Dawlish hits the headlines with alternative routes being deemed "too expensive" to construct....but the south west is given some encouragement that it is not left out of things with Government promises of a £146 million package ......
Travel on London Underground will be a bit difficult, what with the power workers' strike being extended to a possible two weeks...
More reports on the growing Chinese influence in matters high speed..
But if all this is too much(!!) perhaps the Mail Online story of the house for sale with its own railway halt might be just the answer!!
Click on the links for the full details...
Headlines
Dawlish railway track alternatives 'too expensive'.(BBC News).
GOV.UK.
From: Department for Transport,Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street, The Rt Hon David Cameron MP and The Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP
Major package of rail improvements for Cornwall.
Multi-million pound package of rail improvements for Cornwall and the south-west announced.
Cornwall will benefit from a multi-million pound package of rail improvements that will lift the local economy, create new jobs and provide faster train journeys, the Prime Minister announced today (3 July 2014).
The £146.6 million deal has tourism at its core. Passengers travelling by sleeper train into the county will be able to start their holiday relaxing in newly refurbished carriages.
The deal will ensure:
- the interior of the Night Riviera Sleeper trains, which run between Penzance and London - one of only two sleeper services in the UK - will be completely overhauled
- the Long Rock train maintenance site at Penzance will be expanded to maintain Cornwall’s sleeper trains, safeguarding jobs and creating new training opportunities
- a major programme of signalling improvements will start five years earlier than planned, providing faster journeys between Penzance and Totnes and paving the way for the potential introduction of half-hourly services on the Cornish mainline.
The package includes £9 million of funding from the Department for Transport (DfT), £29.6 million secured through Cornwall Council and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), £103.5 million from Network Rail and £4.5 million from train operator First Great Western.Ensuring that we have first class infrastructure across Britain is a crucial part of our long-term economic plan to back business, create jobs and provide a brighter future for hardworking people. This investment, which will boost the local economy and improve connectivity, is great news for Cornwall, the south-west and beyond.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said:
Nearly 7 million passengers use the rail network in Cornwall every year, with passenger numbers growing twice as fast as the national average.Rail travel in Cornwall is growing rapidly, and investing in the rail network here is crucial to securing long-term economic growth. These improvements will safeguard and create jobs, improve services for millions of passengers and provide better access to the south-west of England. This is great news for Cornwall and for the wider economy as a whole.
Today’s funding comes off the back of real investment in the region. The government has given local authorities in the south-west more than £900 million to spend on local transport during this parliament, with £130 million being spent on improving the region’s roads this year, including the A303 and A30.
Bert Biscoe, Cornwall Council’s cabinet member for transportation, said:
Chris Pomfret, chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP, said:This announcement is great news for Cornwall. We have been working closely with the LEP and First Great Western to improve our rail services and are delighted that the government is supporting our plans. This is a real opportunity to develop Cornwall’s public transport network. Enhancing the main line signalling in Cornwall is just as important as dualling the A30 and building the Tamar Bridge in keeping Cornwall connected.
Transport connectivity is always one of the first issues identified by the business community as a barrier to Cornwall’s economic growth. This investment makes a major step forward in addressing this issue through an enhanced sleeper service and potentially a more regular and resilient link to London and the rest of the country.Patrick Hallgate, Network Rail’s Western route managing director, said:
Perhaps, just as importantly, is that this is a real demonstration of a council and LEP and the two relevant rail bodies and the Department for Transport working together to produce a solution that benefits all parties, but most particularly, the people of Cornwall.
Mark Hopwood, First Great Western managing director, said:The south-weest has a vibrant economy which is experiencing staggering growth in demand for rail travel. That can only be supported by putting in the best possible connections to the rest of the country. Network Rail is proud to be playing a part in that success story.
At First Great Western we have a great track record of working with local authority partners and the wider rail industry to deliver significant improvements of real economic value for the communities we serve.
This package enhances the improvements already planned to the Night Riviera sleeper to a whole new level, providing top class accommodation and introducing a brasserie-style bar area.
Refurbished sleeper carriage on the Severn Valley Railway, Kidderminster.
The Thameslink-HMS Sultan Apprenticeship scheme sees apprentices spending a year at the joint Network Rail / Royal Navy training facility at HMS Sultan in Gosport. They then spend the remaining two years of their training working alongside Network Rail and its partners on the Thameslink Programme, which aims to transform north-south travel through London.
The first 12 recruits from across the UK finished their stint at Gosport this month and have begun working across a range of disciplines ranging from track, electrical engineering and telecoms and signalling. Recruitment for a further 12 apprentices is underway and another 12 will be recruited in 2015.
Thameslink Programme head of engineering Chris Binns said: “Rail investment is at record levels but we cannot keep improving the network without also investing in people. The Thameslink Programme is designed to transform rail travel through London and we need a diverse and skilled workforce to deliver that”.
