Today several announcements from the UK Government regarding allocated funds to the regions via "Growth Deals". Read about Sir David Higgins' vision to connect northern cities to HS2.
Some inaction today on HS1....well, the Channel Tunnel... when a train was stranded, and passengers evacuated...
Crossrail shares the news that the BBC will be screening a 3 part documentary on the Crossrail Project, starting 16th July 2014 (9pm)
And Christian Wolmar shares thoughts....his thoughts.... on whether a new Labour Government, if elected, would renationalize the railways...and please no-one in the end.....
And a rail bonanza , thanks to the Tour de France....in Yorkshire!
On your bike!!
Click on the links for the full stories.....
Headlines
UK
1,300 new jobs for York - Huge grants for region - Rail and road links to be upgraded.(The York Press)..
Trains to get free high-speed internet at cost of £90m.(The Guardian).
Free super-fast wi-fi to be rolled out on busiest commuter train routes.(The Independent).
Chambers of Commerce throw weight behind plan for HS2 college in region.(The Yorkshire Post).
Rail worker hurt as hole collapses in Stafford.(BBC News).
Channel Tunnel Rail Link issues £200m dividend despite HS1 losses.(CityAM).
Eurostar train breaks down.(The Connexion).
Eurostar train evacuated in Channel Tunnel due to falling power line .(Descrier.co.uk)
Crossrail.
The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway: Trailer - BBC Two
Programme website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04b7h1w
BBC Two goes behind the scenes of one of the biggest Engineering projects in Europe
3 episodes... starting soon.....16th July 9pm
The BBC goes behind the scenes for Crossrail documentary series
The BBC will air a three-part documentary taking the public behind the scenes of Europe’s largest infrastructure project as it constructs a new rail line through the heart of one of the world’s busiest cities.
BBC 2’s Fifteen Billion Pound Railway airs on 16 July at 9pm and follows the construction of the new train tunnels and stations under London.
Crossrail provided exclusive access over two years to the BBC’s producers Windfall Films who spent time with our tunnellers and engineers as construction of the new railway progressed. They witnessed the engineering challenges and key milestones including the spectacular tunnel machine breakthroughs.
Crossrail Chief Executive Andrew Wolstenholme said: “The documentary series provides a unique insight into the complexity and challenges of delivering Europe’s biggest construction project through the very heart of London. Every day people walk past our construction sites unaware of the maze of tunnels that are being constructed below London’s busy streets.”
One of the stars of the documentary is western tunnels and stations Project Manager Andy Alder: “We think our work is pretty exciting. This documentary is a chance for the public to come into our subterranean world and see how we build big tunnels using massive machines, while preserving London’s archaeological history and making sure London keeps moving.”
The first episode, Urban Heart Surgery, follows the team of workers as they drive 1,000-tonne tunnel boring machine, Ada, through Tottenham Court Road station within 800mm of the operating Northern line. It also looks at how Crossrail has ensured Bonhams auction house in Mayfair is able to receive its vintage cars for auction.
Episode two, Tunnels Under the Thames, sees the Bermingham father and son team follow in the tradition of tunneling greats, the Brunels, and build new train tunnels under the River Thames in southeast London. Meanwhile, Project Manager Linda Miller is rebuilding the Victorian Connaught Tunnel under the Royal Docks.
The final episode, Platforms and Plague Pits, tracks the team as they construct the cathedral-sized new station at Canary Wharf. The cameras join engineers as they carve out the underground caverns that will become the new stations at Liverpool Street and Whitechapel. And, it follows archaeologists as they uncover a 14th Century emergency burial ground, established ahead of the plague.
The Series Producer is Jane Fitzgerald, the Series Director is Joby Lubman and the series is executive produced by Carlo Massarella for Windfall Films.
BBC 2’s Fifteen Billion Pound Railway airs on 16 July at 9pm. For more information visit the BBC.
GOV.UK
High speed rail in the north.
Sir David Higgins to produce ambitious proposals for connecting the great northern cities with HS2.
Improvements to transport connectivity between the northern cities, including through HS2, through east-west high speed rail links and road improvements, would be a key driver in realising the potential for the cities of the north to become a “northern powerhouse” for the UK’s economy. HS2 is a vital part of our plans to deliver significant transport infrastructure that will not only maximise benefits across the UK, in terms of journey times and connectivity, but will help balance the UK’s economy, drive regional regeneration, support job creation and deliver substantial economic growth.
