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January 23, 2015

UK & International Railway News Friday 23rd January 2015

..Total Railway News
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London King's Cross.(C) P.S. Lewis



To help in publicizing adjusted timetables involving London Bridge, The Railway Chronicle reproduces an important message from Southern Railway regarding the timetable effective from 26th January 2015.
In this edition, read the Transport Select Committee's conclusions regarding the overrunning engineering works.....the Class 800s en route from Hitachi, and a Network Rail explanation of the effects of damaged overhead lines... ..

For more details...click on the links...



Headlines
UK

Changes to London Bridge services

Date: effective from Monday 26 January 2015
The new track layout on the approach to the station has meant that so far, it has been a challenge to deliver the new timetable for which Southern and Network Rail apologise. We reviewed this and from 7 January a small number of London Bridge to West Croydon services in the evening peak were removed. Additional changes were made w/c Monday 19 January to help us deliver an improved service. Although there has been some improvement to performance we are making further changes from Monday 26 January to services into and out of London Bridge to provide a more reliable service for all our passengers.
All the changes from the published 5 January timetable are listed below and will remain until further notice. Changes in bold were introduced prior to Monday 26 January and remain.
Morning Peak
OXTED

  • 05.58 East Grinstead to Victoria retimed to depart 05.55, Dormans 05.59, Lingfield 06.02, Hurst Green 06.09, Oxted 06.14 then as now
  • 06.14 East Grinstead to London Bridge retimed to depart 06.13, Dormans 06.17, Lingfield, 06.20, Hurst Green 06.27, Oxted 06.30, Woldingham 06.35, Upper Warlingham 06.39, Riddlesdown 06.42, Sanderstead 06.46 then as now
  • 06.35 East Grinstead to Victoria retimed to depart 06.32, Dormans 06.36, Lingfield 06.39, Hurst Green 06.47, Oxted 06.50, Woldingham 06.55, Upper Warlingham 06.59, Riddlesdown 07.02, Sanderstead 07.07 then as now
  • 06.43 East Grinstead to London Bridge retimed to depart 06.40, Dormans 06.44, Lingfield , 06.47, Hurst Green 06.54, Oxted 06.58, Woldingham 07.03, Upper Warlingham 07.07, Riddlesdown 07.10, Sanderstead 07.14 then as now
  • 07.05 East Grinstead to Victoria retimed to depart 07.02, Dormans 07.06, Lingfield 07.10 then as now
  • The 07.19 East Grinstead to London Bridge service will depart three minutes earlier at 07.16, three minutes earlier at Dormans and Lingfield, two minutes earlier at Hurst Green, Oxted, Woldingham, Upper Warlingham and Riddlesdown and one minute earlier from Sanderstead and South Croydon.
  • 07.36 East Grinstead to Victoria retimed to depart 07.33, Dormans 07.37, Lingfield 07.40, Hurst Green 07.49, Oxted 07.52, Woldingham 07.57, Upper Warlingham 08.01, Riddlesdown 08.04, Sanderstead 08.08 then as now
WEST LONDON LINE

  • The 08.07 East Croydon to Milton Keynes service will start from South Croydon at 08.05
UCKFIELD

  • 05.18 Uckfield to London Bridge retimed to depart 05.16, Buxted 05.20, Crowborough 05.27, Eridge 05.33, then as now
  • 05.42 Uckfield to London Bridge retimed to depart 05.40, Buxted 05.45, Crowborough 05.52, Eridge 05.58, Cowden 06.06, Edenbridge Town 06.12, Hurst Green 06.20, Oxted 06.24 then as now
  • 07.08 Uckfield to London Bridge retimed to depart 07.05, Buxted 07.10, Crowborough 07.18, Eridge 07.24, Edenbridge Town 07.36 Hurst Green 07.44, Oxted 07.48 then as now
  • 07.34 Uckfield to London Bridge retimed to depart 07.31, Buxted 07.36, Crowborough 07.44, Eridge 07.50, Ashurst 07.56 then as now
  • 08.04 Uckfield to London Bridge retimed to depart 08.01, Buxted 08.06, Crowborough 08.13, Eridge 08.19, Ashurst 08.24, Cowden 08.29 then as now
  • The 07.56 London Bridge to Uckfield service will depart one minute earlier at 07.55 and will depart one minute earlier at Norwood Junction until East Croydon where it will call at stations to Uckfield at the normal times.
METRO

