International & UK Railway News Sunday 5th October 2014

..Total Railway News


Today is the 15th anniversary of the UK's Ladbroke Grove accident...no doubt the pain for the bereaved is still very real and raw, for which we offer our sincere condolences.
And a lady using a level crossing in Purton nearly became a statistic, even though apparently cleared to cross the line.....
First Great Western looks set to get a five year extension on their franchise.... not everyone is happy about this......


Next week's mainline tours are listed for your convenience...


Click on the links....




Headlines
UK




Paddington rail disaster remembered 15 years on.(BBC News)
On 5 October 1999, 31 people died when two trains -a Thames Trains service travelling from Paddington to Bedwyn in Wiltshire ,and the London-bound high-speed First Great Western train which had left Cheltenham Spa in Gloucestershire at 06:03- collided head on at Ladbroke Grove. The Thames Train had gone through a red signal.


More details and reports here....




Rail Delivery Group Press Release

Paddington: 15 years on

03/10/2014
Marking the 15th anniversary of the Paddington rail crash, Michael Roberts, Director General of the Rail Delivery Group, which speaks on behalf of Network Rail and the rail operators, said:
"We remember those who lost their lives and all those whose lives were changed as a result of the Paddington crash. After serious accidents in the early 2000s, changes such as an overhaul of employee training for those doing safety critical jobs and a better approach to staff working hours have helped improve safety on Britain's railway. We are committed to ensuring safety remains the industry's utmost priority and will continue to work hard to ensure Britain's railway remains Europe's safest."

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First Great Western set to get five-year contract extension.(BBC News)





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Mum’s horror after near miss by train.(Swindon Advertiser)






Class350-3 (Graeme Bickerdike, The Rail Engineer, on YouTube)


A report on London Midland's official launch of its new Class 350/3 fleet which will progressively enter service over the next few weeks.
Courtesy: The Rail Engineer,Graeme Bickerdike.






Mainline Steam Schedule

Railway Herald - Railtours

Listing offered in good faith. No guarantees offered or implied.
Please confirm runnings with operators.
Please observe Network Rail photographic guidelines.Thank you.

Monday 6th October 2014

The West Highlander: Day 3 (Compass Tours)

• To be confirmed Oban (pu) - Chester-Le-Street (sd) - Durham (sd) - Darlington (sd) - Northallerton (sd) - Thirsk (sd) - York (sd) - Wakefield Kirkgate (sd) - Huddersfield (sd) - Stalybridge (sd) - Crewe (no main line activity on day 2)

The Jacobite (West Coast Railway Company)

• To be confirmed Fort William - Glenfinnan - Mallaig (break) - Glenfinnan - Fort William

Tuesday 7th October 2014

The Jacobite (West Coast Railway Company)

• To be confirmed Fort William - Glenfinnan - Mallaig (break) - Glenfinnan - Fort William

Wednesday 8th October 2014

The Jacobite (West Coast Railway Company)

• To be confirmed Fort William - Glenfinnan - Mallaig (break) - Glenfinnan - Fort William

Thursday 9th October 2014

The Blue Belle (re-dated From 25 April) (Pathfinder Tours)

• Riveria Class 47 Crewe (pu) - Stafford (pu) - Wolverhampton (pu) - Birmingham New Street (pu) - Birmingham International (pu) - Coventry (pu) - Northampton (pu) - Milton Keynes Central (pu) - Watford Junction - Wembley Yard
• GBRf Class 73 (Pair) Wembley Yard - Kensington Olympia - Clapham Junction - East Croydon - Oxted - East Grinstead - Horsted Keynes - Sheffield Park and return
• Riveria Class 47 Wembley Yard - Watford Junction - Milton Keynes Central (sd) - Northampton (sd) - Coventry (sd) - Birmingham International (sd) - Birmingham New Street (sd) - Woiverhampton (sd) - Stafford (sd) - Crewe

Additional Tour Information

20/8: A Riviera Class 47 will now operate between Crewe and Wembley Yard and back instead of a Network rail Class 57/3. This is because the latter have now been sold to DRS.

Added 11:33 on Wednesday 20th August 2014

The Cathedrals Express (Steam Dreams)

• 70013 Tonbridge (pu) - Bromley South (pu) - Clapham Junction (pu) - Chiswick (pu) - Egham (pu) - Ascot (pu) - Bath Spa (sd) - Bristol Temple Meads
• 70013 Bristol Temple Meads (pu) - Bath Spa (pu) - London Area tbc
• WCRC 47/57 London Area tbc - Ascot (sd) - Egham (sd) - Chiswick (sd) - Clapham Junction (sd) - Bromley South (sd) - Tonbridge

The Jacobite (West Coast Railway Company)

• To be confirmed Fort William - Glenfinnan - Mallaig (break) - Glenfinnan - Fort William

Friday 10th October 2014

The Jacobite (West Coast Railway Company)

• To be confirmed Fort William - Glenfinnan - Mallaig (break) - Glenfinnan - Fort William

Saturday 11th October 2014

BLS Chord & Quay Tracker (Branch Line Society)

