The Railway Magazine February 2018

PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUE MASTERCLASS

WITH JACK BOSKETT

BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING RAIL TITLE February 2018

Investigation g into

EAST COAST ‘BAILOUT’ ■ Thameslink

franchise not value for money ■ Vintage Trains

eyes freight sector licence

■ HS2 contractor

Carillion in liquidation

THE VIVARAIL STORY

RORAIL ‘KARRIER’

GWR ‘COUNTY’ 440

From Upminster to Upcycled

An idea before its time?

Re-creating a long-lost class

◆ WORLD’S STEEPEST FUNICULAR RAILWAY OPENS ◆

K_\

EDITORIAL

Editor: Chris Milner Deputy editor: Gary Boyd-Hope Senior correspondent: Ben Jones Designer: Tim Pipes Picture desk: Paul Fincham and Jonathan Schofield Publisher: Tim Hartley Editorial assistant: Jane Skayman Production editor: Sarah Wilkinson Sub-editor: Nigel Devereux Consultant editor: Nick Pigott Classic Traction News: Peter Nicholson Operations News: Ashley Butlin Narrow Gauge News: Cliff Thomas Metro News: Paul Bickerdyke World News: Keith Fender By post: The Railway Magazine, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR Tel: 01507 529589 Fax: 01507 371066 Email: railway@mortons.co.uk © 2018 Mortons Media ISSN 0033-8923

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This issue was published on February 7, 2018.

The next will be on sale on March 7, 2018.

Breaking new ground for the Hitachi IET, Class 800 No. 800004 Isambard Kingdom Brunel visited Glasgow Central on January 26 as part of the ongoing testing programme for the new trains. GWR

Will anyone speak up for the rail industry?

D

URING the Christmas and new year period, railways were very much in the news: not all of it was good.

News of the decision by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to terminate the East Coast franchise early gained a fresh set of legs, helped in part by some vociferous tweeting by opposition MPs, including one who actually claimed the industry “has lower safety standards” despite there being no passenger deaths in an accident or derailment for more than 10 years.

The rail industry’s reputation was further sullied when national media journalists jumped on the bandwagon and added the January fare rise into the mix.

Former Transport Secretary Lord Adonis demanded Grayling be sacked, and claimed the ‘bailout’ decision would cost taxpayers £2billion. Again, media outlets produced half-truths, misconceptions and in some cases lies, very few actually printing the real reason for Grayling’s announcement – that Network Rail, which is a Government offshoot, could not complete the agreed upgrades to power supplies and other infrastructure in the required timescale to allow a more frequent East Coast rail service with new trains that would trigger growth.

Remember, it was on that premise Stagecoach/Virgin had based its franchise bid on back in 2014. It was a serious contractual failure on the part of the Department for Transport and Network Rail, and a decision on what to do next was needed, given premium payments rise towards the end of a franchise. NR’s failings were a key fact and would have given balance, but in the interests of one-sidedness, it was ignored.

It is like you or me agreeing a contract for some construction work, but the builder fails to complete to the planned timescale, quality or agreed specifications.

You would demand a re-negotiation for a lower price, and not blithely hand over the money first agreed.

Virgin was simply unable to continue. It was a difficult situation, so the DfT made the decision to bring the franchise to a close early.

It is worth pointing out that by the revised end date of the franchise in 2019, Virgin will have paid around £200million of their own money into the ailing operation – money which they won’t get back. There will also be reputational damage as ‘another failure of the East Coast rail franchise’, which you can’t put a price on.

As the Government is not providing money to prop

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Editor’s Comment

up the franchise, it is wrong to call it a ‘bailout’.

With a media frenzy taking place, there was a noticeable silence from within the railway industry – including the Rail Delivery Group, which claims to represent Network Rail and the train operators. No one seemed prepared to get in front of a TV camera and say “hang on, that’s not quite right”.

It was not until Roger Ford of Modern Railways went into the Radio 4 studio that a balanced view began to emerge. However, the RDG’s Twitter machine was still issuing ‘good news’ tweets – that were in all probability scheduled before Christmas – and this presented a confused view to say the least.

Immediately after Grayrigg, the last crash to have a passenger fatality, no one emerged to speak for the industry other than railway journalists with a grasp of the facts. That’s a situation which still prevails today.

Many will remember seeing Richard Hope, who was often interviewed on TV and always presented a rational and balanced view as the industry provided no spokesman.

With the explosion of social media and greater public awareness of topical news, one would have thought there would be a ‘rail industry spokesman’ in place – perhaps like Edmund King of The AA, who speaks for the motorist.

It is a role the industry desperately needs and one that would suit, for example, a retired senior manager, someone well-versed in railway operation and practice as well as franchising, who could speak authoritatively with clarity, as well as presenting the facts.

As it is, the myths and half-truths peddled about a great industry will now drift into folklore, and I suspect will be perpetuated by researchers in years to come.

Britain may run on rails, but please, can someone be found to stand up and fight the industry’s corner in a CHRIS MILNER, Editor proactive way?

February 2018 • The Railway Magazine • 3

Contents

February 2018. No. 1,403. Vol 164. A journal of record since 1897.

Headline News

Network Rail engineers worked in very difficult circumstances to rescue a stranded Class 156 and restore the Fort William to Mallaig line after a serious landslip in late-January. NR

Nottingham station damaged in arson attack, Mallaig line blocked by landslide at Glenfinnan, GWR ‘County’ 4-4-0 replica to be built at Gloucs-Warks, Thameslink contract ‘not value for money’, NR moves quickly after Carillion collapse, TfN strategic plan unveiled.

On the cover COVER: Former Midland Railway ‘4F’0-6-0 No. 43924 climbs away from Keighley on January 7 with a KWVR service to Oxenhope. The loco was the first to leave Barry 50 years ago, destined for the Yorkshire branch line, which also marks the 50th INSET 1: Vivarail’s ‘new’ train solution anniversary of re-opening this year. INSET 2: Ro-rail: An unfulfilled idea ANDREW BELL INSET 3: Re-creating a 'County' 4-4-0

Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest 66 Steam & Heritage S&D ‘7F’ to move to North Norfolk, Dunrobin needs new driving wheels, two ‘Modified Halls’ for West Somerset gala, new middle cylinder cast for ‘A2’ Blue Peter.

71 Industrial 72 Steam Portfolio

75 Irish 76 Narrow Gauge 78 Heritage Trams 80 Metro 82 Network Huge Christmas and new year engineering works delivered successfully, Grayling backs mid-Cheshire reopening, Ashford International modified for e320s.

