This day in history 05 December
Images
Plates, signs, notices etc: Timetable subject to alteration - and how! On 5th December 1966 most of the services in this timetable ceased and many of the lines involved closed completely. The Accrington services ran via Helmshore to Stubbins Junction, and beyond Bury to Manchester via Clifton Junction. Services from Bacup that did not terminate at Bury Bolton St continued to Manchester via Heywood and Moston so, with the electric line, Bury had three through routes to Manchester. Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the timetable is that, until the day of closure, Bacup enjoyed a twice hourly service to Bury on weekdays increasing to every 15 minutes on Saturdays. Once the line had been cut back to Rawtenstall there was a single DMU stabled at Bury shuttling to Rawtenstall and back a mere 12 times a day Monday to Saturday and of course that service ceased w.e.f. 5th June 1972.
Millerhill Yard: It's not obvious why these two loaded sets of Cartics 4s should have been stabled over the weekend in Millerhill Yard in December 1970 - perhaps they were faulty and had to be detached from the regular trainload service between Dagenham and Bathgate. The Ford vehicles appear to be a mixture of Mk 1 Escort cars and vans and Mk 1 Capris. [With thanks to all respondents]
Normanton: 31236 heads east through Normanton with a mixed freight on 5th December 1980. At this time, although open, the station had a derelict feel about it but it survives today and has been tidied up a little See image [[40107]]. The Brush Type 2 depicted in this unfortunately grainy photo was fitted with ETH four years later and renumbered 31433. It was eventually withdrawn (as 31533) in 1995.
Kings Cross: Late evening view along the west side suburban platforms at Kings Cross in December 1980 as a 'Peak' type 4 prepares to leave with a parcels train.
Horbury and Ossett: EE Type 3 37113 hauls a rake of open wagons westwards through Horbury cutting heading for Healey Mills Yard. The loco later moved to Scotland and was named Radio Highland but after a further fourteen years service it ran away in Portobello Yard in 1995 and collided with a HST. Damage was such that it was cut up in the sidings there.
Kings Cross: Evening scene at Kings Cross in December 1980, with a Deltic at the platform.
Kings Cross: Late night scene at Kings Cross in December 1980 looking towards Gasworks Tunnel.
Kings Cross: Deltic no 55005 The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire on Sleeper duty, waiting to leave Kings Cross in December 1980.
Amsterdam Central: NS double deck commuter trains stand side by side at the platforms of Amsterdam Central station on 5 December 1997.
Broomlee: Originally opened by the Leadburn, Linton and Dolphinton Railway in 1864 as West Linton, the name change to Broomlee occurred in the late 1880s. The station nonetheless continued to be described in timetables as 'Broomlee for West Linton' until its closure in April 1933. The view is south west over the site of the level crossing on the B7059 (Station Road) to the east of the village in December 2004 with the platform on the left and the now 'filled-in' canopy area clearly discernible.
Bathgate [4th]: APTs at Bathgate! An afternoon train for Newcraighall waits to leave Bathgate terminus on 5 December 2004, with the station's two Automatic Public Toilets standing alongside.
Ormiston: The site of Ormiston Station in December 2004, looking east along the remains of the overgrown platform towards the road bridge carrying the B6371. Just beyond the bridge was the junction for the Macmerry and Gifford branches. The line closed completely in 1965. See image [[22414]].
Bathgate [4th]: A ScotRail service for Newcraighall waits to leave Bathgate terminus on a December afternoon in 2004.
Bathgate [4th]: Platform view at Bathgate in December 2004, looking towards the buffer stops.
Broomlee: The surviving, partially refurbished goods shed at Broomlee, the station for West Linton, Peeblesshire. Photographed in December 2004 looking north east towards Leadburn. The station itself stood behind the camera on the south side of the B7059 Station Road see image [[32767]]. Broomlee station closed to passengers as long ago as 1933, although the line north survived until 1960 after being utilised during WWII for 'military storage' purposes.
Broomlee: Rear view of the surviving goods shed and loading bank at Broomlee in December 2012 see image [[41278]], photographed at the kind invitation of the owner, looking south west towards Carstairs.
Glasgow Central: 156448 departing with a service to Paisley Canal.
Glasgow Central: 322482 passes 390001 at Glasgow Central. The Class 322 formed the train for the service to North Berwick.
