This day in history 10 March
Images
Busby: BR Standard tank 80115 photographed at Busby on 10 March 1955, barely 10 weeks old at that time.
Rutherglen [3rd]: Caley 0-6-0 57631 leaving the bays at Rutherglen in March 1956 with a train for Balloch.
Rutherglen [3rd]: View north over Rutherglen station on 10 March 1956. On the right a train for Balloch is preparing to leave the bays behind Caley 0-6-0 57631.
Liverpool Street: Looking out from the platform at the east end of Liverpool Street station in March 1970 as one of Stratford's Brush Type 4s no 1777 awaits its departure time with a train for Norwich. In the foreground is station pilot BTH Type 1 no D8234. The Type 1, delivered to Stratford new in 1960, was withdrawn the following March. By contrast, the Type 4, built by Brush Traction in 1964, remained in service for another 31 years, before its eventual withdrawal in 2001 as 47598.
Liverpool Street: Lunchtime at Liverpool Street in March 1879, as EE Type 3 6752 arrives with a train from Great Yarmouth.
Liverpool Street: BTH Type 1 (later class 15) no D8234 is station pilot at Liverpool Street in the spring of 1970.
Liverpool Street: Brush type 4 no 1777 about to take a train out of Liverpool Street station in March 1970. In the background is one of the less than successful BTH Type 1 locomotives no D8234, put to work by Stratford shed that day as station pilot. This particular example was withdrawn the following March after ten and a half years operational service.
Motherwell MPD: Standing in the shed yard at Motherwell MPD in March 1971 are Clayton 8546 and EE Type 3 D6859.
Motherwell MPD: A quiet midweek scene at Motherwell shed in March 1971. The two locomotives on the left are EE Type 3 no D6859 and Clayton no 8546. The latter was withdrawn from Polmadie 6 months later.
Motherwell MPD: A Clayton with an up freight approaching Motherwell station in March 1971. Motherwell MPD is on the left, with the former Parkneuk Steel Works on the right.
Motherwell MPD: View north east from the A721 over the old coaling stage at Motherwell shed in March 1971. The two locomotives in the centre of the picture standing outside the shed are EE Type 3 D6859 and Clayton Type 1 8546. See image [[36838]]
Schoolhill: Some Deeside trains ran through to Schoolhill, where schoolboys at Robert Gordon's College arrived by day; and theatre goers by night. The platforms can be seen in this 1976 view. I recall one of the buildings on the left carrying a sandwich board on a 4th floor balcony saying LEARN TO DANCE HERE. Not on the balcony, I trust. The interesting collection of cars on the left includes a Vauxhall Ventora, which would have been fun on the long straights in the countryside; but in my experience, not enthusiastic about corners.
Banbury: A DMU at Banbury on a misty March morning in 1979 waiting to depart north with a stopping service to Birmingham.
Banbury: A Type 2 has just passed Banbury South signal box with a down freight in March 1979 and is about to run through Banbury station on the relief line. See image [[28866]]
Cowdenbeath: A view of Cowdenbeath signal box in 1979 with a 101 DMU in a view looking to Edinburgh. The box closed in 1981.
Trowbridge: 37252 northbound light engine through Trowbridge station on 10 March 1983.
Crowcombe Heathfield: GWR 7820 Dinmore Manor standing in Crowcombe station on 10 March 1996. This being an S&D weekend the station had been temporarily renamed Blandford.
Crowcombe Heathfield: BR Standard class 5 no 73096 running as long lost sister 73052 and sporting a Pines Express headboard at Crowcombe Station on 10 March 1996 during an S&D weekend.
Swindon: Rebuilt Merchant Navy 35028 'Clan Line' taking water in Swindon station on 10th March 1999.
Shrivenham: Rebuilt Merchant Navy 4-6-2 35028 'Clan Line', westbound through the long gone Shrivenham station, on the GWR main line, on 10th March 1999.
Bonnington South Viaduct: Looking north in 2003 over the remains of the southernmost of the two former railway bridges which spanned the Water of Leith between Powderhall and Bonnington stations see image [[3176]].
Bonnington Level Crossing: Site of the flat crossing of the lines from Granton and North Leith at Bonnington in March 2003. View is southeast towards Powderhall where the line currently terminates at the refuse disposal depot on Broughton Road, which can be seen in the right background. Off to the left is the former route to North Leith while to the right lies Warriston Junction, Scotland Street and, long ago, Canal Street.