84 Railtours 88 Classic Traction 92 World 95 Freight 96 Traction & Stock First Mk5 overnight stock arrives in Scotland, DRS sells more Class 20s, Class 88s on nuclear traffic.

The Caledonian Sleeper took delivery of the first five Mk5 vehicles from CAF in late January. EIKI SEKINE

99 Stock Update 100 Traction Portfolio 103 Operations

Regulars

A tranquil view of one of Cornwall’s most scenic lines, the Looe branch, seen from high above the East Looe River as Class 153 No. 153325 meanders its way pastTerras Bridge on December 1, 2017 with the 12.16 Liskeard-Looe train. JAMIE SQUIBBS

The Railway Magazine’s audited circulation of 37,250 copies per month makes it by far the

12 Multiple Aspects

UK’S TOPSELLING RAIL TITLE!

With Lord Berkeley.

12 Railways in Parliament 20 Subscription Offer Subscribe today to receive your monthly copies of The Railway Magazine from only £20.

58 Readers’ Platform 60 Panorama Our regular gallery of the best railway photography.

A GB Railfreight Class 66 crosses the River Great Ouse at Pymoor, near Manea, with a train of empty sand hoppers bound for Middleton Towers. BRUCE GALLOWAY

64 From The RM Archives

110 Heritage Diary

Find out what The RM was reporting 20, 50 and 100 years ago.

Details of when Britain’s unique collection of heritage railways and railway museums are open.

108 Meetings

122 Crossword & Where Is It?

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Features

14 Re-creating the Rough Rider

28 From Ukraine With Love

42 Crossrail Update

As a new group takes on the project to build a replica GWR ‘County’ 4-4-0, Gary Boyd-Hope explains how they plan to achieve their goal and bring back another long-lost class.

Risking detention and a possible international incident, Mark Darby visited eastern Europe in 2017 to photograph powerful ex-Soviet diesels.

Find out how he and his companions fared.

With the core tunnels under central London due to open in December, Keith Fender visits Crossrail for an update on how construction of the £14.8billion railway is progressing.

22 Ro-Railers: Ahead of their time?

34 From Shanghai to Shenfield

46 From Upminster to Upcycled

Vehicles capable of working on both rail and road were tested prior to the Second World War, but didn’t catch on. Alan Dale wonders if the idea was too advanced for the technology of the time.

John Heaton draws together a diverse collection of Practice & Performance logs, embracing the Shanghai Maglev, Class 345s and a recent main line outing with a ‘Deltic’.

Ben Jones discovers how Vivarail is transforming redundant District Line trains into ‘upcycled’ new trains for the main line - and testing new forms of propulsion to replace polluting diesels.

MISSING LINK: Bringing back the long-lost GWR‘County’ 4-4-0s for the first time since the 1930s - p14

CLOSE CALL: Risking arrest in eastern Europe to photograph classic ex-Soviet locomotives – p28

VIVA LAS‘D STOCK’: Redundant Underground trains finding a new life on the main line – p46

February 2018 • The Railway Magazine • 5

HeadlineNews ScotRail tests Arson blamed for damage at homegrown fuel-saving tech Nottingham’s Grade II station

A HIGH-TECH hydraulic pump developed in Scotland could save more than 9,000 litres of diesel per engine each year, according to its manufacturer.

Artemis Intelligent Power has installed a new type of digital hydraulic pump on one car of a ScotRail Class 170 DMU for testing across the operator’s network.

The Edinburgh tech firm estimates its equipment will save more than 9,000 litres of diesel per carriage each year, helping train operators to cut their carbon emissions. The project is being part-funded by the Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB).

The devices use computercontrolled valves to switch off the hydraulic pump supplying auxiliary power for air-conditioning fans and lights when it is not needed.

Non-traction equipment typically consumes around 10-15% of the fuel on a modern DMU. If adopted across the ScotRail ‘170’ fleet, it could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 4,000 tonnes annually, and fuel use by more than 1.5 million litres.

The Edinburgh firm says the technology has huge potential wherever hydraulic systems are found – for example on heavy plant equipment, buses, lorries and trains.

If the digital technology were used throughout a train’s entire transmission, it is claimed overall fuel use could be cut by up to 30%.

DB Cargo wins Malcolm contract extension DB CARGO has extended its contract with Malcolm Logistics until 2020 in a deal worth £21million.

An initial three-year deal was secured with the logistics giant in 2014, and the partnership will now continue until August 2020.

DB Cargo transports around 30,000 containers every year for Malcolm Logistics from Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT), near Northampton, to Scotland.

Trains to Mossend run five days a week and to Grangemouth, near Falkirk, seven days a week.

The containers include cargo for high-profile retailers and manufacturers and transport toys, food, beverages and electronics.

It is estimated these trains save more than 13 million road miles per year, reducing the environmental impact of heavy lorries.

A MAJOR fire that damaged some of the period features at Nottingham station is being treated by the British Transport Police (BTP) as arson.

The fire broke out at around 06.15 on January 12 in a ladies’ toilet in the new southern concourse off Queen Street, close to the multi-storey car park.

However, flames quickly spread to roof voids in the main concourse spanning platform 6 and 7, filling

the concourse with smoke.

Passengers were evacuated, and all train and tram services were halted as 60 firefighters tackled the blaze, taking several hours to bring it fully under control. The station did not have a sprinkler system.

Services remained suspended all day, causing widespread disruption, with buses being provided to Derby, East Midlands Parkway and Newark.

The fire started in the ladies toilets in the new concourse and spread through roof voids into the areas of the station that date from 1904. NETWORK RAIL

Nottingham is the busiest of the three major East Midlands stations, handling nearly eight million passengers each year.

Following a structural survey, five of the seven platforms were back in operation and full services restored by Monday morning.

Smoke damaged the booking office area and some information systems were out of order, with passengers not being able to collect pre-booked tickets.

A £50million refurbishment of the station was completed in 2014, which uncovered many period features, leading to the station receiving an award in 2016 as the best large station.

BTP is seeking CCTV, mobile phone and dash cam footage that may help with their investigation, with items recovered having been sent for forensic analysis.

The cost of repairs is likely to be several millions of pounds.

Damage to the roof and passenger walkway area near platforms 6 and 7 at Nottingham station. NETWORK RAIL

London Bridge fully reopen after £1bn rebuild LONDON Bridge’s vast new concourse and five new platforms opened to the public on January 2 after five years of reconstruction and redevelopment work.

Following the latest 10-day closure over Christmas and New Year, trains to and from Cannon Street can once again call at London’s oldest railway station.

Since work began in 2013, London Bridge has been transformed as part of the Thameslink Programme, while remaining open to serve 50 million passengers each year.

