News

THE 57km-(35.4miles) long Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) was formally opened on June 12, amid major celebrations by the Swiss government. World’s longest rail tunnel opens under the Alps The first train comes out of the tunnel’s north portal near Erstfeld, Switzerland, on June 1, the opening day of the Gotthard rail tunnel. LAURENT GILLIERON/KEYSTONE VIA…

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A NEW £12million footbridge opened at Lincoln High Street on June 24 to provide access across the railway when the level crossing barriers are down. Lincoln’s new footbridge opens The crossing had been the site of many incidents of pedestrians wanting to avoid delay, risking their lives as the barriers were dropping. Pedestrians had been…

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On June 30, GWR made history by running the first Class 800 IEP with passengers on it. FIRST GWR CLASS 800 UNVEILED Set No. 800004 ran from Reading to Paddington carrying the Transport Minister and special guests. One driving car has been named Sir Daniel Gooch, the other Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Full story and more…

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WEST Coast Railway Company (WCRC) has been found guilty for its role in last year’s near catastrophic signal passed at danger incident at Wootton Basset. £200k fine as West Coast pleads guilty to safety breaches How we first reported the now infamous SPAD at Wooton Bassett Junction in the May 2015 issue. The charter train…

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GREAT Northern Railway (Ireland) ‘V’ class 4-4-0 No. 85 Merlin was given the honour of hauling a special Royal Train carrying Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh during their two-day visit to Northern Ireland. Royal honour for GNR(I) Merlin The 1932-built locomotive, which is in the care of the…

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THE derailment of a GWR two-car DMU at Paddington on June 16 caused travel chaos for thousands of passengers over several days. Paddington SPAD leads to huge knock-on effect for passengers Where unit No. 166124 came to rest after the SPAD at Paddington on June 16. PICTURES: NETWORK RAIL/TWITTER Unit No. 166124 was working the…

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Abbey Line Community Rail Partnership Officer 21 hours/week Salary £25,694 pro rata (SCP 29) Based at Watford Junction station Abbey Line Community Rail Partnership Officer Do you want to play a key role in securing the long-term future of a vital branch line with over 150 years of history? Can you enthuse local people and…

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HITACHI’S Class 800 IEP has broken new ground, after set No. 800002 worked from Acton to Stoke Gifford, where it will be used as part of the depot commissioning process in the same way it did at North Pole. IEP debut in Bristol and on Hitachi test track Meanwhile, up at the Hitachi manufacturing base…

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EUROSTAR has announced it plans to start services from London to Amsterdam from December 2017 using its new Class 374 ‘Velaro e320’ trains, which are being built by Siemens, at Krefeld, in Germany. More routes for Eurostar New Class 374 train led by 374 011 after arrival from Paris at St Pancras on April 11.…

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