Bonnington Viaduct [CR]: Straight on for Leith! The surviving pair of piers which carried the Caledonian 'Leith New Lines' across the rooftops towards Leith's Eastern Docks. The photograph is taken looking south east from the bridge abutment at the bottom of Gosford Place see image [[26704]] in March 2003 with the site of the Caledonian's Ferry Road station (which never opened) behind the camera. Below is the trackbed of the NB line from Bonnington East Jct to Warriston Jct and, just beyond that, the line to Bonnington South Jct.
Bonnington South Viaduct: Remains of the bridge carrying the former NB line across the Water of Leith from Bonnington East to Bonnington South Junctions in March 2003. The line continued on to Powderhall station on the site of which the waste disposal depot can be seen in the distance. For the view in the opposite direction taken fron the surviving bridge abutment in the centre of the picture see [[5635]].
Bonnington Viaduct [CR]: Looking SE from the abutment in Gosford Place at former Caley route to Leith East and the docks. The two circular columns which supported the bridge still stand beyond the parapet see image [[2196]].
Bonnington North Viaduct: The second NB crossing of the Water of Leith between Bonnington South and East Junctions in March 2003. Beyond the bridge remains is one of the surviving columns which supported the higher level Caley line on its way to Leith East see image [[2196]].
Warriston Viaduct: Viaduct on the original Canal Street - Granton Harbour line crossing the Water of Leith. View west along Warriston Road in 2010, with Warriston Junction off to the right. This area has suffered in recent times from flooding caused by the Water of Leith overflowing. See image [[57469]].
Rodney Street Tunnel: Looking south along the overgrown trackbed towards the tunnel under Rodney Street/Broughton Road which originally took the Edinburgh, Leith & Newhaven through to Scotland Street and, ultimately, Canal Street. March 2003.
DLO Smalmstown: Scene at the former Smalmstown Base Ammunition Depot in March 2005, with privately stored class 20s occupying a siding. Once used for the storage of explosive materials, Smalmstown was part of the Eastriggs to Longtown military complex.
DLO Smalmstown: Privately stored class 20s at the former MoD Base Ammunition Depot, Smalmstown, in March 2005. The lines in the foreground pass under the road to link with the larger MoD Longtown, directly behind the camera. Once part of the enormous complex that was the wartime 'HM Factory Gretna' stretching west as far as Eastriggs on the other side of the border.
Carluke: The morning North Berwick - Glasgow Central service calls at Carluke on 10 March 2006. Following termination of its journey at Glasgow Central the class 322 EMU will then run ECS to Shields depot for scheduled servicing.
Threeburnford: Looking east from Threeburnford, where the Lauder Light Railway passes Airhouse Wood. In the distance the line swings south east toward Oxton and Lauder, skirting Airhouse Hill. Threeburnford is the meeting, literally, of three burns which progress along with the railway before becoming the Leader Water near Oxton, like the railway following the easiest ground.
Airhouse Quarry: After twisting its way through the Border hills from Fountainhall, the Lauder Light Railway straightened out a little after passing Threeburnford and the long disused Airhouse quarry. The fenceline indicates the course of the line under Airhouse wood before it turned sharply into Oxton, after which it took a straighter course on to Lauder itself.
Carluke: The large former goods shed on the east side of Carluke station, seen here in March 2006. The building was being used by an agricultural supplies company at that time. The station itself stands behind the structure. [Ref query 34178]
Carluke: An up Voyager passes the morning North Berwick - Glasgow Central via Carstairs service leaving Carluke in March 2006.
Law Junction: Southbound Voyager at Law Junction in March 2006. The former loading bank still stands on the left - see [[7430]].
Law Junction: Looking south towards Carluke from Law Junction in March 2006 as a Voyager runs past the former carriage sidings.
Carluke: The main station building on the up platform at Carluke in March 2006, with the former goods shed beyond.
Leadhills: A snow covered Leadhills station, looking east in March 2006.
Leadhills: A cold March day at Leadhills in 2006, looking west towards Wanlockhead.
Dalnacardoch Ground Frame: Northbound service passing Dalnacardoch.
