This day in history 27 January
Images
Inverbervie: Class J39 64590 at Inverbervie on freight to Montrose in 1962.
North Water Bridge Viaduct: Class J39 64950 approaching North Esk viaduct with a train from Inverbervie in 1962.
Burnmouth: Heaton shed's A3 Pacific no 60073 St Gatien draws the 2.25pm Edinburgh-Newcastle stopping service into Burnmouth on Saturday 27th January 1962. Waiting in the bay is the connecting service for Eyemouth, which was about to commence its final week of operations prior to official closure of the branch on 5 February 1962.
Berwick-upon-Tweed: A3 60073 'St Gatien' about to take the 2.25pm Edinburgh-Newcastle train away from Berwick on 27th January 1962.
Eyemouth: J39 64844 preparing to lift the mid-afternoon departure from Eyemouth to Burnmouth on 27th January 1962, one week before complete closure.
Eyemouth: A general view of the Eyemouth branch terminus on 27th January 1962, one week before complete closure. View is north east towards the Harbour, with Tweedmouth shed's J39 0-6-0 no 64844 on the branch train.
Eyemouth: Looking north east along the Eye Water towards Eyemouth harbour on 27 January 1962. The photograph, taken one week before final closure of the branch, shows a J39 0-6-0 (a class which more or less monopolised workings during the final years) shunting the terminus. Eyemouth Parish Church overlooks the scene from Victoria Road. [With thanks to Bill Jamieson]
Eyemouth: J39 0-6-0 no 64844 of Tweedmouth shed awaits its departure time from the terminus at Eyemouth with the mid-afternoon train to Burnmouth on 27th January 1962, one week before the branch was closed to all traffic.
Inverbervie: Class J39 0-6-0 64950 at Inverbervie on freight to Montrose in January 1962.
Grangemouth No 1 Signal Box: Last day of passenger services at Grangemouth on Saturday 27 January 1968. View is south towards Fouldubs Junction, with Grangemouth station behind the camera. A diesel shunter stands on the freight lines to the left while the branch railbus (W79978), which latterly handled traffic on the Grangemouth - Falkirk - Larbert - Alloa (via the swing bridge) route is seen heading for Grahamston. On the right is a last day special DMU showing Gourock on the destination blind.
St James Deeping: An InterCity 125 speeds over the level crossing at St James Deeping, located on the former GN route between Peterborough and Spalding. The line was in use as a diversionary route in January 1991 during engineering work on the ECML. The instruction on the gate makes an interesting alternative to Pull. [Note: Despite serving the village of Deeping St James, Lincolnshire, the station (closed to passengers in 1961) and signal box both carried the name St James Deeping.]
St James Deeping: A diverted ECML electric service bound for Kings Cross is dragged by a class 47 over the level crossing at St James Deeping, Lincolnshire, in January 1991. The location is approximately 10 miles north east of Peterborough.
Newburgh [1st]: Newburgh looking eastward towards Ladybank. Firth of Tay on left, and Tay Bridge, in distance. Possible location of first station 1848-1906. [Railscot Note: location is around a third of a mile west of the original station which was at Hill Road. The second station is behind the camera.]
Newburgh [2nd]: View west over the former Newburgh station in January 2007.
Raith's Farm Sidings: Work begins on the Raiths Farm development (new depot to replace Guild Street) with the cabling being moved to the east side of the lifted track to allow vehicles to drive up the trackbed. View looks north from the site.
Craighead Viaduct: Looking south at the piers of the Craighead Viaduct. The piers are to be dismantled for their stone.
Laurencekirk: The passenger, Laurencekirk, January 2007. Not so long to wait now.... just over 2 years maybe... give or take?
Montrose: Plant and equipment in the goods yard at Montrose.
South Esk Viaduct: Heading to Montrose in January 2007. The south box and signals can be seen beyond the various gatherings of sea birds. Montrose is about to be resignalled.
South Esk Viaduct: Crossing the girder viaduct to the south of Montrose station in January 2007. This viaduct replaced the one built by Bouch and tested to destruction.
