This day in history 08 December
Images
Havant: A 1962 ticket for a trip on the Hayling Island branch 'Puffing Billy' en-route to the ferry to Ryde during a mid teens quick out and back trip to the Isle of Wight, with a few others, that also included a visit to Eastleigh shed.
Cowes: Adams O2 class 0-4-4T no 29 Alverstone standing at what is thought to be Cowes Station on the Isle of Wight on 8 December 1962.
Havant: Ex-LBSCR Terrier 0-6-0T no 32678 (now preserved on the KESR) runs round the Hayling Island branch train at Havant Station on 8 December 1962.
Port Dundas Swing Bridge: The swing bridge over the Forth & Clyde canal at Port Dundas in 1963. On the left, over the bridge, is the goods shed.
Dentonholme South Junction: A lengthy southbound freight crossing the River Caldew on the Carlisle goods lines on 8 December 1968, hauled by a pair of type 2 locomotives.
Dentonholme South Junction: D224 crossing the River Caldew at Dentonholme on the Carlisle goods lines with an up freight in December 1968. The Dentonholme goods depot shunter stands in the background. See image [[14716]]
Liverpool Street: The view down platform 8 towards the Great Eastern Hotel at Liverpool Street on 8th December 1976, epitomizing 1970s gloom and grime. At the time, platform 8 mostly handled loco-hauled services to Cambridge, Ely and Kings Lynn.
Glasgow Queen Street High Level: 47707 Holyrood with a Glasgow - Edinburgh shuttle service waiting to leave Queen Street in December 1982 as a classmate arrives with a service from Aberdeen.
Bathgate Central Junction: View west from Bathgate Central signalbox in December 1983, with tracklifting in progress. The former through station building is in the left background, beyond the new access road to what would become the car terminal.
Bathgate Yard: The very last coal wagon in Bathgate yard awaits removal after emptying on 8 December 1983.
Bathgate Central Junction: 40135 draws its train of empty cartics past Bathgate Central signal box in December 1983. No track survived on the other side of the signalbox by this time. See image [[39045]]
Brunstane: Brunstane looking north while station was under construction.
Craigendoran Pier: The curve of the pier at Craigendoran which once accommodated a track.
Craiglockhart: A lonely looking EWS class 66 rounds the curve between Craiglockhart and Morningside on the Edinburgh sub on a cold and frosty morning in December 2004.
Edinburgh Park: A Glasgow - Edinburgh shuttle about to run through Edinburgh Park station in December 2004.
Edinburgh Park: The GNER up Highland Chieftain runs east through Edinburgh Park station on a chilly December morning in 2004. The HST has run non-stop from Falkirk Grahamston and will soon begin to slow ready for its next scheduled stop at Haymarket.
Slateford: A ScotRail Edinburgh Waverley - Glasgow Central service runs into Slateford station on 8 December 2004.
Loanhead: The former goods yard and shed at Loanhead, Midlothian, viewed looking north east towards Millerhill in December 2004. The old station is behind the camera and to the left. Note the surviving buffer stops in the right middle distance.
Edinburgh Park: View east over Edinburgh Park station in December 2004 with a Waverley - Queen Street shuttle passing at speed.
Edinburgh Waverley: A terminated service from Kings Cross stands at Waverley's 'sub' platform 21 in December 2004.
Edinburgh Waverley: Round the back - the west end of platform 21 at Waverley on a wet and dull morning in December 2004, with a recently arrived and terminated GNER service from Kings Cross. Note the bricked-up section of the parapet on Waverley Bridge, once the western entrance to the suburban platforms.
Earn Viaduct [Forgandenny]: 1Z59 special heading for Perth and Dundee over the Earn Viaduct top & tailed by 2xEWS class 67 locomotives. Brief break in cloud cover.
Glasgow Central: The 0805 GNER service to Kings Cross via Edinburgh Waverley departs from platform 1 at Glasgow Central on 8 December 2007. The white stripe along the sides of the coaches is in preparation for the application of new branding by National Express East Coast who take over operations from GNER with effect from 9 December.
Glasgow Central: 91101 stands at Platform 1 of Glasgow Central with National Express East Coast branding displayed one day ahead of the NXEC launch on 9th December.
Glasgow Central: DVT 82228 at the head of a train waiting to depart Glasgow Central for Kings Cross on 8 December 2007. This was the last day of GNERs tenure of the service before handover to National Express.