The youngest apprentice on the Programme Erin Henderson, from Uxbridge, said: “When I was in the sixth form there was a bit of prejudice around the idea of apprenticeships. But I’ve been able to move out like my friends that have gone to uni, but I’m getting paid! They’re all a bit jealous now.
“Doing this apprenticeship has given me the time, space and the right amount of pushing to figure out what I want to be and what I want to do.”
Network Rail was also proud to support the first National Women in Engineering Day. Only nine per cent of UK engineering professionals are women but on the Thameslink Programme that figure is around 15 per cent, with 13 of the project’s 87 engineers being women.
Speaking about Women in Engineering, Erin said: “To any woman considering taking up engineering I would say ‘go for it!’. I think some women are put off taking engineering as a career as they think they will be discriminated against and that they will struggle in a largely male dominated workplace. I have had no problems with discrimination.”
The Thameslink-HMS Sultan scheme complements the existing Network Rail Advanced Apprenticeship programme and the Skills Academy, which is based with the project to rebuild London Bridge. There are also a series of work placements planned for the remaining four-year life of the project.
Anyone interested in becoming a Network Rail Apprentice should go to www.facebook.com/ontrack
The first 12 recruits from across the UK finished their stint at Gosport this month and have begun working across a range of disciplines ranging from track, electrical engineering and telecoms and signalling. Recruitment for a further 12 apprentices is underway and another 12 will be recruited in 2015.
Thameslink Programme head of engineering Chris Binns said: “Rail investment is at record levels but we cannot keep improving the network without also investing in people. The Thameslink Programme is designed to transform rail travel through London and we need a diverse and skilled workforce to deliver that”.
The youngest apprentice on the Programme Erin Henderson, from Uxbridge, said: “When I was in the sixth form there was a bit of prejudice around the idea of apprenticeships. But I’ve been able to move out like my friends that have gone to uni, but I’m getting paid! They’re all a bit jealous now.
“Doing this apprenticeship has given me the time, space and the right amount of pushing to figure out what I want to be and what I want to do.”
Network Rail was also proud to support the first National Women in Engineering Day. Only nine per cent of UK engineering professionals are women but on the Thameslink Programme that figure is around 15 per cent, with 13 of the project’s 87 engineers being women.
Speaking about Women in Engineering, Erin said: “To any woman considering taking up engineering I would say ‘go for it!’. I think some women are put off taking engineering as a career as they think they will be discriminated against and that they will struggle in a largely male dominated workplace. I have had no problems with discrimination.”
The Thameslink-HMS Sultan scheme complements the existing Network Rail Advanced Apprenticeship programme and the Skills Academy, which is based with the project to rebuild London Bridge. There are also a series of work placements planned for the remaining four-year life of the project.
Anyone interested in becoming a Network Rail Apprentice should go to www.facebook.com/ontrack
The latest issue of the Rail Freight Group’s regular newsletter RFGN is out now.
The July 2014 issue includes news and views from across the rail freight sector and reports on the latest RFG events.
Should you require any further information on any of the topics discussed in this issue, please do not hesitate to get in touch with any of the RFG team.Great British Railway Journeys. Series 2: 25. Lochailort to Skye
(6 days left!)
(C)Boundless Productions
Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook. Portillo travels the length and breadth of the country to see how the railways changed the people of Britain, and what of Bradshaw's experiences remain today.
As he journeys up the west coast of Scotland from Ayr to Skye, Michael discovers how the railways helped train the first generation of commandos at Lochailort in World War II, finds out why langoustines have replaced herrings as the top catch in the fishing port of Mallaig, and sails across the sea to Skye to explore the history of the highland crofters.
PRESS RELEASE
Crossrail history hunters to unearth secrets of Bedlam
A team of volunteers are searching historical records across London to uncover evidence of the people buried at the infamous Bedlam burial ground during the 16th and 17th Century.
Fifteen “Buried at Bedlam” volunteers have begun hunting through centuries of parish records at the London Metropolitan Archives to build the first list of names of those buried at the cemetery located under Liverpool Street.
It comes ahead of Crossrail archaeologists carefully excavating up to 3,000 skeletons as part of construction of the new Liverpool Street Crossrail station. About 400 skeletons were removed during preliminary works. Images can be downloaded here for the preliminary works and here for the volunteers at the archives.
The Bedlam or Bethlem burial ground, also known as the New Churchyard, near the notorious Bethlem Hospital opened during London’s response to the plague crisis which swept across Europe during the 16th Century.
The burial ground was the first in London not associated with a parish church. The burial ground did not keep its own burial records. Instead the City’s parish churches recorded which of their parishioners were buried at Bedlam in their own records.
Crossrail is inviting the public to contribute to the hunt for information by sending in any information they have about the burial ground or those buried there. Those believed to be buried at Bedlam include Robert Lockyer who was a soldier executed under the orders of Oliver Cromwell for leading the Bishopgate mutiny. Furthermore John Lilburne, an English political Leveller before, during and after the English Civil Wars of 1642 to 1650 was buried there too.
