BARROW HILL GEARS UP FOR BIG REOPENING
Magazine
BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING RAIL TITLE 1897 August 2017
2017
DfT signals all change KESTREL’S LIFE behind the Iron Curtain
■ ■ ■
ELECTRIFICATION SCHEMES SCRAPPED HS2 NORTHERN ROUTES CONFIRMED THREE FRANCHISES DELAYED
TORNADO
hits Cornwall
West Highland
56’
‘
NOTTINGHAM VICTORIA
DEBUT
decline to demolition
SHEFFIELD TRAMTRAIN 400% OVER BUDGET ■ CAF TO OPEN TRAIN ASSEMBLY PLANT IN SOUTH WALES ■ MAIL RAIL: LONDON’S NEWEST ATTRACTION ■
THORNBURY CASTLE
owner’s main line aspirations
LNER TEAK CARRIAGES RRIAGES VANDALISED
ELECTRIC RAILWAY MUSEUM TO CLOSE
The
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 © 2017 Mortons Media ISSN 0033-8923
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This issue was published on August 2, 2017. The next will be on sale on September 6, 2017.
No ball for the Cinderella line
F
OR those of us working within the rail industry, it was no surprise that the Government backtracked and abandoned key electrification schemes, preferring instead to employ bi-mode trains. The signs have been pointing to such a decision for months. It was all a question of timing - which unsurprisingly came on the eve of the Parliamentary summer recess, the Department for Transport hoping that the bad news would be lost in a melee of more positive stories about HS2. Electrification of lines was heralded five years ago as part of a £38 billion plan tagged the “biggest investment in rail since Victorian times”, with upgrading and electrification of the Midland Main Line (MML – often dubbed the ‘Cinderella Line’), the GWR route to Swansea and TransPennine along with other smaller schemes. There was a feeling that the industry was at last modernising, moving forward and reducing its reliance on polluting diesel fuel. Fast forward several years and it’s all gone pearshaped in a very big way. Massive cost overruns, poor project management of the Great Western scheme, with its intrusive, over-engineered masts, has turned the DfT against electrification. Even the TransPennine electrification scheme is unlikely to go ahead in its full form, delivering a blow to the so-called Northern Powerhouse. While there was some clever spin in the wording of the DfT’s press releases axing these schemes - trying to convince us that bi-mode is the best thing since sliced bread - there’s simply no disguising the fact
TRAIN OF THOUGHT
Editor’s Comment
that the decision represents an opportunity missed. It’s like the opportunity that was not grasped when there was a chance to develop an additional car for the Voyager/Meridian fleet with a pantograph, creating electro-diesel trains at a fraction of the cost of a new fleet of bi-mode trains. More crucially, it would have helped to solve some of the overcrowding issues that have never been properly addressed, particularly on CrossCountry. Costs for all kinds of rail projects have soared, it seems those controlling the purse strings throw more money at a problem before finally admitting defeat. That’s money that could have been better used elsewhere on the network and to me, represents another missed opportunity. With the DfT committing large parts of the network to bi-mode trains for the next 30 years, these trains cost more to manufacture, have no proven reliability (yet), are heavier so have slower acceleration than a comparable electric train, can’t match HST schedules and will still pollute the environment. So has any real progress actually been made?
Worrying growth of vandalism at heritage lines A SAD, growing and worrying factor within the heritage movement is that of the vandalism of priceless locomotives and rolling stock. At the end of July, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s LNER teak set was badly vandalised - one carriage could be out of traffic for the rest of the year (see page 9). It’s a mindless act which destroys the hours of painstaking work undertaken by dedicated volunteers that will cost time and money to repair - and the railway will lose more money while the set is being repaired. The NYMR is not alone in such attacks. Swindon & Cricklade, the Middleton Railway, Caledonian Railway, Barry Heritage Centre, Gwili, Chinnor & Princes Risborough and many more have suffered
arson and vandal attacks, as well as the theft of components for locomotives or carriages and other equipment. There’s no easy answer as it’s impossible to lock away every vehicle or provide onsite security or other countermeasures, as this soaks up money needed for restoring and repairing the damaged vehicles. Plus it diverts funds from other projects - a real Catch-22 situation. Though there are appeals for donations after such attacks, if those responsible are ever brought to justice, it’s usually a paltry slap on the wrist with community service. Sadly, it’s the railway and their supporters, such as Railway Magazine readers, who bear the cost of repairs.
HS2 takes a big step forward WITH the announcement of the full confirmed route for HS2 and the award of construction contracts worth £6.6 billion during July, the news has unsurprisingly - reignited the whole debate about the line, the route, the costs and the benefits. There have been many myths and half-truths circulated by those both for and against the project, even outright scaremongering from so-called experts and newspaper journalists. However, the rail industry has not been especially adept in defending itself nor promoting any benefits of the project as regards capacity, so these myths and lies tend to morph into ‘fact’ over time. Predictions some years ago that video- and tele-conferencing would reduce the need for travel by train as more people would work from home, or had no need to leave their office, have simply not materialised. Several ‘blue chip’ employers have moved out of London, creating a workforce which has to travel to their office by rail. Coupled with which, there are vast home building projects taking place in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and even into Warwickshire
which will eventually lead to an even greater influx of passengers wanting to use rail as they escape the London life for something more relaxed in the shires. Whatever your views about HS2, the rapid upward growth of passenger numbers year-on-year for the past decade means doing nothing is no longer an option. The fact is that the West Coast Main Line doesn’t have the capacity for more stopping passenger trains or more freight. Trying to plan 100-125mph passenger trains around freight with a 60 or 75mph maximum speed is fraught with difficulty. And, when the infrastructure cannot easily cater for trains longer than 12-carriages, just what is the answer? While I admit to having mixed feelings about HS2 - primarily over whether it can be successfully achieved for the £55 billion price tag - there is no easy alternative solution, no quick upgrade to the WCML and no double-deck option for the existing route operators. HS2 looks likely to be a bitter pill that many will have to swallow in the name of progress. CHRIS MILNER, Editor
August 2017 • The Railway Magazine • 3
Contents
August 2017. No. 1,397. Vol 163. A journal of record since 1897.
Headline News
Mindless attack: Vandals cause thousands of pounds worth of damage to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s lovingly restored set of LNER Gresley teak coaches. NYMR
Government cancels three electrification schemes in favour of bi-mode trains, £6.6bn HS2 contracts awarded and Phase 2b routes confirmed, Vandals attack NYMR Gresley teak set, Two new high-speed lines open in France, Mail Rail museum launch, Electric Railway Museum to close in October.
On the cover COVER: Fuel oil traffic returned to the West Highland Line in July on a trial basis, hauled by Colas Class 56s – the first time the Type 5s have been seen on the route. No. 56302 passes County March summit with the southbound empties to Grangemouth on July 24. JAMIE MCEWEN
Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest 66 Steam & Heritage Southern steam galas draw huge crowds, Gwili extension open, first train on Alnwick branch for almost 50 years, Bluebell SECR O1 back in traffic.