The new concourse, larger than the pitch at Wembley Stadium, unites all 15 platforms for the first time and provides modern facilities.

Two new entrances have been created on Tooley Street, which will connect the north and south sides of the station.

Work is expected to continue on the station concourse until the spring, and throughout 2018 new shops, cafes and leisure facilities will open, aimed at fuelling the reinvigoration of the area and improving the experiences of passengers

The new entrance to London Bridge on Tooley Street. KEITH FENDER

every time they travel.

An improved Thameslink service will start in May, followed by the full 24-trainsper-hour service from December 2019.

Mark Carne, Network Rail chief executive, said: “The opening of our landmark station is a shining example of the investment we are making in the railway.

“I would like to thank passengers for their patience while we transformed London Bridge into the modern transport hub it is today,

with more trains to more destinations, connecting north-south London and beyond.”

Elsewhere in the South East, Network Rail engineers undertook 10 days of major engineering work at Redhill to build a new platform with new track and signalling.

This will remove conflicts between North Downs and Brighton main line services, increase capacity at Redhill station, and provide greater flexibility to train services through the area.

The vast concourse that greets passengers arriving at the Tooley Street entrance. KEITH FENDER

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Network Rail moves quickly to protect projects after Carillion collapse THE collapse of Carillion, one of the UK’s largest construction and infrastructure management firms, has caused major difficulties for Network Rail and a number of other rail-related projects.

The compulsory liquidation of the group in January put thousands of jobs at risk and raised fears major rail projects such as High Speed 2 (HS2) Phase 1 and electrification schemes could be delayed while replacement contractors are found.

Carillion employed around 19,500 in the UK, many of whom are engaged on Network Rail contracts. It was also a partner in the CEK joint venture with Keir and Eiffage, which secured £1.34billion of contracts to build sections C2 and C3 (North Portal Chiltern Tunnels to Brackley and Brackley to South Portal Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel) of HS2 Phase 1 last year.

By mid-January, Network Rail had come to an agreement with Carillion’s official receiver, PwC, to guarantee the wages of Carillion Construction Ltd staff working on

and supporting NR projects until mid-April. Funding has also been agreed to ensure suppliers on these projects will also be paid for ongoing NR work.

Network Rail and PwC are working closely together to develop proposals for the future treatment of contracts, staff and suppliers to ensure major rail projects continue to be delivered.

Among Carillion’s rail projects were the £49m contract to electrify the Edinburgh to Glasgow via Shotts route in Scotland, the £100m electrification deal for the Bedford The demolition and rebuilding of Splott Road overbridge in Cardiff was a Carillion project. NETWORK RAIL to Corby section of the Midland Main Line by 2019, a £23m Two stations – at Livingston works to enable the planned there has been increasing package of platform extensions South and Breich (the latter South Wales Metro network concern there could be and improvements at Edinburgh threatened with closure until late- around Cardiff. a knock-on impact with Waverley and, awarded as 2017) – will be completely rebuilt Abellio was unable to comment sub-contracting firms also failing. recently as mid-December, a and platforms extended at Carfin, on the situation because of ■ Around 300 of Carillion’s further £11.6m package of station Shotts and West Calder to enable franchise procurement rules smaller suppliers are to be improvements on the Shotts line. the introduction of longer trains. during the bidding process. paid the arrears they are owed The latter will deliver Work on the stations’ element Contracts for building part following an agreement between enhancements to stations to of the project was due to be of the HS2 rail link will remain the Official Receiver’s special support the electrification scheme, completed in the autumn. in the private sector, and Kier manager, PwC, and Network including platform reconstruction Carillion was also a partner and Eiffage have assured the Rail, covering the period from and renewals and enhancements in Abellio’s bid to win the next Government they can complete Christmas time through to to lighting, CCTV and customer Wales & Borders franchise, which their work without Carillion.

January 15 when the company information systems. will include major infrastructure Since the collapse of Carillion, went into liquidation.

Class 156 derailed by landslide on West Highland

Unit No. 156458 off the rails between Lochailort and Glenfinnan, with Loch Eilt in the background. NETWORK RAIL

SCOTRAIL Class 156 DMU No. 156458 was derailed as a result of a landside above Loch Eilt on the West Highland line extension on January 22.

The unit was working the 06.03 Mallaig-Glasgow Queen St when it came to grief, but remained upright as the slurry from the landslide lifted it off its wheels.

There were no injuries to crew or the five passengers, who were rescued by special road-rail Land Rovers.

The incident followed days of snow, ice and rain that caused many problems to road and rail.

More than 1,000 tons of soil and debris was in the slip.

Network Rail used a drone to assess the slope above the line for further instability. It plans to install additional drainage at the site as well as undertake extra work to reduce the possibility of further slips.

The isolated location on the south side of Loch Eilt, seven miles east of Lochailort and two miles west of Glenfinnan station, made recovery of the train difficult and protracted for Network Rail and ScotRail staff. There is no nearby road access – see map.

The ground was wet and there were fears of further landslides as recovery teams battled in difficult conditions to get the DMU back

A view from a Network Rail drone that shows the scarring of the hillside left by the landslip that derailed the 06.03 Mallaig-Glasgow Queen Street train on January 22. NETWORK RAIL

The arrow marks the approximate location of the landslip and derailment. ©CROWN COPYRIGHT 2018 ORDNANCE SURVEY. MEDIA 006/18

on the rails and removed for repairs. After being dug out of the mud, the DMU was towed to Fort William by a West Coast Railways Class 37 No. 37516 on January 26.

A rail-replacement bus service

ran from Fort William to Mallaig, while the line remained closed.

RAIB sent investigators to the location, but the line reopened on January 29.

■ This was the most serious of

several landslips which occurred around the network after heavy rain and snow, including two serious slips in Wales and a collapsed wall on the EdinburghGlasgow via Falkirk route.

February 2018 • The Railway Magazine • 7

HeadlineNews SIDELINES David Shepherd memorial service at Southwark Cathedral A MEMORIAL service to celebrate the life of wildlife and railway artist and locomotive owner David Shepherd will be held at Southwark Cathedral, London Bridge at 2pm on March 2.

All are welcome to attend.

c2c tops NR table for punctuality TRENITALIAOWNED operator c2c has been named the UK’s top train operator for 2017 in the latest punctuality statistics published by Network Rail.

On c2c’s Essex Thameside network, 95.8% of trains arrived on time – compared with the national average of 84.3%.

In the last four weeks of the year, that figure increased to 97.6%.

Bodycams for ScotRail staff SCOTRAIL Alliance has invested £300,000 to equip more than 300 frontline staff with body-worn CCTV cameras.

The devices can be clipped on to uniforms, or worn on a lanyard, and are clearly marked as CCTV cameras.

