In the UK, there is news regarding rail franchises..and an article from Christian Wolmar on the possibility of renationalization under a Labour administration.
And a Guardian article suggesting trouble ahead over the issue...
It is the 1st anniversary this weekend of the devastating derailment of an oil train that wiped out 47 lives and part of downtown Lac Megantic in Quebec. This edition of The Railway Chronicle includes a number of articles taking a look at the lessons learned.....But emergency regulations regarding number of crew on such trains, not to leave trains with such cargos unattended on the mainline, use of certain oil tankers to carry the particular crude oil in question etc do not seem to have allayed the fears of many that such an incident would ever happen again..
Click on the links for the full stories.....
Headlines
UK
Ed Miliband faces Labour revolt over rail renationalisation.(The Guardian).
Activists and unions back plans to bring expired rail franchises back under public control
Battle for UK’s railways has only just begun.(The Telegraph).
"It is an inconvenient truth that branches of foreign state-owned rail companies can bid for franchises in this country while a vehicle backed by the British taxpayer can’t."
French firm wins 7-year Docklands Light Railway franchise.(BBC News).
£15m boost for railway station cycling facilities.(BBC News)
HS2 and life sciences key parts of new 'growth deal' (Birmingham Post).
Labour's half-hearted plan for rail renationalisation is a cop-out.(Christian Wolmar in The Guardian)
The party does not seem brave enough to ditch a franchise system that hasn't worked for the industry or passengers.
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
Timetable | North Yorkshire Moors Railway :: A steam train adventure through the stunning Yorkshire Moors.
Bluebell Railway - Locomotive Works News - 84030
How to get here - Plan a visit - National Railway Museum
International
Australia
Investor ready for action on high-speed rail.(The Border Mail)
China
More talks 'needed on high-speed rail link' between Xinjiang, Europe.(peopledaily.com.cn).
India
Indian PM Narendra Modi on maiden Kashmir visit.(BBC News).
Delhi to Agra in 99 minutes; train hits 160 kmph on trial run.(Times of India)
On This Day
05/07/1865
Royal Assent granted to the Parliamentary
Act to form the Talyllyn Railway Company
giving powers to compulsorily acquire land to build the Railway.
giving powers to compulsorily acquire land to build the Railway.
05/07/1931
Bournemouth
Belle all Pullman service
introduced.
05/07/1932
The first main-line electric express
runs from London Bridge station to Three Bridges
in Sussex.
in Sussex.
05/07/37
UK: The “Coronation Scot” breaks
record from London to Edinburgh.
06/07/2013
Canada:
At Lac-Megantic, A Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway
train carrying 72 cars of crude
oil, was parked shortly before midnight on Friday in the town of Nantes about
seven miles (11km) away. It later rolled downhill, gathering speed until it
derailed in Lac-Megantic and exploded. Death toll in region of 50 + .
Lac-Megantic one year later: vigils and concerts commemorate tragedy.(CTV News)
Some Key Dates In The Aftermath Of The Lac Megantic Train Disaster. (GlobalPost)
Lac-Mégantic: More must be done to avoid another disaster, critics say.(CBC News)
What we know and don’t know about the Lac-Mégantic derailment one year later.(Montreal Gazette)
What has Changed Since the Lac-Mégantic Disaster? (utne.com)
Raildate
(Courtesy Howard Sprenger)
News, Forthcoming Events, TV Schedule..The Week Ahead..