  • 07.01 Norwood Junction to London Bridge retimed to depart 07.04 – 3 minutes later to New Cross Gate
  • The 07.20 Victoria to East Croydon service will be extended to call at South Croydon.
  • 07.25 London Bridge to East Croydon will not stop at Norwood Junction
Alternative trains from London Bridge at 07.18 and 07.28
CATERHAM

  • 06.35 Caterham to Victoria retimed to depart 06.32 – 3 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 06.45 Caterham to London Bridge retimed to depart 06.42 - 3 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 07.01 Caterham to Victoria retimed to depart 06.58 - 3 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 07.15 Caterham to London Bridge retime to depart 07.12 - 3 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 07.30 Caterham to Victoria retimed to depart 07.28 - 2 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 07.45 Caterham to London Bridge retimed to depart 07.42 – 3 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 08.01 Caterham to Victoria retimed to depart 07.58 - 3 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 08.17 Caterham to London Bridge retimed to depart 08.14 - 3 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 08.27 Caterham to London Victoria retimed to depart 08.24 - 3 minutes earlier to Purley

TATTENHAM CORNER

  • 05.56 Tattenham Corner to London Bridge retimed to depart 05.54 – 2 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 06.31 Tattenham Corner to London Bridge retimed to depart 06.30 – 1 minute earlier to Purley
  • 06.48 Tattenham Corner to Victoria retimed to depart 06.45 – 3 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 07.17 Tattenham Corner to Victoria retimed to depart 07.15 - 2 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 07.32 Tattenham Corner to London Bridge retimed to depart 07.29 - 3 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 07.48 Tattenham Corner to Victoria retimed to depart 07.45 - 3 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 08.04 Tattenham Corner to London Bridge retimed to depart 08.01- 3 minutes earlier to Purley
  • 08.14 Tattenham Corner to Victoria retimed to depart 08.13 - 1 minute earlier to Purley
COASTWAY WEST

  • 05.01 Havant to Victoria depart Chichester 05.12 - 3 minutes earlier, Barnham 05.20, Angmering 05.30, Worthing 05.37, Lancing 05.41, Shoreham by Sea 05.45, Portslade 05.50, Hove 05.54,then as now
  • 05.13 Bognor Regis to Littlehampton will depart Bognor Regis 3 minutes earlier at 05.10
BRIGHTON

  • 06.01 Brighton to London Bridge retimed to depart Haywards Heath 06.32 – 2 minutes later to East Croydon, Three Bridges 06.41, Gatwick Airport 06.46, East Croydon 07.02. Arrives London Bridge as now at 07.20
Evening Peak
METRO

  • The 16.36, 17.06, 17.38, 18.06 and 18.36 London Bridge to West Croydon services are withdrawn. Passengers for Penge West and Anerley can use Southern or LOROL services to Norwood Junction and come back up to their stations.
  • The 17.12, 17.42 and 18.13 West Croydon to London Bridge services are withdrawn
METRO (Caterham)