Glasgow Central: A Class 390 and a Class 156 arrive at Glasgow Central.
Glasgow Central: Two Class 390s at Glasgow Central waiting their turns to depart South.
Glasgow Central: 91118 Bradford Film Festival pulling into Glasgow Central ex London Kings Cross.
Gorton [WHR]: First of the Winter snows. In very unpleasant weather conditions a northbound Sprinter approaches Gorton. With rivers in spate and fallen trees from strong winds it is impressive services continued. Guala Mhor provides a cold backdrop.
Charlestown Buffer: End of the line. The truncated spur from the Charlestown branch that ran to RNAD Crombie, seen on 5 December 2007.
Charlestown Viaduct: Viaduct on the the old alignment running down to Charlestown Harbour on 5 December, bypassed by the latter day Crombie branch.
Saughton [Tram]: Beware of the signs! Information overload at Saughton on 5 December 2008.
Parson Street: A CrossCountry Voyager southbound through Parson Street station, Bristol, on 5 December 2008.
Saughton: An eastbound service passes Saughton on 5 December heading for its next stop at Haymarket. The train is passing preparations for the abutments of the bridge which will carry the Edinburgh Tramway over the E&G and Fife lines. One classic view will disappear, but leapfrogging trams will compensate!
Preston (Ribble Branch): Bringing up the rear of a diesel hauled Ribble Steam Railway Santa Special See image [[26670]] is an Austerity 0-6-0ST in Army Green. Built by Hunslet (3155/1944) this loco is officially ex WD75105 and spent much of its working life in the Netherlands. However, so many spare Austerity parts from the NCB North West Area workshops went into its rebuilding that the Ribble Steam Railway has named it Walkden.
Mudchute: DLR unit no. 54 to Lewisham arriving at Mudchute station on 5th December 2009. This is the second Mudchute station, opened in 1999 for the Lewisham extension. The original station was at a higher level on the left and has now been removed.
Preston (Ribble Branch): Although its livery is not strictly authentic (only the Isle of Wight Class 05 was ever blue in service) D2595 looks excellent in its rail blue scheme. The Hunslet loco spent time in industry after BR withdrawal but has been in preservation for many years. Here it is seen at the museum station waiting to take out a Santa special.
Princes Street [Tram]: Princes Street on 5 December 2009... tram lines laid and the buses are back!
Preston (Ribble Branch): Five behind an 05. The first day of the Santa Specials season sees Hunslet 0-6-0DM D2595 with five MkI coaches on the Ribble Steam Railway. Another Hunslet locomotive, 0-6-0ST Walkden, is on the rear of the train See image [[26676]]. It was just at this point that the driver accelerated and changed gear with a throaty growl from the Gardner 204hp diesel engine.
Dunblane Junction: The severe winter of 2010-2011 cruelly exposed the vulnerability of modern passenger traction to snow, ice and low temperatures, leading to prolonged service disruptions. Some older generation diesel locomotives, such as this Class 37 approaching Dunblane from Perth in sub zero conditions, were better able to cope with exceptional events. It is a great credit to those who designed the Class 37 (probably with the winter of 1947 at the back of their minds) that this photo was not taken in the 1980s, but on 5th December 2010, when 50 year old 37 194 had to be called upon to keep the line operational.
Challow: DBS 66069 is about to leave the westbound loop at Challow on 5 December with coal empties from Didcot power station returning to Avonmouth.
Torwoodlee Tunnel: The southern portal of Torwoodlee Tunnel photographed on 5 December 2012. This is one of just two tunnels on the new Borders Railway. At this point the line will be single-track.
Torwoodlee South Viaduct: The Waverley Route embankment seen from the west at Torwoodlee (Ryehaugh) on 5th December 2012.
Torwoodlee Tunnel: Looking out from Torwoodlee Tunnel, just north of Galashiels, on 5th December 2012, with Railscot contributor Bill Jamieson silhouetted under the southern portal.
Torwoodlee North Viaduct: Looking north along the Waverley Route on 5th December 2012 to a Victorian 3-span skew-arch overbridge which will survive into the era of the new Borders Railway. The structure carries an unclassified road over the trackbed between the A7 trunk road and Torwoodlee Mains farm, just north of Galashiels.