Raith's Farm Sidings: [Low quality shot] Behind the fence is the site of works at Raiths Farm. Earthmoving equipment and portacabins present.
Aberlour: Aberlour by night. Since my last visit the goods shed has vanished.
Craighead Viaduct: The soaring piers of Craighead Viaduct by Bothwell. But not for much longer. BRB (Residuary) is in the process of arranging access to demolish the piers.
Kittybrewster Junction: Against a backdrop of the sun setting over Aberdeen a 66 sits in the loop on the Waterloo branch at Kittybrewster. The main line is to the right.
Alloa [1st]: Laying the hardcore in preparation for tracklaying at the old junction for the Devon Valley line. View looks to the old station.
Laurencekirk: We apologise for the delay from 1967 to May 2009 affecting passenger services. In the meantime please enjoy these (somewhat aged) posters. See image [[24219]]
Alloa [1st]: Track being laid within the confines of the old Alloa station in January 2007.
Alloa: Track now reaches the site of Alloa Old station and will soon be laid through the new station.
Marykirk Viaduct: Southbound 125 crossing the North Esk Viaduct west of Marykirk.
Dalwhinnie: Accommodation of the highest order in the northbound waiting room at Dalwhinnie.
Craiginches Yard: View east over Craiginches Yard which looks to be pretty much out of use.
Aberdeen Guild Street: Work begins on the Union Square development on the site of the former Aberdeen Guild Street freight depot.
Cambus Loop: Completed loop, looking west to Cambus.
Cambus: Half barriers to be at Cambus. View looks east.
Cawburn Junction: Looking west from Cawburn Junction showing the track doubling approaching the point where the track singled.
Alloa Marshalling Yard: Rail crane on the loop beside the main works depot for the SAK re-opening. This depot is sited on the west end of the former Alloa New Yard.
Kincardine Junction: The lights are on but no-one is home. Some signals on the SAK line are energised.
New Mills Central: The refurbished signal box at New Mills Central on 27 January 2008. To the left is New Mills Junction and the line to the east of the Pennines. To the right is New Mills Central Station and the line towards Manchester.
Chinley: View east from the footbridge at Chinley station on the ex Midland route through the Peak District from Manchester to St Pancras on Sunday 27 January 2008. Weekend permanent way work is in progress as 66178 awaits permission to move forward with a track recovery and spent ballast train.
Chinley: 66178 heads west through Chinley station towards Manchester with recovered track panels during weekend engineering works on Sunday 27 January 2008.
New Mills Central: Pacer 142040 stands at New Mills Central in the High Peak district of Derbyshire on 27 January 2008. The normal Manchester - Sheffield service was being terminated here due to weekend engineering works on the line and the Pacer is preparing for the return journey to Piccadilly.
Chinley: At one time a key location on the Midland Railway Manchester - Sheffield - St Pancras routes, Chinley station once boasted 5 through platforms and a bay. The current station, now an island platform, opened in 1902 due west of the original, is seen here looking towards New Mills. A class 60 locomotive waits with a ballast train on 27 January while a PW trolley is being loaded on the up line.
New Mills Central: 142040 is about to depart from New Mills Central and return to Manchester Piccadilly with a Sunday evening service on 27 January 2008. As a result of engineering work in the Chinley area all Sheffield services were being terminated at New Mills Central with a bus replacement for the rest of the journey.
Euston: Pendolinos waiting at Euston on 27 January 2010. On the right the driver of the 1630 hrs service to Glasgow Central approaches the cab of 390010. The service has just one intermediate stop after exactly 2 hrs at Preston and is scheduled to arrive in Glasgow at 2038 hrs. Impressive!
Broadwater: The Blackpool and Fleetwood tramway has been closed over winter 2010/11 while the major refurbishment continues. This is the level crossing at Broadwater, also closed to road traffic at present. See image [[24060]] for the same scene prior to this work commencing.