We are firmly and fully committed to our plans for a high speed rail network connecting Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds as part of our plans for HS2 Phase Two, on which we consulted earlier this year.
In his report, “HS2 Plus”, Sir David Higgins set out his recommendations that the government should undertake further work on bringing the benefits to the north sooner, improving city centre to city centre and east-west connectivity and enhancing integration with our existing network.
In response to his report 5 cities – Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield – are already engaged in a programme of work looking at northern connectivity. I am looking forward to seeing the outputs from this work. I am also very grateful for the responses to the HS2 Phase Two consultation, which we will report on in the autumn.
The government has now asked Sir David to produce ambitious proposals for connecting the great northern cities. This work will look at how to bring the benefits of high speed rail to the north more quickly, as well as initial proposals for faster east-west connections – including options on route, timescales and cost – by the time of the Autumn Statement later this year.
In completing this work Sir David will discuss emerging issues with leaders from the midlands and the north, and will work with Network Rail to ensure this is part of a comprehensive plan for the entire railway network in the north of the country, as well as liaising with the Highways Agency to ensure it is fully integrated with the strategic long term plans for the national road network, currently being developed. Separately we are continuing to work on improved rail links to Scotland.
HS2 is a key part of this government’s growth strategy and I am keen to maximise its benefits as we look to deliver economic growth in the north and across the country more generally.
Growth Deals: firing up local economies
The government has agreed a series of Growth Deals to help boost local economies.
View a map showing local enterprise partnerships across England.
In addition, discussions with local enterprise partnerships will continue, to prepare for future negotiations on the next round of Growth Deals to build on the momentum now established.Growth Deals are a revolution in the way our economy is run. For the first time ever, housing, infrastructure and other funding is being brought together in a single pot, and put directly into the hands of local authorities and businesses to spend the way they know best.
Projects beginning in 2015 to 2016 are expected to be matched by local investments worth around twice the contribution from central government. Across the country they are expected to lead to work on more than 150 roads, 150 housing developments and 20 stations, as well as:
- providing small business support services in every part of England and significant investment in skills training
- working to improve educational attainment
- getting more people from welfare to work
- £18 million to revamp the Metrolink transport system in Manchester, which will include 12 new trams, revamped stations and improved bus services. This is part of a £50 million transport package in Greater Manchester
- £23 million for a new road tunnel linking Swindon to nearby Wichelstowe, creating thousands of jobs and opening up a new site for thousands of homes - this is just one of dozens of road projects which will get off the ground thanks to the Growth Deals the local enterprise partnerships have agreed with the government
- millions of pounds for projects around the country to boost the skills that local businesses say they need, including £55 million for London’s Skills Capital programme; a Glass Academy in Sheffield to train people to work in the city’s glassworks and an Oil and Gas Academy in the Tees Valley - this not only helps businesses, but also young people who might struggle to get a job and take advantage as the economy grows
- the creation of a new National Agri-Food Campus in York which will help the area become a global leader in food manufacturing, agricultural technologies, and bio-renewable sectors, creating up to 800 new jobs
- funding for Birmingham to help the city make the most of HS2 – including improving connection to the Birmingham Curzon Street station so that the area can maximise the benefits in terms of investment, jobs and skills
- support and advice for small and medium sized businesses, so that they can grow and create hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country - local enterprise partnerships will tailor this support to local needs
- funding for a new engineering training facility at the MIRA technology park – delivered in partnership with North Warwickshire and Hinckley College, University of Leicester and Loughborough University. The centre will equip people with the skills to work in advanced transport engineering, a growing sector in Leicestershire and the surrounding area
- support for a £1 million project to create the Silverstone Metrology Centre, a high precision measurement facility for small and medium sized enterprises working in high performance technology industries such as motorsports, enabling them to develop new products
- funding for broadband networks in areas where provision is not currently available, such as remote areas of the North East
Growth Deals are a crucial part of our long-term plan to secure Britain’s future. For too long our economy has been too London-focused and too centralised. Growth Deals will help change all that. They are about firing up our great cities, towns and counties so they can become powerhouses.The Deputy Prime Minister, who chairs the Local Growth Cabinet Committee, said:
By trusting local people, backing business and investing in infrastructure, skills and housing, we can create thousands of new jobs. And that means more economic security, peace of mind and a brighter future for hardworking people across the country.
