International & UK Railway News Saturday 8th March 2014

 Total Railway News

 

   

 

 

The news front goes a little quieter at the weekend, but still plenty to keep us interested!
More discussion...for and against high speed rail....though an article in IRJ speaks of a study dispelling the myths of high speed rail.....(you'll have to read it!)

 

In the US, the cost for high speed rail in Colorado is perhaps too high...  and north of the border, the Canadian Government is putting the pressure on the railroads to shift stockpiles of grain, or face heavy fines... Mind you, perhaps this would be nothing compared to the revenue from carrying oil......

 

Crossrail have issued a statement about the fatality at their Fisher Street site....and a careful look at the HS2 site shows a statement about HS2's resilience to extreme weather.....(in the wake of the deluge in February....)

 

For those who have a yen for the Settle & Carlisle, then enjoy the tribute film from Butterfly Films..

 

...and should your group need a speaker, Christian Wolmar is available, with an interesting array of talks and lectures in his portfolio...

 

1. Subterranean Railway, on the history of the London Underground
2. Fire and Steam, on the history of Britain’s railways
3. Blood, Iron and Gold, on how the railways changed the world
4. Engines of War, on how wars were won and lost on the railways
5. The Great Railway Revolution, the epic tale of American railroads

Contact Christian at  christian.wolmar@gmail.com

 

 

Headlines...

Rail Baltica meeting inconclusive.(The Baltic Times)


HS2 sparks fears for London rail link hope.(Shropshire Star)


Study dispels the myths of high-speed economics.(IRJ)


$30 Billion: The Cost For Colorado High Speed Rail. (Gas2)


Canadian rail groups face fines over grain backlogs.(FT.com)

Canada Sets Minimum Grain-Shipment Targets for Railways.(Wall Street Journal)

City's trams to be sold for sponsorship to raise £1.5m each year.(heraldscotland)

Investigation into injuries after scarf trapped in Tube.(BBC News)




Keep East Coast line public, say protesters.(heraldscotland)

VIDEO: Action by Doncaster rail campaigners.(The Star)

Contract awarded for Chiltern to Oxford.(railwaygazette)

Time flies. (The Economist)




West Coast Rail Conference - San Francisco (US HSR)


Melbourne suburban investment - Railway Gazette


GWR - Gloucestershire's mainline heritage railway - Sunny start to 2014 season!


News | The East Lancashire Railway


Crossrail


Crossrail statement - Fisher Street incident, 7 March 2014.


Sadly, at approximately 5am this morning a contractor working at our site in Fisher Street, London was fatally injured. Our first and foremost thoughts are with the family and friends affected by this. The family has been informed. 


When the incident occurred, work was taking place to build a new crossover tunnel between two train tunnels that have already been constructed by Crossrail’s boring machines.


The worker was spraying concrete onto the excavated ground when a piece of concrete from the ceiling of the tunnel fell and hit him.


Crossrail has suspended all work at Fisher Street and associated works across the project. A full and thorough investigation into this tragic incident is being undertaken. The Metropolitan Police and the Health and Safety Executive remain on site.”


Safety is our number one priority and Crossrail sets the most stringent safety requirements in the industry. Despite this terrible incident, Crossrail’s accident rate is below the industry average.




Published on 23 Sep 2012

This time lapse sequence shows construction progress at Crossrail's Bond Street station ticket hall worksites.
The following photographs were taken on 1st February 2014.....







HS2 - Engine for Growth.


Response to the High Speed Rail Industry Leaders Group report - “Great Britain: Connected or Not?”

4 March 2014

A HS2 spokesperson said:

“We welcome the findings of this report. It offers compelling evidence as to why HS2 is so important to the country in terms of jobs, skills and regeneration, as well as freeing up desperately needed capacity for passengers and freight across the country’s Victorian rail network."
You can view the Rail Leaders article on their website at www.rail-leaders.com/industry-warns-of-stifled-britain-without-hs2

Statement on flood risk to HS2


24 February 2014

HS2 Ltd lead spokesman Ben Ruse, said:

“The HS2 Phase One route between London and the West Midlands has been designed to withstand even extreme flooding, taking climate change into account. HS2 Ltd worked closely with the Environment Agency when we published the Environmental Statement. This contains detailed flood risk assessments along Phase One. HS2 has been specifically designed to mitigate against flood risk both to the railway and to third parties along the route.”


As part of the Phase One Environmental Statement several reports were published detailing water resources and flood risk assessment along the route. You can access them on GOV.UK here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement-volume-5-water-resources/hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement-volume-5-water-resources




Fanfare & Toccata for a Golden Railway (Butterfly Films Ltd)

From the Butterfly Archive.This short video was filmed in 2011. A tribute to a railway, which despite all the odds, survived closure. The Video is dedicated to the memory of Graham Nuthall and Ruswarp who alongside many others, were inspirational and saved this National Treasure. The video deserved a fitting soundtrack that celebrated the Railway and so I am proud to dedicate my own work to this wonderful railway! Rousing, loud and full of energy, just like the railway and people who care and who are passionate about its very survival for future generations to come. Thank you! (Peter @ Butterfly Films)