NETWATCH
Recent additions to Howard Benson's excellent Woodlesford Station websitehttp://www.woodlesfordstation.co.uk/Pages/FrankBarlowBurnley.aspx
http://www.woodlesfordstation.co.uk/Pages/RichardMcfarlane.aspx
http://www.woodlesfordstation.co.uk/Pages/RobertMetcalf.aspx
The Railway Stations of Tynemouth. A history by Charlie Steelehttp://tinyurl.com/qeegp4f
Pendon celebrates its 60th birthday this monthhttp://www.pendonmuseum.com/
Blue Bus Services (Tailby & George)http://www.stephenhowarth.co.uk/blue-bus-services-history.php
Railway Chaplainshttp://www.railstaff.co.uk/2014/06/26/railway-chaplains-mission/
(Spotter: Neil Kearns)
Mid Norfolk Railway: Summer Steam Gala 27th Junehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME-jMEpaQYE
In western Texas, Audi finds the last Horch, and ships it back to Germany for a 2-year
restorationhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hLxUEaJi8A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chSwsY24z8s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIG4H_rg_dU
(Spotter: Ted Millward)
Want to know where lightning is striking?http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en
(Spotter: Alan Rushworth)
Some truly remarkable model photography herehttps://www.flickr.com/photos/24796741@N05/
The aircraft carrier that never washttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28128026
An eclectic mix of... er... stuff...https://www.flickr.com/photos/36844288@N00/sets/
(Spotter: Nick Wheat)
Living history: The man who lives in 1946http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28106466
============
IN THE NEWS
Railfreight traffic increaseshttp://www.railstaff.co.uk/2014/06/30/rail-freight-rises/
Patrick McLoughlin backs paying HS2 bosses more than PMhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28156292
Plea for investment in regional lineshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-28078437
C2C franchise awarded to National Expresshttp://tinyurl.com/nn6qaqw
Trespasser shuts Waterloo in evening peakhttp://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/waterloo-trespasser-commuter-live-tweets-3777354
Will London Bridge work mean misery for South East rail commuters?http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-28056123
Crossrail reveals more of London's hidden historyhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-28148419
Plea for investment in "slow and old" Cumbria railwayshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-28078437
Carnforth train campaign reaches the tophttp://www.thevisitor.co.uk/news/local/carnforth-train-campaign-reaches-the-top-1-6695543
Technical fault halts trains across West Yorkshirehttp://tinyurl.com/lwvjfee
Refurbishment of Skegness station completedhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-28070616
Work to begin next summer on electrification of railway through Bathhttp://tinyurl.com/p65yu2d
Campaign to reopen Weymouth seafront train linehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-28141829
Dawlish railway track alternatives 'too expensive'http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-28127840
Government expected to announce multi-million pound investment project for Cornwall’s rail
systemhttp://tinyurl.com/qazasrr
http://travel.aol.co.uk/2014/07/03/cornwall-railways-get-146m-boost/
The train dispatcher who defines what it means to be a gentlemanhttp://tinyurl.com/ps6p5h8
Fire in Eastleigh Depot (not works) Voyager 220 007http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/11307407.Fire_crews_tackle_blaze_on_train/
Chorley railway worker gets top awardhttp://www.lep.co.uk/news/chorley-railway-worker-gets-top-award-1-6707751
Record number of deaths on railwayshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28130579
Boy, 16, electrocuted at railway station depothttp://tinyurl.com/kc9nh9o
Drunken Cromford man fell under trainhttp://tinyurl.com/nwzlb9x
French firm wins 7-year Docklands Light Railway franchisehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28157128
Rail warning system “ears” can hear landslidehttp://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/rail-warning-system-ears-can-hear-landslide-1-3460186
Tractor rolls on to railway line near Golspiehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-28110229
Glasgow Subway strike threat liftedhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-28091405
Cambrian coast line bridge further delayedhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-28090456
Valleys rail upgrade plan 'at risk' says David Joneshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-28091378
Direct rail between Wrexham and Liverpool to returnhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-28147923
King's Cross team on board for Belfast transport hubhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-28116603
Renowned painting damaged as railway museum sets up eventhttp://tinyurl.com/lor2d6l