We are ending a culture of Whitehall knows best. Decisions over spending on infrastructure, business support and housing are being made at a truly local level. It will help end our over-reliance on the banks and the City of London, and generate growth, jobs, and ambition in towns and cities all across England.Greg Clark, Minister for Cities, said:
Growth Deals will create thousands of jobs, provide incredible new training opportunities for young people, build thousands of new homes and improve transport links across the country for people and their families; building a stronger economy and a fairer society.
We’re placing the power and money in the hands of the people who know how to spend it best, making a real difference to local communities.
This is a landmark day for Britain’s local economies. National growth is the sum of local growth. For Britain to prosper every part of the country needs to fulfil its potential. No 2 places are the same and the people who live, work and do business in each place know best what their area needs to do well. Today is the day when we back local leaders to create jobs and prosperity in their area.Lord Heseltine said:
These Growth Deals build on the success of our City Deals. I look forward to meeting with all LEPs over the next few weeks to negotiate the next instalment of Growth Deals building on this momentum.
In every experience I have had of backing local people, local experience and local initiative the results have seriously exceeded expectations.Alex Pratt, Chair of the LEP Network Management Board said:
Today’s announcement is a giant step in the rebalancing of our economy.
The zest for growth captured in the LEP Strategic Economic Plans has been met by a powerful vote of confidence in the quality of our bottom-up, evidence-led vision and focus.Complete allocations for 2015 to 2016 were announced today.
This moment brings us to an exciting new beginning for coalface-inspired growth. Every LEP will be focussing hard on delivering its growth promises.
UK Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).
Regulator reports on Network Rail’s performance between 2009 and 2014
7 July 2014
The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has today concluded its assessment of Network Rail's performance against funded obligations between 2009 and 2014. ORR highlights enhancements and growth in Britain's railways, as well as shortfalls in performance for passengers which require Network Rail to return £53.1m to funders and improve the resilience of the network.
ORR's analysis identified a number of significant successes over the past five years, including:
- Network Rail delivered a major rail enhancement programme largely on time and budget, bringing real benefits to passengers. Across 118 projects, 98 were delivered early or on time, with only one delayed in a way which had a notable impact on customers. The company has also electrified railways in the North West of England to bring more reliable services to the region.
- The company has made significant investment in Britain's freight network through projects to improve capacity and reliability of freight services. This included schemes to enable the running of longer trains and the introduction of new routes on the East Coast corridor.
- Network Rail helped to improve safety at levels crossings, as more than 800 crossings across Britain have been upgraded or closed.
- Working with the rail industry, Network Rail is helping to carry record numbers of passengers and freight on the rail network. There were more than 1.5bn passenger journeys on the network in 2013-14, up from around 1.2bn in 2008-09. The amount of freight goods carried has increased from 102.7 million tonnes in 2008-09 to 116.6 million tonnes in 2013-14.
- Network Rail and train operators worked well together to keep rail services running safely throughout challenging weather conditions of winter 2013-14. The company worked quickly to recover routes affected by the weather, as demonstrated in its work to repair the line for services running through Dawlish.
- Punctuality for long distance passenger services: Network Rail committed to deliver average punctuality levels of 92% in the sector in 2013-14 and was funded to do so. The company fell significantly short of this funded target in delivering 86.9%. Network Rail did not deliver all of its plans to improve performance and, particularly in the early years of the funding period, had insufficient knowledge of the condition of its key assets, such as earthworks, electrical equipment and drainage. Under an order made by ORR in 2012, taking account of issues beyond Network Rail's control, the company will return £53.1m to funders for failure to deliver its agreed obligations in 2013-14.
- Punctuality for London and the South East (LSE) passenger services: Network Rail was funded to achieve average punctuality levels of 93% in 2013-14. The company achieved punctuality levels of 89.6%. As a result of missing its funded obligations, and to address issues which have disrupted services for passengers, the company has committed extra funds to improve the resilience of the rail network in LSE. Plans expected to include projects costing at least £25m must be in place by December 2014.
