Editor’s Intro

There must be a much better way to procure and commission rolling stock…

by

Sam Hewitt

–

6th February 2019

A QUESTION I find myself asking rather too often is: ‘Would the rolling stock crisis that is badly affecting the industry have occurred on BR’s watch?’ In excess of 22 Class 345 Crossrail EMUs – more than 200 carriages – are currently stabled at Old Oak Common, standing idle because of the delays and cost…
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Genuine rail freight terminal or warehouses with seldom-used sidings?

by

Sam Hewitt

–

2nd January 2019

HAS anyone else noticed the large number of rail freight terminals in the Midlands which are under construction or in planning stages? At junction 15 on the M1, developers are aiming to construct five million sq ft of warehousing in what is called the Northampton Gateway Rail Freight Interchange on a wedge of land between…
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Waterloo incident is a wake-up call

by

Sam Hewitt

–

5th December 2018

THIRTY years ago, on December 12, 1988, a busy commuter train ran into the back of another packed train, which had stopped at a red signal outside Clapham Junction. Moments later a third train hit the wreckage. It was a catastrophe in which 35 people lost their lives and 484 were injured. It’s a day…
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Heaping more misery on fed-up passengers…

by

Sam Hewitt

–

7th November 2018

HAVING prompted readers to make comments, and just three weeks after the public consultation period ended, the Department for Transport has pulled the plug on one of the most crucial franchise renewals – CrossCountry. But what happens to those consultation comments? Will they be seen by future prospective franchisees or quietly lost? By claiming the…
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MESSAGE TO MR GRAYLING: Passengers need improvement now – not in two years’ time

by

Sam Hewitt

–

4th October 2018

THE announcement that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has ordered a Rail Review comes as no surprise. It’s been very much overdue, given the increasing list of problems affecting passengers. The Transport Select Committee (TSC) announced back in April – based upon evidence given in February – that in its view the franchising model was ‘broken’…
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Radical reform for operators and passengers cannot come soon enough

by

Sam Hewitt

–

5th September 2018

IT’S been another summer of discontent for rail passengers. Strikes because of industrial disputes over driver-only operation are still affecting four train operators. Timetables remain in a mess on several routes, with passengers having to wait up to an hour for a through train to their destination. Electrification projects still lag behind schedule. Cancellations because…
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The annual invasion of Buddleja Davidii

by

Sam Hewitt

–

2nd August 2018

TRAVELLING into Birmingham New Street last month, I was shocked at the abundance of vegetation alongside the track around Grand Junction. Particularly prevalent was buddleia (Buddleja Davidii), an invasive plant which spreads easily if left unchecked. On the approach to New Street – and as far back as Washwood Heath – were hundreds of yards…
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Another nice mess you’ve gotten into

by

Sam Hewitt

–

4th July 2018

IN the past six weeks we’ve seen a shambolic start to the new summer timetable with thousands of passengers unable to travel because of a lack of trained drivers, overcrowded services, while others were written out of a hastily revised timetable. The Lake District branch to Windermere, a major tourist area at this time of…
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Not the best month for railways

by

Sam Hewitt

–

12th June 2018

IT’S BEEN a bad month for our railways. In fact a very bad month, with so much adverse publicity stemming from a variety of problems – some of them self-inflicted. The big news was the Government’s decision to pull the plug on the Virgin/Stagecoach joint operation of the East Coast franchise, reverting to state control…
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Surplus trains could form a niche fleet

by

Sam Hewitt

–

3rd May 2018

IN THE August 2016 issue of The RM we reported around 35 miles of siding space was needed to store the carriages being made redundant by new trains. Further new train orders, coupled with the fact greater weighting is given by DfT to franchise bids involving new trains, has increased the uncertainty of existing and…
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