News
| Contact the news and picture editor. |
|
|
The Scottish government pledges £1m to help get the world's last seagoing paddle steamer sailing again. More
|
|
Pitlochry station has been named the best medium sized station in Britain at the National Rail Awards 2019.
The highland railway station won the Medium Station of the Year award at the event in London last night, Thursday, 19 September 2019.
Judges assessed the nominees against set criteria, including safety, infrastructure and customer-friendly presentation.
More
|
|
First Glasgow is to axe an express bus service into Glasgow because of traffic congestion and competition from ScotRail.
The X1 commuter link from Hamilton will end on 27 October, the operator confirmed to The Scotsman. More
|
|
Serco NorthLink is named as the preferred bidder for the services between Orkney, Shetland and Aberdeen. More
|
|
Liverpool Lime Street has been named as major station of the year at the 2019 National Rail Awards.
The Network Rail managed transport hub beat London Bridge, Kings Cross, Glasgow Central, Manchester Piccadilly and York to the top spot in one of the nights most sought-after accolades.
The award comes after last years completion of a major £140m overhaul of the historic grade-II listed station. More
|
|
The competition watchdog has launched a probe into the award of a contract to replace Virgin Trains in running services on the West Coast Main Line.
A joint venture between Aberdeen-based FirstGroup and Italian-owned train operator Trenitalia is due to launch on December 8.
But the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it is investigating whether the Department for Transport's (DfT) decision to award the West Coast Partnership (WCP) franchise to First Trenitalia could lead to competition concerns. More
|
|
cotlands Railway is more prepared than ever before to keep trains moving during autumn.
Rail cleaning trains will treat 20,000 more miles of track than last year, more Leaf Buster teams will be out on the network and small changes to the timetable will help make the service more reliable.
Ground-breaking microwave and cryogenic technologies will also be used for the very first time on Scotlands Railway to help keep rails clean and customers safe.
Every autumn, the trees that grow along the railway drop thousands of tonnes of leaves onto the tracks and this debris can break down into a slippery surface that sticks to the rails and causes trains to lose their grip.
This can make trains overshoot signals and platforms “ potentially putting customers and staff in danger. Debris can also affect signalling systems, making it hard to track where trains are on the network. More
|
|
Community projects across Scotlands Railway flourished at the Beautiful Scotland Awards in Dumfries last week.
Five volunteer groups on Scotlands Railway triumphed from the 12 categories and 13 discretionary awards.
The ceremony recognised the commitment of volunteers across the country who work hard to improve the places they care for. More
|
New ORR rail punctuality statistics will help industry focus on boosting performance for passengers [ORR]
New-style stat[istic]s from the Rail Regulator (ORR) show today that 64.7% of stations were arrived at on time in the year to June 2019.
The statistics use the new On Time punctuality measure, which registers trains as being on time only when they arrive at station stops within one minute of schedule.
The more widely-reported measure for punctuality - public performance measure (PPM) - registers trains that arrive within 5 or 10 minutes of their scheduled arrival time, dependent on the service. On Time is measured at station stops along the route whereas PPM only measures punctuality at each trains final destination. More
|
|
A busy commuter road in Stonehaven could be lowered to allow buses and other high vehicles to safely pass under the railway bridge. More
|
|
Network Rail has submitted a planning application to City of Edinburgh Council for proposals to install a bridge walk and visitor hub at the iconic Forth Bridge. [The Network Rail site has a link to the planning application.] More
|
Improved road, air, maritime and rail links among suggestions for north-east’s future [Press and Journal]
Improved road, air, sea and rail links- and even a tram network for Aberdeen- are part of a package of more than 40 suggestions to boost the north-east’s economy in the future. More
|
|
|
|
Scotland's state-owned ferry operator should overhaul its systems to make it easier to identify capacity crunch points on one of the west coasts busiest routes.
More
|
|
The Japanese train builder Hitachi has failed to win an order to supply 54 new trains for the Tyne and Wear metro.
The company was up against Spanish firm CAF and Swiss train manufacturer Stadler for the £500m contract.
Hitachi, which has a plant in County Durham, said it could not comment for legal reasons. Metro operator Nexus said it could not comment. More
|
|
Network Rail and Hack Partners, the company behind the HackTrain initiative, have launched a new post-hackathon fund designed to accelerate the development of innovative ideas to improve rail services for passengers. More
|
Left luggage facility at Aberdeen station to close due to lack of demand [Press and Journal] |
|
A £26m package of investment in the worn-out Isle of Wight railway line has been unveiled by the government.
The Island Line service between Ryde and Shanklin currently uses 1938-built former London Underground trains.
The plans include replacing the trains with more modern Tube trains from London Underground's District Line.
A passing loop will also be created at Brading which will allow trains to run half-hourly to Ryde pier to connect with ferry services to Portsmouth.
South Western Railway said the first of the five two-car District Line trains was due to be tested on the line from early next summer. More
 Ryde Esplanade: So that's why they use Tube trains - the very shallow tunnel under Ryde, with the 15.52 for Shanklin approaching over the crossover.  Bo^ness: Battery powered Vivarail D-train 230002 moves out of the yard at Boness on 9th October 2018. The unit took a power charge before public demonstrations the following day.