35005 Canadian Pacific through first stage of Lottery applicationhttp://www.hlf.org.uk/news/Pages/CanadianPacific.aspx#.U7MXLdhwa1u
Great Central Railway bridge gets go-aheadhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-28123413
http://tinyurl.com/obzopue
http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/news/
http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/unify/
Full steam ahead for railway’s next 25 yearshttp://tinyurl.com/pfbpk8a
DB opens its first CO2-free stationhttp://www.railjournal.com/index.php/main-line/db-opens-its-first-co2-free-station.html
NS: no new inter-city trains until 2021http://tinyurl.com/lxsw2eh
Road and rail disruption as A4 crash leaves lorry on railway trackshttp://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/07/road_and_rail_disruption_as_a4.php
Harsco to supply OHLE maintenance trains to SBBhttp://www.globalrailnews.com/2014/07/02/sbb-orders-new-catenary-maintenance-trains/
Keolis takes over Boston area commuter services (in addition to DLR)http://www.globalrailnews.com/2014/07/02/keolis-takes-charge-of-boston-commuter-rail-network/
British train enthusiasts break NYC Subway speed run recordhttp://tinyurl.com/lv3cabq
Work starts on Thomson Line in Singaporehttp://tinyurl.com/n3mobwv
Trolley Museum celebrates 75 yearshttp://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20140703-NEWS-407030340
Rapido 3D scan party at Locomotion - the first 00 gauge production model of APT-Ehttp://www.apt-e.org/workdays/24june2014/24june2014.html
Hornby to bring some production back to UKhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-28059354
Hornby to leave historic Margate sitehttp://www.insidermedia.com/insider/south-east/117829-hornby-leave-historic-margate-site
Kenyan minibuses change to cashless fare paymenthttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28106004
'Broken-up' Ferrari sold for £10.8m at Goodwood auctionhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-28059868
Formula E Cars Race Across London Bridgehttp://news.sky.com/story/1292549/formula-e-cars-race-across-london-bridge
Electric Formula E car gets Donington Park outinghttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-28154020
Restoration starts on Severn car ferryhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-28089722
Queen christens new Royal Navy aircraft carrier in Rosythhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28146412
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28125835
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28146412
Epic rough seas Medevac videohttp://gcaptain.com/watch-epic-rough-seas-rescue-video/
Costa Concordia refloating phase detailedhttp://gcaptain.com/costa-concordia-refloating-phase-detailed/
'Lifeline' Aurigny jet starts on Guernsey-Gatwick routehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-27982037
Ryanair jets damaged in Stansted Airport collisionhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-28072770
Ryanair to begin flying from Glasgowhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-28132683
http://tinyurl.com/lcnh8fz
Qantas A380 makes air turn back due to water leakhttp://tinyurl.com/k4yxsys
Dutch F-16s fly last mission in Afghanistanhttp://tinyurl.com/kon5qoo
Norwegian's LA route revives budget long-haul hopeshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28127489
Operating day at Leicester Abbey pumping stationhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-28057758
Plea to delay the demolition of Didcot cooling towershttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-28078785
Spotters: Howard Benson, Richard Buckby, Neil Kearns, Ted Millward, Reg Nerps, Mike Price, Alan
Rushworth
============
TV and RADIO
06/07/14 BBC2 2100-2200
"A Cabbie Abroad" A London cabbie in Fiji
07/07/14 Channel 5 1900-2000
"Skyscraper: London's Cheesegrater"
07/07/14 BBC4 2350-0020
"Britain by Bike" Yorkshire
08/07/14 BBC Radio 4 1600-1630
"The Devil's Rope" A history of barbed wire
08/07/14 BBC4 1900-1930
"Britain by Bike" The Highlands
09/07/14 BBC4 2100-2200
"Ride of My Life: the Story of the Bicycle"
10/07/14 BBC4 2000-2100
"Precision: the Measure of Things" History of measurement 3/3
10/07/14 ITV1 2235-2335
"Robbie Coltrane: B-Road Britain" In a 1950s car
11/07/14 Channel 5 2000-2100
"On the Yorkshire Buses" East Yorkshire Motor Services 1/8
11/07/14 ITV1 2235-0035
"Senna" 2010 biopic
============
EVENTS
All details are correct to the best of my knowledge, but no responsibility is accepted for
inaccuracies or changes.
05/07/14 Romsey and District Railway Modellers Society Open Day (Romsey Festival)
Abbey United Reformed Church Hall, The Abbey, Romsey, SO51 8EL
1030-1630
Free admission, bucket collection in aid of Abbey URC fundshttp://www.rdrms.hampshire.org.uk/
http://tinyurl.com/o2fp8zm
05/07/14 Romsey Signal Box open day (Romsey Festival)
Admission free (donations welcome!)