Network Rail has been successful in modernising and improving Britain's railways over the past five years, during a period which has seen record rise in passengers numbers.
Punctuality is important to passengers. Network Rail committed to improve train punctuality between 2009 and 2014, and was funded to do so. But it did not deliver its commitments for passengers who travel on long distance and London and South East services. Network Rail fell significantly short of punctuality for long distance services, so it is right that money is returned to funders. The company will be undertaking extensive maintenance and renewal work to improve punctuality on long distance services between 2014 and 2019. It has committed extra funds to improve the resilience of the rail network in London and the South East for better reliability of services in the future.
Network Rail's performance will continue to be under the spotlight. Network Rail has committed to deliver the basics in planning and managing the reliability of key components of the rail network such as bridges and earthworks, and deliver its performance plans to ensure it meets all obligations for customers between 2014 and 2019. The company has shown it can plan performance effectively and predict and prevent problems before they cause disruption – as demonstrated for the London 2012 Olympics – and it must repeat these standards across the entire network.Network Rail, working with the rail industry, has now embarked on plans to improve the safety, performance and efficiency of Britain's railways between 2014 and 2019. The company must do more to 'predict and prevent' problems on the network before they create disruption for passengers – enhanced asset management, planning and delivery of maintenance, renewal, and resilience works are vital. ORR has introduced new regulatory targets to ensure the company strengthens its asset management and delivers its plans. We will be scrutinising the company's performance very closely over the coming years to ensure it delivers all of its obligations for passengers, and to make sure we are in a position to intervene – where necessary – before problems emerge.
Network Rail.
Rail industry in Yorkshire celebrates a successful Tour de France stage 1 & 2
As spectators continue to make their way home, the rail industry in Yorkshire is paying tribute to the thousands of passengers who used rail services this weekend for their patience and good humour. Dozens of longer and more frequent trains have run around the region this weekend as the Tour de France Grand Depart took place.
On Saturday passenger numbers reached 243, 000* at Leeds station, an increase of around 50% on the previous Saturday. Around 26,000 passengers are believed to have travelled through Harrogate.
Leeds station manager Helen Dawson said: “I have never seen queues like the ones we experienced this Saturday. We estimate that around 10,000 people travelled to Harrogate from Leeds. The fact that so many people were all travelling on the same route made it more of a challenge. Even during the Christmas markets and Leeds Festival, passengers come from all over so we don’t see the intense pressure that we did yesterday.
“Understandably passengers were anxious to see the race but they queued with good humour and responded well to the volunteers who were giving out water and advice in equal measure!”
On Sunday the race passed over the railway at Starbeck level crossing (see attached images) so the only rail route available from Harrogate to York was via Leeds. Direct rail services resumed from 1700 after the crossing and line were checked and cleared.
Once again, many thousands of spectators took to the rails to watch the race. Around 8,000 passengers went through Sheffield station ahead of the end of stage two with a further 8,500 recorded at Meadowhall. Huddersfield also had high passenger numbers throughout the day.
A spokesman for the rail industry in Yorkshire said: “This weekend has been the result of many, many months of hard work. As well as the planned additional services we’ve been moving trains to respond to the crowds and putting in short notice extra services to keep people on the move. We thank passengers for their patience and for entering in to the spirit of the weekend. We also want to thank the hundreds of rail staff who have given up their weekend to support and guide passengers around our network.”
As well as extra services and volunteers, additional response teams were out around the network to respond to any issues. The Network Rail helicopter was on standby and a response train was equipped and staffed to respond to any train or infrastructure faults.
Bank Holiday Monday after Leeds festival – 120,307
Last Saturday before Xmas – 174, 187
Christian Wolmar - Britain's Leading Transport Commentator..
Reports today suggest Labour is set to announce that it will allow parts of the rail network to come back into public ownership. But it seems Labour, which has dismissed the story as “pure speculation”, will only allow a recreated British Rail to bid for franchises rather than taking them all over as they run out.
The leadership’s fear of a more radical solution has been apparent for some time and this patched-together compromise has always seemed like the easy way forward to avoid frightening the horses and satisfy the party’s more radical elements. Unfortunately, it will do neither and is a mistake, both practically and politically.