Dalgety Bay: An evening locomotive-hauled Fife Circle commuter train at Dalgety Bay behind EWS 67030, returning to Edinburgh on 27 January 2010.
St Pancras: Looking towards the buffer stops at St Pancras on 27 January 2010. The International platforms are on the left, the national network platforms behind the camera and the shops and cafes to the lower right in the area that formed the station's undercroft (the platforms were built 20 ft above street level). The undercroft was used primarily for the storage of beer barrels shipped by the Midland Railway between the capital and Burton on Trent. The area has now been opened out as part of the highly successful 21st century revamp of the station.
Lindel Road [Tram]: A recent Then and Now comparison at the Lindel Rd tram stop in Fleetwood looking north towards the town centre. The upper image shows the stop under construction in January 2011 while the line was closed. The lower image was taken from the same spot in August 2013. At this time the tramway had been open again for over a year but the new stop still looks pristine as Flexity 006 calls on a service heading for Starr Gate.
Blackpool North: Semaphores out of use. Blackpool North No.1 signal box closed recently leaving just No.2, seen here, and then Carleton Crossing controlling the line to Poulton-le-Fylde. The semaphore distants here have large crosses on the arms indicating they are not in use as the home signal(s) they protect are also out of use. View towards Blackpool carriage sidings from a point alongside the end of Blackpool North platforms. See image [[34138]]
Rossall School: Another Blackpool and Fleetwood tramway level crossing closed for rebuilding is that at Rossall School, just north of Cleveleys. This picture was taken through the heras fencing at the site looking north towards Broadwater and Fleetwood. See image [[31110]] for the same site just three months earlier.
Blackpool North: The entrance to Blackpool Train Maintenance Depot (TOPS Depot Code BP) is not particularly imposing. It is in the middle of a residential area of Blackpool and the depot accommodation comprises the two low roof buildings seen here at the top of the ramp. The depot rarely sees stock during the daytime but a number of DMUs are serviced here overnight and the overhead lighting of the carriage sidings can be seen behind the buildings. The sidings themselves are directly alongside the main running lines just outside Blackpool North station See image [[32554]].
Blackpool North: Blackpool No. 1 signal box, situated at the eastern end of the carriage depot, formally closed at the end of 2010. This picture was taken after closure and the box was completely demolished soon afterwards. The lines in the foreground are part of the sidings while those in front of the box are the running lines. The block now extends from Blackpool North station to Carleton Crossing.
Blackpool North: The carriage sidings at Blackpool North normally stand empty during the day, although many DMUs are serviced there overnight between duties. 158754 is about to enter Blackpool North station with a service from York on 27 January, passing the deserted sidings and carriage washing plant.
Blackpool North: A Northern local service arrives at Blackpool North. 156486 runs in past the bracket semaphores on the ends of the platforms. Resignalling has been proposed for years now but the planned electrification will probably see these signals, and Blackpool North No. 2 box, finally replaced.
Stanley Road [Tram]: Still a bit of work to do. Scenes like this can be seen along the full length of the Blackpool and Fleetwood tramway as refurbishment and renewal work continues. This is the site of a planned 'Stanley Road' tram stop, looking towards Broadwater and Blackpool. Then and Now comparisons to follow in due course as the line is reopened.
Hoboken: NJ Transit Switcher (I believe that's what they call them, even though they are twice the size of your average Class 20) No. 4301 at rest between carriage shunting duties at Hoboken NJ Transit Station and Ferry Terminal.
Nuneaton Abbey Junction: Every Sunday in January, trains from Birmingham to Derby have been diverted via the Nuneaton flyover and Leicester. This Voyager had left Birmingham at 16.12, heading for Edinburgh. The spoil heap in the right background is part of Judkins' quarry - which contributed, along with local collieries and brickworks, to a surprisingly large network of standard and narrow-gauge industrial lines around the town. Most were lifted in the 1960's, and are now hard to trace. There were also a number of tramroads in the area. Network Rail - reinstated Leicester-Birmingham flyover line
Bowshank North Bridge: Ballast train a little to the north of Bowshank Tunnel on 27 January 2015 with Freightliner class 66 locomotives 66613 (leading) and 66614 in charge.
