International & UK Railway News Sunday 30th March 2014

Just over 4 days to the reopening of the Dawlish line!.. What then? We shall have to see what other plans are made in relation to increasing the resilience of the railway network to adverse weather conditions.....
And we shall have to wait and see how HS2 works out...and whether Sheffield's hopes will be realized...
What is known is that the bullet train in Korea is now an accepted part of the landscape... whilst the new "Silk Road" between China and Duisburg needs some extra freight traffic from Duisburg back to China to make the 16 day single journey more profitable.
And the known schedule for steam operations on the UK's main lines is provided (as is) so that proper plans can be made to record the events!


Read on....




Headlines..




New Silk Route railway line links China, Europe.(Deccan Chronicle)


KTX integral part of local transport after 10 years in operation.(Yonhap News Agency)


Ipswich Chord rail link opens for Felixstowe freight.(BBC News)


Sheffield city station hope for HS2 line.(Sheffield Star)


To the Edge of the World: The Story of the Trans-Siberian Railway by Christian Wolmar. (CamdenReview)





Black Death skeletons unearthed by Crossrail project.(BBC News)


Bridge to the Future work update. Appeal reaches £405,000!(GCR)



Crossrail







New research shows Crossrail’s Charterhouse skeletons were Black Death victims.

• Radio carbon dating and ancient DNA evidence shows London burial ground used for plague victims for at least 100 years
• New geophysics techniques have located evidence of more Charterhouse burials
• Channel 4’s Secret History strand to explore London’s Black Death plague

New research on skeletons found during construction of Europe’s largest construction project in London reveals many died of plague during the 14^th Century Black Death pandemic, while others died during later plague outbreaks.
Twenty-five skeletons were uncovered in London’s Charterhouse Square in Farringdon during Crossrail construction works in March 2013. It provided the first evidence of the location of London’s second Black Death emergency burial ground established in 1348 and referenced in historical records as being in what is now modern day Farringdon.
Due to the burial ground’s historical importance to London, exceptional levels of research analysis has taken place on the skeletons to understand the life and death of Londoners affected by the Black Death.
From the skeletons’ teeth, scientists have found traces of the DNA of the Yersinia pestis bacterium which was responsible for the Black Death plague, confirming the individuals had contact with the deadly disease prior to their death.
Key radio carbon-14 dating has revealed at least two distinct periods of burials, the earliest is within the period of the Black Death in 1348-50, followed by a later period dating from the early to mid 1400s. Archaeologists observed the different layers of burials during excavation. Together with the presence of the plague-causing Yersinia pestis bacterium in skeletons across both layers of burials, it shows the cemetery was used for two separate plague events between 1348 and the 1430s.
Historical records suggest tens of thousands of people were buried in this emergency cemetery. In a bid to understand just how many people are buried there, Crossrail approached the University of Keele to undertake a forensic geophysics survey, a science usually used to locate mass graves and murder victims. Initial results suggest possible burials extend across Charterhouse Square and a possible building foundation, a likely chapel, in the middle of the square. This is a new application for this type of science and a further Charterhouse Square dig in July of this year will seek to confirm the geophysics results.












Crossrail Lead Archaeologist Jay Carver who is heading up the research, said: “Analysis of the Crossrail find has revealed an extraordinary amount of information allowing us to solve a 660 year mystery. This discovery is a hugely important step forward in documenting and understanding Europe’s most devastating pandemic. Historical sources told us that thousands of burials of Black Death victims were made in the 14^th Century in the area that is now modern day Farringdon, but until Crossrail’s discovery, archaeologists had been unable to confirm the story. Ancient DNA work is complex and still in development but the results do confirm the presence of the deadly plague bacterium preserved in the teeth.
“What’s really exciting is the bringing together many different lines of evidence to create a picture of such a devastating world event as the Black Death. Historians, archaeologists, micro-biologists, and physicists are all working together to chart the origins and development of one of the world’s worst endemic diseases and help today’s researchers in ancient and modern diseases better understand the evolution of these bacteria.
“The forensic geophysics results are really intriguing and potentially an important breakthrough in burial ground research. We will undertake further excavations in Charterhouse Square later this year to confirm some of the results.”
Osteologist Don Walker, from Crossrail’s archaeology contractor MOLA said:
“The skeletons discovered at Crossrail’s Farringdon site provide a rare opportunity for us to study the medieval population of London that experienced the Black Death. We can start to answer questions like: where did they come from and what were their lives like? What's more, it allows for detailed analysis of the pathogen, helping to characterise the history and evolution of this devastating pandemic.”
Scientists have analysed the bones and the Isotope levels in the skeletons’ bones and teeth to gain an insight into the birth, life and diet of Londoners during the 14^th and 15^th Centuries. The results showed that:

• Many of the skeletons appear to suffer signs of malnutrition and 16% had rickets.
• 40% of the those tested grew up outside of London possibly as far north as Scotland – showing that 14^th Century London attracted people from across Britain just as it does today.
• The later skeletons from the 1400s had a high rate of upper body injury consistent with being involved in violent altercations.
• One individual had become a vegetarian later in life which is something a Carthusian monk would have done during the 14^th Century.
• 13 of the skeletons were male, three female, two children, the gender was undetermined in the other seven skeletons.
• Research is consistent with the burial ground being used by poorer Londoners.
• High rate of back damage and strain indicating heavy manual labour.