  • The 15.09 Caterham to London Bridge service will depart four minutes earlier at 15.05, four minutes earlier at Whyteleafe South, Whyteleafe and Kenley, and then depart from Purley and stations to London Bridge at the normal times.
  • The 15.39 Caterham to London Bridge service will depart four minutes earlier at 15.35, four minutes earlier at Whyteleafe South, Whyteleafe and Kenley, and then depart from Purley and stations to London Bridge at the normal times.
  • The 16.07 Caterham to London Bridge service will depart two minutes earlier at 16.05, two minutes earlier at Whyteleafe South, Whyteleafe and Kenley, and then depart from Purley and stations to London Bridge at the normal times.
  • The 16.39 Caterham to London Bridge service will depart four minutes earlier at 16.35, four minutes earlier at Whyteleafe South, Whyteleafe and Kenley, and then depart from Purley and stations to London Bridge at the normal times.
  • The 17.09 Caterham to London Bridge service will be withdrawn.
  • An additional 17.12 Caterham to Purley train will run, calling at Whyteleafe South, Whyteleafe and Kenley.
  • The 18.09 Caterham to London Bridge service will depart four minutes earlier at 18.05, four minutes earlier at Whyteleafe South, Whyteleafe and Kenley, and then depart from Purley and stations to London Bridge at the normal times.
METRO (Tattenham Corner)

  • The 15.20 Tattenham Corner to London Bridge service will depart one minute earlier at 15.19, one minute earlier at Tadworth, Kingswood, Chipstead, Woodmansterne, Coulsdon Town and Reedham, and then depart from Purley and stations to London Bridge at the normal times
  • The 16.20 Tattenham Corner to London Bridge service will be revised from Purley to call at all stations to London Bridge. (This train attaches to the 16.35 Caterham to London Bridge train at Purley).
  • The 16.50 Tattenham Corner to London Bridge service will be revised from Purley to call at all stations to London Bridge. (This replaces the 17.09 Caterham to London Bridge service).
  • The 17.19 Tattenham Corner to London Bridge service will terminate at Purley at 17.42.
  • The 17.51 Tattenham Corner to London Bridge service will be revised from Purley to call at all stations to London Bridge. (This train attaches to the 18.05 Caterham to London Bridge train at Purley).
METRO - TATTENHAM CORNER/PURLEY SHUTTLE CHANGES
The 11.33, 12.33, 13.33, 14.33 and 15.33 Tattenham Corner to Purley services will be withdrawn.
(There are still services at 20 and 50 minutes past the hour to London Bridge)
METRO - PURLEY/TATTENHAM CORNER SHUTTLE CHANGES
The 12.02, 13.02, 14.02, 15.02 and 16.02 Purley to Tattenham Corner services will be withdrawn.
(There are still services at 16 and 46 minutes past the hour from Purley)
REDHILL

  • The 16.14 Reigate to London Bridge service after East Croydon will be diverted to London Victoria calling at Clapham Junction at 16.50, arriving at Victoria at 16.57.
BRIGHTON

  • 15.56 Brighton to London Bridge will not stop at Burgess Hill (16.10) and Gatwick Airport (16.33)
  • 16.28 Brighton to London Bridge will not stop at Burgess Hill (16.42) and Gatwick Airport (17.02)
  • 16.56 Brighton to London Bridge will not stop at Burgess Hill (17.10) and Gatwick Airport (17.33)
Alternative trains from Brighton to London at 16.06, 16.36 and 17.08.
Alternative trains from Burgess Hill to London at 16.18, 16.46 and 17.18.
Passengers from Gatwick to London Bridge should use alternative trains to East Croydon and change there for London Bridge.
 

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Parliament.UK

Network Rail must deliver record investment following Christmas disruption




MPs warn that Network rail must show it can deliver record investment, following Christmas disruption, in its report on the investing in the railway inquiry.


Transport Committee welcomes record investment committed to the 'classic' rail network but calls for greater regional balance in spending.  Network Rail must also regain the confidence of passengers following recent disruption.