The franchise bidding process is a convoluted and difficult procedure that costs each bidder about £5m because it involves setting up a team with expertise in all aspects of railway operations and marketing. If a BR-type organisation is expected to bid for every franchise, it will be an expensive operation with only a small chance of success since normally three or four bidders are in the frame. It takes no imagination to see how badly such a waste of resources will go down with the public at a time of austerity. The private operators will make an enormous fuss and cry foul at every stage, complaining that the government bidder will have inside knowledge and access to cheaper capital than they do.
Then there’s the politics. The Blairite rightwingers will say this idea is antagonistic to business and sends the wrong message to the City. The left will argue it is a missed opportunity to put forward a radical policy that is popular and practical. And both sides are right. If Labour is going to anger the rail companies, the party might as well go the whole hog. After all, few sympathised with the energy companies when Ed Miliband made his conference promise to freeze prices. And there is support for the idea that an industry that receives state support of £4bn per year – about a third of its income – should be in public hands and not leech much of that to the private sector.
Taking a step back from these immediate considerations, the central question is: what is franchising for? No other country in the world runs its railways in this bizarre way and the process in Britain has led to instability and uncertainty in an industry that thrives on consistent and long-term thinking. The debacle over the West Coast franchise two years ago highlighted the inherent problems of putting long-term contracts to run the railways out to tender. Hence the Department for Transport is now focusing on seven-year deals because the private sector cannot take the risk over longer periods (except on small well-defined franchise areas such as Essex Thameside).
As well as the cost of the bidding process, franchising creates an inflexible railway. Any changes to the timetable sought by the DfT in response to changing demand will be the subject of dispute with the operator, inevitably leading to extra costs. And the most outrageous aspect is that operators are paid massive compensation when services are disrupted by engineering works carried out for their benefit.
Labour’s leadership may be worried about upsetting business interests, but franchising is a strange type of capitalism. Conventional companies earn a rate of return because they are rewarded for taking risks and for investment. Train operators neither invest – improvements are paid for either by Network Rail or the rolling stock owners – nor take risks, since they know they can always throw in the towel if passenger numbers fail to meet expectations, as happened in 2009 when National Express cut its losses on the East Coast franchise and simply handed it back to the DfT where it has remained ever since as a publicly run franchise.
Even senior rail industry insiders think the game should be up for franchising. When I mentioned to one long-established manager last week that I was a franchising sceptic, the response was immediate: “So am I.” It’s a shame that Labour’s leadership appears to not be brave enough to follow that logic and get rid of a system that has ill served both the industry and its passengers.
UK Heritage News
£1M Boost for Reunification! | The UK's Only Main Line Heritage Railway.(GCR)
MINEHEAD HARBOUR FESTIVAL SATURDAY JULY 12th « West Somerset Railway
Classic Vehicles Weekend | North Yorkshire Moors Railway :: A steam train adventure through the stunning Yorkshire Moors
Country house with its own railway station where residents can flag down trains goes on sale for £425,000 - Telegraph.
Europe
CER - The Voice of European Railways.
European Railway Agency
Railway Safety Performance Report 2014
India
India parliament key budget session begins.(BBC News).
The BBC reports that India's parliament has begun a budget session during which the new government is expected to face questions on measures it will take to revive a slowing economy.
The session stated with opposition parties protesting recent railway fare increases....
Rail Budget 2014: Narendra Modi faces uphill task to put Railways on track.(Economic Times)
USA
www.progressiverailroading.com
D.C. airports authority recommends contractor for Silver Line rail yard, maintenance facility
AAR: U.S. railroads hit several traffic highs in June
LACMTA signs off on joint venture contract for Regional Connector
Watco wins IT award, installs Grant and Chamberlain in GM posts
MTA to participate in LIRR, labor union talks tomorrow
UP lands on Barron's list of world's most respected companies
Caltrain approves fare, fee increases
Michigan allocates $3 million for Woodhaven grade separation
Locomotive engine upgrades reflect pending emission regulations, evolving fuel trends
South Coast Rail project management contract awarded - Railway Gazette
Leeds station manager Helen Dawson said: “I have never seen queues like the ones we experienced this Saturday. We estimate that around 10,000 people travelled to Harrogate from Leeds. The fact that so many people were all travelling on the same route made it more of a challenge. Even during the Christmas markets and Leeds Festival, passengers come from all over so we don’t see the intense pressure that we did yesterday.