Ibrox: Passing the location of Ibrox Station. Taken from a Glasgow bound train, this shows where the exit was from Platform 2
Fischen: The trend in Germany in recent years has been for multiple units to displace loco hauled workings, both diesel and electric, with the former now almost in the endangered category. One exception to this trend is the Allgäu Express connecting Munich with Lindau and Oberstdorf, which is operated by Arriva using diesel electric locos of Siemens Type ER20 and refurbished long distance coaches. No. 223071 pauses at Fischen on 10 March 2008 with the Oberstdorf portion of the 06.51 from München Hbf, which it has brought from Immenstadt - the front portion of the train (probably comprising just two coaches) will have proceeded to Lindau behind a similar machine.
Helensburgh Central: Looking towards the buffers in Helensburgh Central one rainy day in March 2008. Is it just me, or does the logo look like a question mark on the front of the 320?
Helensburgh Central: One rainy day ... just as well the canopies have been retained.
Helensburgh Central: In contemplation. A rainy day in Helensburgh.
Bamber Bridge: View over the level crossing at Bamber Bridge on 10 March 2008, looking towards the West Coast Main Line and the route to Preston via Farington Curve Junction. The former main station building seen here was refurbished earlier this year and is now used by a local community group.
Gdansk: A well-patronised tram heading out of Gdansk city centre on 10 March 2010.
Gretna [CR]: A northbound Virgin Pendolino at speed just south of bridge no 28 (Gretna to Westgillsyke Road) on the 09.30 London Euston to Glasgow Central at 12.55 on 10 March 2010. See image [[28054]]
Sarn: A 158 on a Maesteg to Cheltenham service approaches Sarn, where it will form the 10.32 departure. The unit is passing a lower quadrant home signal protecting the junctions at Tondu.
Poulton-le-Fylde: Another semaphore on borrowed time. Centro liveried 150119 and a Northern sister unit approach Poulton from Preston on a Blackpool North service in March 2012. Colour lights will replace this signal and others on the Fylde as part of the electrification and modernisation of the Manchester to Blackpool line.
Whalley Viaduct: British Railways Standard Pacific no 70000 'Britannia' eases a Carlisle to Bristol railtour over the Whalley viaduct on 10 March 2012. View is north across the Ribble Valley.
Northallerton: Track plant stabled in the engineers siding between Low Gates level Crossing and Northallerton Station on 10 March seen looking towards the ECML. See image [[41017]]
Stonehaven: A northbound service pulls into Stonehaven station with easterly gale force winds driving snow in from the north sea on Sunday 10th March 2013. A Scotrail staff member is hard at work clearing snow and salting the platforms.
Hawkhead Oil Siding: The 15.05 Paisley Canal - Glasgow Central departs through the site of the original Hawkhead station on 10 March 2014. The disused and disconnected oil depot sidings stand on the right.
Leven Viaduct [Cumbria]: On a sunny spring evening a TransPennine 185 unit crosses the long viaduct over the Leven Estuary. The service is heading for Barrow-in-Furness, next stop Ulverston. This view taken from Canal Foot where the short Ulverston canal joined the estuary.
Cupar: ScotRail 170408 prepares to leave Cupar as the 09.55 to Dundee on 10 March 2014.
Rotterdam Centraal: The striking new station building and entrance at Rotterdam Centraal station viewed from the south. The entrance to underground lines D and E is in the new building and the mainline platforms are beyond.
Lumphinnans Central Junction: Looking east along the B981 Main Street, Lumphinnans, on 10 March. The moss covered stone wall and brickwork above it mark the railway boundary where the Cowdenbeath Old line burrowed beneath the road to reach Lumphinnans Central Junction. The tunnel portal was at a lower level and is now buried.
Lindal: The site of Lindal station, between Ulverston and Dalton, closed in 1951. In this 2014 view west towards Dalton the tracks diverge slightly but this is to pass under a two arch bridge. The long removed platforms stood on either side of the line. [Ref query 3859]
Hawkhead: The 15.05 Paisley Canal - Glasgow Central calls at Hawkhead on 10 March 2014.
Cupar: Seen through the South Road bridge, Turbostar 170408, forming the 09.00 from Edinburgh Waverley, rolls into Cupar on a bright and sunny Monday morning on 10 March on its way to Dundee.
Mount Vernon North: A section of the Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge Railway trackbed survives in the middle of housing in Mount Vernon in 2015, with a culvert for the Tollcross burn halfway along its length. Notable for its use in the recent past for exercising horses, this remnant of the line can be seen from the former Sandyhills Road overbridge (now infilled).
