The key news items relate to rail fare increases in the UK from January 2015. Reaction is as you might expect.."fair fares" is a recurring phrase.....
The Transportation Board of Canada has issued its report on last year's Lac Megantic catastrophic derailment, and it does not make good reading for the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (now defunct).... In the USA, the transport of Backen crude by rail still raises concerns too..
On a lighter note, don't be surprised if IK Brunel's statue at London Paddington starts talking to you in a voice sounding very much like Hugh Bonneville.....
And take a look at a model railway layout (and a half!) in Russia....
Click on the links....
Headlines
UK
Balfour Beatty rejects Carillion's advances again.(insider media)
Latest: Carillion walks away from Balfour Beatty merger.(insider media)
HS2 and the new North-South divide.(BBC News)
North of England rail franchise bidders announced.(BBC News)
Travellers react to new year train fare rise.(BBC News)
Campaign for Better Transport calls for fare changes.(BBC News)
Labour: Rail ticket rises 'have hit some hard'(BBC News)
Rail fares: Why are they going up again?(BBC News)
Rail fare rises are a legacy of decades of underinvestment.(The Independent)
To put the railways back on track we must first rip out the waste.(The Telegraph)
Minister says coalition has brought a 'rail renaissance'.(BBC News)
'Passengers should realise they're paying fair fares for a comfortable commute': Fury as Transport Minister defends rip-off rail prices (set to rise ANOTHER 5.5% next year).(Mail Online)
Avoid soaring train fares by booking in advance, rail minister says.(The Telegraph)
Waitrose launches bid for 'transumers' in first railway station outlet.(The Guardian)
Remember our 'darkest day' - 1911 Llanelli Railway Strike remembered (Llanelli Star)
Network Rail.
Talking Statues at London Paddington station
Visitors to London Paddington station can listen to the statues of The Unknown Soldier and Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the first time.
Voiced by the actors Sir Patrick Stewart and Hugh Bonneville, the statues have been brought to life as part of the Talking Statues project, which Network Rail is supporting.
The Unknown Soldier is voiced by Sir Patrick Stewart reading a monologue inspired by the soldier’s scarf. Sir Patrick Stewart said: “I think ‘Talking Statues’ is a lovely idea. It brings a sense of intimacy and personality to the statues that surround us all”.
The piece was written by the playwright Tony Harrison: “People often assume that he’s wearing a belt of bullets round his neck but if you look closely you see that it’s a knitted scarf.” explains Harrison. “I imagined it as red scarf, hand knitted by his mother...“
The statue of Brunel has been animated by Hugh Bonneville, reading a piece written by the playwright Rachel Wagstaff . “Brunel was such a fascinating man,’ says Wagstaff. “ It’s wonderful that he can be recognised in the station which he designed!”. Hugh Bonneville added: “The idea of discovering unsung heroes and bringing them to life is captivating. This is certainly an exciting way of bringing them to our attention”.
IK Brunel at Paddington (P.S.Lewis)
Nick Hartnell, Network Rail’s station manager at London Paddington welcomed the Talking Statues project: “We’re delighted to see the statues at the station brought to life in this manner. I hope that passengers who have the time will stop and listen to these statues for a few moments.”
The project sees 35 statues in London and Manchester animated by a cast of actors and comedians. The producers, Sing London, have commissioned some of the nation’s most celebrated writers to pen monologues for the statues, which will speak for one year.
Other London statues in the project include:
• Dominic West as a stir crazy Achilles in Hyde Park
• Jeremy Paxman defending free speech as John Wilkes in Fetter Lane
• Baker Street’s Sherlock Holmes, as imagined by Anthony Horowitz
• Nicholas Parsons as Samuel Johnson’s famous cat, Hodge in Gough Square
• Hugh Dennis as a goat in Spitalfields
• Alan Johnson MP as Rowland Hill, inventor of the Penny Black in EC1
• Simon Russell Beale as Isaac Newton at the British Library
Talking Statues in Manchester include:
• The Reading Girl, in Manchester Central Library, written by Dame Jacqueline Wilson,
• Tom Conti as Lincoln in Manchester’s Lincoln Square, written by Gary Younge, Prunella Scales as Queen Victoria in Piccadilly Gardens. Written by Katrina Hendry whose play about Victoria generated great acclaim.
• Coronation Street star David Neilson propping up the bar as LS Lowry at Sam’s Chop House, written by exciting new talent, Kiran Benawra
• Russell Tovey as code-breaker Alan Turing, penned by Mark Ravenhill.
A public competition has been launched to animate another four statues:
• The Leaping Hare on Crescent and Bell, Broadgate Estates, London
• Isis, Hyde Park, London
• Shakespeare, guarding the way to knowledge at British Library, London
• T-Rex, the Jurassic giant housed in Manchester Museum
The winning monlogues will be chosen in November and be recorded by well known public figures. Details of the contest can be found at www.talkingstatues.co.uk.