• WCRC Class 47/57 Carnforth (pu) - Lancaster (pu) - Preston (pu) - Blackburn - Copy Pit - Hebden Bridge - Wakefield Kirkgate (pu) - Pontefract Monkhill - Doncaster North Chord - Hatfield & Stainforth - Goole - Gilberdyke - Brough - Hull Docks
• WCRC Class 47/57 Hull Docks - Brough - Gilberdyke - Goole - Hatfield & Stainforth - Adwick - Doncaster two-way Goods - Thrybergh Junction
• WCRC Class 47/57 Thryberg Junction - Doncaster Avoiding Line - Kirk Sandall Junction - Hatfield & Stainforth - Scunthorpe FOB (rev) - TATA Santon Foreign Ore terminal (rev) - Barnetby Down Sidings (rev) - Hatfield & Stainforth - Pontefract Monkhill - Wakefield Kirkgate (sd) - Hebdon Bridge - Copy Pit - Blackburn (sd) - Preston

The Heart Of Wales Explorer (re-dated From 4th October) (Pathfinder Tours)

• DRS Class 20 (Pair) Derby (pu) - East Midlands Parkway (pu) - Loughborough (pu) - Leicester (pu) - Narborough (pu) - Nuneaton (pu) - Coleshill Parkway (pu) - Birmingham New Street (pu) - Cheltenham Spa - Gloucester - Chepstow - Newport - Cardiff - Bridgend - Port Talbot - Swansea District Line - Hendy Junction - Llandeilo - Llandrindod Wells (break) - Knighton - Craven Arms - Abbey Foregate Curve - Telford Central - Wolverhampton - Birmingham New Street (sd) - Coleshill Parkway (sd) - Nuneaton (sd) - Narborough (sd) - Leicester (sd) - Loughborough (sd) - East Midlands Parkway (sd) - Derby

The Hadrian (Railway Touring Company)

• WCRC Class 47 Leicester (pu) - Loughborough - East Midlands Parkway (pu) - Alfreton (pu) - Sheffield (pu) - Leeds - Skipton - Hellifield
• 46115 or 5690 Hellifield - S&C - Appleby - Carlisle (break/rev) - Appleby - S&C - Hellifield
• WCRC Class 47 Hellifield - Sheffield (sd) - Alfreton (sd) - East Midlands Parkway (sd) - Loughborough (sd) - Leicester

Additional Tour Information

Due to the ongoing issues with WCR steam operation on Network Rail's LNE route - the routing of this tour has been amended and will no longer include the Tyne Valley & ECML. The train is now routed over the Settle & Carlisle line in both directions.

Added 13:34 on Sunday 28th September 2014

Lord Of The Isles & Caledonian Statesman: Day 1 (Statesman Rail)

• WCRC Class 47 Newport (pu) - Cwmbran (pu) - Abergavenny (pu) - Hereford (pu) - Ledbury (pu) - Great Malvern (pu) - Worcester Foregate Street (pu) - Kidderminster (pu) - Stourbridge Junction (pu) - Rowley Regis (pu) - Wolverhampton (pu) - Stafford (pu) - Crewe (pu) - Warrington Bank Quay (pu) - Wigan North Western (pu) - Preston (pu) - Aviemore (sd) - Inverness

The Swanage Breezer (UK Railtours)

• SWT Class 159 x 2 London Waterloo (pu) - Woking (pu) - Basingstoke (pu) - Bournemouth - Poole - Wareham - Corfe castle (sd) - Swanage (break/rev) & return

Chichester & Arundel (West Coast Railway Company)

• WCRC Class 47 (Pair) Cleethorpes (pu) - Grimsby (pu) - Habrough (pu) - Barnetby (pu) - Scunthorpe (pu) - Thorne (pu) - Route tic - Arundel (sd) - Chichester (break/rev) & return

Sunday 12th October 2014

The Easterling (Railway Touring Company)

• 70000 or 61264 London Kings Cross (pu) - Potters Bar (pu) - Stevenage (pu) - Cambridge (pu) - Ely - Thetford - Norwich
• 70000 or 61264 Norwich - Reedham - Lowestoft
• 70000 or 61264 Lowestoct - Beecles - Saxmundham - Bacon Factory Curve - Stowmarket - Bury St.Edmunds - Newmarket - Cambridge (sd) - Stevenage (sd) - Potters Bar (sd) - London Kings Cross

Additional Tour Information

Given the current issues with WCR steam operation on Network Rail's LNE route - confirmation on the routing of this tour is awaited.

Added 13:34 on Sunday 28th September 2014

Lord Of The Isles: Day 2 (Statesman Rail)

• To be confirmed Inverness (pu) - Kyle of Lochalsh (break/rev) & return

International
Australia
Victorian Steam Locomotive Company & The V499 Project "Ground-Up Club"

VGR Support Interview with President Michael Vines - October 2014






China
Chinese premier to attend Europe summit, sign Russia rail deal.(Japan Times)


India
No respite for Mumbai's Central Railways as another local gets derailed.(dna india.com)


Dynamic tatkal ticket pricing to hit Diwali rail users most.(Deccan Chronicle)