1000-1600 (to be followed by the Friends of Romsey Signal Box AGM)
off Latham Road, Romsey, SO51 7DB
Parking available at the Nightingale Surgery near the top of Greatwell Drivehttp://www.romseysignalbox.org.uk
http://www.romseyfestival.org/genre/2014/7/5/
05/07/14 In aid of The Friends of the Cromford Canal:
Railway Open Day and Garden Party
14 Millfield, off Wilne Lane, Shardlow, Derby, DE72 2HD
1300-1900
Admission: £3.00
05/07/14- Wiston Steam Rally
06/07/14 Wiston Park, Steyning Road, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3DZhttp://www.sussexsteamrally.co.uk
05/07/14- Great Central Railway: Edwardian Weekend
06/07/14 **** Cancelled ****http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/
05/07/14- Ecclesbourne Valley Railway: Classic Bus Weekend
06/07/14 http://www.e-v-r.com
05/07/14- Sandtoft Trolleybus Museum: Weekend Trolleydays
06/07/14 http://www.sandtoft.org
06/07/14 Rushton, Higham & Wellingborough Railway: Getting to Know Rushton Weekhttp://www.rhts.co.uk
06/07/14 Friends of the Cromford Canal - Horseboat tripshttp://www.cromfordcanal.info/
06/07/14 Leawood Pumping Engine Steaming Day, Cromford Canal
Engine in motion 1200-1700http://www.middleton-leawood.org.uk/
06/07/14 Twyford Waterworks: Miniature Steam Power Open Dayhttp://www.twyfordwaterworks.co.uk/
06/07/14 Rhyl Miniature Railway: Race the Trainhttp://www.rhylminiaturerailway.co.uk/
07/07/14 Hampshire Industrial Archaeology Society
Underhill Centre, St John's Road, Hedge End, SO30 4AF
“Itchen Village, Itchen Ferry and the Diaper Family”
by Cheryl Butler
1930 for a 1945 starthttp://www.hias.org.uk
07/07/14 Peak Railway Association (Sheffield Branch)
The Harlequin Pub, 108 Nursery Street, Sheffield, S3 8GG
“Colour-Rail live” a digital presentation by Paul Chancellor
Starts at 1930
For a requested £3 donation on the door, all welcomehttp://www.peakrail.co.uk/SheffieldBranch
09/07/14 Rushton, Higham & Wellingborough Railway: Getting to Know Rushton Weekhttp://www.rhts.co.uk
12/07/14- Swanage 35 Gala
13/07/14 http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk
12/07/14- Hartlepool Model Railway Club: 2014 Hornby Live Exhibition
13/07/14 Hartlepool College, Stockton Road, Hartlepool, Durham, TS24 7LB
1000-1700 (Sat), 1000-1600 (Sun)
Adult: £6.00, Concession: £5.00, Child: £4.00, Family: £18.00
13/07/14 Romsey Signal Box open day in association with La Ronde Gardens tour of Romsey
Admission free (donations welcome!)
1000-1800
off Latham Road, Romsey, SO51 7DB
Parking available at the Nightingale Surgery near the top of Greatwell Drivehttp://www.romseysignalbox.org.uk
13/07/14 Great Central Railway: Leyland Society Annual Eventhttp://www.gcrailway.co.uk/
14/07/14 Newbury and District Transport Group
The Community Space, Kennet School, Stoney Lane, Thatcham, RG19 4LL
1915 for a prompt 1930 start
"50 years of Road Transport" by Steve Wimbush
Non-members welcome
Admission and car parking free, but donations towards expenses welcome
19/07/14 Railway Film Show
St Mary's Church Hall, Thornhill Road, Ponteland, Newcastle, NE20 9PZ
Archive films (BTF films shown with the permission of the BFI)
Admission free, retiring collection, doughnuts at the interval
1500 and 1930http://ponthistsoc.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/railway-films.html
http://www.pontelandstmary.co.uk
19/07/14 The Battlefield Line: Anstey Royale Chalfort Morris Dancershttp://www.battlefieldline.co.uk
19/07/14- Rushton, Higham & Wellingborough Railway: Teddy Bears Picnic
20/07/14 http://www.rhts.co.uk
19/07/14- Ecclesbourne Valley Railway: Classic Transport Weekend
20/07/14 http://www.e-v-r.com
20/07/14 Mid-Hants Railway: Alton Bus Rallyhttp://www.watercressline.co.uk/
Cheers, Howard.
editor(at)raildate.co.uk replace (at) with @
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