Ladybank: The surviving buffer-stop in the former Kinross bay at Ladybank station in March 2015 see image [[42464]].
Hexham: Pacers alive and well(?) at Hexham on 10 March 2015 as Northern unit 142067 departs from platform 2 forming the 1245 Hexham to Nunthorpe service.
Oxheys: A Daventry to Coatbridge container train with DRS 66429 in charge passes Oxheys loop to the north of Preston on the afternoon of 10 March 2015.
Croston: The 1248 service to Ormskirk departs from Croston station on 10 March 2015. Daffodils are out on the right while the tidy up of the south end of the old Preston platform continues, with several tree stumps awaiting removal. See image [[36136]]
Brock: TransPennine 350402 northbound at Brock with a Manchester Airport to Edinburgh service on 10 March 2015.
Brock: 319366 still in FCC livery is now being used by Northern for driver training between Preston and Carnforth. The 5th return trip of 10 March 2015 running as 5Z36 is seen heading back to Preston approaching Brock.
Midge Hall: Northern 142051 heads towards Midge Hall with an Ormskirk to Preston service on 10 March 2016. Midge Hall signalbox and the semaphore protecting the level crossing can just be seen in front of the train on the left.
Bathgate [4th]: Bathgate 30 years on - 1986 station site awaiting new use.
Unfortunately Network Rail have not implemented a sensible proposal to convert the old trackbed into a footpath/cycleway giving access to the new station. The station remains are becoming a longitudinal 'garden' of wildflowers in the town centre.
Kilmarnock: GBRf class 73 EDs 73969+73968 working 5Z15, the Royal Scotsman ECS, from Carnforth to Kilmarnock Brodie works to pick up two refurbished coaches on 10 March 2016. This may have been the first visit by the refurbished class 73s to Kilmarnock.
Dunfermline Upper: Stirling and Dunfermline line now a walkway east of Dunfermline Upper. This view looks east to Touch North Junction.
Mount Vernon North: View from approximately track level northwest towards Shettleston Junction at the site of the station. The tracks ran through where the houses on the left are built and the street slopes downhill, the embankment having been removed. The flats in the distance mark the position of the former rail bridge across Central Avenue.
Dee Street Halt: This is part of the Deeside line in Banchory, to the right is Banchory golf club. A new house is being built beside Bridge Street.
Princes Street Gardens Cutting: After a short stop the unit in the foreground heads away from us, signalled for the 'Y' line into Waverley, after the one on the distance has cleared the points. Photographed 10/03/2017.
Dee Street Halt: A view of the former Deeside line in Banchory, the new house being built is directly behind me, the line to Aberdeen continued to the east directly in front where the bungalow is now.
Milton of Crathes: Four bridges here at Milton of Crathes, the Deeside is the second bridge, the Royal Deeside station is about 300ft to the left, the original privately own station is approximately 500ft to the east. Behind the cyclist is the bridge for the A93 North Deeside Road.
Dee Street Halt: Looking west, line to Aboyne and Ballater continued behind the bridge abutment. To the left is Banchory golf club, in the foreground is a car park beside Bridge Street.
Birkhill: Platform scene at Birkhill in March 2018.
Bo'ness: The last-surviving BR inter-city DMU will be in operation at Bo'ness tomorrow (the 11th of March).
Bo'ness: John Cameron's K4 61994 The Great Marquess, seen inside the shed at Boness in March 2018.
Perth: Emulating WJV Anderson and taken from a position of safety of course. The southern approach to Perth with HST.
Garstang and Catterall: The old bridge over the diverging G&KER trackbed is in quite poor condition nowadays. Thankfully the adjacent bridge over the WCML is in much better shape. Services from the branch ran alongside the main line for about a mile to Garstang & Catterall station See image [[19991]]. A Sprinter passes on a Preston to Barrow service on 10th March 2019.
Buxton: Buxton is well known for its attractive fan window (See image 63399) but this sculpture is one of a number of contributions made by Friends of Buxton Station to maintaining an attractive and interesting station environment. In partnership with local rail authorities the Friends commissioned Andy Hill to produce this artwork from materials salvaged from the nearby Buxton traction Maintenance Depot just prior to its demolition in 2016.
Queenstown [Tasmania]: In the terminus at Queenstown, Tasmania. This beautiful heritage railway, operated with an Abt rack, uses three original steam locomotives built by Dubs in Glasgow.