Drem: The 13.06 Edinburgh - Plymouth CrossCountry Voyager speeds through the loops east of Drem station on a wintry Wednesday afternoon in December 2012.
Falkland Road: DBS 66065 stands at Forthar, between the former stations at Falkland Road (in the background) and Kingskettle on 5 December 2013. The locomotive is at the head of a train of track panels from a relaying programme at Ladybank. The short-lived Forthar Lime Works branch trailed in from the left.
Forthar Lime Works: The Forthar Lime Works branch (between the former stations at Falkland Road and Kingskettle) ran along the cutting parallel to the road on the right and curved underneath it in the foreground. See image [[45855]]
Stow: View south at the site of Stow station on 5th December 2012 from almost the same spot as Robin Barbour's 1968 photograph see image [[23801]]. Only rubble now survives from the bungalow that was built on the trackbed here in 1995.
Ayr: The former shed area at Ayr, with track recently lifted. Photographed through a gate on 5 December 2014.
Ingliston Park and Ride [Tram]: The low winter sun illuminates both the buildings of Edinburgh Airport in the background and the tram negotiating the sharp curve as it approaches the Ingliston Park and Ride stop en route to the city.
Cambridge Tram Depot: Quite small as tram sheds go. See image [[41164]] for a view of the stables in the background. The blocked-up door and mezzanine floor are interesting aspects of the conversion into an architect's office.
Dalgety Bay: A 158/170 combination form an Edinburgh-bound Fife Circle service on 5 December, strengthened to cope with extra demand because of the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.
Leyland: WCRC 47804 heads south at Leyland with the 'Edinburgh Christmas Statesman' railtour on 5 December 2015. The tour had started in Holyhead but never reached Edinburgh. The WCML was closed in Cumbria as a result of severe flooding and high winds caused by Storm Desmond. The tour had been halted at Oxenholme from where it is seen returning. Due to further weather related problems in Anglesey the train could not get back to Holyhead and was terminated at Bangor.
Peterborough: Platforms 6 and 7 at Peterborough are now operational. This view south from a Stansted train should be compared with my earlier view from platform 5 see image [[39837]].
Cambridge North: Grab shot from a Birmingham train showing concrete platform bases under construction at Cambridge North. When the Huntingdon line was in use, this was Chesterton Junction and yard; the new station was proposed as Cambridge Science Park, then amended to Cambridge Parkway in view of its proximity to the M11. Perhaps the latest name will continue to apply until the station is opened.
Cambridge: Happy to be leaving - 365502 certainly has that 'bugs in its teeth' look as it awaits its 10.30 departure time for King's Cross in platform 7 at Cambridge on 5 December.
Cambridge Tram Depot: This is the sign from The Tram Depot pub/restaurant in Cambridge see image [[41164]]. A nice image, well looked after.
Peterborough: Looking North along the recently opened platform 6 see image [[53517]]. Notice the dual footbridges - North and South. The concept here is very similar to the recent upgrade at Nuneaton, with platforms 6 and 7 on a cross country line, and earlier platforms on a North-South main line.
Edinburgh Gateway: A poster advertising the new Edinburgh Gateway train and tram station due to open on the 11th of December.
The ScotRail website details:
This new interchange hub offers transfers from the ScotRail network directly onto Edinburgh Trams for travel to Edinburgh Airport.
Edinburgh Gateway is a bright, accessible space featuring a booking office, lifts, escalators, waiting rooms, toilet facilities, as well as 104 cycle spaces. It's served by a covered footbridge linking to the Tram station.
Fife-based passengers will benefit from two additional trains per hour (a total of six) split between Edinburgh Gateway (four per hour) and South Gyle Station (two per hour). For commuters, there'll be 14 trains arriving at Edinburgh Gateway or South Gyle stations between 07:00 – 09:00.
The station will provide frequent links to Edinburgh Business Park, The Gyle Shopping Centre - with covered access from the station - and Edinburgh Haymarket and Waverley stations.
The following services will call at Edinburgh Gateway station:
Edinburgh - Glenrothes (both directions of the Fife Circle)
Edinburgh - Perth
Edinburgh - Dundee
Edinburgh - Inverness
Note: also late night Edinburgh - Aberdeen.
Glasgow Queen Street High Level: The first stage of re-developing Queen Street has started. Work is under way on converting this former pub on Dundas Street for decanting for the travel centre.