Chair's comments

Launching a report examining Network Rail’s programme of investment for 2014-19, Louise Ellman MP, Chair of the Transport Committee says:
"With over 1.5 billion journeys made last year, millions of people rely on a train service to get to work or see family and friends. We welcome the record spending planned for the ‘classic’ rail network, but Treasury statistics demonstrate that for too long this spending has been focused on London. We call for revised — and published — criteria to ensure fairer funding allocations that reflect wider economic and social objectives.
The chaos faced by passengers over Christmas at King’s Cross and Paddington, and the continuing disruption at London Bridge, are unacceptable. They are also a worrying sign for the capacity of Network Rail to manage multiple, complex engineering projects simultaneously. Network Rail must demonstrate that it can deliver key improvements —such as electrification in the North West and the Great Western Main Line — on time, and while still delivering safe an efficient services for all passengers.
Reported delays to key infrastructure projects must be addressed by the Department for Transport. If a rail improvement or electrification project is announced for delivery in a set time period, there should be an expectation that it will be delivered on time."

Government to take responsibility  

The Committee calls for the Government to take responsibility for rolling stock, to address general shortages and ensure there will be sufficient trains to run on newly-electrified lines.
Commenting on this, Louise Ellman said:
"Ministers must ensure there is sufficient rolling stock - of a decent quality - to run timetabled rail services and maximise the benefits of new infrastructure. Rising numbers of rail passengers have not being matched by investment in new rolling stock, resulting in overcrowding, and passengers unable to board some busy trains.
The Secretary of State refused to tell us when the outdated and unpopular Pacer trains will be removed from the rail network — in Wales and the South West, as well as the North. We call for a clear commitment to remove Pacers from the rail network by 2020 at the latest."

Conclusions 


The Committee also concluded:
  • Record levels of funding show a welcome commitment to ‘classic’ rail but this should be set in a longer-term strategic plan for the rail network, which ties into a wider transport strategy.
  • The overrunning Christmas engineering works were unacceptable.
  • Network Rail must have adequate contingency plans. They must also work with Passenger Focus and train operating companies to improve communication with passengers when engineering works fail.
  • In the light of the change of status of Network Rail the ORR must reconsider whether fining a public sector body remains an effective means for the regulator to exert control.
  • Greater transparency is essential around rail spending. Criteria used to allocate spending should be published.
  • A traffic-light system should provide clarity on the status of each rail investment project.
  • The public should be able to track the spending and outcomes for each Network Rail spending period.
  • The Department for Transport must ensure there is sufficient rolling stock to operate existing services and on newly electrified lines.
  • It is concerning that the DfT chose to order brand new trains for passengers in London and the South East, while expecting passengers in the rest of the country to be content with reconditioned older trains.
  • Pacer trains should be removed from the rail network by 2020 at the latest.
  • The needs of rail freight - a crucial part of the UK economy - must be balanced with those of passenger rail. Government should produce a strategy covering road and rail freight together.
  • The Office of Rail Regulation must consult on the track access charging regime with a view to reducing the current complexity.
  • Department for Transport should clarify future plans for improving resilience at Dawlish, where the “Orange Army” of Network Rail engineers rebuilt the seawall and successfully re-opened the line.
  • Government should also clarify its future plans for improving connectivity between the classic and high speed network, including any proposals for a HS3 or improved East-West connectivity






==========================================
GOV.UK

New state-of-the-art InterCity Express train to arrive in the UK in March
The first of Britain’s new generation of high-tech passenger trains has started its journey from Japan to the UK.
The Class 800 train, specially designed and built by Hitachi for the government’s £5.7 billion InterCity Express Programme (IEP), will revolutionise rail travel and play a vital role in the country’s long term economic future.
The trains will provide significant benefits to passengers on the East Coast and Great Western routes, with more seats on each train, reduced journey times and improved reliability.
The first IEP Class 800 train was built in Hitachi’s Kasado works in Japan and has today (22 January) set sail for Southampton, UK. Once Hitachi’s new purpose-built facility at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, has opened, the majority of the fleet will be manufactured in the UK, creating hundreds of jobs.
Rail Minister Claire Perry said:
This is a great moment in the delivery of a new class of state-of-the-art trains that the UK needs and deserves. I look forward to seeing the first train as it arrives here and even more so when they are being manufactured in the UK.
We are investing record amounts building a world-class railway that provides more seats, more services and better journeys for passengers. The new InterCity Express trains tick all the right boxes, and will revolutionise train travel to some of the UK’s biggest cities.
The IEP is also helping to secure long-term economic growth by creating hundreds of jobs and apprenticeships at Hitachi’s new factory in County Durham, as well as thousands more jobs across the UK supply chain.
A total of 866 Class 800 carriages will be manufactured at Newton Aycliffe, creating 730 jobs locally.
After its arrival in the UK, the train will be used to run a host of tests to get the fleet ready for service as early as 2017. The new IEP trains will bring faster services and additional capacity between London and major UK cities including Reading, Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea along the Great Western Main Line, and Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh on the East Coast Main Line.
The new train is expected to arrive at Southampton in March.