Garstang and Catterall: Three public footpaths converge at the adjacent bridges over the G&KER and WCML at Garstang. This view, in March 2019, looks east with the now dilapidated G&KER bridge in the foreground and that over the main line beyond.
Dubbil Barril: This beautiful heritage railway in Tasmania, operated with an Abt rack, uses three original steam locomotives built by Dubs in Glasgow.
Garstang Town: The G&KER cutting near the WCML is gradually reverting to nature See image [[18535]] from 2008. A public footpath crosses the cutting at right angles near the stile and there is a permissive one along the trackbed itself. 10th March 2019.
Dumbarton Central: Dumbarton Central viewed from the south showing the renovation works on the station building and the closed off bridge over Townend Road.
Kirkwood: Caledonian Sleeper 92018 brings the empty coaching stock from Edinburgh Waverley through Kirkwood heading towards Polmadie for servicing on 10th March 2020.
Stonehaven: Scotrail 158701 (11:44) out of Stonehaven to Montrose passing the preparation works by QTS to improve drainage from that field. QTS have started to set up a work camp at the top of the field out of view and I am not too sure what they are all going to be doing but was told they are putting a drainage culvert down the side of the track. I can confirm the ground at the top is always water logged if I go walking in the forest which is also out of view.
Fetteresso Viaduct: Foul weather for a photograph. COLAS 70814 (0M84), running light engine to Worthington, crossing the Fetteresso Viaduct over the Stonehaven A90 bypass.
Brock Water Troughs: 66130 passes the site of Brock Water Troughs with the Seaforth to Mossend containers on 10th March 2022. Plenty of goods being transported along the parallel M6 too.
Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal: Looking North at DIRFT3, the new layout comprises a Royal mail terminal on the left, five through sidings to the locomotive traverser, and a cripple siding to the right. The M1 can also be seen to the extreme right.
Eskbank: The ScotRail 0929 ex-Tweedbank arriving at Eskbank on a grey and overcast morning on 10 March 2022 with a service for Edinburgh Waverley.
Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal: Looking South West from the bridleway footbridge at the throat of the DIRFT3 sidings, the completed trackwork and associated fully lit footpath can be clearly seen; also the bridge over the industrial estate road (see image [[74717]]).
Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal: They are clearly taking concrete steps to improve accessibility at the new DIRFT3 freight terminal. There are two sets of steps, one either side of the bridleway bridge over the throat of the new yard. They are presumably intended to allow horse riders to dismount and lead their nervous nags over the footbridge (hoofbridge?) before remounting on the other side. Notice that they are designed for reversible working. View looks NE towards M1.
Events
Events from the chronology which occured on this day. This generally lists events before 1995, the creation of the website.
| Year | Companies | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | George Hudson | Birth of George Hudson. |
| 1862 | Cork and Youghal Railway | Queenstown Junction to Queenstown opened. |
| 1886 | Halls Tramway | Penar Junction, with the Taff Vale Extension, to Manmoel Colliery re-opened as standard gauge line. |
| 1940 | Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge Railway | Maryville signal box closed. |
| 1947 | Baltinglass Branch (Great Southern and Western Railway) Tullow Extension Railway | Regular goods trains cease. Cattle trains continue. |
| 1960 | London Extension (Great Central Railway) | Sunday trains withdrawn. |
| 1974 | Nettleford Branch (South Wales Railway) | Branch in Newport closed. |
| 1979 | North British Railway | The southbound (up line) track works were completed and the track relaid. |
| 2020 | High Speed 2 | Announcement of the uncovering of the remains of Birmingham L&B Roundhouse, part of the former Birmingham Curzon Street terminus, by archaeologists in advance of construction work on the site. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Rockfall in Whitrope Tunnel | A rockfall has occured inside Whitrope Tunnel a short distance from the southern portal. The southern portal is fenced off. |
| 2004 | Airdrie to Bathgate consultation phase; Bathgate Public Meeting | A public meeting at Bathgate Community Centre, Marjorie Bank Street, Bathgate on Wednesday the 10th of March at 19:30. All welcome, questions may be asked. |
| 2004 | £22bn rail investment approved [BBC News] | Rail regulator Tom Winsor approves a £22.2bn financing plan to improve the UK^s crumbling rail network. |
| 2005 | Borders rail line ^wins backing^ [BBC News] | The reopening of a railway line in the Borders is to receive backing from the Scottish Executive, the BBC understands. |