71 Industrial Steam 73 Steam Portfolio 75 Narrow Gauge
79 Heritage Trams 80 Metro 82 Irish 84 Freight 86 Traction & Stock CAF starts work on Northern Class 331 EMUs, new look for ROG ‘47’, SWT Class 707 deliveries suspended, Class 319 ‘Flex’ bi-modes for Northern and Arriva Trains Wales.
89 Stock Update 91 Traction Portfolio 93 Railtours 97 Network Derby set for £200m rebuild in 2018, PM opens new EMU sidings at Maidenhead, Waterloo closures in August, GCR Catesby Tunnel to become aerodynamics facility. The Bluebell Railway’s SECR O1 No. 65 is back in steam after an eight year absence and a major overhaul. MARTIN LAWRENCE
100 Classic Traction 103 Operations 108 World
Regulars 12 Multiple Aspects 12 Railways in Parliament 28 Subscription Offer Subscribe today to receive your monthly copies of The Railway Magazine from only £20.
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60 Panorama Our monthly gallery of the best railway photography.
64 From The RM Archives Find out what The RM was reporting 20, 50 and 100 years ago.
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With Lord Berkeley.
50 Readers’ Platform 52 Meetings
A superb study of Bulleid ‘West Country’ No. 34092 City of Wells, leaving Horsted Keynes on July 9 for East Grinstead during the Bluebell Railway’s End of Southern Steam gala. PETER ZABEK
Sea wall special: Heading a Motorail train bound for St Austell, No. 50048 Dauntless skirts the Teign Estuary at Teignmouth on August 5, 1979. JOHN CHALCRAFT
112 Heritage Diary Details of when Britain’s unique collection of heritage railways and railway museums are open.
122 Prize Crossword and Where Is It?
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Features
14 The Big Bird That Flew Too Far – Part 2
30 Nottingham Victoria – Part 2
45 Rebirth of the Corris Railway
Robert Humm completes the story of the unique 4,000hp Hawker Siddeley diesel prototype with a fascinating insight into its export behind the Iron Curtain to the Soviet Union and the mystery surrounding its demise.
Nottingham waved farewell to its Great Central station in September 1967. Robin Stewart-Smith looks back at the final two decades of its life, and the steady decline in status from GCR showpiece to unstaffed halt.
In the latest of The RM’s studies of‘Lazarus Lines’, Cliff Thomas visits a famous Welsh narrow gauge railway, that first saw use by steam in 1878 and is being resurrected almost seven decades after it was closed by British Railways.
22 Electrics, Diesels and Electro-Diesels
38 Restoring Thornbury Castle
John Heaton continues his Caledonian Sleeper experience with a journey from Aberdeen to Edinburgh in the cab of a re-engineered GBRf Class 73/9.
54 Tornado hits Cornwall
Gary Boyd-Hope talks to Jonathan Jones-Pratt about his plans for the unrestored BR-built‘Castle’and his other locomotive, Kinlet Hall, which is currently being restored at Tyseley.
In a Practice & Performance special, Keith Farr rides behind A1 No. 60163 Tornado on an epic 305-mile journey from London to Penzance that also marked the first visit of the class to Cornwall.
FAR FROM HOME 1: What really happened to Kestrel after it slipped behind the Iron Curtain? – p14
FAR FROM HOME 2: Former Southern Region Class 73s enjoying a new life on Scottish sleeper duty – p22
DECLINE AND FALL: Nottingham Victoria’s fall from grace is told in part 2 of this fascinating tale – p30
August 2017 • The Railway Magazine • 5
HeadlineNews Government scraps electrification in favour of bi-modes By Ben Jones
AS WAS widely feared in the regions affected, the Department for Transport (DfT) has cancelled projects to electrify the Midland Main Line between Kettering and Nottingham/Sheffield, the South Wales Main Line between Cardiff and Swansea and the Oxenholme-Windermere branch. Trans-Pennine electrification from Manchester to Leeds may also be affected by the decision with Transport Secretary Chris Grayling hinting that difficult or expensive sections of the scheme may be omitted. DfT claims that bi-mode trains will be able to deliver all the benefits of new trains to passengers more quickly “without the disruption of electrification work”. However, critics were quick to point out that bi-mode trains are more complex and expensive to build and maintain, less reliable than electrics, and have so far proved more sluggish on diesel power
than the trains they will replace. Delays and significant cost over-runs on Network Rail’s Great Western Route Modernisation, resulting in several gaps in the OHLE being left to save money, are thought to be behind the DfT decision.
New regulations
Bidders for the new East Midlands’ franchise, a decision on which has been delayed by a year to 2018 (see below), will now need to procure bi-mode trains to replace the current HST fleet, which must be withdrawn or modified by the end of 2019 to meet new Persons of Restricted Mobility (PRM) rules. The DfT announcement promises further investment in the MML to allow classic compatible HS2 trains to reach Sheffield from 2033 (see right). Great Western Railway (GWR) Hitachi Class 800/802 bi-mode trains, which will start to filter into service later this year, will have to run on diesel power for an extra 45 miles each way
between Cardiff and Swansea. Electrification of the line had already been deferred until Network Rail’s Control Period 6 (2019-24). DfT states Northern’s Oxenholme-Windermere branch serving the southern end of the Lake District will be the location for a trial of ‘alternative fuel’ trains, removing the need for intrusive electrification gantries. Network Rail’s latest heavy-duty OHLE has come in for strong criticism from environmental groups and residents along the Great Western Main Line. Electrification of the MML from Bedford to Corby is not affected by the decision as work is already well advanced on this section, and should move over to electric operation in 2019. Mr Grayling has also asked Network Rail to ‘look again’ at the scheme to build two extra through platforms at Manchester Piccadilly, which is a key part of proposals to increase capacity and train frequencies across the north of England.
HS2 forges ahe By Ben Jones
JULY 17 saw three significant announcements for High Speed 2 (HS2) as the planned routes for Phase 2b to Manchester and Leeds were confirmed, £6.6 billion of construction contracts were awarded for Phase 1 and shortlists were announced for the design and construction of the four Phase 1 stations. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced the final routes for the northern sections of HS2, which will run for 82km (51 miles) from Crewe to Manchester via the city’s airport and a separate 198km (123 miles) eastern leg running from a junction near Lichfield via the East Midlands Hub and South Yorkshire to Leeds. Construction will also include links to the West Coast Main Line (WCML) near Wigan and to the East Coast Main Line at Church Fenton, south of York. New or extensively rebuilt stations will be provided at Manchester Airport, Toton,
Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly, but the controversial interchange at Meadowhall to serve Sheffield and South Yorkshire has been dropped. HS2 will take the more easterly route around Sheffield announced in 2016, following the M1/M18 motorways. A proposed parkway station for South Yorkshire no longer features in the plan, but could be added later. A new hub could also be built on the western leg near Crewe enabling HS2 services to Stokeon-Trent. Phase 2b is expected to reduce journey times between Birmingham and Manchester from 88 minutes to just 40 minutes, and from Leeds to Birmingham from 118 minutes to 49.