High Street Goods: The changing face of Glasgow. Looking west along Duke Street towards Glasgow city centre on 27 January 2015. The surviving facade of the former High Street goods depot has been incorporated within the new buildings that now line the route. See image [[28141]]
Stow: 66614 brings up the rear of the ballast train heading south through Stow on 27 January.
High Street Goods: One of the original firebells from the former High Street Goods station, retained along with the brick facade and now a feature on the north wall of the new buildings on Duke Street see image [[9115]].
Stow: About a mile south of Stow, 66613 (leading) and 66614 take the ballast train south on 27 January.
High Street Goods: View east along Duke Street from the junction with High Street on 27 January 2015 showing the surviving wall of High Street goods station incorporated within the new property developments.
Stow: 66613 and 66614 with the ballast train around a mile south of Stow on 27 January.
Bowland: The rail train at Bowland on 27 January. The former goods yard is filled with contractors vehicles.
Bowland: Looking over Bowland Bridge on 27 January as GBRf 66723 and 66747 propel the tracklaying train south.
Woodacre Crossing: 60103 Flying Scotsman, on a positioning move from Bury to Carnforth, is seen in fading light at Woodacre on 270116. The A3 Pacific, still in wartime matt black livery, was being moved to Carnforth ahead of its main line test run. It was in light steam, but unfortunately piloted by West Coast Brush Type 4 47746 Chris Fudge.
Galashiels: A most impressive cake can currently be found in the Galashiels transport interchange by the cafe.
Hamilton Central: A Dalmuir - Larkhall service waiting to depart sits under the old footbridge with its replacement, now almost complete, seen behind. The new structure, built under the 'Access for All' programme will feature lifts.
Hamilton Central: The new pedestrian bridge under construction at Hamilton Central in January 2017. The old footbridge can be see in the background.
Hamilton Central: Viewed under the A723 road bridge, a Dalmuir - Larkhall service heads east from Hamilton Central on to the the single track section and into the winter sunshine.
Edinburgh Gateway: The 0820 Aberdeen - Penzance CrossCountry Voyager runs south through Edinburgh Gateway on 27 January 2017 heading for its next stop at Haymarket.
Hamilton West: A 6 car 318 EMU on a Cumbernauld - Dalmuir service leaves platform 1 on a sunny January morning.
Hamilton West: 334013 on a Dalmuir - Larkhall service draws in to platform 2 on a cold but sunny January morning
Kilmarnock: A new Heritage Walk information board behind the bay platform buffers at Kilmarnock station in January 2018.
Windsor and Eton Riverside: 458509, at the head of a ten coach train, stands at the end of the long curving platform at Windsor & Eton Riverside on 27th January 2018 whilst waiting to return to London Waterloo. A small section of the huge castle can be seen above the train roof looking down on the scene.
Windsor and Eton Riverside: An external view of the Riverside terminus building in Windsor in January 2018. Beyond the façade is a neat station with an overall roof and two long curving platforms that can each accommodate ten-coach trains.
Brock: The opening day of the 2018 steam railtour season was similar to last year, dull and wet! Jubilee 4-6-0 no.45699 'Galatea' works hard along the Brock straight with the Winter CME from Manchester to Carlisle on 27 January 2018.
Slough: GWR liveried Turbo Express 166218 slows for the Slough stop with a Paddington to Oxford service on 27th January 2018.
Windsor and Eton Riverside: Contrasting front ends at Windsor and Eton Riverside on 27th January 2018, with 458522 and 707013 at the buffers. These two classes of five-car EMUs appear to be working turn and turn about on these London South Western services.
Slough: GWR 165137, looking a little down at heel in the rain in the dedicated Windsor bay platform at Slough on 27th January 2018. The DMU allocated to this diagram will make 55 return trips between here and Windsor & Eton Central, taking 6 minutes each way and operating independently of train movements on the main line.