Crossrail
This time-lapse video shows the construction of the ground level concrete slab to the new Crossrail ticket hall at Bond Street, Hanover Square. After finishing the concrete slab the workers start excavating the earth underneath. The station will eventually be six levels deep below ground.The Unknown Soldier is voiced by Sir Patrick Stewart reading a monologue inspired by the soldier’s scarf. Sir Patrick Stewart said: “I think ‘Talking Statues’ is a lovely idea. It brings a sense of intimacy and personality to the statues that surround us all”.
The piece was written by the playwright Tony Harrison: “People often assume that he’s wearing a belt of bullets round his neck but if you look closely you see that it’s a knitted scarf.” explains Harrison. “I imagined it as red scarf, hand knitted by his mother...“
The statue of Brunel has been animated by Hugh Bonneville, reading a piece written by the playwright Rachel Wagstaff . “Brunel was such a fascinating man,’ says Wagstaff. “ It’s wonderful that he can be recognised in the station which he designed!”. Hugh Bonneville added: “The idea of discovering unsung heroes and bringing them to life is captivating. This is certainly an exciting way of bringing them to our attention”.
IK Brunel at Paddington (P.S.Lewis)
Nick Hartnell, Network Rail’s station manager at London Paddington welcomed the Talking Statues project: “We’re delighted to see the statues at the station brought to life in this manner. I hope that passengers who have the time will stop and listen to these statues for a few moments.”
The project sees 35 statues in London and Manchester animated by a cast of actors and comedians. The producers, Sing London, have commissioned some of the nation’s most celebrated writers to pen monologues for the statues, which will speak for one year.
Other London statues in the project include:
• Dominic West as a stir crazy Achilles in Hyde Park
• Jeremy Paxman defending free speech as John Wilkes in Fetter Lane
• Baker Street’s Sherlock Holmes, as imagined by Anthony Horowitz
• Nicholas Parsons as Samuel Johnson’s famous cat, Hodge in Gough Square
• Hugh Dennis as a goat in Spitalfields
• Alan Johnson MP as Rowland Hill, inventor of the Penny Black in EC1
• Simon Russell Beale as Isaac Newton at the British Library
Talking Statues in Manchester include:
• The Reading Girl, in Manchester Central Library, written by Dame Jacqueline Wilson,
• Tom Conti as Lincoln in Manchester’s Lincoln Square, written by Gary Younge, Prunella Scales as Queen Victoria in Piccadilly Gardens. Written by Katrina Hendry whose play about Victoria generated great acclaim.
• Coronation Street star David Neilson propping up the bar as LS Lowry at Sam’s Chop House, written by exciting new talent, Kiran Benawra
• Russell Tovey as code-breaker Alan Turing, penned by Mark Ravenhill.
A public competition has been launched to animate another four statues:
• The Leaping Hare on Crescent and Bell, Broadgate Estates, London
• Isis, Hyde Park, London
• Shakespeare, guarding the way to knowledge at British Library, London
• T-Rex, the Jurassic giant housed in Manchester Museum
The winning monlogues will be chosen in November and be recorded by well known public figures. Details of the contest can be found at www.talkingstatues.co.uk.
Crossrail
The temporary circular shafts were constructed ahead of the rest of the station to allow for access to the train tunnels during their construction.
For more information visit:http://www.crossrail.co.uk
International
Africa
Railways Africa.
BILLIONS GETTING COMMUTERS ONTO RAIL
TRANSNET SECURES US LOAN GUARANTEE
GIBELA DETAILS LISTED IN PARLIAMENT
NATCOR SHUTDOWN DISMAYS CUSTOMERS
MAGALIESBURG EXPRESS
More details and stories Here
Australia
Coffs to Sydney in under 3 hours.(ABC Coffs Coast)
A new report shows that the network can be built for $30 billion less than previous projections, apparently....
Canada
Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
News release
TSB identifies systemic problems leading to Lac-Mégantic train accident and calls for additional safety defences to improve rail safety.
Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, 19 August 2014 – The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigation into the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA) train derailment in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec (investigation report R13D0054), concluded that a multitude of factors led to the accident which left 47 people dead. The TSB is now calling for additional physical defences to prevent runaway trains, and for more thorough audits of safety management systems to ensure railways are effectively managing safety.
On the evening of 5 July 2013, an MMA train was parked on a descending grade on the main track in Nantes, Quebec. The engineer applied hand brakes on all five locomotives, plus two other cars, and shut down all but the lead locomotive. Railway rules require hand brakes alone to be capable of holding a train, and this must be verified by a test. That night, the locomotive air brakes were left on during the test, meaning the train was being held by a combination of hand brakes and air brakes, giving a false impression that the hand brakes alone would hold the train. When a fire began in the engine, emergency responders shut off the engine, causing the air holding the independent brakes to leak off, reducing their effectiveness. Without enough force from the hand brakes, the train began rolling downhill toward Lac-Mégantic, just over seven miles away. As it moved down the grade, the train picked up speed, reaching a top speed of 65 mph, and derailing near the centre of town. Almost every derailed car was breached, releasing almost six million litres of crude oil, which ignited into a large fire.