Route changes
A 9.4km (six-mile) spur will link HS2 with the Midland Main Line near Clay Cross, south of Chesterfield, with ‘classic compatible’ high-speed
Decision on new East Midlands’ franchise delayed THE Department for Transport London-Nottingham/Sheffield (DfT) has launched a new public services from 2022. consultation for the next East The DfT expects these to reduce Midlands’ franchise and pushed peak journey times by up to 20 back a decision on the new minutes and deliver more than operator until April 2019. 1,000 extra seats per hour into As a result, the franchise London at peak times, an increase is now expected to change of more than 50%. Some of this hands in August 2019, just four time saving will come from cutting months before the current East out stops at Wellingborough, Midlands Trains HSTs are due for Bedford, Luton and Luton Airport replacement and new electric Parkway from the intercity services, commuter trains start operation passengers having to change at on the London St Pancras-Corby Kettering for electric trains that route. will serve these intermediate The HSTs must be withdrawn points. or modified by the end of 2019 to meet new Persons of Restricted Contract terms Mobility (PRM) regulations. The delay in awarding the new Once the results of the franchise has been caused by the consultation have been processed, need to revise the terms of the from October onwards, an contract after the cancellation of Invitation to Tender (ITT) will be planned electrification between issued to the shortlisted bidders in Kettering and Nottingham/ April 2018. Sheffield. The new MML inter-city Under the terms of the franchise, trains will now have to run on the new operator will be required diesel power north of Kettering. to deliver “modern, fast and However, the announcement efficient inter-city and commuter gives no clues as to what will trains”, including a new fleet happen to MML inter-city services of bi-mode inter-city trains for between the end of 2019 and the
introduction of new trains in 2022. Options include an expensive programme of modifications to the HST fleet to extend its life by two years or rakes of East Coast Mk 4 coaches, powered by hired Class 68s, which could be a temporary solution once the IC225 sets are replaced by Hitachi Class 800/801s from 2018. Another possible scenario is that EMT’s Class 222 ‘Meridian’ DEMUs could receive new or modified pantograph cars to transform them into bi-mode trains, as suggested by Bombardier’s ‘Project Thor’ a few years ago. ■ The DfT has also delayed an announcement on the new West Midlands’ franchise and extended Govia’s contract – operated under the London Midland brand – from October until December 10. June’s snap general election and a heavy workload at the DfT is blamed for the delay. Arriva’s CrossCountry franchise has also been given a two-month extension to December 2019 with the option of a further 11 months if necessary.
The confirmed HS2 routes.
All-night London Overground services from December LONDON Overground will introduce all-night services on the East London Line from December. Trains will run through the night between New Cross Gate and Dalston Junction on Fridays and Saturdays, and will be extended to Highbury & Islington from 2018. Stations are to be staffed at all times while trains are running. Crossrail engineering work means that the trains will not call at Whitechapel initially, although they are expected to serve this important
interchange from mid-2018, once the work has been completed. Unlike most of the London Overground network, which runs on Network Rail infrastructure, the route between New Cross Gate and Highbury & Islington is managed by Transport for London. Night Tube services are also due to be rolled out to parts of the Metropolitan, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines after the ‘Four Lines Modernisation’ programme has been completed in 2023.
Stephenson's Rocket set to star in North East’s Great Exhibition in 2018 GEORGE and Robert Stephenson’s 0-2-2 Rocket is arguably the most famous locomotive ever to have been built on Tyneside, and in 2018 the Rainhill Trials star will return to the city of its birth.
It is understood that Science Museum Group director, Ian Blatchford, has approved the temporary release of the 1829-built locomotive to take part in the Great Exhibition of the North in Newcastle and
6 • The Railway Magazine • August 2017
Gateshead from June 22 to September next year. The regionwide event aims to showcase world-class art, culture, design and innovation originating from the North. In terms of railway history Rocket
is as precious an artefact as they come, and in the 155 years that the loco has been in the nation’s care it has only ever been loaned out once, in 1998 when it was flown to Japan. Moving it from display in the Science Museum will
be a delicate and costly exercise, and the organising committee of the Great Exhibition is hoping that a Heritage Lottery Fund bid will cover the costs involved. Where Rocket will be exhibited has yet to be confirmed.
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ad as Northern routes are confirmed trains running over existing lines to serve Chesterfield and Sheffield Midland. It is not yet known how this will be affected by the cancellation of MML electrification to Sheffield (see story left). Several other changes to the Phase 2b routes have also been accepted. These include a revised eastern route avoiding a tunnel under East Midlands Airport and taking the line over Long Eaton on a high viaduct, construction of a 26km (16-mile) elevated section over the Cheshire salt plains around Middlewich, a realignment of the approach to Manchester Piccadilly and the relocation of the proposed western rolling stock maintenance depot from Golborne, near Wigan, to a site north of Crewe. However, a proposed change to the formation near the Leicestershire village of Measham was rejected by the Secretary of State. A proposed east-to-north chord near Manchester Airport, which would have enabled trains to access Golborne depot, will no longer be built, a move that should significantly reduce construction costs. On the eastern leg, a link to an infrastructure maintenance depot will be built from HS2 to the former Midland Railway ‘Old Road’ at Barrow Hill, using parts of former freight lines in Staveley.
but this option was rejected on cost grounds by HS2 Ltd and the Government. The chosen route could save around £1bn over the M1/ Meadowhall route announced in 2013 although HS2 Ltd admits that this does not take account of the additional costs of new connections or upgrading existing lines and stations. Over the next year, DfT and HS2 Ltd will press ahead with design development and environmental impact assessments, further consultation and route refinements in preparation for the Phase 2b hybrid bill in 2019. Royal Assent is expected in 2022, allowing construction to start the following year and the lines to Manchester and Leeds opening to the public in 2033. The Phase 2b Hybrid Bill in 2019 will include powers to build the northern chord to allow trains from Sheffield to rejoin HS2 to reach Leeds and York. This aligns with a Transport for the North (TfN) ambition for 30-minute journey times between Sheffield and Leeds. If electrification does not occur north of Sheffield, bimode regional trains capable of 140mph running on HS2 are one possible solution to TfN’s needs. HS2 Ltd has been asked to ensure the planning of Phase 2b includes provision for integration of the new line with Northern Powerhouse Rail, previously known as HS3.
Controversy continues
Construction contracts
Sheffield politicians and business groups had campaigned for a city centre station on the site of the demolished Sheffield Victoria,
On the same day as Phase 2b was confirmed, HS2 Ltd awarded contracts worth £6.6bn for the design and construction of sections of Phase 1 from Euston
to Birmingham. Consortia involving various French construction giants were the big winners, taking contracts worth almost £5bn. At the southern end of the line, Skanska, Costain and German tunnelling specialist STRABAG will build the Euston tunnels and approaches as well as the Northolt tunnels. The Chiltern tunnels and Colne Valley viaduct contract went to Align JV (Bouygues Travaux Publics/VolkerFitzpatrick/Sir Robert McAlpine), while Carillion, Eiffage Genie Civil and Kier will take charge of two stages from the north portal of the Chiltern tunnels to Brackley and from
have also been unveiled. Mott MacDonald, Ove Arup, Team Curzon and WSP will compete for the Birmingham Curzon Street terminal; Arcadis, Ove Arup, Team Interchange and WSP for Birmingham Airport interchange; Arcadis, Ove Arup and WSP for the rebuilt London Euston and Mott MacDonald, Ove Arup, Team OOC and WSP for the planned Old Oak Common interchange in west London. The Euston Regeneration Partnership, Canary Wharf Group, Land Securities Property Holdings, Lendlease Europe and Westfield Europe have been shortlisted for the Euston Master development partner contract.
