The Railway Chronicle: International & UK Railway News Saturday 1st March 2014

Keeping the railways running is a 24/7operation..so the Network Rail time lapse video of the Dawlish repairs, and the accompanying notes of progress in the other hard hit areas will be worth noting.

And the announcement of a new Railcard (in the UK) will no doubt add to the growing numbers using the railways.

Meanwhile, trouble is brewing on the London Underground...the very mention of driverless trains upsets the unions involved. So watch this space.
Talking of not wanted space, Brompton Road Tube Station has been sold for £53 million..
And Michael Portillo introduces new trainsets for the Tube....

In the US, arguments for and against high speed rail are being rehearsed regularly, now that the USHSR conference is in the recent past... Await developments, as they say..........

Read On.....

Headlines.......

Does Upstate New York need high-speed rail? Rep. Dan Maffei wants your opinion.(syracuse.com)

Capitol Alert video: Jerry Brown expanding plan for high-speed rail.(Fresno Bee)

High-Speed Rail is a Key to U.S. Economic Competitiveness.(Mobility Lab)

High-speed trains in India viable after 10 years’ (Economic Times)

CSR Zhuzhou eyes KL-S'pore high-speed link.(astroAWANI)

Michael Portillo introduces TfL's new hi-tech trains (TfL on YouTube)

Broadcaster and train enthusiast Michael Portillo introduces TfL's new rolling stock of S-Stock trains- the most modern, streamlined and air-conditioned Tube train, now running on the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan line. Coming soon to the District line.

TfL advertises £16bn contract for driverless Tube trains.(London Evening Standard)

Union anger over driverless Tube train plans.(BBC News)

London's Brompton Road Tube station sold for £53m.(BBC News)

Extra £5m for Colwyn Bay flood protection.(BBC News)

Experts back a light rail link to Glasgow Airport.(heraldscotland)

Bucks HS2 station plans shelved.(Bucks Free Press)

£130m plan could see direct superfast trains to London from Cleethorpes and Grimsby.(Grimsby Telegraph)

Railway accident affects 57,000 passengers on day 1 of holiday.(Focus Taiwan)

Network Rail

Latest news

Dawlish

Work is well underway to repair the 100m of railway and sea wall destroyed in two February storms at Dawlish. We are aiming to reopen the line at Dawlish, linking Exeter with Newton Abbot and the West, in mid-April.
More information.

Hampshire

Work to rebuild the railway at one of the worst landslips ever seen on the network in Botley is well underway with over two kilometers of access road built. Portsmouth to London Waterloo trains are diverted with buses serving stations from Fareham to Eastleigh.
We aim to re-open the line which links Fareham with Eastleigh in mid-March. Go to southwesttrains.co.uk for full travel information.

Kent

The Tunbridge Wells to Hastings line remains shut following several major landslips. We estimate reopening the line in early March.

Maidenhead - Twyford (Flooding at Waltham)

Main line services are operating normally through Maidenhead on the Great Western main line with local services returning to a normal timetable, although speed restrictions remain in place through the area as a result of the continued groundwater flooding that will delay some services.

Midland Main Line (Sheffield - Chesterfield)

One of the two tracks through Unstone near Chesterfield is blocked because of a landslip. We estimate around 4 - 6 weeks to finish repairs.
This means some services on routes in the Sheffield and Chesterfield areas will take longer than usual and there will be some service cancellations with those trains that are running diverted via Barrow Hill. An hourly direct service between Sheffield and London will be maintained.
We're monitoring the north line which is currently unaffected.

Somerset Levels

The line from Taunton to Bristol (near Bridgwater) remains under several feet of water.
A shuttle service between Bristol Temple Meads and Weston-Super-Mare / Bridgwater is in operation.
Video of high tide flooding the tracks at Bridgewater (YouTube).

Wales

The Cambrian Coast line between Dovey Junction and Pwllheli is closed whilst we carry out a phased programme to repair damage to sea defences and embankments. This includes removing thousands of tonnes of debris, replacing sea walls and other sea defences, and relaying new track and ballast.
We're on schedule to re-open the line by mid May 2014.

Rail Delivery Group.

TRAIN COMPANIES TO LAUNCH NEW RAILCARD TO BOOST RAIL TRAVEL
 Rail industry aims to attract even more people to travel by train
 Two Together Railcard aimed at any two named adults travelling together
 First new national Railcard in 30 years
 National rollout begins next week

Train companies will next week launch a new Railcard to encourage more adults who travel together to take the train and provide a further boost to passenger numbers.
Rolled out nationally from Monday, the Two Together Railcard is aimed at pairs of adults travelling together by train who are eligible to save a third off leisure trips. The card will cost £30 a year for two named people travelling together and is available for travel throughout Britain in both Standard and First Class.

The Two Together Railcard will be supported by a major marketing push including TV, radio, print and digital advertising.

Last year journeys made using Railcards increased by 3.5% to over 116 million journeys.
Significant investment and an industry focused on attracting more rail users have already generated passenger growth unseen for more than 80 years. With passengers making more than 1.5 billion rail journeys last year, Britain now has one the fastest growing major railways in Europe.

By continuing to enhance the network, improve services and offer plenty of good value products, by 2020 the rail industry predicts another 400 million rail journeys will be made each year on Britain’s railways.

Michael Roberts, director general of the Rail Delivery Group, which speaks on behalf of the rail industry said: "The Two Together Railcard is designed to give couples travelling together another reason to take the train and to continue the trend of attracting more and more passengers to rail.

"The first new national Railcard to be launched in over three decades is designed to fill a gap in the existing range of Railcards and allow us to capture an even greater share of the domestic leisure travel market.

"Passengers across the country will also benefit from billions of pounds being spent on improving services with work continuing on major stations as well as thousands of smaller, less visible schemes."

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "Over the next five years, passengers will benefit from investment of more than £38billion in our railways, which will mean faster, more reliable journeys to hundreds of destinations across the UK.
"Thanks to this innovative product, even more passengers can make the most of the many benefits of travelling by train."

Other News...

Qatar long-distance rail network design contract awarded - Railway Gazette

Route selected for Mexico City - Querétaro high speed line - Railway Gazette

See Flying Scotsman – Photos and video – Flying Scotsman – National Railway Museum

BBC News - UK floods: £2m tourist industry fund announced

Swithland Signalling in Railway Magazine | The UK's Only Main Line Heritage Railway