| 2008 | RCAHMS Waverley Route Workshops | The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), as part of their centenary celebratory project Treasured Places, are running a series of free workshops and lectures. The lecture; Memories of the Waverley Line was delivered by RCAHMS specialist David Easton., The workshop, run by O-Street graphic designers in conjunction with RCAHMS specialists, will explore the Waverley route in much more detail and examine the impact that such schemes have had on local communities in the past, whilst looking towards the future. The group will work with the designers on activities that will culminate in producing a fold-out leaflet that will act as an illustrated historical guide to the line, reflecting participants individual experiences, knowledge and memories of the area. We hope to stock the free leaflet in libraries, tourist information centres and local heritage centres. This free workshop will run over four evenings on the 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th March at Galashiels Academy from 6.30pm- 8.30pm. |
| 2009 | Delivery of new trains to be speeded up by new company [DfT] | Passengers on some of the country^s busiest rail lines could see improvements arrive more quickly after Transport Minister Andrew Adonis announced that his Department had set up a new company to oversee the procurement of 202 new diesel train carriages. [From Mark Bartlett] |
| 2010 | Biggest rail strike since 1990s looms [Independent] | The threat of a national rail strike at Easter came closer yesterday as Network Rail revealed it had drawn up contingency plans to deal with a walk-out by thousands of workers. |
| 2010 | Near Misses : Warnings over deadly crossings [Sky News] | The deadly dangers of rail crossings should be part of the theory test for learner drivers, rail bosses have said. [From Ken Strachan] |
| 2010 | Crisis talks over trams project [BBC News] | Talks are to be held over Edinburgh^s trams project in a bid to end a stalemate which has brought work on key sections of the route to a standstill. |
| 2011 | German rail strike to hit freight and passengers [Reuters] | BERLIN, March 9 (Reuters) - German train drivers will launch strikes to disrupt freight transport across the country starting on Wednesday evening, and extend the action to passenger travel early on Thursday, their union said. |
| 2011 | Last wagon returns [The Advertiser] | THE last wagon to be built at a former North-East works is returning to the town where it was created. |
| 2011 | Call to scrap high speed rail link [PA] | The multi-billion high-speed rail link project is an ^expensive white elephant^ and should be scrapped, an alliance of business leaders, politicians and economists has said. |
| 2011 | London Midland disruption feared as drivers refuse overtime [BBC] | Rail passengers face disruption on Sunday as a result of a dispute between London Midland and train drivers^ union Aslef. |
| 2012 | Miles of rail line could be re-opened [Telegraph] | It has been more than 50 years since Dr Richard Beeching recommended the closure of hundreds of branch lines in his report The Reshaping of British Railways. More than 4,000 miles of railway and 3,000 stations were closed in the decade following the report. But now disused stations and lines could be brought back into life as the network adapts to shifts in the population over the last 50 years. |
| 2013 | Train companies in £40m legal action against the Government [This is Cornwall] | The Government could face a £40 million bill after four train companies launched legal action over its decision to cancel competition for the Great Western franchise. Ministers scrapped the bidding process for the contract to run inter-city services from London to Penzance, as well as South West branch lines, in January saying longer-term proposals would be outlined in the spring. |
| 2013 | A9 closed at Portgower due to fallen crane on railway line [BBC News] | A section of the A9 in the Highlands has been closed after a crane crashed onto the railway line. Northern Constabulary said the crane fell on to the tracks in village of Portgower in Sutherland. The A9 between Helmsdale and Brora was closed in both directions at about 15:20 on Sunday to allow recovery work to take place. There is no alternative route or diversion. Trains services between Inverness and Wick also faced disruptions. [From John Gray] |
| 2014 | Borders Railway’s bypass plan on track [Evening News] | RAIL bosses aim to have traffic back on the original route of the City Bypass by early May as they complete the most ambitious section of the Borders Railway project. Up to 50,000 motorists a day have been diverted along a like-for-like dual carriageway since September last year while engineers tunnel beneath the original bypass. |
| 2014 | Contract awarded for Chiltern line Oxford link [IRJ] | BRITISH infrastructure manager Network Rail has awarded an £87m design and build contract to a joint venture of Carillion and Buckingham Group Contracting to carry out infrastructure works on Chiltern Railways^ new London Marylebone – Oxford link. The project involves constructing a new 1km chord at Bicester linking the London Marylebone – Banbury line with the Bicester – Oxford line, which will be doubled and rebuilt for 160km/h operation. An 18km single-track section will be doubled, 37 level crossings will be eliminated, and a new Oxford Parkway park-and-ride station will be built at Water Eaton north of Oxford. Existing stations at Bicester Town and Islip will be rebuilt and new signalling equipment will be installed. |