Stormy Loops: Photograph of this afternoon (05/12/2016) of 70808 climbing Stormy Bank. Any idea what the attachment is on the front?
Cardross: SPT commuter train heading west into a beautiful winter sunset on a bitterly cold December day.
Cardiff Central: 57312, at the head of the Belmont Northern Belle Christmas lunch charter to Swindon in Cardiff Central on 5th December 2017. This ran via Bristol and Bath returning via Gloucester. The Pullman stands in Platform 2 while 800006, on a terminating train from London Paddington, sits in Platform 3.
Perth Glasgow Road: Though the (presumably wooden) platform itself has long gone the more solid steps down to it survive, along with their metal arches which I imagine supported lighting. I am standing just north of Perth station, looking north. The Wikipedia entry for ticket platforms advises that they shouldn't be confused with platform tickets. Easily done.
Bridgend: DBS 66005 passing through Bridgend with a Margam to Llanwern train on 5th December 2017.
Cardiff Central: DBS 66005, seen passing through Cardiff Central with a Margam Llanwern train, while 175101 waits departure with a Manchester Picadilly to Carmarthen service
Cardiff Central: 57312 waits with a Belmond Northern Belle Christmas lunch charter, while a Colas Class 70 makes a rather cloudy departure from Cardiff with an Aberthaw to Avonmouth train. 5th December 2017.
Cardiff Central: 57305, on the rear of the Belmond Northern Belle, at Cardiff on 5th December 2017. This was a Christmas lunch charter to Swindon via Bristol, Bath and returning via Gloucester departs Cardiff Central.
Perth: Altogether now: 'See it; say it; sorted'. The BTP liveried 170 407 calls at Perth with a Glasgow to Aberdeen service on 5 December.
Stirling: A Dunblane service calls at Stirling on 5th December 2017. It is somehow hard to imagine electrics here but that is the plan for 2019. It will require some alteration of the canopies, though I read that the footbridge above the train here will be retained, needing only to be jacked up a bit. However the fine footbridge between Platforms 6 and 9 will have to be replaced by an accessible one, and we all know what that means.
Nuneaton: Creeping modernisation: not only is the ticket machine now outdoors see image [[51819]], you can now buy tickets for the day after tomorrow. No, not the film ... more than one day ahead. You know, the cheaper tickets.
National Railway Heritage Awards: Russell Kimber and James Howie won an award for Network Rail staff who volunteered to restore the LNER ECML signs 350 miles to London, 50 miles to Edinburgh. The award for best entry made in memory of Sir William McAlpine went to Network Rail and their contractor for the Tay Bridge refurbishment.
Whitehouse North Junction: The last of the East Lancashire lines into Preston finally closed in 1972 and very little railway infrastructure is visible on the embankments and cuttings. However, just to the north of the site of Whitehouse North Junction, at the point where there was a crossover, this heavy timber contraption, still with metal rodding attached, lies at the side of the greenway. The triangle of chords at Whitehouse all still carry footpaths and the network of routes link up to provide a well used link from south of the Ribble into Preston city centre.
Gorebridge: ScotRail 170427 seen shortly after leaving Gorebridge with the 0950 to Tweedbank (0924 ex-Waverley) on a grey 5 December 2019. The train will join the double track section from Fushiebridge to Tynehead just beyond the 'footbridge in the field' in the background.
Preston: Voyagers 221104 and 221101 head south from Preston, approaching Skew Bridge, with an Edinburgh to Euston service on 5th December 2019. 221104 is still in the Virgin silver colours but 221101 was reliveried like the Pendolinos over a white base coat in 2017 and has been debranded ahead of the franchise change. This image taken from the Preston to Southport trackbed near the point where it passes under the WCML.
Gorebridge: A southbound service on the Borders Railway leaving Gorebridge on 5 December 2019.
Gorebridge: The 0950 to Tweedbank pulls away from the platform at Gorebridge on 5 December 2019. There were no takers for this service, the passengers in the background are waiting for the 0958 Edinburgh train, which it will cross just beyond Fushiebridge.
Whitehouse West Junction: Looking west along the Southport line formation, as above a Pendolino approaches Preston station, on 5th December 2019. The triangle of the three Whitehouse Junctions are behind the camera and ahead was Penwortham triangle, formed by curves linking Penwortham Junction, Ribble Junction and Middleforth Junction. The formations of these curves are still in place but not as publicly accessible as the Whitehouse triangle.