They are capable of recording video and audio in high definition continuously for up to eight hours.

Le Shuttle sets freight record EUROTUNNEL’S Le Shuttle Freight service established a new all-time record for daily traffic on January 25, transporting a total of 7,023 trucks in both directions.

This is an increase of 3% compared to the previous record, which dates back to March 2008, just before the financial crisis.

New station plan for Welshpool THE introduction of a near-hourly service on the Cambrian line, from Welshpool to Shrewsbury, has led to a 127% rise in passenger numbers, together with the call for a new railway station.

Town council officials, Network Rail and the Welsh Government will look at the station proposals in more detail.

The Railway Magazine index in March issue SUBSCRIBERS who have pre-paid for their copy of The Railway Magazine will receive their free copy of the index for volume 163 (covering 2017) with the March 7 issue.

This is later than normal and due to production issues.

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Wolverton Works demolition project faces judicial review

PLANS by property developer St Modwen to demolish the historic remains of Wolverton Works could be the subject of a judicial inquiry.

Developers want to build up to 375 houses in a conservation area along with units for industrial use, and despite vehement objections, Milton Keynes Borough Council has approved the plans. Part of the site has been demolished for a new budget supermarket.

A campaign to throw out the plan has been waged, following the discovery of ‘irregularities’ by the council uncovered in a Freedom of Information request.

There has also been intervention from Historic England (HE).

Dr Andy Brown, from HE, said: “Wolverton is a really important heritage place, it is probably the first railway town in the world and the works is an absolutely fundamental part of Wolverton as a town. Without the works, it would be like Cambridge without the colleges.”

HE plans to notify the council

TfL Rail Class 315 No. 315860 during its visit to Wolverton Works for refurbishment. PHIL MARSH

and developers of its intentions, and if planning consent is not withdrawn, then an application will be made to the High Court.

The works, built by the London & Birmingham Railway and first opened in 1838, led to the creation of a railway town

as houses were built in the surrounding area for staff and workers.

It was the first railway works to use electricity for lighting and powering machinery, building ambulance trains during thr First World War, and in the BR era

many Mk1 carriages and DMUs for Northern Ireland. It is also the base for the Royal Train.

After being sold by BR, the works was operated by Railcare, which was bought in 2013

by Knorr-Bremse, the current occupier of the site.

Transport for the North unveils strategic rail plan

By Ben Jones

A ‘REVOLUTIONARY vision’ to transform transport across the north of England has been unveiled by Transport for the North (TfN).

The draft strategic plan calls for a massive programme of new and improved roads, railways and airports over the next 30 years, intended to tackle long-term underinvestment in the region’s transport infrastructure, drive growth, and close the economic gap between the North and the rest of England.

Up to 850,000 new jobs and around £92billion in extra economic benefits are forecast by 2050 if the plans come to fruition.

The plan identifies seven broad corridors for development, providing faster links between the region’s major cities – especially east-west links – and allowing people better access to jobs and services. A long-term rail investment plan published alongside includes a clearer idea of how the proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) might look.

The proposal includes: a new line between Liverpool and HS2’s

Manchester spur via Warrington (potentially reducing end-to-end times to 28 minutes); capacity at Manchester Piccadilly for around eight through trains per hour; a new Manchester to Leeds via Bradford rail line; significant enhancements on the Hope Valley line; faster Leeds to Newcastle journeys via an HS2 junction; upgrades to the ECML; and significant enhancements to the lines from Leeds to Hull via Selby and Sheffield to Hull via Doncaster.

HS2 in the Leeds area, Cheshire, and at Clayton, between Barnsley and Doncaster, enabling fast regional and high-speed trains to run through Sheffield and rejoin HS2 to Leeds from 2033, and a connection at Manchester Piccadilly to serve either an underground NPR hub or a surface turn-back station.

The organisation is seeking a firm Government commitment to the planned Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, which was put in doubt

by Secretary of State for Transport Integrated hub Chris Graying in July 2017, with a TfN and the Department for view to improvements being in Transport expect to complete a place from 2022. strategic outline business case for TfN’s strategic plan is “committed Northern Powerhouse Rail by the to electrification where it delivers end of this year. benefits, but will also take An additional £21-27bn, over advantage of new technology and above the current levels of to improve journeys” – possibly transport infrastructure spending implying the use of bi-mode in the region, is required, putting trains. However, TfN also says the the estimated investment Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade somewhere between £60bn and “cannot deliver the transformation £70bn between 2020 and 2050. in journey times and capacity that The sources of this additional TfN is seeking for the longer term”. funding are not yet known.

By 2050, total demand for rail TfN is also keen to see the travel across the north is expected development of an integrated hub to be up to four times higher than at Crewe, strengthening links with today, with around 760 million North Wales, and junctions with trips per year (it is currently 178m).

Concerns rise over new Anglia depot THE future of the proposed Greater Anglia (GA) maintenance depot on a site at Brantham, near Manningtree, could be resolved over the next few months.

The plans were announced more than a year ago and the depot was due to open in December. However, GA has admitted there are issues with the landowner over the sale of the

8 • The Railway Magazine • February 2018

land, the mainline connection and operational matters.

GA is working on an alternative site proposal that would be able to stable trains and include a wheel lathe, with a decision on Brantham being made during the next few months.

Brantham had been planned as the depot to maintain the new Class 745 and 755 trains being built by Stadler.

The strongest growth is between the largest urban centres: Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds, Hull/Humberside and the North East, with an eightfold increase in rail commuting possible on an improved and expanded network. Demand for rail travel in the region has already increased by 194% since 1995/96.

Smart ticket

In the shorter term, TfN has launched a rolling Integrated & Smart Travel ticketing programme, which will start this year with the roll-out of smart ticketing for rail season ticket holders in major cities and on the busiest routes.

TfN is overseen by 19 regional transport authorities, and has been created to allow civic and business leaders and transport operators to “speak with with one voice on transport to make sure the north fulfils its potential”, according to its chairman, John Cridland.

It is due to become England’s first statutory sub-national transport body from April, ensuring its plans are formally considered by Government when taking decisions about transport investment.

Eastleigh Works sold for £20m THE former BR railway works at Eastleigh has been sold for £20million by Key Property Investments (KPI) to the Corporate Pension Fund clients of Savills Investment Management.

KPI is a joint venture

between St Modwen and the Kuwait-based Salhia Real Estate Company.

Most of the 47-acre site is leased to Arlington Fleet Services to carry out loco, carriage and unit repairs, maintenance and repaints.