 Shanklin: Former LT Tube stock in use on the Isle of Wight standing alongside a wet platform at Shanklin in February 1988. [See image 39454] |
|
Customers travelling on Scotland's most scenic railways can now indulge in locally sourced Scottish produce while they take in the rolling scenery.
ScotRails Great Scenic Tasting Box brings together an exceptional range of food and drink from throughout Scotland.
Customers can choose a Great Glen charcuterie or cheddar and caramelised onion slices from the Scottish Borders.
More
 ScotRail: ScotRail’s Great Scenic Tasting Box brings together an exceptional range of food and drink from throughout Scotland.
Customers can choose a Great Glen charcuterie or cheddar and caramelised onion slices from the Scottish Borders.
Pate from West Lothian, Perthshire water, Moray oatcakes, Aberdeenshire crisps and chocolate, and Edinburgh shortbread provide a feast of flavours from every corner of the country, and it can be washed down with a Glengoyne 10-year-old malt or Edinburgh gin and tonic.
A complimentary map and guide to the route is also included.
Great Scenic Tasting Boxes are available to buy at Glasgow Queen Street, Fort William and Inverness stations for £16, or two for £30. |
|
Members of the RMT union are taking industrial action over concerns about staffing levels and training. More
|
|
Details of how all railway stations in Wales will benefit from a £194m investment pot have been unveiled.
Transport for Wales (TfW) said it included a facelift for Swansea and 1,500 car parking spaces Wales-wide.
Wales' 247 stations will see wi-fi brought in, better security, buildings and shelters and improved passenger information over the next 15 years. More
|
|
More than one million people have taken the train to Dundee in the year since the V&A museum opened in the city, new figures show.
ScotRail said that 1,017,693 passengers have travelled to the city since September 15 2018, a 14% increase on the previous year.
V&A Dundee itself has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors since it opened on that date last year. More
|
|
The line across the Solway Firth was opened 150 years ago but weather and economics took their toll. More
 Solway Viaduct: Last stand. Rusting cast iron columns and oxide stained rocks mark the southern remains of the Solway Viaduct. View across the firth towards the town of Annan in November 2007. Eagle-eyed observers may be able to make out the corresponding embankment on the north shore, which is situated approximately 1.1 miles from the camera position.  Solway Viaduct: Standing at the end of the embankment at Bowness-on-Solway on 6 November 2007 looking north across the border to the shoreline at Annan. After clearing the northern embankment the line climbed to Shawhill Junction which gave a choice of G&SW or Caledonian routes north. On the right of the trackbed is the pipeline built to carry waste water down to the Solway from Chapelcross nuclear power station.  Solway Viaduct: Aerial view of the Solway Firth. The former route of the Solway Firth Viaduct can be seen running from middle left to bottom right. The approaching lines can be seen and the route of the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway can also be seen. |
Parking attendants will be able to fine people who breach new restrictions at East Lothian train station car parks [Edinburgh Evening News]
Parking attendants will be given powers to fine people who breach new restrictions at train station car parks in East Lothian.
Negotiations are underway between ScotRail and East Lothian Council to let the local authority take over management of station car parks, currently overseen by the train company.
Plans to introduce restrictions, including yellow lines, waiting restrictions and loading and unloading areas, were given the go ahead at a meeting of the councils cabinet this week. More
|
ScotRail cancels seven Edinburgh trains after driver clocks on three hours early [Scotsman]
Seven ScotRail trains on Edinburgh services had to be cancelled today because a driver started work three hours early. More
|
 Uig Pier: Calmac 'MV Hebrides' loads at Uig Pier on the north of Skye as it readies for its 1400hrs sailing to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris on 19th June 2013. [See image 65147].  Uig Pier: The view over the stern of MV Hebrides as she arrived in Uig from Lochmaddy on 1st August 2018. The linkspan is at the end of a long pier that for most of its length is only wide enough for a single vehicle so strict marshalling of traffic is in place. |
|
ScotRail hitting its punctuality target has been postponed by another year to 2022, transport secretary Michael Matheson told MSPs today More
|
Scottish Government ready to take over ScotRail as under fire Abellio warned over performance failure [Sun]
The Scottish Government has put plans in place to run the railways as an 'operator of last resort' if ScotRail's performance fails to improve, the Transport Secretary has confirmed.
Michael Matheson said the current Abellio ScotRail franchise could be terminated if it fails to deliver on the remedial plan it was issued with earlier this year. More
|
|
Major improvements to Inverness railway station announced more than a year ago have been delayed, and no timetable has been drawn up for their completion.
A £6 million revamp of the station was first announced several years ago and it was thought the work would begin in summer 2018, with funding already in place for the first phase.
Plans for a pedestrianised frontage at Station Square had to be abandoned after the owners of the Royal Highland Hotel refused to give up their lease on several parking places there, but by December it was understood work would begin in 2019. More
 Inverness: The main entrance to Inverness Station, facing onto Station Square, just off Academy Street, on 19 November 2014. The Royal Highland Hotel (formerly The Station Hotel) stands alongside on the right. |
|
A damning structural report has found close to 1000 defects in the crumbling Station Hotel in Ayr.
Collapsed ceilings on multiple floors, rat and pigeon droppings on surfaces and missing window panes are just some of hundreds of problems.
Water has been seeping into the once grand B-listed building scarring the walls with damp and mould. More
|
KML version