Haymarket: New branding on a northbound HST at Haymarket on the evening of 8 December.
Glasgow Central: 390049 Virgin Express at Glasgow Central platform 2 on 8 December awaiting signals with the 0810 service to London Euston
Glasgow Central: 92036 Bertolt Brecht at Platform 9 with the empty Glasgow Central portion of the Caledonian Sleeper on 8 December.
Glasgow Central: 390049 at Platform 2 waiting to depart with the 0810 service to London Euston
Belvedere: View east over Belvedere station on 08 December 2008 showing 465155 arriving as the leading unit on a London bound service.
Oakley Colliery: Trackbed of the former Oakley Colliery branch looking east from the Saline - Oakley road. This area will soon be transformed by opencast mining.
Belvedere: Power supply. The electricity sub station supplying the railway at Belvedere near Dartford. December 2008.
Stone Crossing: Stone Crossing and gate box between Dartford and Greenhithe on 8 December 2008.
Stone Crossing: 465923 runs eastbound through Stone Crossing station on 8 December with a service to Gravesend.
Stone Crossing: Level crossing and access to the down platform at Stone Crossing in December 2008. The crossing has since been closed and replaced by a footbridge to the east.
Belvedere: 465171 on the rear of a London bound service leaving Belvedere on 08 December 2008. The signals on this stretch of line are very close together with the next 4 beyond the platform all visible and all clear.
Belvedere: 466008 leads a 4-car emu set eastbound through Belvedere station on 8 December 2008.
Princes Street [Tram]: End of the line. Scene at the West End of Princes Street on 8 December 2009, with tram works now on hold for the festive period. For the same view two and a half years later see image [[39218]].
Kilmarnock Junction: Looking back towards Kilmarnock Station from the Western Road bridge. This view shows the alterations to the track layout by the junction and CCE sidings.
Kilmarnock Junction: Looking back towards Kilmarnock Station from the Western Road bridge. Track panels being 'recycled' here appear to have been lifted from a curve somewhere!
Bonnyton Junction: Crane and next track panel taking a breather before continuing to the other side of the Western Road bridge. View looks towards Kilmarnock station.
Bonnyton Junction: Looking west from the Western Road bridge (No 102) toward Crosshouse Junction. Track being laid out to the new buffer position.
Blair Atholl: A wintry scene at Blair Atholl station on 8 December.
Kilmarnock: 156.508 shunting back into platform 2 at Kilmarnock in front of 156.431. About the only movement this morning, 8 December 2010.
Talsarnau: Old goods Shed sited at the rear of Talsarnau Station, seen from the south end of the platform looking along the former goods bay in December 2011. A high level loading door is visible on the left wall.
Penychain: View east over Penychain Station in December 2011, showing the extensive ramped access and the large barn type waiting room. This station is adjacent to the Haven Holidays (formerly Butlins) holiday camp and in its heyday would have catered for hundreds of families arriving and departing on summer Saturdays.
Minffordd [FR]: View along Minffordd Ffestiniog Railway station looking towards Porthmadog. The National Rail totem is just visible in the left background, marking the entrance ramp to the subway under the FR tracks, whichs gives access to the low level Arriva Trains Wales platform.
Llandecwyn: Unlit Llandecwyn viewed looking north towards the combined Pont Briwet road and rail timber viaduct over the Traeth Bach. Llandecwyn station is some distance from the locality giving it its name with Cilfor being the nearest village. Penryndeudraeth Station is out of shot beyond the viaduct.
Criccieth: Infilled former east end up side bay at Criccieth Station in December 2011.
Criccieth: Criccieth station still retains a restored ornate canopy, complete with period style electric lighting, that runs along full frontage of station building.
Westbury: Hanson 59102 'Village of Chantry' passing through Westbury on the Station avoiding line (soon to be known as Platform 0) on 8 December 2011. The train will be heading for the quarries at Merehead or Whatley.
Porthmadog: View west at Porthmadog station on 8 December 2011. The building now houses the 'Station Inn' pub and cafe.
Westbury: Bardon Aggregates 66623 Bill Bolsover, leading a Network Rail ballast train onto the Bath line at Westbury on 8 December 2011 past EWS liveried class 08 no 08737, the local yard shunter.
Westbury: South West Trains 159005 departing Westbury on 8 December for Bristol Temple Meads.