Have you got a story for us? Email: railway@mortons.co.uk

Audit office to investigate East Coast ‘bailout’ deal THE decision by Secretary of State of which later failed. for Transport Chris Grayling to Behind Mr Grayling’s decision terminate the Stagecoach/ to end the franchise was the Virgin-operated East Coast failure by Network Rail to franchise three years early in complete planned track and 2020 will be investigated by the infrastructure upgrades on which National Audit Office (NAO). the original franchise bid was Announcing its decision, the made back in 2014.

NAO – which is the Government’s Although Virgin has been very spending watchdog – will look much in the firing line, Virgin at the DfT’s management of Group founder Sir Richard the franchise to date and the Branson wrote in his blog there implications of its plans for the “has been a lot of heat, but not new partnership plan to run much light”. from 2020. It will report back to Providing some clarity, he Parliament in the spring. added: “The partnership of The Transport Secretary’s Stagecoach and Virgin did decision – which came just agree to pay £3.3billion to the before fare rises averaging 3.4% Government over the eight-year took effect - led to a massive franchise, which was originally political row that came to a head due to run until 2023. over the Christmas holiday and “However, that bid was based on new year. a number of key assumptions Former Transport Secretary and a promise of a huge upgrade Lord Adonis said the decision of the infrastructure by Network to end the franchise early – Rail that would have improved potentially losing around the reliability of the track and £1.5billion for the Government allowed us to run more trains – was ‘indefensible’, and he called and carry many more passengers for Grayling to be sacked. than we do today.”

Martin Griffiths, chief executive He continued: “Considerable of Stagecoach, has previously delays to this upgrade, to new admitted it had overpaid for the trains, as well as poor track contract, a tactic that seems to reliability will cost us significant be actively encouraged by the lost revenue and torpedoed the DfT as GNER and National Express assumptions of our original bid. overbid for their franchises, both “A discussion with Government

VTEC Class 91 No. 91131 approaches the site of Dukeries Junction station on August 8, 2016 with a King's Cross to Newcastle train. (Picture taken with Network Rail permission). ROBIN STEWARTSMITH

had to take place and a pragmatic solution was needed to keep delivering improvements and investment in the line.

“The fact is we have both lost significant amounts of money – well over £100million in total – and have not received a penny in dividends. We could swallow these losses and simply walk away from the franchise as others have done before. That would be easier. But it would also be

wrong. It would bring an abrupt halt to the investment and improvements which are flowing into East Coast.

“It would mean more disruption to passengers, communities and our people.”

As well as the delayed upgrades, there have been several instances of damage to overhead line equipment which have impacted services as have failures of Class 91 locos.

First pictures: Greater Anglia’s new Stadler bi-modes GREATER Anglia has released the first pictures of its new trains being built by Stadler.

The bodyshells are manufactured by Stadler in Hungary before being transported to its Bussnang factory in Switzerland, where they are fitted out.

In addition to the large picture windows, the air-conditioned

carriages will include wi-fi, and both plug and USB sockets.

When other carriages are completed they will gradually be grouped together to form entire trains together with the bogies.

Stadler is building a total of 58 trains for GA, which will be used on the following operations: ■ Class 745/0 EMU for Intercity services – 10 units, 12 carriages

Passenger revenue has slumped following concern over economic uncertainty.

Mr Grayling said he will introduce a new partnership model from 2020, led in all probability by Stagecoach and Virgin, but there is no information on the format of this partnership.

Virgin is pushing ahead with plans to introduce the new Class 800 ‘Azuma’ trains on its East Coast route from next December.

The driving vehicle of one of the new trains showing crash protection for the cab. The blue polythene protects the lower portion of the painted bodyshell from damage during construction as it has been painted red. PICTURE: GA

■ Class 745/1 EMU for Stansted Express services – 10 units, 12 carriages ■ Class 755/3 bi-mode for regional services, 14 units, three carriages ■ Class 755/5 bi-mode for regional services, 24 units, four carriages These trains are due enter service during 2019.

Daring and cutting edge: world’s steepest funicular railway opens in Switzerland

By Ben Jones

AN EXTRAORDINARY new railway opened in central Switzerland on December 17, combining daring engineering with cutting-edge technology.

The Stoosbahn, near Schwyz, climbs at a maximum gradient of 110% from its valley station to the car-free mountain ski village of Stoos, providing an essential link for residents, tourists and freight.

Remarkably, the two bespoke vehicles, built by CWA in Olten, are designed to provide level access and accommodation at all times, housing passengers in four panoramic barrels that rotate to compensate for the gradient of the track between the two level stations.

The railway is claimed to be the steepest funicular in the world – in comparison, the world’s steepest rack railway, the nearby Pilatusbahn, has a maximum gradient of 48%.

The Stoosbahn climbs 744m from the valley station to the

Above: One of the two new Stoosbahn trains, designed and built in Switzerland, arrives at the top station on January 10. The rotating cabins ensure flat, level accommodation and access for passengers.

BEN JONES

village centre in just 1,740m, including 261m on bridges and 580m in three tunnels, taking four to five minutes, dependent on load.

It was designed by funicular/ cableway specialist Garaventa, in Goldau, just a few miles away.

The 1,500mm-gauge railway is capable of transporting up to 1,500 passenger per hour, plus supplies for the village, and can operate in fully automatic mode

– although a member of staff is usually in attendance to assist passengers.

Up to 10,000 tonnes of freight a year will also be transported in and out of the village by rail, using specially designed containers.

As a vital link with the village, Stoosbahn is fully integrated with local public transport. Swiss Travel System passes are valid for free travel on the line, which can be

Above: The new railway climbs up a steep cliff face from the valley station/freight interchange, negotiating three tunnels, at a maximum gradient of 110%. BEN JONES

enjoyed as part of various circular tours and hiking trips.

The new Stoosbahn has been constructed two years later than planned, and several million pounds over its original budget because of engineering problems, with the tunnels through the mountainside. It replaces an obsolete funicular nearby, which was no longer approved for operation by Swiss federal

transport authorities.

Planning started as long ago as 2003, with initial proposals including a cable car, but a new railway on a different alignment was chosen to provide a more reliable, high-capacity link.

Construction took around five years, during which time the old funicular railway was given a reprieve to maintain a link to Stoos and deliver construction materials.

February 2018 • The Railway Magazine • 9

HeadlineNews

Thameslink franchise not delivering value for money AN IN-DEPTH report by the National Audit Office (NAO) into the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) rail franchise has revealed it has not delivered value for money as a result of high levels of passenger disruption.

The report also concludes that between September 2014 and September 2017 passengers using the franchise have experienced the worst service performance on the national rail network, with around 146,000 services (7.7% of those planned) having either been cancelled or been delayed by more than 30 minutes compared to 2.8% on the rest of the network.