An impression of how Birmingham’s Curzon Street HS2 terminus will look; the Phase 1 station being due to open in 2026.
CAF confirms £30m assembly plant in South Wales
SPANISH rolling stock manufacturer CAF has selected a site on the former Llanwern steelworks as the location for its new UK assembly plant. The facility will create 300 new jobs, of which 200 will be recruited in time for its opening in autumn 2018. Close to major roads, railways and port facilities, the 46,000 sq m plant is supported by Welsh Government grants and will be capable of assembling EMUs, DMUs, light rail vehicles and highspeed trains. CAF currently has several contracts to build new trains for British operators, including 75 Mk 5 coaches for Caledonian Sleeper, 66 Mk 5a vehicles and 12 five-car EMUs for Transpennine
Brackley to the south portal of the Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel. Finally, Balfour Beatty and VINCI won both contracts for the northern end of the route, valued at £2.5bn, running from Long Itchington Wood Green Tunnel to Delta Junction and the Birmingham spur and Delta Junction to the WCML. The seven contracts came in below the predicted cost of between £7.1bn and £11.8bn announced in March 2016, although opponents of the £55.7bn project continue to campaign for its cancellation. Shortlisted bidders for five Phase 1 station contracts
Express and 43 EMUs and 55 DMUs for Northern. It is also targeting major forthcoming contracts for Docklands Light Railway, London Underground and HS2, plus possible new train orders for the next West Midlands, Southeastern and Wales & Borders franchises. CAF has built several types of train for the UK, Ireland and Northern Ireland Railways, as well as trams for Edinburgh and the Midland Metro. However, all previous orders were completed at its Spanish factories. The Spanish firm has also acquired BWB, a leading British design engineering consultancy, employing more than 300 staff around the UK.
Class 800 IET gauge testing
GWE IET No. 800006 approaches Ashchurch for a 20 minute stop for a gauging check. The measurements were taken by GWR staff. The bi-mode train was operated by GBRf working from Stoke Gifford via Gloucester, Evesham and Oxford. Both: JACK BOSKETT
£92m boost for UK railway research THE Rail Safety & Standards Board (RSSB), rail industry suppliers and eight UK universities have established a £92-million partnership to create three new centres of excellence for railway research. The partnership, part of the newly created UK Railway Research and Innovation Network, has won £28.1 million funding from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund managed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Additional funding will be boosted by £64 million from 17 industrial partners including Alstom, Siemens and Bombardier Transportation. It is hoped the UK rail supply industry will be able to develop new technologies and products for trains, railway systems and infrastructure that will deliver a better, more reliable and efficient railway. The University of Birmingham
will focus on railway control and simulation, data integration and cybersecurity, condition monitoring and sensing, and improved methods for technology introduction. The University of Huddersfield, in collaboration with the University of Newcastle and Loughborough University, will take the lead on high-value rolling stock systems, whole life asset management, and energy use, while the University of Southampton will work with the Sheffield, Loughborough, Nottingham and Heriot-Watt universities. The initiative is supported by Network Rail, HS2 Ltd, TfL, Rail North and the DfT. Other industrial partners include IBM, Unipart Rail, SMRT, British Steel, Thales, Hitachi, AECOM, Aggregate Industries, Atkins, Pandrol and Progress Rail.
August 2017 • The Railway Magazine • 7
HeadlineNews SIDELINES Andy Mellors to head South Western franchise FIRST GROUP and MTR have appointed Andy Mellors as managing director of the new South Western rail franchise, which launches on August 20. He has 25 years of rail experience and is currently GWR’s engineering director and deputy managing director.
First and MTR face competition concerns FIRST and MTR, who take over the South Western franchise from August 20, have been invited by the Competition and Markets Authority to offer solutions to concerns it could increase fares for passengers between London and Exeter in a monopoly situation as it is the only operator running services from the Capital across two routes.
Virgin did not breach data protection laws DATA protection laws were not breached by Virgin Trains, which released CCTV footage of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn trying to find a seat on one of its services, the Information Commissioner has ruled. Deciding that Virgin had a legitimate interest in making the footage public to correct misleading reports, the train operator did however breach the rights of other passengers by not pixelating them. No further action is being taken.
Suicide interventions up by 40% SUICIDE prevention measures put in place by Samaritans, Network Rail, British Transport Police (BTP) and the wider rail industry have resulted in a 40% increase in life-saving interventions in the last year. Since April 2016, 1,593 interventions have been carried out, and suicides are at their lowest since 2010.
DfT consults on HS1 planning relaxation THE DfT is consulting until August 13 on a relaxation of planning restrictions along the route of HS1, that will include reducing the safeguarding boundary distance from 60 to 30 metres and removing other restrictions on developments close to the line.
New Transport committee chairperson NOTTINGHAM South MP Lilian Greenwood has been elected chair of the Commons Transport Select Committee. She replaces Louise Ellman and will take up her position when the remaining members of the committee have been named.
Virgin customers switch from paper tickets A FIFTH of Virgin Trains West Coast customers have chosen to use digital m-tickets rather than the traditional paper type in the last 12 months. Sales of digital tickets have more than trebled in a year with more than 1.5million digital tickets sold in the last three months alone.
South Yorkshire tram-train project 400% over budget By Ben Jones
A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed that the cost of the heavily delayed South Yorkshire tram-train pilot scheme has soared to more than five times its original budget. Authorised in 2012 for completion by December 2015 at a cost of £15million, the project has been repeatedly delayed by changes to the specification and additional work required. It is now expected to cost £75.1m with the first tram-trains not expected to run to Rotherham Parkgate until summer 2018. Network Rail says that the need to develop bespoke overhead line equipment (OHLE) suitable for 750V DC operation as well as possible later conversion to 25kV AC is responsible for much of the delay and extra cost, with bridges needing greater clearances. In an echo of the GWR Modernisation project, NR has also blamed the poorer state of the existing infrastructure on the former Great Central line
between Tinsley and Rotherham. Other issues identified by the NAO include an underestimation of the project’s complexity, high staff turnover, poor design integration between the various teams and high risk decisions on cost savings that did not pay off. The report states that by November 2014 costs had already tripled to £44.9m. By June 2016, NR admitted that a further £25m would be needed and that completion would be delayed by two years. Infrastructure work is now expected to be finished in May 2018. Despite this, the DfT twice gave the project approval to continue and ignored a recommendation last year by the DfT permanent secretary to cancel it when the price tag rose to £73.6m. Rob McIntosh, Network Rail’s London North Eastern and East Midlands Route managing director, said: “The tram-train is an ambitious pilot, a UK first. Costs and timescales have moved as the project itself has grown in scope and complexity and has had to incorporate
Overdue and over-budget: Sheffield tram-train No. 399206 near Midland station during driver training on May 11. RON COVER
more significant infrastructure changes than originally planned. “The project has learned from tram-train systems in Europe that have encountered their own challenges but there were still a significant number of unique issues to the UK that had to be overcome. “New expertise has been added to the project team and a new, more robust schedule of works created.”