“Accidents never come down to a single individual, a single action or a single factor. You have to look at the whole context,” said Wendy Tadros, Chair of the TSB. “In our investigation, we found 18 factors played a role in this accident.
The TSB found MMA was a company with a weak safety culture that did not have a functioning safety management system to manage risks. The TSB also learned that Transport Canada did not audit MMA often and thoroughly enough to ensure it was effectively managing the risks in its operations. Furthermore, the Board found problems with training, employee monitoring, and maintenance practices at MMA; with industry rules for the securement of unattended trains; and with the tank cars used to carry volatile petroleum crude oil.
“This investigation and its findings are complex, but our goal is simple: we must improve rail safety in Canada,” added Tadros. “That’s why, in addition to our three previous recommendations, we are issuing two new recommendations to ensure unattended trains will always be secured, and Canada’s railways will have safety management systems that really work to manage safety.” She concluded, “This is about governments, railways and shippers doing everything in their power to ensure there is never another Lac-Mégantic.”
See the investigation page for complete details of this investigation.
China
Chinese rail official gets death sentence in corruption case.(Reuters)
India
Train collision with rickshaw in Bihar death toll at 21.(BBC News)
Japan
Japan’s Bullet Train, the World’s First (and Still Best) High-Speed Rail Network, Turns 50.(Next City)
Mexico
Tendering starts for high speed line to Querétaro.(Railway Gazette)
USA
www.progressiverailroading.com.
Russia
Largest model railway of Russia(Russian Railways on YouTube)
The grand-market Russia demonstrates the whole country’s life on a platform of 800m2. No time to explore Russia by yourself? Then this model is a must-seen!
Other Railway Press Releases
SmartRail World
Long Distance Trains: A foundation for national mobility
Guest contribution from the National Association of Rail Passengers (NARP)
“Mobility. It’s the life-blood of a modern economy. America’s mobility is declining–threateming our future prosperity and quality of life. As driving and flying become less attractive and more expensive, Americans are rediscovering trains. Since 2000, public use of intercity trains has increased three times faster than the population, six times faster than road use and seventeen times faster than air travel. Train travel reached a new record in 2012.
Millions of travelers, however, are unable to benefit from trains because the nation’s intercity passenger rail system is too small to meet the need. While Americans have begun to discover the contribution that passenger trains can make to their mobility and quality of life, the debate about the nature and scope of the intercity passenger train system has dismissed one entire category of trains: those that travel long distances between end points. Long distance train routes form the foundation of the national passenger train network. Their unique capabilities allow them to connect congested urban areas and bring economically viable mobility to rural areas and small towns, many of which are becoming more isolated from major cities as regional airline and intercity bus service disappears.
The time has come to transform the nation’s long distance passenger train network from a neglected, barebones operation into a robust and thriving mobility machine...
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MHI receives São Paulo Metro Line 6 turnkey contract
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has received the São Paulo Metro Line 6 turnkey contract from the Concessionária Move São Paulo in Brazil, which is in charge of the construction and operation of the project.
SNCF employs StreetMapper for improved track safety
French railway company SNCF has used FIT ESIC's rail-mounted StreetMapper to improve safety and inform track upgrade works.
Hong Kong's MTR to upgrade Hung Hom Station
Hong Kong's metro operator MTR is set to carry out improvements at Hung Hom Station, under the Shatin to Central Link (SCL) project.
Future Rail: Issue 18
In this issue: The EU's efforts to form a free trade agreement with Japan's rail industry, new safety regulation for crude oil transport in the US, a super-luxury train, a futuristic concept for vertical rail hubs, the booming market for rail passenger apps and more.
The Japanese passenger rail market is larger than all 27 EU markets combined, so it comes as little surprise that many European companies are keen to gain business in the country. While current Japanese non-tariff barriers, particularly for rolling stock, have so far hampered these efforts, negotiations are now underway to establish a free-trade agreement between the EU and Japan. We find out how negotiations are progressing and why the structure of the Japanese rail market is making it difficult to open up to foreign companies.
We also take a look at JR East's new Ferrari-designed luxury sleeper train which is expected to start service in 2017, explore a futuristic concept for vertical train stations that aims to solve space issues in future cities and find out what's new in the rapidly growing market for rail passenger apps.
Moreover, we ask whether the new safety regulations for the transport of Brakken crude oil in the US go far enough to prevent further disasters and look at technological solutions that are helping operators deal with ice during the winter months.
From planes to trains: Former Kenya Airlines CEO, Titus Naikuni, plans to take control of Rift Valley Railways'
Turkey: High-speed rail increases demand on train stations
Widespread protests as UK rail fares plan to increase by 3.5 %
Built For Speed: Five Of The World's Fastest Trains
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