Around 56,000 cancellations (38% of the total) were related to the availability of drivers and other train crew, a figure based on data produced by Network Rail and GoviaThameslink (GTR) in respect of services cancelled.

Other key causes of delays and cancellations (37%) include the reliability of some train fleets, Network Rail’s management of the rail network, and failures of track and other infrastructure.

The net result is passengers have been badly let down by the DfT’s franchising process, having created a large and difficult-to-manage operation.

The NAO says while the DfT accepted Govia Thameslink’s ‘driver-only operation’plan the department did not fully evaluate the possible effects on passengers of different scenarios relating to industrial action before awarding the contract, nor did it ask Govia Thameslink to do so.

In addition, the DfT did not seek sufficient assurance Govia Thameslink would have enough train drivers when it took on the franchise.

GoviaThameslink took on fewer drivers than it expected from the previous operator of the Thameslink and Great Northern routes, and driver shortages have persisted on Great Northern services. Even if Govia Thameslink had received the number it expected, there would still have been some shortfall.

As covered in the Gibb Report, the DfT and Network Rail did not have a good understanding of the underlying condition of the network at the point when the department set the requirements of the franchise. Between July 2015 and March 2017, 13% of all cancellations and delays to services of more than 30 minutes have been because of failures of track and other Network Rail assets such as signalling systems.

In 2016, Network Rail estimated an investment of up to £900 million on maintenance and renewal work was required to achieve the resilience needed to run the new services on the Thameslink network reliably, in addition to infrastructure upgrades already planned.

The DfT has enforced the franchise contract with GTR, with performance improving – it did consider terminating the contract just over 12 months ago – and the pair have agreed a settlement where the GTR will fund a £13.4million spending programme for missing its targets to date.

12-car Class 700 No. 700133 arrives at Eastbourne with a working from Three Bridges depot on January 12. CHRIS LIVINGS

However, it is unclear how the DfT will incentivise GTR to deliver better services for passengers in the future, having removed its ability to use financial performance penalties up to September 2018.

The DfT also expects to pay GTR for the extra costs, potentially amounting to tens of millions of pounds a year, resulting from changes to the department’s requirements to alter the train services needed in the franchise contract and to reflect delays to the delivery of the new Class 700.

Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said:“Some of these problems could have been avoided if the department had taken more care to consider passengers in its design of the franchise.”

Plaque unveiled for railway hero

CAF’s new South Wales factory under construction CONSTRUCTION of a new manufacturing plant for CAF at the Celtic Business Park, Llanwern, near Newport, is well under way. CAF claims it can build suburban, intercity and high-speed trains

as well as trams at the new facility, which will cover 46,000sq metres. CAF say there will be 300 new jobs, with a recruitment campaign starting in the spring.

PICTURE: JACK BOSKETT

10 • The Railway Magazine • February 2018

GLASGOW’S Lord Provost Eva Bolander unveiled a plaque at the site of the former BREL St Rollox works in the city in memory of railway security guard James Kennedy, who died trying to stop armed robbers stealing the works payroll on December 21, 1973.

Despite being badly beaten, Mr Kennedy was trying to prevent the thieves escape when he was shot, later dying of his injuries.

He was posthumously awarded the Glasgow Corporation Bravery Medal in 1974 and the following year HM The Queen presented his widow and three children with the George Cross.

Class 86 No. 86242 (E3138) carried the name James Kennedy GC between 1981 and 2002.

The plaque and ceremony were planned by the Railway Heritage Trust.

Responding to the NAO report, GTR chief executive Charles Horton said:“TSGN is the UK’s largest franchise – carrying almost a million passengers a day – and the report identifies numerous root causes for the challenges it has faced since its formation in 2014.

“These difficulties have sometimes been greater than expected and we regret the disruption caused to our passengers.”

London TravelWatch chief executive Janet Cooke said:“The contents of this report will not come as a surprise to anyone who has used the services provided by the UK’s largest train franchise.

“Passengers deserve better, and the cancellations and delays,

overcrowding and disruption they have been facing for over two years now is unacceptable.

“While relations between the management and unions seems to have improved in recent months, many real concerns about service standards remain. In the longer term, there is a real need for the DfT to focus on lessons that need to be learned and applied when designing rail franchises.”

The NAO has recommended the DfT should think more about the impact on passengers when creating the specification for new franchises and working closer with Network Rail over disruption on heavily used sections of line and how to manage disruption more effectively.

James Kennedy’s three daughters with the Lord Provost during the unveiling of a plaque to his memory. JOHN YELLOWLEES

Have you got a story for us? Email: railway@mortons.co.uk EXCLUSIVE

New Churchward ‘County’ 4-4-0 to be built at Toddington PICTURE the scene: A passenger the idea into cut metal. train of chocolate & cream carriages Creating one of G J Churchward’s runs into the Gloucestershire ‘38XXs’, using the boiler from Warwickshire Steam Railway’s ex-‘Barry 10’2-8-0T No. 5227 and The subject of the Churchward County Trust’s new venture is the construction of a GWR ‘County’ class new Broadway station, hauled patterns made for the construction 4-4-0, similar to No. 3829 County of Merioneth, pictured at Reading circa 1922. RAILPHOTOPRINTS by a gleaming Churchward‘38XX’ of‘Saint’No. 2999 Lady of Legend, ‘County’4-4-0. had been an aspiration of the organisation led by Mr Boyd-Hope, The GWSR is an historically Additionally, all Founders Club The tableau is almost pure GWS since it signed the‘Three but remains affiliated with the appropriate base as the original members will have their names 1920s Great Western, yet both the Counties Agreement’withVale of GWS; the society’s chairman ‘Counties’worked over the route put into a ballot, the winner station and locomotive are in fact Glamorgan Council back in 2005.

Richard Croucher acts as a director. with Bristol to Birmingham being invited to take an active 21st century re-creations of the Its goal is to build a‘County’to expresses until the early 1930s. part in the formal naming and originals. It may sound like the Autonomous the pattern of the 10 erected at With such a head start in dedication of No. 3840 upon stuff of fantasy, but the‘County’ However, in the intervening Swindon in 1911/12 with Holcroft component terms, and through completion.