Ribble Viaduct [Preston]: DBC 90036 and 90040 cross the Ribble Viaduct, immediately south of Preston station, with a Mossend to Daventry intermodal on 5th December 2019. This view taken from the East Lancashire line bridge, now part of a public greenway that uses the old railways to the south of the city.
Whitehouse West Junction: Looking east towards Whitehouse West Junction in December 2019, at the point where the trackbed of the old Southport line passes under the WCML to the south of Preston. Preston and Southport trains were steam powered to the end and the line closed completely in 1964 but here, in the shadow of Pendolinos, electro diesels and new CAF trains, an old telegraph pole still stands firm on the embankment.
Whitehouse North Junction: The Whitehouse Junctions North to West chord, from which this photo was taken on 5th December 2019, carried its last Preston to Southport trains in 1964. This view looks across to the South to West chord, which allowed through trains to run from East Lancashire to Southport. The South to West bridge, between the stone abutments, is the original that carried trains but this view was taken from a replacement wooden footbridge.
Sedgwick Aqueduct: Sedgwick Aqueduct [[82575]] carried its last commercial traffic in 1947 but the main source of income, coal to Kendal Gas Works, had gone over to road haulage three years earlier. The canal here suffered always from leaks as it was built on limestone and was drained soon after closure but the course through Sedgwick is still very visible, as seen here looking towards Kendal in December 2020.
Yealand Road Bridge 142 [LC]: Just to the south of Yealand Road Bridge 142 on the Lancaster Canal is this depressing sight. When the M6 Motorway was built in the 1960s the Tewitfield Locks to Kendal section of the canal had been disused for around twenty years. Rather than bridge the canal, which still carried the water supply for the lower section, these culverts were installed at this point and two more crossing points to the north of here. This picture, looking south in December 2020, illustrates the difficulties that would ensue if canal reopening plans ever go ahead. For obvious reasons towpath users leave the canal at this point to cross the M6 on a nearby bridge and rejoin near the top Tewitfield lock.
Horse Park Bridge [LC]: Immediately north of Sedgwick village there is another stretch of the Lancaster Canal that is quite poorly defined. In fact, but for the surviving overbridges, it would be undetectable. This is Horse Park Bridge (179), looking towards Kendal in December 2020. A public footpath follows the canal route making it easy to explore, despite the infilling on this northern section.
Burton and Holme: DB 66017 drops down from Oxenholme to Carnforth passing the engineering access point at Cinderbarrow with a Mossend to Daventry intermodal on 5th December 2020. The train was running an hour late at this point but still made an early arrival in Daventry.
Sedgwick Aqueduct: This substantial aqueduct (Bridge 178) carried the Lancaster Canal through the middle of Sedgwick village, a short distance to the south of Kendal. The channel is still in place across the aqueduct but most of the canal around here was filled in after commercial traffic ceased in the 1940s.
Uffington: Freightliner 66516, eastbound from Wentloog to Felixstowe, passing Uffington at 1210hrs on a bright and sunny 5th December 2020. The train reporting number was 419C but note the empty consist, although there were some containers towards the rear of the train.
Blunsdon: No 70, an 0-6-0T built by Hudswell Clarke during 1921, (factory No 1464) was formerly owned the Manchester Ship Canal Company. It was initially bought into preservation in the early days of the East Lancashire Railway when they purchased it along with sister loco No.32 'Gothenburg' (See image [[41374]]), which is still resident there although regularly hired out as 'Thomas'. Now located at the Swindon and Cricklade No.70 is undergoing an extensive heavy general overhaul this shows the current state of the boiler and firebox. Needless to say the firebox plate is thinner than it should be. All stays removed and the firebox is now out of the boiler.
Sedgwick Hall Bridge 177 [LC]: To the south of Sedgwick Hall bridge the Lancaster Canal is filled in and has reverted to pasture land. Immediately beyond the bridge the canal is visible, albeit drained, and this continues over Sedgwick Aqueduct until just beyond the village when the fields take over again. However, the entire route is a public footpath and quite well defined. This view looks north at Bridge 177 in December 2020.
Finsbury Park: 717015, with an all stations Great Northern Suburban service from Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City calling at Finsbury Park station, on the damp murky morning of Sunday, 5th December 2021.