Egham: A London Waterloo to Weybridge service, formed by nearly new Siemens EMU 707026, calls at Egham station on 27th January 2018. Built for South West Trains these bright red five-car sets are now operated by London and South Western but the livery will no doubt be around for quite a while.
Staines: South Western Railway EMU 458517, in Stagecoach livery, calls at Staines on its way to Waterloo on a murky 27th January 2018.
Slough: A pair of nearly new Great Western Class 387 EMUs pull away from Slough heading for Paddington with a stopping service from Didcot on 27th January 2018.
Egham: 707026 rumbles over the level crossing as it leaves Egham on a Waterloo to Weybridge service on 27th January 2018. Egham has a very frequent service of trains but beyond the next stop at Virginia Water the Chertsey and Weybridge line diverges from the other electrified line to Reading.
Windsor and Eton Central: Grab shot from a Class 165 DMU showing part of the viaduct on the GWR Windsor branch in January 2018. The branch is only two miles long and over a mile of that is on this low brick structure. The two yellow vehicles in the yard are ex-military DUKW amphibious trucks, now used for tourist trips around Windsor on the roads and the Thames.
Interiors: Originally ordered by South West Trains the new Class 707 EMUs are operated by London and South Western but will retain the bright red SWT upholstery for some time. 707013 has just arrived at Windsor on 27th January 2018, allowing a view of the interior, including the open connections linking the five coaches of the set.
Slough: GWR Electrostar 387135, seen from the new Slough footbridge, is on the rear of a westbound service on 27th January 2018.
Staines: South Western 458517 negotiates the junction at Staines with a Waterloo bound service on 27th January 2018. The lines to the right are the Windsor & Eton Riverside branch whilst those going left are for Reading and Weybridge.
Windsor and Eton Central: GWR 165137 stands in the truncated Windsor & Eton Central platform, which will now only accommodate a 3-car DMU. This image was taken from just behind the re-sited buffers. The rest of the old station, behind the camera, has been turned into a shopping mall but retains some railway features. See image [[47854]] showing the station before the long platform disappeared.
Edinburgh Waverley: A potted history of Waverley, enlivening the temporary hoardings round the Platforms 5 and 6 works. The fourth bullet contains an apostrophe which somehow manages to be both unnecessary and in the wrong place. Quite an achievement.
Kilmarnock: The new lift-tower on Platform 4 at Kilmarnock sits in juxtaposition with the underpass and the delightful chimney pot. January 2019
Elliot Junction: Among those killed in the alcohol-related collision at Elliot Junction in December 1906 was Alexander Black, the Liberal MP for Banffshire, whose grave is seen here in Edinburgh's Dean Cemetery. It was announced earlier in January that a memorial to all who died would be put in place by summer 2019.
Glasgow Queen Street High Level: The main truss of the new extension to Glasgow Queen Street being lifted into place at 12:45 am on 27th January 2019. The operation was very slick and completed in a remarkably short time. see image [[67335]] for technical details.
Inverkeithing East Junction: Colas 70804 climbs away from Inverkeithing East Junction with a Millerhill - Leuchars ballast on 27 January.
Dean Cemetery: The gravestone of Sir Thomas Bouch in Edinburgh's Dean Cemetery. As well as costing the lives of everyone aboard the ill-fated train on the Tay Bridge, Bouch's cost-cutting approach also gave us railways built on the cheap to Peebles (all those level crossings) and St Andrews (should have been a mainline spur) which proved not fit for purpose and have left those towns without trains.
Dean Cemetery: In Edinburgh’s Dean Cemetery is the gravestone of Sir John Falshaw, railway contractor and first Englishman to become Lord Provost of Edinburgh.
Dalgety Bay: 37423 climbs away from a damp Dalgety Bay with a Motherwell TMD - Dundee and return working (presumably a route learner) on 27 January 2021. Photo ancillary to a permitted exercise walk under Corona Virus legislation.