Jay Carver, Crossrail’s Lead Archaeologist, said: “The Bedlam burial ground is a unique site that spans a fascinating period of London’s turbulent past. What make this exciting is that through the various records made by the parish clerks of the time we can gain a snapshot of the people who lived and died in the area and provide biographic details to supplement the excavated evidence.
“As so many of the records of time are likely to be missing we will only obtain a snapshot of who was buried at Bedlam but it will provide a unique record of the lives and deaths of 16th and 17th Century Londoners from the local area. We’re keen for anyone who may have family connections to the site, or anecdotes about the area to get in touch.”
Volunteer Alan Cotterell, from Barbican said: “If you live somewhere like London you know that you’re in a city with a really deep history. I love the idea of unravelling the stories of the people buried at Bedlam and finding out as much as I can about their lives. From what I’ve seen so far, there are so really intriguing stories, some really entertaining stories and some really tragic ones. I’ve found records for people of all ages from infants to older people. Hopefully the work we do can help historians in years to come get a clearer picture of 16th and 17th Century London.”
Geoff Pick, Director of the City of London Corporation’s London Metropolitan Archives, said: “The City of London has a long-standing commitment to supporting ways of improving transport for London’s future, as well as looking after London’s past and its treasures, and the Crossrail history project exemplifies both of these aims. It will certainly create a very vivid picture of London’s colourful past, and we are proud to be involved.”
The Bedlam burial ground sits within the worksite of Crossrail’s new Liverpool Street station.
Excavation of the site will commence in 2015. To date Crossrail has found more than 10,000 archaeology items, spanning 55 million years of London’s history, across over 40 construction sites.
As part of their research, volunteers have been using the parish records kept at London Metropolitan Archives and elsewhere. Crossrail’s archaeology team is also keen to hear from other members of the public who may be able to enlighten the research with further details of burials at Bedlam. Anyone who thinks they have something to contribute should email bedlamrecords@crossrail.co.uk
When Crossrail opens in 2018, Liverpool Street Crossrail station will give commuters easy access to destinations across London including Canary Wharf and Heathrow. The station will be located between London Underground’s existing Liverpool Street and Moorgate stations with both stations providing access to Crossrail.
Ends
As part of efforts to embed culture within Crossrail, we have appointed Julie Leonard as our first Artist-in-Residence. Throughout 2014 Julie will create a pictorial diary of Crossrail, capturing many of the personalities and construction scenes across Europe's largest infrastructure project on her iPhone.
For more information visit www.crossrailart.co.uk/artist-in-residen
Today’s permission for expansion of Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal will remove trucks from our roads and create more green jobs, according to Freight on Rail.
Daventry expansion, to be built by Prologis, will provide:-
- 8 million square feet of rail connected distribution space with good road and rail connections in the heart of the UK’s distribution network
- Capacity for up to 32 freight trains in and out of the centre each day with the ability to handle over 500,000 freight containers per annum
- Green jobs for 9,000 people – value of project £1 billion
Notes:
1. Secretary of State for Transport has given planning permission for Daventry strategic Rail Freight Interchange expansion. (Dirft III)
http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/projects/east-midlands/daventry-international-rail-freight-terminal/
http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/projects/east-midlands/daventry-international-rail-freight-terminal/
2. Rail is a safer freight mode; HGVs are involved in 51% of road fatalities on motorways even though they only make up 11% of traffic. Source Traffic statistics table TRA0104, Accident statistics Table RAS 30017, both DfT published 2013 for 2012 figures
3. Each freight train in and out of Daventry can remove up to 60 HGVs from our roads- Source Network Rail Value of Freight 2010
4. Rail freight produces 76% less Carbon dioxide emission than road for the equivalent journey Source DfT Logistics Perspective December 2008 P8 section 10 'Made in China' high speed trains going global.(DW.de)
Taiyuan – Xi'an high speed line opens - Railway Gazette.
KL-Singapore high-speed train travel time shorter than taking flight.(Malaysia.msn.news).
India
Narendra Modi's 100 day agenda push gets Central Railway conversion project cracking. (dnaindia.com).Well maintained rake of 12027 Chennai Bangalore Shatabdi at platform 2 of Chennai Central as WAP7 12695 Chennai Thiruvananthapuram express departs.This Shatabdi connects Bangalore and Chennai, covering a distance of 362 km in about 5 hrs and 2 halts. Belongs to South Western Railway.Halts Bangalore Cantt and Katpadi. Runs 6 days except Tuesdays. (C) Indian Railways on Youtube
Japan
Shinkansen at the NRM York
Spain
A Siemens-Thales joint venture awarded a €208.7m contract with ADIF to supply the ERTMS for the for a rail line in southern Spain...
Turkey
USA/Canada
New era in Boston as Keolis take over commuter rail network
(SmartRail World)
www.progressiverailroading.com.
US HSR
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