FREIGHT and passenger operators across the northeast of the United States are endeavouring to assess damage left by Hurricane Sandy and restore train services where possible.
BOMBARDIER today broke ground on the construction of a new bogie production site in Siegen, Germany.
THE German Federal Ministry for Transport and DB Networks have finalised a financing agreement for the second stage of reconstruction and remodelling at Halle station.
THE first of two inquiries into flaws discovered in the evaluation of bids for Britain's InterCity West Coast (ICWC) franchise commissioned by transport secretary Mr Patrick McLoughlin has published its initial findings.
www.progressiverailroading.com US Railroad News
Northeast storm update: The aftereffects for freight railroads, ports
East Coast passenger railroads work to restore service after massive storm
BNSF, Illinois officials commemorate completion of Galesburg grade separation
Indiana Northeastern opens new locomotive maintenance facility
Sound Transit awards construction management contract for Northgate Link project
Nation needs more reliable transportation to and from ports, Rendell says
Canada awards another 'early works' contract for Evergreen Line
Rail supplier updates from Miner, Bombardier, Siemens, CTC, Cubic and New York Air Brake (Oct. 30)
www.railway-technology.com Updates
New South Wales shortlists three groups for rail tunneling project The New South Wales (NSW) Government in Australia has shortlisted three groups for the design and construction of 15.5km of tunnels for the A$8bn ($7.96bn) North West Rail Link (NWRL) in Sydney, Australia.
New York transport system crippled by Hurricane Sandy
The arrival of Hurricane Sandy on the US East Coast on Monday evening has caused chaos across the New York rail transport system.
Crossrail shortlists three companies for Ilford yard stabling project
Crossrail has shortlisted Balfour Beatty, Vinci and Volker Fitzpatrick to submit bids for its £45m Ilford yard stabling project in the UK.
New York rail services close as Hurricane Sandy approaches
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York, US, has suspended rail services in the region to prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, a tropical cyclone that has passed through the Caribbean and is about to hit the US East Coast.
Plus more stories at...
Shedmaster Railway News
...including railwaygazette.com - LAOS: Vientiane has agreed to accept US$7bn of loans from China to restart construction of the stalled 420 km north-south railway linking the capital to China’s Yunnan province.
World Heritage & Railway News
youtube.com - With our magnificent steam engines, beautiful rural stations and smartly uniformed staff, a visit to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is like taking a step back in time.
eastlancsrailway.org.uk - The final diesel event of 2012(3 November 2012). Join us for an all diesel timetable starring stunningly restored and maintained locomotives from the East Lancashire Railways own home fleet.
Railway Engineering News
Including...
The independent inquiry into the Department for Transport’s handling of the franchise competition to run the West Coast Main Line has submitted an initial findings report to Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.
Christian Wolmar...... (30th October 2012)
When ministers have digested the excellent Laidlaw report into the West Coast franchising fiasco, (at http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/laidlaw-report/laidlaw-report.pdf), there will be an awful grinding of teeth. It really does not seem to give a way out of the franchising dilemma and the question of ‘what the hell do we do now’ must hang in the air.
Laidlaw identifies a variety of factors that led to the collapse of the deal. He cites complexity, lack of planning and shortage of resources – exacerbated by cuts in both in house and consultant numbers – as contributory factors. Crucially the problem arose because of the desire of ministers to get rid of the relatively crude cap and collar arrangements and replace them with a more complex set of criteria designed to ensure that companies did not make super profits merely because of a buoyant economy or went bust in the event of a recession. As I have written in this week’s Rail magazine, it seems that either long term franchises are dead or passing on revenue risk is dead. It seems impossible to keep both and have a coherent franchising process. Given that the Richard Brown review will be allowed to make any suggestions apart from renationalisation, I suspect that concessions like the London Overground deal for at least some franchises will be suggested, but this will greatly displease my friends at ATOC who like the idea of possibly making unlimited profits out of their contracts.
Transport for London (TfL)
Latest Bond film, Skyfall, filmed on the Tube.
- The New Bus for London also makes an appearance
Skyfall, the 23rd film in the Bond series, was filmed in part in London and includes an action sequence on the Tube. The iconic new bus for London also makes an appearance, filmed driving down Whitehall.
It is one of the biggest film productions ever to be filmed on the Tube, with over 450 cast and crew filming at Charing Cross station over several weeks earlier this year.
Classic film
The Tube has proved to be a key location for films set in London including Harry Potter, Bourne Ultimatum and horror classic American Werewolf in London all featuring scenes on the Tube.Over recent years the disused platforms at Charing Cross and Aldwych stations have proved popular with film makers who are able to take advantage of a site that mirrors a busy Tube network but with the benefit of not disrupting the running of the railway.
Kate Reston, Head of London Underground Film Office, said: 'The Tube has been an integral location for film making in London for over eighty years from Hitchcock's first talking film, Blackmail, through to Skyfall.
'Nothing identifies a location as being in London quicker than the inclusion of an Underground station or train.
'It's a unique and instantly recognisable backdrop and is recognised around the world and instantly the viewer knows that it's in London.
'Skyfall was one of the biggest productions that I've had the pleasure to be involved in.
Station stars
'Though filming took place over the course of several weeks, months of preparation work with the production team preceded it, a culmination of nearly a year's work.'It is not the first time that the Tube has featured in a Bond film.
Die another Day (2002) featured a scene at a disused station but actually the film makers built the set based on a visit to Aldwych station.
LU will be celebrating its 150th anniversary next year and it has always played a hugely important role in the success of London - from the growth of the early network which led to the expansion of the suburbs in the last century through to today's system, which successfully moved record numbers of people during the Queen's Jubilee and London 2012 Games.
All revenue generated from filming on the Tube is reinvested back into the transport network.
Notes:
Films that have used the Tube include:
- Passport to Pimlico (1949)
- Alfie (1966)
- An American Werewolf in London (1981)
- Sliding Doors (1998)
- The End of the Affair (1999)
- Billy Elliot (2000)
- Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
- 28 Days Later (2002)
- V for Vendetta (2005)
- Creep (2005)
- The Good Shepherd (2006)
- 28 Weeks Later (2007)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
- Atonement (2007)
- The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
- The Edge of Love (2008)
- The Escapist (2008)
- The Hereafter (2010)
- Attack the Block (2011)
- Skyfall (2012)
In 2013 London Underground (LU), the world's first underground railway, will celebrate 150 years since the very first Tube journey took place between Paddington and Farringdon on the Metropolitan Railway. To mark this occasion, LU - working in partnership with London Transport Museum - will be organising a huge range of events and activities during the rest of this year and throughout 2013. The events will explore the Tube's fascinating history and also look at the vital role it will continue to play in the future - both in the lives of Londoners and to the economic life of London and the UK .
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