Craigendoran Junction: What should have been the Oban and Mallaig to Glasgow train on 27 January 2022, actually was only 156457 from Oban, with the Mallaig portion failing to get to Crianlarich. 156457 is seen having just come off the West Highland Line at Craigendoran Jct.
Craigendoran Junction: 66736 gets a bit of momentum up at Craigendoran Jct with the Alumina tank wagons as it is about to join the West Highland Line for the climb to Helensburgh Upper on 27 January 2022.
Events
Events from the chronology which occured on this day. This generally lists events before 1995, the creation of the website.
| Year | Companies | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1851 | Kelso Branch (North British Railway) | Extended to Kelso from Wallace Nick station, a temporary terminus just west of Kelso, which is closed. The line extends east to Sprouston Junction where the Kelso Branch (York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway) is met. |
| 1931 | West Highland Railway | Derailment in Rannoch Moor. |
| 1947 | Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway | Kilwinning East to Stevenston Moorpark closed. Boat trains diverted to the former Glasgow and South Western Railway route from 16 June. |
| 1947 | Dublin and Meath Railway Athboy Branch (Dublin and Meath Railway) Navan and Kingscourt Railway | Closed to passengers. |
| 1964 | Dingwall and Skye Railway | Lochluichart (new) closed to goods. |
| 1964 | Dingwall and Skye Railway | Achnashellach closed to goods. |
News
These are old news items which which occured on this day. This generally lists events after 1995, the creation of the website.
| Year | Companies | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | CILT talk by Graham Jellett on French Metro and Tramway Systems | Meeting at 1900 for 1930 at Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL "French Metro and Tramway Systems" by Graham Jellett FCILT, Honorary Treasurer CILT(UK) North East Region Tyne Tees Group. Joint meeting with the LRTA. All welcome. |
| 2006 | Boy^s rail death inquest to open [BBC News] | An inquest is due to be held on the death of a 15-year-old boy who apparently lay before a passenger train. |
| 2007 | Montrose signal renewals | Montrose is to be resignalled. Plant and materials have been delivered to the site. |
| 2007 | Work begins at Aberdeen Guild Street | Works begin at the former Aberdeen Guild Street for the Aberdeen Union Square development. |
| 2009 | Freight train on fire after crash [BBC News Article] | A freight train transporting oil and diesel derails and catches fire in East Ayrshire, police say. |
| 2009 | New public square at Kings Cross [Network Rail Article] | Six leading teams of architects have been short-listed to develop their ideas for a brand new public square for London at King’s Cross station. Bigger than Leicester Square, the new square at King’s Cross station is one of the most important schemes of its kind for the capital, giving London its first dedicated open approach to a major station. |
| 2010 | Protester arrested at coal depot [BBC News] | Environmental activists opposing plans for an open cast mine in Lanarkshire halt operations at a coal rail depot. |
| 2010 | Infrastructure work for new longer trains in west of Scotland [Network Rail] | Network Rail has begun work on a £20m programme of platform extensions at stations across Ayrshire and Inverclyde as the railway prepares for the arrival of new, longer Class 380 electric trains. |
| 2011 | First Group^s bus and rail boss Mary Grant steps down [Guardian] | The head of First Group^s bus and rail divisions Mary Grant (nee Dickson) is stepping down in the first big managerial shake-up by the public transport operator since the arrival of new chief executive Tim O^Toole. |
| 2011 | Ieuan Wyn Jones calls for more rail strike talks [BBC] | Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones has called on both sides in the planned Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) strike to negotiate to try to avert the action. |
| 2011 | Bid to save Shropshire rail link [Shropshire Star] | Shropshire MPs today united in a bid to save the county’s direct rail link to London. |
| 2011 | Gang steal Severn Valey Railway copper [BBC] | A reward of £5,000 is being offered after up to £70,000 of copper was stolen from the Severn Valley Railway. |