4-4-0 is set to become a reality after years the GWS came to accept curved frames and screw reverse. the manufacturing advancements The target is to attract 100 the Great Western Society (GWS) the 4-4-0 was unlikely to happen The locomotive will carry the made thanks to other new-build founders during 2018, after handed over its long-dormant in the foreseeable future, largely number 3840, the next in the schemes, the CCT hopes that which the club will close to new project to build a‘Rough Rider’to a owing to ongoing commitments original numbering sequence, and No. 3840 could steam in as little as members. new independent group. at Didcot. A proposal was then be named County of Montgomery. 10 years’time, although within 15 Annual membership of the The Churchward CountyTrust put forward by Messrs Boyd-Hope Already a large number of is the target.The overall cost of the Churchward County Trust is £20 Ltd (CCT) has been established and Bradshaw for the scheme components and patterns have project is expected to be between single, £30 for joint/families, or

by The RM’s own Gary Boyd-Hope, to be handed over to an outside been sourced, with a major piece £1-1.5million. £500 for life membership. All together with David Bradshaw, to body, which received official GWS of the jigsaw being the Swindon members will be eligible to breathe new life into the GWS’old sanction last autumn.

‘Standard No. 4’boiler currently Exclusive vote at the CCT annual general ‘County’4-4-0 proposal and turn The CCT is a wholly autonomous carried by No. 5227 at Didcot.

To get the build rolling the meetings, and will receive copies The bogie wheels, axleboxes CCT is inviting supporters to join of the trust’s bi-annual magazine. and a suitable Churchward its exclusive Founders Club, the Life members will have their 3,500-gallon tender chassis have proceeds from which will be names recorded on the roll of been set aside in readiness for directed into the manufacture of honour. construction starting, while the No. 3840’s frames and extension The CCT is also looking to attract 6ft 8½in driving wheel pattern frames. Membership of the supporters who wish to set up a used for Lady of Legend will be Founders Club is £1,000 (payable regular monthly standing order made available. in up to eight payments of £125 by (minimum of £10pm), as well as The components will remain the standing order), and comes with a those interested in simply making property of the GWS initially, but string of incentives, including: a one-off donation. will be transferred to the CCT at a ■ A seat on No. 3840’s first train ■ An in-depth feature on the later date.

■The first choice of new project, its origins and progress to In line with the proposal put components to sponsor date can be found on p14 of this forward to the GWS, County of ■ Certificate of Founders Club issue, but for further information Montgomery will be built away membership on how to get involved write from Didcot and, following ■ A footplate trip on No. 3840 to: Churchward County Trust, positive discussions, the board of ■ A limited edition print of PO Box 10633, Leicester, LE9 the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Jonathan Clay’s painting of 0DU. Alternatively email: info.

A vision of the future? Railway artist Jonathan Clay has produced Steam Railway (GWSR) has offered No. 3840 churchwardcounty@gmail.com or this painting of how the new No. 3840 County of Montgomery will the project a home atToddington, ■Your name on a roll of honour visit the CCT website at: subject to contracts.

■ Membership of the CCT www.churchwardcounty.org.uk look upon completion. CHURCHWARD COUNTY TRUST

Good start for VT share scheme as Tyseley eyes freight licence HERITAGE diesel locomotives, based at Tyseley Locomotive Works, could soon be found working in the freight sector as Vintage Trains (VT) looks to acquire a freight-operating licence as part of its bid for independent TOC status.

The Vintage Trains Community Benefit Society £3million share offer was officially launched on December 6 (RM Jan) with the specific goal of establishing the first wholly independent, community-owned British Train Operating Company.

Its primary purpose will be the operation of regular steam-hauled express trains serving Birmingham and the surrounding area, thereby helping to safeguard the long-term future of the locomotives and rolling stock based at Tyseley.

However, while steam will be at the core of the operation, Tyseley is aiming for a fully integrated TOC licence that

includes the ability to work the first trains it will be able world pioneers of main line freight, and thereby provide a to run as an independent TOC steam, and our record-breaking broader public service. will be its 20th anniversary ‘Castles’will continue to impress, The need for independence ‘Shakespeare Express’season, running at speed and climbing was hammered home in early starting in July. However, it is Sapperton, Llanvihangel, January when Vintage Trains’ entirely dependent upon VT Gresford and Hatton banks had no choice but to cancel its hitting that £800,000 target, frequently and in regular spring railtour programme after and as this issue of The RM service.” long-time operating partner went to press the offer had just West Coast Railway Company passed the £250,000 mark.

Double-headed confirmed it would no longer “We have got off to a good Mr Whitehouse added: “If be able to provide crews for start, but there is still some you are one of the first 2,000 VT trains. way still to go,” said Tyseley subscribers, we will give you chairman Michael Whitehouse. a free ride behind our two £800,000 target “Word of the community benefit ‘Castles’, running doubleThe future of Tyseley’s society is spreading and we’re headed up one of these banks. operation, therefore, hangs on having a good response.

And ten of those subscribers it achieving its initial minimum “Of course the danger is that will be offered a footplate ride target of £800,000 in share some people may say ‘We’ll see at up to 75mph. Only with sales before the offer closes on how it goes and may chip in Vintage Trains is that possible.”

May 31. later’, but by then it could be A full share prospectus and To achieve TOC status VT too late as we will only be able share application form can must satisfy the ORR it has to run the ‘Shakespeares’if we be found online at: www. the necessary resources, staff can get the £800,000. It really VintageTrains.co.uk/Shares and capital, with the £800,000 is a tipping point for main line If the ORR decides not to providing the required cash steam. grant the TOC license for flow to support the venture “Ultimately we are offering a any reason, all funds will be during its initial solo-operating chance to own a share in the returned less any operating period. magic of express steam trains. expenditure that had been Vintage Trains anticipates “Vintage Trains is among the incurred to that date.

SIDELINES ‘Saint’gets its boiler THE overhauled Standard No. 1 boiler (ex- No. 4942 Maindy Hall) belonging to the Great Western Society’s re-created ‘Saint’No. 2999 Lady of Legend was installed in the locomotive’s frames at Didcot Railway centre on January 23.

Assembly of the Churchward 4-6-0 can now continue apace as the GWS aims for a completion in early 2018.

Farewell to‘15 Guinea’ fireman‘Robbo’ STEPHEN Roberts, the fireman on the last leg of the ’15 Guinea Special’on August 11, 1968, passed away on December 27, aged 80.

‘Robbo’, as he was known, fired‘Black Five’No. 45110 back to Liverpool Lime Street on steam’s last day, working with driver Fred Smith.

‘Robbo’joined the railway in 1952 and went on to give 50 years’service to the industry.

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February 2018 • The Railway Magazine • 11

Multiple Aspects

with Lord Berkeley DfT should shoulder more blame – not TOCs THE ongoing debates about train reliability, delays and franchise payments tend to hide the facts; that in the case of the East Coast Main Line franchise, the infrastructure upgrades set out in the invitation to tender, and on which the Virgin/Stagecoach bid

Rail Delivery voice should be more independent THE Rail Delivery Group is getting very political. More than 50% of its membership comprises of such Government-owned companies as Network Rail, Arriva, Abellio and DB, which might be either in favour of nationalisation or, being owned by Governments, had better keep their opinions to themselves.