All track and junctions connecting Sheffield Supertram with the railway have now been installed and all overhead masts between Tinsley and Parkgate are now in place. Work is also underway on the construction of the platforms at Rotherham Central and Parkgate, while work continues to raise College Road bridge in Rotherham town centre to give the required clearance for the OHLE.
Crossrail budget under pressure – west London stations delayed now around 85% complete, with the core tunnel section, THE Department for Transport platforms and track installation has revealed that various 90% complete. Architectural measures for reducing costs finishes are now being applied are being examined to keep at stations and escalator and London’s Crossrail project within lift installation has commenced its £14.8billion budget. across the central stations. The DfT’s annual report on Testing of the new central the project is confident that the section infrastructure and new railway will be completed systems will commence by the “on budget”, but admits that cost end of this year, with the new pressures are increasing across central section underground the project. Crossrail is said to stations scheduled to be be implementing a number of completed during 2018. cost efficiency initiatives. DfT However, the upgrading of and Transport for London, joint five Great Western Main Line sponsors of the project, will stations for Crossrail has been continue to meet regularly deferred until 2019 due to with Crossrail to ensure that Network Rail funding issues. the project is “being effectively Acton, West Ealing, Hayes & managed and will be delivered Harlington and Southall were within funding and on schedule”. due to be completed by the Crossrail construction is end of this year, with Ealing By Ben Jones
Broadway to follow in January 2018. TfL Crossrail operations are due to start west of Paddington in summer 2018 and although the platforms will be ready in time, new station facilities will come later.
Agreement reached
Better news is that TfL, Heathrow Airport Ltd and the DfT have reached an agreement for Crossrail trains to serve Heathrow Terminal 5, increasing the total service to 22 trains per hour (tph) in 2019. Six Crossrail trains per hour will operate, with four serving Terminals 2/3/4 and two to Terminals 2/3 and 5. Heathrow Express will run four non-stop trains per hour serving Terminals 2/3 and 5 and London Underground will run 12 Piccadilly Line tph.
Crossrail could add a further 2tph to Terminal 5, subject to further study of the operational feasibility and business case for an 8tph service. New ticket readers are to be installed from May 2018 enabling Heathrow Express passengers to use TfL’s Oyster Card or contactless cards for pay-as-you-go travel. Heathrow’s ambition is for 50% of all journeys to and from the airport to be by electric or low-emission public transport by 2030. ■ TfL has ordered an additional four Class 345 EMUs which will help provide an increased service frequency, with the number of off-peak services between Paddington and Whitechapel rising from 16 to 20tph.
Vale of Rheidol Railway lands a South African Garratt By Cliff Thomas
THE Railway Magazine can reveal that Hanomag-built 2-6-2+2-6-2T Garratt NG/G13 (10551/1927) arrived at Vale of Rheidol Railway (VoR) on July 17. Ex-South African Railways No. NG60, named Drakensberg after entering preservation in 1986, left Schinznacher Baumschulbahn, a heritage line near Zürich, Switzerland, on July 12 following conclusion of three
8 • The Railway Magazine • August 2017
years of negotiations by VoR management. The locomotive is privately owned, but on long-term loan to the VoR. It will appear in public for the first time during the September 14-15 1920s and 30s Weekend, although it is unlikely to be in steam. Having last worked in 1973, it was bought by Swiss enthusiasts in 1986 and a lengthy restoration returned NG60 to steam in 1998. It ran on the 60cm gauge Schinznacher Baumschulbahn
until track layout changes precluded its use on the entire circuit of the line around the huge garden centre at the site. The loco has boiler certification to steam in Switzerland, but the Swiss paperwork will not allow steaming at VoR until it passes a UK hydraulic test. VoR will also undertake some work on the wheels, air braking, ash pan and spark arrester arrangements. Entry into VoR service is likely 12-18 months hence.
The Garratt will not replace the VoR’s iconic 2-6-2Ts but will be available to spread the workload when required, most likely working some heavy summer trains and special charters. South African NG/G13s are outwardly almost identical to the later NG/G16s as employed on Welsh Highland Railway. Principal differences concern wheel bearings and the mounting arrangement of the power bogie carrying wheels.
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Vandals wreck Moors’ LNER teak carriages By Chris Milner
THE systematic and deliberate targeting by vandals of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s (NYMR’s) historic teak carriages has been described as “heartbreaking”.
A set of eight LNER carriages, owned and maintained by the London and North Eastern Railway Coach Association (LNERCA), was attacked overnight on July 23 while parked in the siding by the main visitor car park at Pickering. Windows were smashed, chairs and tables bent and overturned and kitchen equipment damaged. On the day before the attack, the railway launched its ‘60s Fest, one of its most popular events, but the damage means the railway has lost the stock at its busiest time. At least one carriage is likely to be out of traffic for the rest of the year. NYMR general manager Chris Price said: “We were absolutely devastated to discover that the carriages had been damaged overnight. The set was found with the windows smashed
Bank Holiday works set to disrupt much of London’s rail network
and the furniture and fixings completely ruined, obviously all the staff and volunteers are extremely upset. “Until the set has been completely assessed we will not know the full extent of the damage caused, I doubt very much that it will run again in the 2017 season.” The railway has set up an
appeal for donations to help with the repairs, and 24 hours after its launch, more than £20,000 had been raised. Details at www.nymr.co.uk/appeal/ teak-set-appeal North Yorkshire Police arrested and released two 17-year-old boys but were expecting to make further arrests as their enquiries progressed.
Tickets on sale as Barrow Hill gears up for grand reopening VISITORS can secure their chance created featuring facilities for to ride behind two of the icons of educational visits and corporate steam, and inspect the revamped use, while the recruitment of a facilities, at the Railway Magazine- learning and access officer and backed grand reopening gala at development of a new learning Barrow Hill Roundhouse. programme will bring the site to A major extension and other life with new interpretations, and improvements will be officially a volunteer coordinator will be unveiled on September 21 by provide heritage skills, training Sir Peter Luff, chairman of the and apprenticeships and develop National Heritage Memorial Fund, a programme of events and before the gala – featuring Flying activities. Scotsman and Tornado – which lasts from Friday September 22 to Early start Sunday September 24. Initially planned as just a The Victorian roundhouse weekend gala, huge interest has was given a Heritage Lottery already meant its start has been Fund grant of £1.2m in order brought forward to the Friday. to broaden the roundhouse Both the National Collection’s audience to include families. ‘A3’ No. 60103 Flying Scotsman A new public entrance has been and ‘A1’ No. 60163 Tornado
will haul steam trains over the demonstration line during the weekend. The NRM Rocket replica is no longer available, however, and a replacement loco is being sourced. A professionally produced play, commissioned as part of the reopening events and supported by The Arts Council, will have three performances on the evenings of the Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The show, called ‘Down the Line’, will involve a cast of professional actors and hundreds of local people, including a community choir and Ireland Colliery Chesterfield Brass Band. The audience will be an integral part of the play as they follow
the drama in and around the roundhouse building, as the story of the coming of the railway to the present day is told.
