News

AROUND 15,000 Network Rail engineers and contractors were expected to work around the clock delivering improvements and repairs at more than 400 locations across Britain over the Easter weekend. In total, around £118million was due to be spent on major projects, including NR’s biggest resignalling scheme in Bristol, further preparations for Crossrail on the Great…

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PAN-regional transport partnership Midlands Connect has called for greater investment in the region’s railways to match the growth ambitions of its towns, cities and businesses. Maria Machancoses, of Midlands Connect, in giving evidence to the Transport Select Committee’s inquiry into rail infrastructure investment, said all available statistics show Government investment in railways outside London lags…

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PROPOSALS to transform Bradford’s city centre transport interchange as part of the Northern Powerhouse Rail project could boost the city’s economy by £15billion, according to economic analyst GENECON. A redeveloped rail/road interchange could also help to boost the economy of the Leeds City Region by up to £15bn by 2060, if Bradford becomes part of…

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A NEW waiting room, modern toilets, a coffee shop and a microbrewery will open at Lincoln Central this summer as part of a £2million improvement scheme. The programme has already delivered a new cycle hub, refurbished roof, station forecourt and car park entrance, and work is now focusing on the restoration of the Grade-II listed…

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THE Department for Transport has granted Network Rail permission to proceed with the much-delayed scheme to increase capacity on the Hope Valley route in Derbyshire. The upgrade will start in 2019 and take up to three years, after which it will be possible to increase fast Sheffield to Manchester trains from two to three per…

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AN EXPANDED station, additional tracks and new flyover junctions to increase capacity at East Croydon have moved a step closer after Network Rail secured Government funding to design the remodelling scheme. The project is the central element of NR’s Brighton Main Line upgrade, designed to deliver major improvements in punctuality and capacity between London, Gatwick…

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A THREE-year project involving IoM Railways staff and volunteers to restore 1898-vintage Manx Electric Railway (MER) ‘Ratchet Car’ No. 14 will come to fruition in time for the September 1-8 125th anniversary of the MER celebrations. The project is the first time volunteers and MER in-house engineers have worked together on rolling stock restoration. Volunteers…

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JAMES Evans’ ex-Dinorwic Hunslet 0-4-0ST Velinheli is now at Ffestiniog Railway’s Boston Lodge works, where a new boiler will be constructed. The move follows Velinheli’s appearance at London King’s Cross station in February as part of a FR promotion. Mr Evans has owned Velinheli since 1965 and wants the firebox to be of traditional flanged…

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THE Statfold Narrow Gauge Trust (SNGT) was inaugurated during a grand opening of the reconstructed museum building (The Roundhouse) at Statfold Barn Railway on March 10. Steps towards formation of a trust began last year (RM April 2017) with SNGT securing the future of the unique collection assembled at Statfold by Graham Lee. SNGT trustees…

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THE so-called ‘Beast from the East’ weather front and the subsequent arrival of Storm Emma hit Iarnród Éireann-Irish Rail (IÉ) services hard in early March, with numerous cancellations across the network. As the freezing temperatures and snow settled in on February 28, IÉ cancelled afternoon and evening services between Dublin Connolly and Maynooth, while trains…

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