International & UK Railway News Saturday 8th February 2014

 Total Railway News

 

 


What to do about Dawlish? is the question on everyone's lips ... An urgent repair costing millions does not detract from the need for a long term solution to a challenging line buffeted by the vagaries of winter (and summer) storms. The solution will be a difficult one....and end up pleasing nobody, probably.


The Dawlish issues seem to be echoed in an item "Avoid an infrastructure disaster with transportation reforms, former elected officials warn. "


And how much easier it is to make announcements such as Rail service from Swansea to Heathrow announced and New Nottingham tram lines to open in December . Or to enjoy the achievement
of completing a tunnel..Tunnel completed on Madrid-Levante high-speed line.


Its not all good news though. An accident in the southern French Alps, when a boulder derailed a tourist train, killing two....


Read on..

Headlines


French Alps: Rock derails Nice to Digne-les-Bains train. (BBC News) New


Avoid an infrastructure disaster with transportation reforms, former elected officials warn. (UPI)  New


Latest Calif. high-speed rail plan predicts slight dip in cost, more ridership. (The Fresno Bee)
New

How do you fix the Dawlish problem? (BBC News)


UK floods: Southern UK set for gales and more rain (BBC News)


Anger at environment chief in flood-hit Somerset (BBC News)


Northern Hub £600m rail work starts at Manchester Airport (BBC News)


Rail service from Swansea to Heathrow announced (BBC News)


New Nottingham tram lines to open in December (Global Rail News)


Video: Bechtel’s Lego TBM (Global Rail News)


Tunnel completed on Madrid-Levante high-speed line (Global Rail News)


Don’t Jump on the High-Speed Train Just Yet (Intercollegiate Review)


The Great Gathering: a remarkable reunion of locomotives and boilers.(NRM) New






Vacancies | North Yorkshire Moors Railway :: Staff and volunteer site(NYMR)


Events calendar « West Somerset Railway (WSR)




New

SPONSOR A TON OF STONE
AND GET THE TRAINS RUNNING AGAIN

We have a problem! One of the major earthworks on the Wensleydale Railway has suffered a serious landslip. Many hundreds of tons of stone will be needed to repair the problem, and until it is fixed, the trains cannot run to Leyburn and Redmire.

The cost of this work will approach £100,000, and £10 will buy a ton of stone and get us closer to completing the job. Can you help?
Donate at http://www.charitychoice.co.uk/wensleydale-railway-trust-ltd/appeals/akebar-embankment-appeal-2014/307

Thank you.

UK Mainline Steam Schedule

Railway Herald - Railtours

Listing offered in good faith. No guarantees offered or implied.
Please confirm runnings with operators.
Please observe Network Rail photographic guidelines.Thank you.

Friday 14th February 2014

Valentines Dinner Express (Vintage Trains)

• 4965 Tyseley Warwick Road (pu) - Birmingham Moor Street (pu) - Birmingham Snow Hill (pu) - Smethwick Galton Bridge - Stourbridge Junction - Kidderminster (pu) - Worcester Shrub Hill - Cheltenham Spa - Gloucester (break/rev) & return

Saturday 15th February 2014

The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express (Railway Touring Company)

• 86259 London Euston (pu) - Watford Junction (pu) - Milton Keynes Central (pu) Northampton (by service train to Rugby) - Rugby - Nuneaton - Crewe (pu) - Preston - Carnforth
• 70013 Carnforth - Shap - Penrith - Carlisle
• 70013 Carlisle - Appleby - S&C - Hellifield - Blackburn - Preston
• 86259 Preston - Crewe (sd) - Nuneaton (sd) - Rugby (sd) - Northampton (by service train from Rugby) - Milton Keynes Central (sd) - Watford Junction (sd) - London Euston

Shrewsbury & The Welsh Borders (West Coast Railway Company)

• WCRC Class 47 (Pair) St. Neots (pu) - Huntingdon (pu) - Peterborough (pu) - Grantham (pu) - Newark Northgate (pu) - Retford (pu) - Doncaster (pu) - Crewe
• To be confirmed Crewe - Chester - Wrexham - Gobowen - Shrewsbury (break/rev) Shrewsbury - Whitchurch - Crewe
• WCRC Class 47 (Pair) Crewe - Doncaster (sd) - Retford (sd) - Newark Northgate (sd) - Grantham (sd) - Peterborough (sd) - Huntingdon (sd) - St. Neots

 
Videos from the 1/2/14 running of the Cumbrian Mountain Express
(Thanks to 981smithy and Stephen G Thompson)




GOV.UK


UK winter storms 2014: government response - News stories - GOV.UK New

Information and advice from government departments and agencies about the winter storms causing disruption to parts of the UK.