Finsbury Park: Class B1 4-6-0 61306 'Mayflower', dating from 1948, at the head of a Steam Dreams excursion from Ealing Broadway to Lincoln for the Christmas markets, calling at Finsbury Park on the drab and cold morning of Sunday, 5th December 2021.
Finsbury Park: 700019 with a Thameslink service to Cambridge calling at Finsbury Park on the grey cold morning of Sunday, 5th December 2021.
Events
Events from the chronology which occured on this day. This generally lists events before 1995, the creation of the website.
| Year | Companies | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Glasgow District Subway | Glasgow District Subway electrified with a third rail and re-opened with a new name. |
| 1949 | North British Railway | Haddington to Longniddry closed to passengers. |
| 1949 | Portpatrick Railway | Gatehouse of Fleet closed to passengers. |
| 1955 | Arbroath and Forfar Railway | Arbroath (St Vigeans Junction) to Forfar (Guthrie Junction) closed to passengers. Colliston, Leysmill, Friockheim, Guthrie, Clocksbriggs closed. |
| 1955 | Arbroath and Forfar Railway | St Vigeans Junction to Letham Mill Siding 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Scottish Executive awards EWS with £1m for timber traffic | The Scottish Executive has awarded EWS with £1m for timber traffic. The grant will be broken up as follows; - £158,000 to partly finance the re-development of the rail freight depot at Beattock for timber. EWS is seeking further funding. - £766,000 for a track access grant for timber sent by rail from Fort William, Crianlarich and Arrochar to Chirk in North Wales. - £143,000 for a track access grant for timber from Kinbrace in Sutherland to Inverness. The project is also supported by the Highland Council, the Forestry Commission, the Highland Rail Partnership and EWS. |
| 2002 | ScotRail^s future franchise cut from 15 to 7 years | The Scottish Executive announced that the future franchise for ScotRail, due to start in 2004, has been cut from 15 years to 7 years. Good performance may see it extended to 10 years. The franchise is currently out to tender but will not be re-advertised. |
| 2004 | Fury over Gatwick rail link plans [BBC News] | Gatwick Airport^s operators condemn plans to allow commuters to use its dedicated rail link to London. |
| 2005 | Call for safety check at crossing [BBC News] | The father of a teenage girl killed by a train on a level crossing calls for safety improvements to be made at the station. |
| 2005 | Shake-up on tracks as first new rail line in 25 years is completed [Scotsman] | THE first new railway line in Scotland for 25 years will be officially opened this week in advance of improved services for commuters on several lines across the country. |
| 2007 | New train link may be split from rest of rail network [The Scotsman] | The planned Borders line could be the first in Britain to be run separately from the rest of the rail network, under radical plans to bridge its funding gap. The Scottish government is considering whether the Edinburgh - Tweedbank route should be built, financed and maintained by a single company - rather than handed over to Network Rail when it is completed....The estimated cost is £174 million but The Scotsman revealed in September that this had risen to nearly £200 million...Stewart Stevenson, the transport minister, said in June the funding package ^will not be sufficient to deliver the project^ and the planned opening date of December 2011 ^is not achievable^. Construction has already been put back from 2008 to 2009. |
| 2009 | Kilmarnock Edition nameplate presentation [First ScotRail] | 156433 was named ^The Kilmarnock Edition^ in 1996 to mark the addition of the Kilmarnock-Girvan route to the SPT network. The nameplates were removed in 2009 on the rebranding of the set at Railcare Springburn, and today were presented to the Dick Institute at Kilmarnock and the National Trust for Scotland^s Robert Burns Heritage Centre at the instigation of the Railway Heritage Committee. Pictured here at either end of the nameplate are Bruce Morgan of the Dick Institute and David Hopes of the Robert Burns Centre with Jonathan Pepler of RHC and Steve McGourlay of Railcare also in the group. |
| 2010 | Railways fight rodent menace on trains [Indian Express] | After a series of complaints from passengers, the Western Railway has finally initiated measures to rid its long distance trains of rodents. |
| 2011 | New era for Stranraer rail line [The Galloway Gazette] | A REVOLUTIONARY proposal that could provide significant regeneration benefits to Wigtownshire and Ayrshire is gathering political support. Originally put forward as an option by SAYLSA (the local Community Rail Partnership for the Stranraer to Ayr line) as the route comes to terms with the loss of over 60,000 passengers following the closure of Stranraer as a ferry port after 150 years, the plan would see a high quality regular rail service between Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stranraer at four hourly intervals linked into the ferry service to Belfast and onward rail links to Dublin. |