| 2012 | National Railway Museum to repatriate A4s from US and Canada [NRM] | The National Railway Museum can today confirm that a formal agreement has been reached with transatlantic colleagues to temporarily repatriate two A4 class locomotives to play a part in the celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of Mallard^s world record breaking 126mph run down Stoke Bank on 3 July 1938. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2012 | ScotRail still guilty of keeping travellers in dark over delays [Scotsman] | PASSENGER satisfaction with the way ScotRail handles delays has slumped, with barely one in three happy with how they are treated during disruption. The Achilles’ heel which has long dogged Scotland’s main train operator took the shine off near record overall satisfaction ratings in the latest official watchdog survey yesterday. The National Passenger Survey, conducted by Passenger Focus, showed 34 per cent of passengers questioned last autumn were happy with delay handling – 11 percentage points fewer than the previous year. That left ScotRail fourth-worst among 19 train operators, after three in southern England. The firm has already been warned about the urgent need to improve communication with passengers. |
| 2012 | 89% of rail travellers say train firm is on right lines [Evening Times] | ScotRail has been praised by passengers for improving its services – but travellers want better and more up to date news about delays. The train operator achieved an 89% overall satisfaction rate for its services in 2011 in a national survey conducted by Passenger Focus, the independent watchdog. That was 3% up on 2010 and 5% above the national average. Punctuality and reliability came in at 86%, which was also five points more than the UK average. Passengers also said they were more than happy with train cleanliness, up 8% to 84%. Punctuality and reliabilty came in at 86%, five points more than the UK average The views on toilet facilities rose 11% – but still reached only 51% satisfaction. However, that was still 13% better the UK average. Staff were also praised for the way they deal with customers, with a satisfaction score of 92% – a jump of 15% on 2010 and 6% higher than the national average. ScotRail managing director Steve Montgomery said: “These results are a tribute to our workforce.” But passengers were not impressed with the way the company handled delays. The satisfaction rate was 34% –meaning two in three people were unhappy. The survey was held from September 1 to November 18 and ScotRail attributed most of the delay complaints to a 48-hour spell in August when Scotland had more rain than the average for the entire month, severely affecting services. Mr Montgomery said: “We have given smartphones to more than 800 on-train staff to pass on real time information. “We have also seen a massive increase in customers accessing our website’s new disruption information and JourneyAlert registrations. “We will continue focusing on driving this score back up.” |
| 2013 | Historic steam engine^s overhaul before summer season [ITV] | Engineers at the Severn Valley Railway are working in a race against time to overhaul one of the heritage line^s most hard working steam engines. They^re carrying out a £35,000 overhaul of the Flying Pig, which has been in service at the railway for more than 40 years. |
| 2013 | Study undertaken into reinstatement of railway line linking Harrogate to Northallerton [Northern Echo] | A RAILWAY line linking Harrogate to Northallerton, which has been closed for half a century, could be reinstated. North Yorkshire County Council is carrying out a feasibility study into the possibility of reopening the line which would also connect Thirsk via Ripon. |
| 2014 | Mail Rail: What is it like on the ^secret^ Tube? [BBC News] | Deep under the streets of the capital, a disused railway tunnel stretches for six miles. After being shut for a decade, there are now plans to reopen the London Post Office Railway - known to many as Mail Rail - as a tourist ride. [From Mark Bartlett] |
| 2015 | Meet Britain^s longest train - the ballast cleaner [BBC News] | The ^longest train in Britain^ is working through the night to replace ballast on the Norwich to London line. Working overnight to minimise disruption to train travellers, engineers for Network Rail use a massive ^ballast cleaner train^ to remove the broken chippings underneath the tracks and replace them with more robust material. |