So, apparently ignoring this advice, on January 21 the RDG tweeted ‘New research published today by the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) estimates the cost of Labour’s renationalisation plans would be at least £176bn’.

The tweet was withdrawn the next day, but the misleading damage was done. Readers can read the CPS document and form their own view, but the £176bn figure refers to a much wider swathe of renationalisation for other industry sectors – not just railways.

Maybe RDG should stick to commenting on the railways and their operation and, given an inevitable conflict of interest between its public and private members, leave commenting on ownership to others.

was prepared and submitted, have not happened.

So, no upgrades and therefore fewer trains, and less income to pass on to the DfT as premium payments. Since all this was in control of the DfT, there is no point

in blaming anyone else.

The surprising thing is, apparently, the timetables prepared by Network Rail and given to DfT, both on the ECML and Southern franchises, were ignored by DfT, which allowed more trains onto the tracks

than NR said were possible.

We can blame Network Rail for not doing the enhancements on time, and we can blame the DfT for not giving them the money to do them, but at the end of the day all this is in the control of the DfT.

Shouldering the risk of Government procurement CARILLION’S liquidation has caused grief to many who used to work for this once great company.

On the major construction projects that it was engaged in, it is a very sad day for employees and subcontractors. We will no doubt get a fuller story of what happened over the coming months and why, and can then hopefully deduce some reasons.

However, what is becoming apparent from many sources is there has been a tendency over the years for Governments to encourage bidders in a competitive tender situation to bid low, even below the expected cost.

However, once a contract is awarded, officials tend to ask for changes, additions or revised scoping, while refusing to pay more because the award price has been announced and it would be embarrassing

for ministers to have to admit the price had gone up.

It gets worse when it comes to timing; although the cost of tendering for large contracts can exceed £10million, the agreement often includes a design element based on the minimum of information supplied by the client.

Tenderers are meant to include all the risk associated with not just the cost of design, but then further investigations of ground or other conditions, and the cost of the actual construction. We need to know how much work Carillion has done on the design of HS2 and how much of its costs were reimbursed by the client.

So, what does a contractor do to keep its head above water financially? It can delay payments to subcontractors, as Carillion is reported to have done. It can insist on the

client taking more of the risk resulting from changes of scope or lack of information, or it can hope for the best and that the client is understanding.

Passenger franchise bidders face the same challenges; maybe, therefore, the DfT is getting worried about not having enough bidders to get a ‘good competitive price’.

However, all this is in or after a competitive bidding process in line with Government procurement rules. The problem is the same for these contracts as for large construction works: is the Government putting so much risk onto bidders that their only solution is to bid below cost, and either hope for a bail out if things go wrong or go bust?

Carillion has failed, but one must ask: “Who is going to be next?”

Could a small, premium parcels’ service work?

AT A meeting I had with Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Transport, before Christmas, he urged me and others with an interest in railways and freight to consider developing services for small parcels and boxes to be carried on passenger trains out of peak hours. The technology is largely there; there are designs of seats which can ‘concertina’ and provide a large floor area for roll cages or similar storage and transport boxes. This could work provided the loading and unloading of roll cages or similar was done very quickly.

An alternative is to use retired multiple

units, of which there appears to be an increasing number, just for freight; if they can be parked off the main passenger line, there is more time to load and unload.

However, the movement of freight on platforms, the storage space needed and the connecting transport, be it motor or bike, all need working through, but there is surely potential for such a logistics chain to function effectively in many locations and take some of the white van traffic away from town and city centre.

The biggest problem surely is the

amount of space required where land values around stations are high, and to be able to work with minimum disruption to passenger flows.

This has led to Grayling’s suggestion that passenger operators bidding for new franchises should form joint ventures with logistics operators to offer the best solution.

I shall do all I can to encourage this. berkeleyafg@parliament.uk

■ (The independent views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of The RM or the Rail Freight Group, of which Tony Berkeley is chairman).

Railways in Parliament

by Jon Longman

Solar power support

LORD Greaves asked Her Majesty’s Government in the House of Lords, what consideration they are giving to, and what discussions they propose to hold with, the authors of the study Riding Sunbeams: Powering our railways with solar PV, published on December 6.

Transport Minister Baroness Sugg replied: “The Government is keen to support research into alternative and low emission power sources for the UK railway and welcomes this report.

“In 2012, the Government asked the Rail Technical Leadership Group (TLG) to develop and deliver a 30-year technical strategy for the railway.

“One of TLG’s objectives is to reduce carbon emissions, and the Government expects it to take account of this new research as part of its ongoing work.”

Skipton-Colne concerns

JULIE Cooper (Burnley) asked in the House of Commons, if the Government will take steps to reopen the Colne to Skipton railway line as part of its proposals in Autumn Budget 2017 to invest further in rail infrastructure.

Transport Minister Paul Maynard replied: “The Department for Transport’s recently published strategic vision for rail includes some illustrative examples of potential schemes, but it is not an exhaustive list.

“The publication makes clear that these schemes require further development and any potential rail line reopening would need to demonstrate a strong business case where they are seeking Government funding.

“In the case of the Colne to Skipton railway line, we have yet to see a sufficiently strong business case, and will take into account Transport for

12 • The Railway Magazine • February 2018

the North’s advice on the investment priorities for the North of England.”

East Midlands increase

BARONESS Randerson asked Her Majesty’s Government in the House of Lords, why fast East Midlands Trains services between Bedford and Luton and St Pancras will cease during rush hours from May 2018. She also asked what assessment they have made of the impact of those changes on the number of people using the railways.

Baroness Sugg replied: “A new Thameslink timetable will be introduced from May 2018, which will increase the current provision of services to 18 trains per hour, and then gradually increase to 24 trains per hour

by December 2019.

“The industry has, and continues, to work closely to develop timetables that maximise capacity, however this

fundamentally means trying to fit more trains on the same amount of track.

“Some temporary changes have therefore been made to the May 2018 East Midlands Trains timetable until the completion of the Midland Main Line upgrade programme in 2020, which will mean peak-time services will no longer call at Bedford or Luton.

“The relevant operators are working to identify how a suitable balance between fast and stopping services can be provided from these locations during this period.

“The changes are estimated to impact those travelling from the North to Bedford (120 passengers per day) and Luton (85) and for commuter passengers into London from Bedford (1,500) and Luton (500).

“The commuter passengers will, of course, be able to transfer onto Govia Thameslink Railway trains.”