On Friday afternoon, Prime Minister David Cameron visited Somerset to see the impact of the floods and meet local residents, farmers and emergency teams.

Dawlish

A section of the railway, adjacent road and the sea wall has been destroyed by the sea, washing away the foundations on which the track was built. There is also severe damage to the track and platforms at Dawlish station.
The line between Exeter and Plymouth will remain closed until further notice. The train operator First Great Western is procuring additional road coaches to deliver a more robust replacement service.

Somerset

Military personnel, mostly Royal Marines, are helping by deploying sandbags and improving flood defences. They have now moved to Moorland where they are using 2 Pinzgauer tracked vehicles to help evacuate 140 properties. Military planners are working with relevant agencies at a range of locations to scope what further support the military can offer.
The Environment Agency continues to work day and night, alongside the emergency services and other local specialist agencies to get communities ready for the bad weather. They are running the biggest pumping operation ever seen on the Somerset Levels, with around 2.9 million tonnes of water being pumped out every day – that’s the equivalent of 3 Wembley Stadiums.
Specialist pumping equipment has been ordered to clear roads, in addition to the extra pumps government has already sent, and they will keep looking at all options for pumping and dredging. But no amount of pumping will solve the current problem completely because the land is so saturated, so dredging will start as soon as the waters recede enough for it to be safe to do so.
In addition, demountable flood defences and sandbags are being given out and the Agency continues to clear waterways to ensure as many properties as possible are protected.
Work has already begun on an action plan to deliver robust defences against floods in Somerset over the next 20 years.


Transport Secretary visits Dawlish in south-west   New


Patrick McLoughlin visited Dawlish today (7 February 2014) to see for himself the impact of recent bad weather on the rail network.


Following work with transport providers operating in the south-west the Transport Secretary was able confirm additional flights and cheaper train fares, steps that will help keep people moving in the region.
Speaking after his visit to Dawlish and his meeting at Plymouth City Council with MPs, councils, and business representatives, Patrick McLoughlin said:

The most immediate concern is to get the line at Dawlish back up and running as soon as possible. I have seen the site first hand and discussed with Network Rail how this work will get underway. Dealing with the impact of the storms is difficult and dangerous work and I am grateful to the people working to keep our roads and railways clear, to the emergency services and volunteers.
I also met with south-west MPs, councils and business leaders to assess the impact of the severe weather on the region’s transport networks and economy. As well as tackling the current problems and getting cheaper train fares for passengers to reflect the disruption to services, I have said that I want to look at the longer term resilience of the south-west’s rail links and I have commissioned a report to do just that.

In the meantime, with replacement bus and coach services running, trains operating on local branch lines, and increased capacity in flights from Newquay, it’s important for the region’s economy that people understand the south-west is open for business.

The Transport Secretary today (7 Febuary 2014) announced that, as a result of discussions, Flybe is more than doubling the number of flights available on the air route between Newquay and London Gatwick.
Flybe will increase the number of flights from 3 to 6 per weekday which will provide over 4,500 additional extra seats per week.
This additional capacity will help alleviate some of the pressures on existing overland routes and maintain this vital connection for business and leisure travellers.
In addition, rail operator First Great Western (FGW) has put in place special ticketing arrangements so that rail passengers who are affected by flood disruption do not miss out on cheaper advance fares while revised timetables are put in place.
This means that passengers will receive a 25% discount on walk-up fares for journeys that cross the Dawlish gap.
FGW has confirmed it will be offering discounted fares to customers travelling on its services affected by the closure of the railway at Dawlish.
FGW has ordered hundreds of buses to provide alternative transport between the two cities while the track is repaired.
Volunteers from other areas of the business, who have been supporting FGW’s efforts to keep customers moving in the area, are expected to be joined by colleagues from other FirstGroup rail companies throughout the UK over the weekend.
A 25% discount will apply to all walk-up fares - including Any time, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets - for journeys that pass through the affected area and will remain in place until the line reopens.
Advance Purchase fares will also be reintroduced on the route for combined bus and rail fares from Wednesday next week (12 February 2014). The company has been unable to offer Advance Purchase tickets – which are tied to specific trains - since Wednesday, as they were unable to guarantee which trains would be running.

Find out what else the government is doing to support and grow the UK economy



First Great Western Trains at London Paddington

First Great Western Managing Director, Mark Hopwood said:

We recognise that this work will mean customers are inconvenienced and journey times are likely to take longer than normal as we look at alternative ways of getting customers to where they need to go. We want our prices to reflect that.

No-one should lose out because of this. FGW’s promise is that anyone who has been unable to purchase an Advance Purchase ticket because they were removed from the system and paid more than they would have done normally, will be reimbursed the difference.