Book online
Tickets for daytime admission to the site cost £22 adult, £11 child under 16 or £53 for a family. Tickets for the play cost £13.20 adult and £6.60 child. They can be booked online at www.seetickets.com or for event details visit www.barrowhill.org ■ The Railway Magazine and sister title Heritage Railway are media partners for the event, and some of the editorial team will be present during the weekend… so stop by to see us. More in our September issue.
Mail Rail – London’s newest tourist railway
By Keith Fender
Thornbury Castle reunited with smokebox plate JONATHAN Jones-Pratt reunited his Collett ‘Castle’ No. 7027 Thornbury Castle with its long-lost smokebox numberplate on July 18 following its successful acquisition at auction. The BR plate had featured as Lot 293 in the GW Railwayana Auctions sale in Pershore on July 15, and with assistance from railway photographer Jack Boskett, Mr Jones-Pratt was able to secure the plate to once again be carried by the 1949-built 4-6-0. For more on the restoration of No. 7027, turn to page 38. Picture: JACK BOSKETT
THE new National Postal Museum opened its doors to the public on July 28. Located in Phoenix Place between King’s Cross and Farringdon, the museum is next to Royal Mail Mount Pleasant sorting centre. A key aspect of the postal museum’s attraction will be a section of the former Post Office Railway that once ran between Paddington and Whitechapel, with the workshops and tunnels underneath the sorting office publicly accessible for the first time in its history. A section of the line will offer passenger train rides on a 1km loop using new purpose-built trains constructed by Severn Lamb in Stratford-upon-Avon. Although the museum is open, trains will not begin running until September 4, and visitors have the option of visiting the museum with or without a ride on the railway (www. postalmuseum.org).
Mail Rail passenger trains in the new passenger station built in the former maintenance workshops under Mount Pleasant sorting office. KEITH FENDER
The Post Office Railway (renamed Mail Rail in 1987) was a 6.5 mile 2ft 0in (610mm) gauge automated electric railway that opened in 1927 to move mail under central London. It has
been closed since 2003 when Royal Mail switched more traffic to road and air. A feature on this unique subterranean railway is planned for an future issue of The Railway Magazine.
NETWORK Rail engineering work will close several of London’s major stations over the August 26-28 bank holiday, causing significant disruption to train services on many main routes. More than £133 million will be spent over a single weekend as several NR ‘mega projects’, such as Crossrail and the Thameslink upgrade, start to come to a conclusion. Once these projects are complete in 2019, passengers travelling into central London from as far away as Swansea will see an extra 170,000 seats; more frequent services on 16 lines serving the capital; longer north-south trains every 2-3 minutes as part of the Thameslink programme and an extra 1.5m people coming within 45 minutes of the capital once Crossrail is complete.
Reductions
Worst affected is Waterloo, where Platforms 1-10 are closed from August 5-28, and Platforms 1-14 from August 25-28. Throughout the closure, there will be significant reductions in services at some stations and several will be closed across the south-west rail network. Between August 26 and September 2 there will be no Southeastern services to or from London Bridge, Waterloo East and Charing Cross while on August 26/27 there will be no Southeastern trains at Cannon Street and Blackfriars and fewer Southern services to London Bridge. North of the Thames, Euston will be closed on August 26/27 to enable the installation of a new power supply. On August 27/28 there will be no trains between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, Ingatestone, Billericay and Barking. Finally, between August 19 and September 15, services from Paddington to South Wales will be disrupted between Swindon and Bristol Parkway. Inter-city trains will be subject to diversions via Gloucester and local trains will be replaced by buses.
August 2017 • The Railway Magazine • 9
HeadlineNews
France opens two new high-speed lines in a day
By Keith Fender
FRENCH Railways (SNCF) added another 484 route kilometres to its high-speed rail network from July 1, expanding the length of the French high-speed rail network by a fifth in a single day. It now totals 2,916km. Two new 320kph lines opened connecting Paris with Bordeaux in the south west and Rennes in Brittany, both lines extend the existing Paris to Tours/Le Mans LGV Atlantique high-speed line which opened in 1990. The new lines have been built using a public-private financing arrangement – the first time this has been used in France for new railway lines – with two different private concession companies. The 302km Tours to Bordeaux
project cost €9bn (£8bn) while the 182km Le Mans to Rennes line cost €3.3bn (£2.95bn). The inaugural train from Paris to Bordeaux on July 1 was formed of brand new TGV Océane set No. 863 in the new TGV ‘inOui’ livery with invited guests making the journey in two hours and one minute. The first train on the Paris to Rennes route came later the same day and carried French president, Emmanuel Macron. Regular passenger services on both lines started on July 2, journeys from Bordeaux to Paris have been reduced to two hours four minutes from three hours 15 minutes. Rennes to Paris now takes just 95 minutes – a reduction of 39 minutes over the previous schedule.
The inaugural TGV over the new SEA high-speed line after arrival at Bordeaux St Jean. KEITH FENDER.
Paul Kirkman Station destroyed as political unrest curtails Darjeeling services leaves NRM top job PAUL Kirkman has stepped down as director of the National Railway Museum after five years in the role. He joined the York set-up on secondment from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport in 2012 following the departure of the previous head, Steve Davies. He was subsequently tasked with delivering Mr Davies’ vision of re-uniting the six surviving Gresley ‘A4s’ for 2013’s ‘Mallard 75’ celebrations, as well as the return to operation of celebrity ‘A3’ No. 60103 Flying Scotsman. More recently Mr Kirkman has led the negotiations for a proposed major redevelopment and overhaul of the museum’s Great Hall to re-interpret the displays and better tell the story of how modern science and engineering are transforming our railways ahead of the 200th anniversary of the railways in 2025. However, he feels that the time is now right for a new director to realise these plans. “I could not be prouder of The National Railway Museum’s accomplishments during my tenure as director,” said Mr Kirkman. “Working with the board, curators, and the Science Museum Group, the museum is now poised for a giant leap in its development, a major transformation that will change the city and this wonderful museum.” Science Museum Group head Ian Blatchford has appointed Judith McNicol, director People and Culture, as interim and she is now in post.
A STATION on the world-famous Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) has been destroyed and another badly damaged following several weeks of political unrest in the Darjeeling area. The situation, at the height of the tourist season, has led to a complete suspension of all DHR services. Gaybari station was destroyed in an arson attack, while Sonada station and the DHR HQ Elysia building at Kurseong have both been badly damaged by fire. The cause is agitation by Gorkah separatists (Indians of Nepali origin), who want the area around the famous hill town to split off from West Bengal to create an independent Gorkhaland state. The DHR took the decision on June 12 to indefinitely suspend
all rail services. Tea production has also been halted. Paul Whittle, vice-chairman of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society said: “With no immediate resolution in prospect,
there is clearly a threat of more damage to the railway. We are in constant dialogue with Indian Railways and UNESCO as to how the DHR can be safeguarded in the present troubled situation.”