| 2012 | Dalcross to get railway link [Press and Journal] | Inverness Airport could get its own railway station in little more than a year, it emerged yesterday. Transport Minister Keith Brown revealed in a parliamentary answer that the disused Dalcross station will open for business between 2014 and 2019. [From Crinan Dunbar] |
| 2012 | Virgin Trains to run West Coast Mainline for extra 23 months [BBC News] | The government has announced Virgin Trains will run the West Coast Mainline for a further 23 months - hours before a report into the collapse of the line^s franchise deal is published. An inquiry has examined why the £5bn deal collapsed in October. [From Mark Bartlett] |
| 2013 | Edinburgh trams: first Princes Street night test complete [BBC News] | One of Edinburgh^s new trams has completed the first test run along the city^s most famous shopping street. Tram 264 made the journey on Princes Street late on Wednesday night, flanked by teams of engineers. It travelled from the tram depot at Gogar on Edinburgh^s western outskirts to York Place in the city^s east end. The tram crew and engineers completed the necessary track tests ahead of schedule, returning to the depot in the early hours of the morning. |
| 2013 | Borders rail: Hour-long commute sparks anger [Evening News] | A JOURNEY over the full length of the new £350 million Borders Railway line will take as long as an hour during peak periods. A draft timetable for the service obtained exclusively by the Evening News shows it will take 60 minutes for trains to travel from Waverley to Tweedbank, near Galashiels, during the busiest commuter hours in the morning and evening. Critics have warned that the journey time could see commuters snub the line and stick to travelling by car. [From David Spaven] |
| 2013 | Stanton Gate railway crash: 50th anniversary marked [BBC News] | A former Derbyshire firefighter who attended a fatal rail crash scene 50 years ago has organised a special service to mark its anniversary. A train driver and fireman, both from Leicester, were killed when their diesel locomotive collided head on with a freight train at Stanton Gate. Peter Mee, from Ilkeston, was a fireman for the railway network when the crash happened on 6 December, 1963. A service will be held at the rail bridge by the crash site later. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2014 | H5 Shinkansen begins testing [Global Rail News] | Hokkaido Shinkansen’s new H5 train has begun testing, completing its first run between Nanae depot and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station. Test running of the H5, which is based on the E5 Shinkansen already operated by JR East on the Honshu island, began on December 1. The following day the train completed a second test drive to Kikonai Station. The H5 will enter passenger service on March 31, 2016, slightly later than originally planned, with the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen between Honshu and Hokkaido. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2014 | Edinburgh trams: Plans to expand network to Leith [BBC News] | Councillors are set to consider whether the tram network in Edinburgh should be expanded, seven months after the trams began running. The council is to look at extending the line from the city centre to Leith - part of the original design scrapped when the project ran into trouble. The line currently stops at York Place in the city centre. |
| 2016 | Electrification of London Overground’s Gospel Oak-Barking line 80% complete [GRN] | Network Rail and its main contractor, J Murphy & Sons, are close to completing the £133 million electrification of the Gospel Oak to Barking line. Work on the London Overground line is 80 per cent complete and on schedule to reopen in February 2017 following a lengthy closure. From 2018, the two-car Class 172 diesel units currently in use will be replaced by four-car Bombardier Aventra EMUs. Over 100 kilometres of overhead catenary and more than 600 structures are being installed along the line. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2016 | ScotRail to draft in more trains to cut overcrowding [Scotsman] | ScotRail is hoping to ease its acute overcrowding by drafting in more trains from south of the border. The operator also plans to switch more trains to its busiest routes, including Edinburgh-North Berwick, to help reduce the commuter crush. News of the changes come days after ScotRail announced that two daily rush hour services on the Borders Railway would be doubled in length from next week to help cope with passenger demand. Abellio, which runs ScotRail, ordered 70 new trains when it won the franchise two years ago, but the first of its two fleets will not start arriving until next autumn, and the second is now delayed until the second half of 2018. |