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Network Rail

Overhead line equipment

How problems with overhead lines cause delays - and what we're doing to reduce them


  •  Overhead line equipment 600 

  • (Network Rail Photograph)


    Overhead line equipment (OLE) refers to the cables and supporting infrastructure that carries electricity at 25,000 volts to power trains.
    Problems generally fall into two categories:
    • Power supply failures - electric trains cannot run but diesel trains can still use the track
    • Mechanical problems, eg the wire is down or parts are displaced from the gantry - no trains can run until the broken equipment is cleared away, then diesels can run and, if the affected part is short enough, electric trains can coast past
    When the failure is serious, for example if the wires have been brought down by a falling tree or are tangled in a train’s pantograph, the solution is more complicated and takes more time. Where this happens we may need to take passengers off the train.

    What we’re doing to reduce faults and delays

    • Our New Measurement Train runs computerised checks on the OLE during inspections, giving us the information that we need to fix potential problems before they affect services
    • We routinely inspect the OLE manually from both ground and high level
    • Investment to upgrade OLE is coordinated nationally to target the routes that are most at risk of problems and those with the highest traffic
    • If it is possible to do so, we'll run diesel trains or coast electric trains through the area and repair the OLE over night, reducing disruption to trains
    • In straightforward cases we try to get trains running again quickly, though we may have to impose temporary speed restrictions until the problem is fixed
    • ============================================
    International
    Europe
    Eurotunnel freight delays continue for seventh day.(Lloyd's Loading List)


    France
    Putting France's Tracks on the Map (Future Rail)
    Hundreds of kilometres of the French railway network have been surveyed using a 3D laser mapping system developed by FIT ESIC. Frances Marcellin finds how data is captured and what benefits the project brings to safety and maintenance.


    Russia
    Beijing-Moscow high-speed rail plan confirmed CCTV


    USA
    Another View: Debate about high-speed rail should be based on facts

    Other Railway Press

    Alstom to deliver signalling and electrification solutions for India's Kochi Metro Rail
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    Austrian telecommunication provider Kapsch CarrierCom has secured a €14.7m GSM-R project from Czech Republic's state-owned Railway Infrastructure Administration.
    Nomad to install onboard communication solution for Bombardier trains
    Wireless solutions provider Nomad Digital has secured an order from Bombardier to deliver onboard connectivity solution for 100 trains in the north European metro system.
    UK Government joins with industry to strengthen rail supply chain
    The UK Government has joined with supply industry firms and train operators to develop the strategic vision to strengthen the country's rail supply chain.

    SmartRail World

    Something a little bit different for SmartRail World today, as we investigate how maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) within rail can achieve significant improvements in financial performance by adapting new techniques and perspectives. To find out more about this subject our Editor, Luke Upton spoke to Mandyam (“Srini”) Srinivasan, Ph.D., the Pilot Corporation Chair of Excellence in Business at the University of Tennessee. Dr. Srinivasan has many years of experience with leading automobile manufacturing organizations, consulted with a large number of industries and has recently written the book, Lean Maintenance Repair and Overhaul, which looks set to become the definitive guide to this subject.



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