The Black Death was the largest pandemic in history, killing millions of people as it swept across Europe in the early 14^th Century. It reached England in 1348 and claimed the lives of up to 60% of the population at the time. The disease’s devastation across Europe provided Britain with warning of the impending disaster and London’s leaders purchased additional ground outside the city walls for a burial ground in preparation for the Black Death’s arrival. This orderly planning may be evident in the burials themselves, with the skeletons neatly laid out in Christian burials rather than being placed in mass graves. London’s first Black Death plague cemetery was found in the 1980s in east Smithfield.
The latest announcement comes ahead of Channel 4 airing the documentary Return of the Black Death: Secret History on 6 April, 8pm which follows the Charterhouse Square discovery and looks and the history of the plague in Britain.


DfT and TfL extend Crossrail route to Reading


Crossrail will now run to Reading after the joint sponsors, the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL), instructed Crossrail Limited to extend the route.
The extension will see the east-west rail line serve two additional stations, Twyford and Reading, serving a total of 40 stations along the entire route, when the line fully opens in 2019.


Download Crossrail Regional Route Connections Map, March 2014


Extending Crossrail to Reading opens up a wider network of destinations across, and beyond, central London and extends the benefits of a direct connection between London’s main employment centres and reduced journey times to even more people. The extension will also help to meet increases in passenger numbers by providing greater capacity than the previous plans. There will be two trains an hour from Reading and passengers will be able to travel into, and beyond, central London without the need to change at Paddington.  It will also provide greater flexibility for future timetabling of services.
Rail Minister Stephen Hammond said: “Crossrail reaching Reading is further proof of our commitment to deliver a transport network fit for the 21^st century. It will improve connectivity and deliver greater choice and convenience for passengers travelling into London. It will also make better use of the already congested Great Western Main Line, freeing up capacity for further improvements including potential direct services from Reading to Heathrow as part of the Western Access Scheme.  In addition, I have requested Network Rail to look at the cost benefit analysis of increasing the number of faster trains between Reading and Paddington.”
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “I am thrilled that the people of Reading and Twyford will be able to take advantage of Crossrail, putting them on the doorstep of London’s main employment centres by directly linking them to the City and West End in world-class style.”
Mike Brown MVO, Managing Director London Underground and London Rail, said: “Extending Crossrail to Reading will provide passengers with more journey options and will create better connections and direct services between Reading, Twyford and destinations across London without the need to interchange at Paddington.”
TfL and DfT have worked closely with Crossrail Limited and Network Rail to ensure the best use is made of the Great Western Mainline; extending Crossrail to Reading helps passenger and freight services to operate in a more effective way. There will be no change to the planned Great Western services from Reading to London with twice hourly semi-fast services and fast mainline services continuing to operate and call at the same stations as today. Crossrail will serve Maidenhead with four trains per hour.
Crossrail will be fully operational by the end of 2019. The line will boost London’s rail-based capacity by 10 per cent connecting Reading and Heathrow in the west and Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. It is connecting people and places, providing faster journey times and up to 24 trains per hour between Paddington and Whitechapel during the peak.
It is estimated that Crossrail will generate at least 75,000 business opportunities and support the equivalent of 55,000 full time jobs right around the UK. Three out of five businesses currently winning work on the project are based outside London and over half are small and medium-size companies (SMEs).
Ends


Notes:
The current planning assumption is that new Crossrail trains will be introduced to run Crossrail services as follows:

• Liverpool Street to Shenfield – May 2017
• Heathrow to Paddington (mainline platforms) – May 2018 (when the Crossrail concession takes over the Heathrow Connect service)
• Paddington (Crossrail platforms) to Abbey Wood – December 2018
• Paddington (Crossrail platforms) to Shenfield – May 2019
• Full through service (including services to Reading) – December 2019

Transport for London and the Department for Transport, the joint Sponsors of the Crossrail Project, aim to make the whole Crossrail route accessible. There is already provision for 31 of the 38 stations to have step free access and work is underway to look at practical solutions and funding options for the remaining seven. Reading and Twyford stations have step free access.