| 2016 | Metrolink tram driver sacked for speeding on Oldham line [BBC News] | A tram driver was sacked for speeding on a bend on the Oldham line in Greater Manchester in June. The Metrolink driver took a corner at nearly three times the speed limit causing passengers to be hurled from their seats, the Manchester Evening News reported. Three passengers suffered ^very minor^ injuries, operator Metrolink said. It was therefore ^not reportable^ under the Rail Accident and Investigation Branch (RAIB) guidelines, it said. [From Mark Bartlett] |
| 2016 | London Underground drivers call off planned strike action [BBC News] | A 24-hour strike due to take place on two London Underground lines from Tuesday evening has been suspended. Drivers on the Piccadilly and Hammersmith & City lines were going to walk out over a breakdown in industrial relations. But the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT) said the action had been called off after talks at conciliation service Acas. RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said ^significant progress^ had been made. The union said ^all objectives^ had been achieved in the dispute on the Piccadilly line, while further talks would take place ^aimed at a long-term agreement on the Hammersmith & City line^. The strike would have caused major disruption on both lines, with no trains running on the Piccadilly line and a significantly reduced service on the Hammersmith & City line. London Mayor Sadiq Khan welcomed the suspension saying that ^negotiations can now continue without unnecessary disruption for commuters^. |
| 2016 | Trains and track come together in rail management revamp [BBC News] | The way that England^s railway network is run is set to be overhauled under plans outlined by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling. He wants each rail franchise to be run by joint management teams, including representatives from both the train operating company and Network Rail. Mr Grayling said: ^I intend to start bringing back together the operation of track and train on our railways.^ The changes will start when each franchise is renewed in the future. The minister stressed that he wanted his proposed changes to lead to a big improvement in service for passengers, who are travelling on an increasingly crowded and expensive network. |
| 2017 | Rail fare rise biggest for five years [BBC News] | Train fares in Britain will go up by an average of 3.4% from 2 January, the rail industry has announced. The increase, the biggest since 2013, covers regulated fares, which includes season tickets, and unregulated fares, such as off-peak leisure tickets. The rise in regulated fares had already been capped at July^s Retail Prices Index inflation rate of 3.6%. Passenger watchdog Transport Focus compared the news to ^a chill wind^ for customers. |
| 2017 | ^No trains^ at Kenilworth^s new railway station ^until 2018^ [BBC News] | A town^s fifty-year wait for a railway station continues amid a row over when trains can run through it. The county council says the site in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, is complete but has been told by the Department for Transport (DfT) that neither trains nor drivers can be supplied until February. The authority said it was ^beyond disappointing^. The government department said the council was to blame for delays. |
| 2018 | North-east train delays caused by another day of staff shortages [Evening Express] | Commuters in the north-east have been hit by major train delays this morning. |
| 2018 | Pay deal promises to end dispute cancelling ScotRail trains [Scotsman] | A ScotRail pay dispute which has forced the cancellation of dozens of trains appears to have been finally settled, The Scotsman has learned. |
| 2018 | Sir Terry Morgan resigns from HS2 and Crossrail roles [ITV News] | There has been growing speculation that the high-speed railway will exceed its £55.7 billion budget. |
| 2019 | ScotRail boss vows to improve services and increase links to north-east towns [Evening Express] | ScotRail has promised to improve services and add journeys to address the ^pent up frustration^ of north-east passengers. |
| 2019 | ScotRail set to offer more seats and open new station [Scotsman] | More seats have been pledged for key commuter routes between Glasgow and Edinburgh by ScotRail as their new timetable was announced. |
| 2019 | Train passengers to protest over ^abysmal^ service [ITV News] | A demonstration will be held outside Manchester Victoria station. |
| 2019 | Virgin Trains becomes first train operator to trial onboard 5G Wi-Fi [Virgin Trains] | Virgin Trains has taken a step closer towards offering rail customers across the UK unrivalled onboard broadband speeds by trialling 5G connectivity on the West Coast Mainline. |
| 2019 | No lookouts when train hit track workers in Wales, says RAIB report [The Guardian] | Pair ^almost certainly wearing ear defenders^ and were not aware of train until too late. There were no formal lookouts when two experienced rail workers were hit and killed on a train mainline, a report has found. Gareth Delbridge, 64, and Michael ^Spike^ Lewis, 58, were struck on the south Wales mainline by a Swansea to London train on 3 July. |
