Trackside
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TRANSPENNINE Express took delivery of its first ‘Civity’ Class 397 five-car EMU on December 4. They are being built in Beasain, Spain, by CAF, with 12 sets having been ordered. They will replace the Class 350/4 EMUs currently used on Manchester to Glasgow/Edinburgh services. They are being branded ‘Nova 2’ by TPE. Set No. 397003 –…
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A CROSS-PARTY committee of MPs has severely criticised train operators, Network Rail, the DfT, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and the complex structure of the rail industry in a scathing report on last May’s timetable chaos, which affected around 20% of UK rail users. “The statistics cannot do justice to the severe effects on people’s lives,”…
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UNIT testing/driver training of three Vivarail Class 230 DMU sets on the London Northwestern’s Marston Vale line has taken place under the cover of darkness – despite the planned introduction in December being deferred until the New Year. However, sporadic daylight runs began on November 13, and unit No. 230003 is seen passing Ridgmont with 5T52,…
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THE massive task to repaint Virgin’s fleet of 56 nine- and 11-car Class 390 ‘Pendolino’ EMUs has passed the halfway point at the beginning of November. The work is being carried out at Alstom’s recently opened Widnes modernisation facility, each ‘Pendolino’ taking two weeks to strip down and repaint. Minor repairs and defects to the…
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By Tony Miles NORTHERN has formally unveiled the first two trains in its new £500million fleet which it says “will set new standards for customers using local rail in the north of England”. The sets were unveiled by Northern managing director David Brown and Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry at Edge Hill depot, Liverpool, in…
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SOUTH Western Railway’s (SWR) first refurbished Class 444 EMU has returned to service with additional seating capacity and high-quality improvements to passenger accommodation. The refurbishment and reconfiguration of the train is part of SWR’s £50million ‘Desiro’ interior upgrade programme. It is being delivered by Siemens, the company which built the units from 2002. All 45…
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Logistics lobby group the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has criticised what it believes are the ‘mixed signals’ being received by the rail freight sector from the Government and the Office of Rail and Road. While there is good news for rail in the confirmation of increased funding for Network Rail’s next Control Period in 2019-24,…
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FOUR heritage Network Rail signalboxes were abolished at the end of their signallers’ shifts on October 20, in the final phase of the West Yorkshire Resignalling Scheme, reports Richard Horner. The scheme is part of the Great North Rail Project, with the first phase, completed in January, leading to the closure of post-war Huddersfield and…
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WORK is underway at Dawlish in Devon to repair four breakwaters which help to protect the west of England main line from the force of waves. The work is being undertaken with the help of ‘world-leading engineers’ in coastal, tunnel, cliff and railway engineering, and is expected to take six months. Expert engineering teams from…
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THE Railway Heritage Trust (RHT) supported 65 restoration and conservation projects during 2017/18, with grants worth £2.15million. Further partnership funding from organisations, including the Department for Transport, the Scottish Government, train operators, local authorities, private companies and community groups, added another £2.9m across the country. Of the 69 grants awarded by the RHT in 2017/18,…
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