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 4th April 2014

The VSOE British Pullman Surrey Hills Luncheon Train (VSOE)

• 35028 London Victoria (pu) - Staines - Woking - Guildford - Shalford - Reigate - Redhill - East Croydon - London Victoria

Saturday 5th April 2014

The Cumbrian Moorlander (Compass Tours)

• WCRC Class 47 (Pair) Peterborough (pu) - Stamford (pu) - Oakham (pu) - Melton Mowbray (pu) - Leicester (pu) - South Wigston (pu) - Hinckley (pu) - Nuneaton (pu) - Tamworth Low Level (pu) - Lichfield Trent Valley Low Level (pu) - Crewe - Carlisle
• WCRC Class 47 (Pair) Carlisle (pu) - Appleby - S&C - Hellifield - Crewe - Lichfield Trent Valley Low Level (sd) - Tamworth Low Level (sd) - Nuneaton (sd) - Hinckley (sd) - South Wigston (sd) - Leicester (sd) - Melton Mowbray (sd) - Oakham (sd) - stamford (sd) - Peterborough

The Central Wales Explorer (Railway Touring Company)

• 44871 and 45407 Manchester Victoria (pu) - Warrington Bank Quay (pu) - Crewe (pu) - Shrewsbury (pu) - Craven Arms - Knighton - Llandrindod Wells - Sugar Loaf Summit - Swansea District Line - Briton Ferry - Bridgend - Cardiff - Newport
• WCRC Class 47 Newport - Abergavenny - Shrewsbury (sd) - Crewe (sd) - Warrington Bank Quay (sd) - Manchester Victoria (sd)

Settle & Carlisle Statesman (Statesman Rail)

• WCRC Class 47 & 57 High Wycombe (pu) - Princes Risborough (pu) - Haddenham & Thame Parkway (pu) - Bicester North (pu) - Banbury (pu) - Leamington Spa (pu) - Coventry (pu) - Birmingham International (pu) - Tame Bridge Parkway (pu) - Stafford (pu) - Crewe -0 Blackburn - Hellifield - S&C - Appleby - Carlisle
• WCRC Class 47 & 57 Carlisle (pu) - Penrith - Shap - Preston - Crewe - Stafford (sd) - Tame Bridge Parkway (sd) - Birmingham International (sd) - Coventry (sd) - Leamington Spa (sd) - Banbury (sd) - Bicester North (sd) - Haddenham & Thame Parkway (sd) - Princes Risborough (sd) - High Wycombe

The Devonian (Vintage Trains)

• D1015 Tyseley Warwick Road (pu) - Birmingham Snow Hill (pu) - Stourbridge Junction (pu) - Worcester Shrub Hill (pu) - Cheltenham Spa (pu) - Bristol Temple Meads (pu) - Taunton - Exeter St. Davids - Newton Abbott - Torquay - Paignton
• Heritage Steam Paignton - Kingswear (break/rev) & return
• D1015 Paignton - Torquay - Newton Abbott - Exeter St. Davids - Taunton - Bristol Temple Meads (sd) - Cheltenham Spa (sd) - Worcester Shrub Hill (sd) - Stourbridge Junction (sd) - Birmingham Snow Hill (sd) - Tyseley Warwick Road

Postponed

Additional Tour Information

Charter postponed to 26th April due to engineering work.

Added 16:49 on Thursday 28th November 2013

Sunday 6th April 2014

The Tin Bath (Railway Touring Company)

• 44871 and 45407 Preston (pu) - Manchester Victoria (pu) - Denton - Stockport - New Mills Central - Hope Valley - Sheffield (break) - Meadowhall - Barnsley - Penistone - Denby Dale - Huddersfield - Brighouse - Hebden Bridge - Copy Pit - Blackburn - Bolton - Manchester Victoria (sd) -
• WCR Class 47 Manchester Victoria - Preston

Postponed

Additional Tour Information

Engineering work by Network Rail has postponed this charter until the 11th May.

Added 11:49 on Thursday 28th November 2013

Atlantic Coast Express (Railway Touring Company)

• 34067 London Waterloo (pu) - Wimbledon - Weybridge - Woking (pu) - Basingstoke (pu) - Salisbury - Templecombe - Exeter St. Davids
• 34046 or 34067 Exeter St. Davids - Exeter Central (34067 Banking)
• 34046 Exeter Central - Templecombe - Salisbury - Basingstoke (sd) - Woking (sd) - Wimbledon - London Waterloo (sd)

Postponed

Steam Tube - The Home of Steam on the Net!










UK Steam Railtours during the last week.... 


With thanks to Stephen G Thompson, Dave Wadley, Christopher Lawton, 981smithy