| 2015 | Scottish force to police railways [BBC News] | Police Scotland will take over railway policing when the function is devolved, Scotland^s justice secretary has decided. The move means the British Transport Police (BTP) will no longer operate as a separate force in Scotland. |
| 2015 | First Group unveils plans for East Coast open access service [Rail Engineer] | First Group has announced plans for a new open access intercity rail service between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh. The operator has submitted a track access rights application to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) to run a new service on the East Coast Main Line between London and Edinburgh, via Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth. First Group, which already runs open access services through First Hull Trains, hopes to introduce its new offering from 2018 and has said the service will be served by a fleet of new trains. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2016 | Competition authority calls for more open access [Rail News] | THE Competition and Markets Authority has called for greater competition on the railways, with a substantial increase in the number of open access operators. However, such operators could be called upon to help subsidise unprofitable routes and make a greater contribution to network costs. There has been a mixed reaction. There has been some support, but transport campaigners and the RMT are opposing the proposals, which the union describd as ^ludicrous^, while the Rail Delivery Group said a ^joined-up approach^ was the priority. |
| 2016 | Crossrail 2 route gets the green light [Evening Standard] | Crossrail 2 was given the go-ahead by an independent body today, paving the way for construction of the vital north-south railway across London. Ministers were urged to press ahead with the £27 billion link “as a priority†by the national infrastructure commission, set up by Chancellor George Osborne last year. The commission’s chairman Lord Adonis warned that the capital would “grind to a halt†unless major improvements were made to the transport network. Crossrail 2 would link the suburban railway network from Wimbledon to Tottenham Hale via a new tunnel under the city’s centre. |
| 2017 | Upgrade of Inverness Station on track for completion next year [Press and Journal] | The ScotRail Alliance has appointed a design team to the £6million project with construction tenders to be let in the autumn. The work will focus on creating a more dominant frontage onto Academy Street and improving shopping options available on the station concourse. The entrances and links with the bus station and Falcon Square will also be upgraded. Glasgow-based engineering consultants Mott Macdonald has been appointed to lead design work on the project. |
| 2017 | Artists to take over site of former tram depot in Leith [Scotsman] | A forgotten former tram depot for Edinburghs original tram system in Edinburgh is to be knocked down and replaced with old shipping containers for artists to work in. Studios, retail units, workshop space and a social enterprise cafe will also be created when the vast shed in Leith is demolished 60 years after it was last used for the citys original tram service. |
| 2018 | Virgin Trains rival Grand Central applies to run more services on East Coast mainline [Telegraph] | Train company Grand Central has applied to run extra routes on the East Coast mainline in a move which could hasten the calls for greater competition on the countrys railways. Grand Central is an open access operator, which means it doesnt run a specific franchise but rather operates trains on lines controlled by rivals. Managing director Richard McClean said his firm had applied to the Office of Rail and Road for permission to run six return services from London Kings Cross to the North East from five now. It also wants to run six trains from West Yorkshire to the capital and five back, compared to four in each direction now. |
| 2020 | HS2 work has unearthed an old Robert Stephenson-designed railway turntable [BBC News] | Excavations at the former [[Birmingham Curzon Street]] station, which is set to be a new station for HS2, exposed the structure thought to date from 1837. |
| 2020 | Chancellor promises ^record^ infrastructure Budget [BBC News] | Rishi Sunak says there will be over £600bn put into infrastructure projects over five years. The BBC understands Mr Sunak will promise a gross amount of over £600bn for capital spending - money put into projects like roads and rail - by the middle of 2025. |
| 2020 | Drone footage of Curzon Street railway station [BBC News] | Work to create a new intercity terminus on Curzon Street is well underway, with archaeologists excavating the historic site. The original Curzon Street station building, known as the L&BR terminus, officially opened in 1838 and is grade I-listed. The new terminus will be the first new one built in Britain since the 19th century and will have seven platforms, a public space and be part of an extended tram network. |