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway 0-4-0ST No. 786 outside Gaybari station on February 3, 2015, the structure destroyed in an arson attack as a result of political unrest. PETER JORDAN
£15m Halton Curve upgrade underway
Brush 623 back on the promenade EX-BLACKPOOL Brush railcoach No. 623 has returned to its former home as part of Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours’ celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the type. No. 623, which is owned by the Manchester Transport Museum Society and based at the Heaton Park Tramway, took part in the Brush Car 80 weekend on July 15-16, and is seen gaining access to the promenade from Manchester Square during its inaugural run to Fleetwood on July 14. Built in Loughborough, this particular car was originally numbered 286 and entered service in July 1937. STEVE SIENKIEWICZ
10 • The Railway Magazine • August 2017
THE £15 million project to upgrade and reinstate a regular service over the Halton Curve near Runcorn has started. From December 2018, the one-and-a-half mile single-track link between the Liverpool-Crewe and Chester-Warrington lines will host a new hourly Liverpool Lime Street-Chester service, calling at Liverpool South Parkway, Runcorn, Frodsham and Helsby. Refurbished track, a new crossover at Halton Junction and new signalling will finally permit a regular service in both directions over the line, which has only been used by sporadic northbound trains for many years. Liverpool City Region, which is sponsoring the work as part of Network Rail’s £1bn Great North Rail Project, expects the new service to generate 250,000 new rail journeys, boosting the economy by £100m. There is a plan to add further services between Liverpool and North Wales via the curve as part of the next Wales & Borders’ franchise agreement.
Have you got a story for us? Email: railway@mortons.co.uk
Romney marks 90th anniversary with fleet line-up THE Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway marked its 90th anniversary with a line-up of its steam loco fleet on July 15. This remarkable shot, taken from a drone shows (front row from left): YEC 4-6-2 No. 9 Winston Churchill, Davey Paxman 4-6-2 No. 3 Southern Maid, Davey Paxman 4-6-2 No. 7 Typhoon, Krauss 0-4-4TT No. 4 The Bug, Davey Paxman 4-8-2 No. 5 Hercules. Back row from left: YEC 4-6-2 No. 10 Doctor Syn, Davey Paxman 4-6-2 No. 2 Northern Chief, Davey Paxman 4-6-2 No. 8 Hurricane. Krupp 4-6-2 No. 11 Black Prince. Missing are No. 1 Green Goddess (collision repairs) and No. 6 Samson (overhaul). PICTURE: CHRIS MUNN
Electric Railway Museum set to close in October THE trustees of Electric Railway Museum have confirmed that the Coventry-based attraction will close in October. As reported in The RM, the site is earmarked for commercial development and landowner Coventry City Council has not renewed the museum’s lease. Despite concerted efforts by the trustees and volunteers behind the scenes, an alternative location for the attraction has not been found. Unless a solution is found that reprieves the museum, its remaining open days will be held on August 13, September 9/10 with a final open day on October 8. Admission and parking is free. Museum chairman Ian Brown said: “The closure of Electric Railway Museum in its current form is a real blow to the railway preservation movement and, unfortunately, it is unlikely we will be the last heritage centre to have to overcome
EMUs and electric locos at the Electric Railway Museum, destined for new homes when the attraction closes in October.
such challenges in the near future. “This is certainly not the end of the line for Electric Railway Museum and we are already actively working with the
railway heritage sector and external partners to ensure that locomotives and vehicles currently on the site are not endangered, with a view in the longer term to establish a new
location for our core collection and privately owned items,” he added. Museum exhibits include vehicles from Classes 307, 308, 309, 457 and an APT power car.
BR-liveried ‘A3’ and ‘A4’ to meet at Didcot PHOTO charter specialist Neil Cave of Timeline Events is hoping to re-create the atmosphere of a working Eastern Region steam shed on August 27/28 when ‘A4’ No. 60009 Union of South Africa joins ‘A3’ No. 60103 Flying Scotsman for exclusive photography sessions at Didcot Railway Centre. John Cameron’s ‘A4’ will be working the Railway Touring Company’s ‘Cotswold Venturer’ from Paddington to Worcester and back on August 26, and agreement has been reached between Mr Cameron, Didcot and Ian Riley – custodian of both Nos. 60009 and 60103 – for ‘Number Nine’ to be brought from London to Didcot the next day. The ‘A3’ will already be on site as it is spending the August Bank Holiday weekend at the former GWR steam shed. Although the two Gresley 4-6-2s met at Locomotion’s Shildon Shed Bash last year, it was against the backdrop of a modern museum building. This time the locomotives will be posed around Didcot’s 1932-steam shed and associated infrastructure, which will likely be a one-off occurrence as No. 60009 only has two years left in traffic before it is withdrawn for static display in Scotland. For the Sunday and Monday the ‘A4’ will not be operational while the centre is open, but it is expected that Union of South Africa will work on the main demonstration line on August 30. The charters are to take place on Sunday evening and on the Monday – for more information see www.timelineevents.org
Mighty Old Oak open day shaping up
WITH the Old Oak Common open day celebrating 111 years of the depot just a few weeks away, the organisers are firming up on exhibits for the one-day event on September 2. GWR Railmotor No. 92 and trailer will appear, contrasting with Chiltern Class 121 No. 121034, while the steam heritage movement will be represented by 0-6-0PT No. 6430 and 60163 Tornado while ‘Hall’ No. 7903 Foremarke Hall has also been requested. ‘King’ No. 6023 King Edward II needs gauging clearance. Modern traction exhibits will include Classes 08, 31, 57 (possibly DRS and GWR), celebrity HST power cars Nos. 43002 and 43185, Class 50 Nos. 50007 Hercules, 50017 Royal Oak, 50026
Indomitable and 50035 Ark Royal, No. 66779 Evening Star, a hydraulic quartet of Class 14 No. D9514, No. D821 Greyhound, D1015 Western Champion and Hymek No. D7017. Modern passenger trains will include a Class 800 Intercity Express Train (IET), Class 180 and a Class 387 EMU. There will also be an HST power car naming. All exhibits are subject to availability, and likely to see some alteration before the event. Tickets cost £20 adult, children under 15 £10 and family (2+2 or 1+3) £45. VIP depot tour tickets are sold out. All proceeds will be donated to the Place2Be, which provides mental health support for children. For event details see www.oocopenday.com
Hydraulic power on show at a previous Old Oak Common open day on August 17-18, 1991 with (from right) D1015, D821 and D7018 in front of the 'factory'. CHRIS MILNER
August 2017 • The Railway Magazine • 11
Multiple Aspects
with Lord Berkeley
Vital to get a grip of railway costs... thanks to NR ‘incompetence’
T
HE inability of Network Rail to get a grip of its costs is having a very serious effect on the whole industry. Projects are being delayed or cancelled because there is no money and nobody trusts the estimates. The same disease has hit HS2, and there are rumours in the next Control Period starting April 2019 there will be no money for enhancement in the much-delayed DfT High Level Output Specification on which the ORR’s financial settlement of NR’s funding will be based; all enhancements will be funded and micro-managed by the Department for Transport (DfT). How has this come about? Network Rail and its predecessor Railtrack effectively had a blank cheque for enhancements, called the Regulatory Asset Base. They spent money, sometimes wisely, but without much heed to the costs, and ministers did not always bother to control this since they argued NR was in the private sector. True, but as the company was receiving £4billion a year from Government, it could have and should have listened more to what was being said about their efficiency, their high salaries, and arrogant approach to any criticism.