“Understandably passengers were anxious to see the race but they queued with good humour and responded well to the volunteers who were giving out water and advice in equal measure!”
On Sunday the race passed over the railway at Starbeck level crossing (see attached images) so the only rail route available from Harrogate to York was via Leeds. Direct rail services resumed from 1700 after the crossing and line were checked and cleared.
Once again, many thousands of spectators took to the rails to watch the race. Around 8,000 passengers went through Sheffield station ahead of the end of stage two with a further 8,500 recorded at Meadowhall. Huddersfield also had high passenger numbers throughout the day.
A spokesman for the rail industry in Yorkshire said: “This weekend has been the result of many, many months of hard work. As well as the planned additional services we’ve been moving trains to respond to the crowds and putting in short notice extra services to keep people on the move. We thank passengers for their patience and for entering in to the spirit of the weekend. We also want to thank the hundreds of rail staff who have given up their weekend to support and guide passengers around our network.”
As well as extra services and volunteers, additional response teams were out around the network to respond to any issues. The Network Rail helicopter was on standby and a response train was equipped and staffed to respond to any train or infrastructure faults.
Notes:
*Passenger numbers at Leeds station for comparison:Bank Holiday Monday after Leeds festival – 120,307
Last Saturday before Xmas – 174, 187
Christian Wolmar - Britain's Leading Transport Commentator..
Reports today suggest Labour is set to announce that it will allow parts of the rail network to come back into public ownership. But it seems Labour, which has dismissed the story as “pure speculation”, will only allow a recreated British Rail to bid for franchises rather than taking them all over as they run out.
The leadership’s fear of a more radical solution has been apparent for some time and this patched-together compromise has always seemed like the easy way forward to avoid frightening the horses and satisfy the party’s more radical elements. Unfortunately, it will do neither and is a mistake, both practically and politically.
The franchise bidding process is a convoluted and difficult procedure that costs each bidder about £5m because it involves setting up a team with expertise in all aspects of railway operations and marketing. If a BR-type organisation is expected to bid for every franchise, it will be an expensive operation with only a small chance of success since normally three or four bidders are in the frame. It takes no imagination to see how badly such a waste of resources will go down with the public at a time of austerity. The private operators will make an enormous fuss and cry foul at every stage, complaining that the government bidder will have inside knowledge and access to cheaper capital than they do.
Then there’s the politics. The Blairite rightwingers will say this idea is antagonistic to business and sends the wrong message to the City. The left will argue it is a missed opportunity to put forward a radical policy that is popular and practical. And both sides are right. If Labour is going to anger the rail companies, the party might as well go the whole hog. After all, few sympathised with the energy companies when Ed Miliband made his conference promise to freeze prices. And there is support for the idea that an industry that receives state support of £4bn per year – about a third of its income – should be in public hands and not leech much of that to the private sector.
Taking a step back from these immediate considerations, the central question is: what is franchising for? No other country in the world runs its railways in this bizarre way and the process in Britain has led to instability and uncertainty in an industry that thrives on consistent and long-term thinking. The debacle over the West Coast franchise two years ago highlighted the inherent problems of putting long-term contracts to run the railways out to tender. Hence the Department for Transport is now focusing on seven-year deals because the private sector cannot take the risk over longer periods (except on small well-defined franchise areas such as Essex Thameside).
As well as the cost of the bidding process, franchising creates an inflexible railway. Any changes to the timetable sought by the DfT in response to changing demand will be the subject of dispute with the operator, inevitably leading to extra costs. And the most outrageous aspect is that operators are paid massive compensation when services are disrupted by engineering works carried out for their benefit.
Labour’s leadership may be worried about upsetting business interests, but franchising is a strange type of capitalism. Conventional companies earn a rate of return because they are rewarded for taking risks and for investment. Train operators neither invest – improvements are paid for either by Network Rail or the rolling stock owners – nor take risks, since they know they can always throw in the towel if passenger numbers fail to meet expectations, as happened in 2009 when National Express cut its losses on the East Coast franchise and simply handed it back to the DfT where it has remained ever since as a publicly run franchise.
