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OFFICIALS from the Department for Transport have admitted they thought the Virgin Trains East Coast franchise bid had very ambitious growth predictions. The admission came during the latest round of evidence being given to the Transport Select Committee over the failure of the VTEC franchise. Simon Smith, director of passenger services at the DfT, told…

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By Quintus Vosman SPANISH train manufacturer CAF has started testing of the new five-car, high-speed Class 397 EMU TransPennine Express, which will be branded as ‘Nova 2’. The tests are being held at Velim test centre in the Czech Republic, also known as ‘Velim circuit’, and started on July 3 using the small test ring.…

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by Keith Fender GETLINK (the new corporate name for Eurotunnel ) revealed in July it had undertaken studies looking at ‘low-cost’ ‘international rail routes through the Channel Tunnel. The work was carried out by consulting firm Roland Berger, with some British newspapers reporting such services might begin ‘soon’. The consultants report suggests international operators could use the French…

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THE investigation by the Office of Rail and Rod (ORR) into the problems caused to passengers of Govia Thameslink and Northern has begun. The ORR has appointed Dame Deirdre Hutton, Mike Brown, Anne Heal and Michael Beswick as the expert panel of advisers for the inquiry, which will be led by ORR chairman Professor Stephen…

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WEST Midlands CAF-built ‘Urbos3’ tram No. 31 has been give a new look. Carrying West Midlands Metro branding, it is finished in two-tone blue vinyls and is seen at Wednesbury Parkway on July 18, its third day in this livery. The tram is one of four fitted with batteries to work non-energised sections. The remaining 20…

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SCOTRAIL launched its new Hitachi Class 385 EMUs into squadron services from Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley via Falkirk High on July 24 after a number of delays. Driver and unions are happy now the curved windscreen has been replaced by a flat design, with the sets having been safety approved by the ORR.…

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THE first of 665 ‘Aventra’ vehicles for Greater Anglia is approaching completion at Bombardier’s Litchurch Lane works in Derby. Several cars were well advanced on the production line in late-June, alongside Class 345 and Class 710 EMUs for Crossrail and London Overground. Closest to completion was five-car set No. 720503, the third of 89 sets…

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By Cliff Thomas THE recent heat wave which saw Porthmadog named as the hottest place in Britain produced problems for Welsh narrow gauge lines. By far the worst affected was Vale of Rheidol Railway (VoR), which had to halt operations on June 28 when a major hillside fire broke out in the Rheidol Valley. VoR…

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