‘Gravy train’
When ministers announced the gravy train was over, and NR would come under DfT control, even then some senior directors actually believed statements by officials they would have an arm’s length relationship with the company; true, until things went wrong and direct rule would be imposed, as it has now. One issue ministers and the ORR has wrestled with over the years is how to make Network Rail more efficient. The normal way is through competition, but this is difficult with a monopoly. Instead, ministers asked NR to introduce competition between routes; they managed to fudge it in 2010, but are now doing it through a route structure with a central ‘system operator’ – and the ORR
has supported this. The idea is the company and ORR can benchmark the efficiencies of each route, and publish a league table to encourage the ‘laggards’ to do better. They believe train performance is a good metric and are setting up the necessary processes to do this from the start of the next Control Period in 2019. But is that sufficient incentive for each route to compete with each other? I suggest there is one gaping hole: why are they not benchmarking performance of enhancements or of new projects? The answer seems to be NR wishes to keep central control of all these, even to the smallest, requiring them to go through the expensive and time consuming GRIP process controlled by the Infrastructure Projects Department (IP) at the centre, thus ensuring there is no ability to compare routes’ performance.
‘Expert people’
I suggest this must be changed – and urgently. The routes have good and expert people there who know their patch; they can decide how to do enhancements or reopenings by minimising line closures and possessions, by using local contractors as appropriate and, in some cases, by allowing contractors a much greater leeway in design, supply, construction and, in some cases, finance of some new works. Contractors could also operate infrastructure for a number of years, in much the same way as rolling stock is now often bought as a package of design, build and maintain. Contractors are very keen to do this, and offer significant cost and time savings. Routes could then be benchmarked, demonstrating the efficiencies they achieve on these projects. At present, routes are required to use IP for most projects, however small. There is no negotiation on the price or timescale; they are told ‘you get what you are given, and don’t complain or the price will go up’!
IP will argue they can bring expertise and bulk buying power, but there are many examples of suppliers quoting a higher price to NR than to other customers because of the hassle factor. Why not let routes buy locally? For freight and other cross-route projects, of course there must be good co-ordination, enforced by Paul McMahon, the virtual route director, but I am sure he will do better than the present disorganised and piecemeal approach to cross-route projects.
‘Pruned or disbanded’
So my suggestion is the IP department should be drastically pruned or disbanded. Their track record is not good, and their credibility has been critically affected by the GW electrification fiasco, where the costs started at £800million and may now be beyond £4.2billion for a reduced but unspecified scope. So, giving the routes control of enhancements and new works would enable NR Centre and the ORR to benchmark the routes on performance, not only of trains on their tracks but of the maintenance, renewal and enhancements and new works on their patch. The benchmarking should include the possession times, the actual costs incurred and the outputs; with the benchmarking of train performance, the relative performance of routes would be compared on a much more comprehensive way and in a manner that really incentivises staff in the routes to perform to their maximum extend. To do this, of course, does require NR to adopt the standard method of measurement, and for the ORR to understand it. The documentation is there, albeit being introduced as slowly and unenthusiastically as is possible, but NR’s people, and the ORR, need training as to how to use it and, alongside it, populate the database of costs from previous projects in a comprehensive and consistent manner.
It is time NR and the ORR accepted we are no longer in the era of a limitless credit card; there needs to be some rigour brought into the entire system with routes given maximum freedom to do their work and be benchmarked annually on their outputs, and the IP department disbanded.
‘Highly emotive’
That should also give confidence to ministers the process is under control, and they can safely let go a little and confine their input to the output specification rather than counting sleepers, catenary masts or the number of seats in a coach. The DfT is probably as much to blame as Network Rail for this situation. Ministers and officials regularly give detailed ‘advice’ and instructions rarely allow them more money if the scope increases, but require them to take the blame. The latest and highly emotive National Audit Office (NAO) Report on the Sheffield to Rotherham tram-train project quotes a 401% increase in the budget; clearly there were Network Rail failings – they only appointed a project director several years after the project started, but the NAO rather glosses over the reported massive interference by DfT in changing the scope, and to require dual-voltage trams because the Network Rail part of the route was to be part of the ‘electric spine’! So much of this present chaos has been brought on by Network Rail’s incompetence, but with Government officials being a large part of the cause, while making sure that Network Rail takes all of the blame. With enhancements now being directly controlled by ‘experts’ in the DfT, I wonder how they will manage to blame anyone but themselves when the costs rocket and they are three years late! 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
Noisy wagon talks
STEPHEN Kerr (Stirling) asked what discussions the Department for Transport has had with Network Rail on noise and vibration pollution caused by certain types of freight wagons in use on the rail network. Transport Minister Paul Maynard said: “The department frequently holds discussions with Network Rail about the environmental impact of the railway, including measures to mitigate noise and vibration. “More widely, the UK has also been involved in discussions with the European Commission and other EU member states about proposed changes to the technical specifications for interoperability that deals with noise and how this might apply
to freight wagons. These discussions are still ongoing.”
Rail ombudsman
CATHERINE West (Hornsey and Wood Green) asked how plans are progressing to establish a passenger ombudsman for rail ticketing and pricing. Paul Maynard replied: “I have been leading discussions with industry and consumer bodies about introducing a rail ombudsman that would improve the passenger voice in rail and provide independent binding resolution of complaints. “Work on the detail of the scheme, which is being developed by a task force that includes the Rail Delivery Group, Transport Focus, London TravelWatch and
12 • The Railway Magazine • August 2017
the Office of Rail and Road, is progressing, and I anticipate being in a position to provide a further update on its work by the end of the summer.”
Disabled progress
JUSTIN Tomlinson (North Swindon) asked if progress was being made to improve access to rail stations for disabled people. Paul Maynard said: “We are committed to improving accessibility of the rail network. “Currently, 70 per cent of train fleets operating passenger services meet modern accessibility standards, up from just 39 per cent as at January 2011, with the remaining vehicles due to be either upgraded or replaced by January 1, 2020. “We are continuing to improve
station access through the Access for All programme and other major projects such as Thameslink and Crossrail. By 2019 at least 75 per cent of all journeys will be from stations with step-free access.”
HS2 consultation
ED Miliband (Doncaster North) asked how many responses were received during the HS2 Crewe to Manchester, West Midlands to Leeds: Route Refinement Consultation 2016. Paul Maynard replied: “Following the conclusion of the consultation, the consultation responses are being processed. “We are committed to responding to this consultation before the end of the year.”