Railways Illustrated January 2024

There can be no disguising it – the Government’s U-turn on the proposals for mass ticket office closures at almost 1000 railway stations is an embarrassing climbdown, no matter how much Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper tried to paint it as a directive to the train operators who had fronted the proposals, alongside the Rail Delivery Group. The decision to not proceed and the way it was announced by Mr Harper was clearly designed to make it look like the train operators were behind the move, when they were simply implementing a process largely driven by directives from the Department for Transport. By intimating it was down to the TOCs allows the politicians to distance themselves from what has been proven to be a hugely controversial and unpopular…

A CONTROVERSIAL plan to close almost 1000 railway ticket offices was sensationally scrapped by Transport Secretary Mark Harper on October 31, after Transport Focus and London TravelWatch – responsible for analysing the responses to the public consultation – said they were formally objecting to all of the proposals put forward by a number of train operating companies. Announcing his decision just after the two organisations published their objections, Mr Harper said: “The consultation on ticket offices has now ended, with the Government making clear to the rail industry throughout the process that any resulting proposals must meet a high threshold of serving passengers. “We have engaged with accessibility groups throughout and listened carefully to passengers, as well as my colleagues in Parliament. The proposals that have resulted from this process…

A SIGNIFICANT financial loss and other commercial factors has led to DB Cargo consulting with ASLEF in relation to the possibility of reducing its train crew resource by approximately 10%. In a statement issued to DBC staff by chief executive officer Andrea Rossi, he said: “Despite our recent and ongoing efforts to improve our operations, financial efficiency and profitability, regrettably we remain on course to report yet another significant loss this year. Significant softening of some of our core markets, our recent exit from some unprofitable contracts, and loss of business to our competitors means we are running over 25% fewer trains every week – but with the same level of resources. “Our costs have also increased exponentially over the past 18 months due to external factors like the invasion…

Greater Anglia and Network Rail have created a virtual tour of Liverpool Street station to support journey planning and provide a clear guide to the station, helping reduce anxiety to passengers about how they will navigate the station before they travel, as well as supporting disabled users looking for accessible routes. 360-degree photography guides users around the station, while aerial photographs and an interactive map show the location of facilities in relation to each other. The virtual tour shows users how to reach public areas, including the main concourse, toilets, information point, customer lounge, ticket machines, platforms, taxi rank and bus stops. Chiltern Railways has installed British Sign Language screens at London Marylebone, Birmingham Moor Street, Banbury and Leamington Spa stations to provide up-to-date passenger information and foster a more…

SPANISH TRAIN builder Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) has been awarded the €500 million contract to provide a fleet of 10 tri-mode trains for London North Eastern Railway. Although further technical information has not yet been released, CAF says the trains will be based on its Civity UK design and fitted with state-of-the-art safety technology, along with the most stringent requirements in interior design and comfort. A date for their introduction into service with LNER will be made in the future. The 10-coach trains will be assembled at CAF’s Newport facility in South Wales. They will be capable of operating on overhead electrification, battery, or diesel power, and LNER said that their introduction will provide a reduction in emissions, particulates, and noise and vibration pollution. The fleet will also lower…

JUST 10 days short of the first anniversary of the withdrawal of services on the Bedford to Bletchley Marston Vale line, passengers were finally able to travel on the route again from November 20. Train services on the 16-mile route have been reintroduced by London Northwestern Railway on a limited morning and afternoon peak time weekday basis, pending the introduction of a full timetable in the New Year following completion of driver training on the Class 150/1 diesel multiple units now used on the line. At times when train services are not operating on the route during the week and at weekends, a rail replacement bus service will continue to serve the 12 stations along the line. The initial service will feature four trains a day in each direction – two…