Even senior rail industry insiders think the game should be up for franchising. When I mentioned to one long-established manager last week that I was a franchising sceptic, the response was immediate: “So am I.” It’s a shame that Labour’s leadership appears to not be brave enough to follow that logic and get rid of a system that has ill served both the industry and its passengers.
UK Heritage News
£1M Boost for Reunification! | The UK's Only Main Line Heritage Railway.(GCR)
MINEHEAD HARBOUR FESTIVAL SATURDAY JULY 12th « West Somerset Railway
Classic Vehicles Weekend | North Yorkshire Moors Railway :: A steam train adventure through the stunning Yorkshire Moors
Country house with its own railway station where residents can flag down trains goes on sale for £425,000 - Telegraph.
Europe
CER - The Voice of European Railways.
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On 7 July, the European Parliament Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN) held its first meeting after the European Parliament elections and elected its Chairman and Vice Chairmen. The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies is looking forward to a fruitful dialogue with the members of the newly assigned TRAN Committee.
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The coordinators of the political groups have also been appointed by the national delegations within each group and will work, as a first step, on the redistribution of responsibilities in the ongoing legislative dossiers.
CER Executive Director Libor Lochman said: “A warm welcome to the members of the new TRAN Committee! And congratulations to MEP Michael Cramer (Greens/EFA) as newly elected Committee Chairman! There are many issues currently on the agenda which we hope to have a dialogue on in order to reach constructive results.”
He added: “Michael Cramer is a transport expert and his seniority in the TRAN committee is recognized by all. He has always been ready to defend rail´s environmental performance. At the same time, he has always been a severe judge whenever rail did not deliver the services expected by the European citizens. As a railway man, I am looking forward to working with him: he will certainly be an eminent leader and I am confident that he will do a great job.”
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European Railway Agency
Railway Safety Performance Report 2014
Brussels, 30 June 2014
The European Railway Agency (ERA) has published its Railway Safety Performance Report 2014. The 4th statutory biennial report (7th report on the development of railway safety in the EU by the Agency) provides a general overview of railway safety performance in the EU; it newly includes an international and an intermodal comparison of railway safety performance.
The report shows that despite a continuous general improvement in safety performance, the improvements have come to still in several accident categories and railway users. The costs of significant accidents continue to exceed 1.7 billion EUR on annual basis.
Read the report
The European Railway Agency (ERA) has published its Railway Safety Performance Report 2014. The 4th statutory biennial report (7th report on the development of railway safety in the EU by the Agency) provides a general overview of railway safety performance in the EU; it newly includes an international and an intermodal comparison of railway safety performance.
The report shows that despite a continuous general improvement in safety performance, the improvements have come to still in several accident categories and railway users. The costs of significant accidents continue to exceed 1.7 billion EUR on annual basis.
Read the report
India
India parliament key budget session begins.(BBC News).
The BBC reports that India's parliament has begun a budget session during which the new government is expected to face questions on measures it will take to revive a slowing economy.
The session stated with opposition parties protesting recent railway fare increases....
Rail Budget 2014: Narendra Modi faces uphill task to put Railways on track.(Economic Times)
USA
www.progressiverailroading.com
Locomotive engine upgrades reflect pending emission regulations, evolving fuel trends
South Coast Rail project management contract awarded - Railway Gazette
Meet the Director!
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"An engaging, informative and visually stunning first-person perspective on the ease of train travel in Europe versus the hassle and rising cost of flying and driving in the US. An eye-catching advocacy piece by a young filmmaker, geared towards the Millennial generation." -NARP (National Association of Railroad Passengers)
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"With rising gas prices, increasing congestion, and strong interest in how to reinvigorate our communities, it is more important than ever to give Americans transportation choices right now, especially as we reauthorize the surface transportation bill. Now is the time to be investing in rail, to bring our infrastructure up to 21st century standards, and to give Americans choices about how they get from place to place.
Expanding passenger and freight rail lines provide cheaper transportation options at a lower environmental cost. Providing this option requires federal funding and flexibility for states and local governments to use transportation dollars in the ways that best fit local needs. Transportation choices play a major role in our quality of life, influencing everything from access to economic opportunities to environmental quality and community safety." -Congressman Earl Blumenauer |
Don't Miss the Free Screening!
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