| 2016 | Call for Borders Railway extension to Carlisle renewed during Lamington work [BBC News] | Campaigners say the closure of the West Coast Main Line due to storm damage has strengthened their case to extend the Borders Railway to Carlisle. Repair works are expected to continue at the Lamington Viaduct in South Lanarkshire until March. The Campaign for Borders Rail said taking the line beyond its Tweedbank terminus would create an alternative route between Edinburgh and Carlisle. A feasibility study is planned into the viability of lengthening the route. The Edinburgh to Tweedbank line opened to passengers last year but the CBR would like to see that taken on to Carlisle in due course. ^The current terminus of the Borders Railway at Tweedbank between Galashiels and Melrose should only be regarded as temporary,^ said chairman Allan McLean. |
| 2016 | ScotRail Class 385 EMUs under construction [Railway Gazette] | UK: The first of 70 Class 385 electric multiple-units ordered by Abellio for the ScotRail franchise is now under construction at Hitachi’s factory at Kasado in Japan. The first seven of the 25 kV 50 Hz EMUs are to be built in Kasado, with the remaining 63 to be produced at Hitachi’s UK plant in Newton Aycliffe. |
| 2017 | Man arrested after 3am fire on Caledonian Sleeper [Scotsman] | A man was arrested early today after allegedly setting fire to luggage on a Caledonian Sleeper train. Other passengers were moved to a different carriage on the Scotland-London train after the fire was tackled by train staff. British Transport Police (BTP) said the alarm was raised around 3am as the train was passing Lockerbie. It said a 21-year-old man was arrested when the train reached Carlisle. Train staff extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived at the station and the train continued to London, arriving more than one hour late. The carriage involved was in a section of the train from Aberdeen which had been combined with carriages from Fort William and Inverness at Waverley Station in Edinburgh en route. [From Mark Bartlett] |
| 2017 | Alastair Dalton: Is running the ScotRail Alliance a poisoned chalice? [Scotsman] | I^m told staff morale at the ScotRail Alliance with Network Rail is at rock bottom - just as its struggling to return punctuality to a minimum acceptable level. The woeful situation was underlined on Tuesday when ScotRail^s passenger satisfaction rating - though still higher than south of the Border - hit a 14-year low. |
| 2018 | Second Corby to Kettering railway track to be tested [BBC News] | A new second train track between two Northamptonshire towns is to be tested after years of upgrade work. The work between Corby and Kettering is part of biggest upgrade of the Midland Main Line since it opened in 1870. Before 2009, Corby had no station. The second track will allow seven trains an hour to run in each direction, Network Rail said. The final testing of the seven mile (11km) stretch will take place 17-25 February. |
| 2018 | Edinburgh tram inquiry costs have soared by £1 million [Scotsman] | THE cost of the Edinburgh tram inquiry is now at almost £8 million having gone up by £1 million in the last four months. According to Scottish Government documents, the costs rose from £6.9m last September when public hearings began. Former Lord Advocate Lord Hardie is presiding over the inquiry, which is nearing the end of its proceedings. Scottish Conservative MSP for Lothian Miles Briggs has previously accused the probe of spiralling out of control. It was launched in 2014 by then First Minister Alex Salmond. The inquiry teams remit is to look into why the tram project ran hundred of billions of pounds over budget, endured delays and was reduced in scope. A figure of £375m was given for the projected cost of the project, which was due to finish in 2011. However, the tram line only opened in 2014 with nine stops, reduced from a planned 15 stops, at £776m. The final cost is predicted to be £1 billion. |
| 2019 | Amtrak is offering a free train trip to a social media poster who can tell ^real people^ stories [Daily Mail] | ^Were not looking for glitzy influencers with millions of followers who quit their day job to travel the world,^ said Amtrak, which runs more than 30 train routes throughout the U.S and Canada. |
| 2020 | North-east MSP hits out at Scottish Government in train seats row [Evening Express] | A north-east MSP has hit out at the Scottish Government over its handling of seat reservations on inter-city services. |
| 2020 | Works to Broughty Ferry rail underpass will begin next month [Evening Telegraph] | Works to the Broughty Ferry pedestrian underpass at the train station is set to begin next month. |
| 2020 | Trainspotting station looking for live-in barista to serve fans and Munro baggers [] | Sitting by a remote West Highland loch and inaccessible by road, Corrour Station House might seem like an unlikely place to find dozens of people queuing up for a flat white. |
