News

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…

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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.…

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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…

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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…

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By Keith Fender 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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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