

TEN Class 66 locos have been offered for sale by DB Cargo – something of a surprise given the fact that such locomotives are used by all of Britain’s main freight operators. The ten locos are Nos. 66008/016/ 046/058/081, 66132/141/184 and 66238/250. All are currently stored out of service at DB’s main depot at Toton. The deadline for registering an interest is August 21, after which tender documents will be issued. All bidders will be allowed to inspect the locos, and successful parties will be required to remove the locos at their own expense. To be sold as seen, all ten are understood to have substantial faults, variously including defective power units and, reportedly, fatigue cracks in the engine bedplates, although this has neither been officially confirmed or denied. It has also been suggested by unofficial sources that the likely new owner could be Colas Rail.

BATTERY TRAIN GRANT VIVARAIL, the manufacturer of the Class 230 ‘D-Train’ conversion project, has announced new investment to develop the battery version. The Accelerating Innovation in Rail grant competition is run by Innovate UK, and Vivarail forecasts that battery trains ready for service can be delivered from early 2018. The company says it has been able to move quickly due to the modular build of the ‘D-Train’. Each unit needs 750V for traction, which can be supplied by battery, diesel engine or electrical supply. A hybrid version of all three can also be built.

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infrastructure is not replaced until it fails – a high-risk policy given the previous failure of points at Lambrigg and Potters Bar that led to fatal derailments. To address this issue, £300 million of specific funding has been allocated to Southern routes to catch up on arrears. Much the same situation is evident in Scotland, where NR overspent a £425 million budget by £31 million as a result of escalating project costs. It has therefore deferred some renewals worth £46 million into the period beyond 2019. In the current regulatory control period (CP5), NR was required to improve asset reliability to allow the public performance measure for train operations to reach 92.5%. The most recently recorded figure is 87.4% – a figure that is unlikely to improve if the condition of the infrastructure is allowed to deteriorate. E

MUSIC TRACKS: Trains and music combined on at least three occasions in late July, with events at Reading station, the Midland Railway-Butterley and on board the Caledonian Sleeper. Reading’s Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra performed a free Schumann concert for passengers at the city’s station on July 22 (photo right: GWR). Two symphonies were conducted in part by Great Western Railway employee and APO musical director Andrew Taylor. A week later on July 29, the Indietracks Festival at the Midland Railway Centre was staged alongside the locomotives on shed at Swanwick Junction, the photo (above, by Jake Atkinson) shows The Wedding Present on stage alongside ‘Peak’ No.

45041 Royal Tank Regiment. Earlier, July 24 had seen an opera called Belongings given its world premiere on board the Aberdeen to Euston sleeper. The work is inspired by items of luggage carried by railway passengers, and was performed in the train’s lounge car.

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