Westbury: A Network Rail ballast train runs through Westbury on 8 December 2011 behind Bardon Aggregates 66623 Bill Bolsover.
Harlech: 158823 on the 09.03 ex Machynlleth runs across the sparsely barriered Ffordd Morfa level crossing on the approach to Harlech Station to form the 10.24 service to Pwllheli. The barrier for the side road to the left is behind the camera, although cars are parked on the roadside alongside houses standing between the barrier and the line.
Westbury: EWS liveried 66171 heading a PW train through Westbury on 8 December 2011. After passing local yard shunter 08737 and running through the station the train took the route towards Trowbridge.
Criccieth: Criccieth station still retains a restored ornate canopy, complete with period style electric lighting, running along the front of the station building. The building itself is now owned by a televison repair business, although the canopy is still railway owned.
Midland Yard Junction: Selective cleaning? Most of GB Railfreight's 66.727 was filthy as it headed towards Birmingham with a container train on 8th December, but the numerals 727 seem to have been attacked with a mop. Very kind of someone...
Network Rail - reinstated Leicester-Birmingham flyover line
Midland Yard Junction: 4596 Rood Ashton Hall heads East towards the flyover North of Nuneaton with a special from Tyseley to Lincoln on 8 December. The plume of steam could be seen all the way across the frame of this shot as the train headed for Hinckley.
Nuneaton North Junction: 66565 pulls a Saturday morning Freightliner container train towards Birmingham (Hams Hall) away from a signal stop on 8 December - it was held for an Eastbound Turbostar.
Ickenham: Preserved GWR class 4575 no. 5521, completed at Swindon Works in December 1927 and withdrawn from regular service in April 1962. It was rescued from Woodham's scrapyard at Barry in June 1975. In 2013, London Underground requested it be painted in London Transport red livery, re-numbered L.150 and used on special trips to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the world's first Underground line, the Metropolitan Railway. It is seen here at the head of one of several specials that ran on this day from Harrow-on-the-Hill to Uxbridge passing Ickenham station, on the bright but bitterly cold afternoon of Sunday, 8th December 2013.
Ruislip: Preserved ex-GWR class 4575 no. 5521, dating from 1927, repainted in London Transport red livery and renumbered L.150 to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the London Underground, seen here passing Ruislip station during one of several trips on this day from Harrow-on-the-Hill to Uxbridge, on Sunday, 8th December 2013. This station was originally the only intermediate station on the Harrow & Uxbridge Railway, an offshoot of the Metropolitan, opened on 4th July 1904 and remains substantially as constructed. Several halts opened in 1906 and which were all upgraded to stations and rebuilt in the 1930s to the designs of Dr. Charles Holden (1875-1960), the Underground's Chief Architect between the two World Wars. (See my photo of this locomotive passing Ickenham station on the same day for fuller details.)
Ickenham: A surprise sighting at Ickenham station on Sunday, 8th December 2013 was this former A60/62 Metropolitan Line stock modified for use as a RAT - Rail Adhesion Train - passing on its return from Uxbridge to Neasden Depot. The very roomy A stock trains ran on the Metropolitan Line out to distant places like Uxbridge, Watford, Chesham and Amersham for just over half a century, commencing on 12th June 1961 and withdrawn on 26th September 2012.
Rayners Lane: GWR 2-6-2T 5521, on hire to TfL, repainted in London Transport livery and temporarily renumbered L.150, taking part in a commemorative run for the 150th Anniversary of the London Underground. Seen passing Rayners Lane station while en route from Harrow-on-the-Hill to Uxbridge, on 8th December 2013. The actual date of the anniversary was 10th January but events and special trains were run throughout the year. This station was opened as a ramshackle halt in 1906 (the line had opened two years earlier) and was rebuilt as a station in 1938 to the designs of Dr. Charles Holden (1875-1960), the Underground's Chief Architect between the two world wars. A proposal to rename the station Harrow Garden Suburb at the time of rebuilding was never implemented.
West Harrow: Preserved ex-GWR class 4575 no. 5521, dating from 1927, repainted in London Transport red livery and renumbered L.150, seen here approaching West Harrow station on the Metropolitan Line, en route from Harrow-on-the-Hill to Uxbridge as part of the 150th Anniversary celebrations of the London Underground, on Sunday, 8th December 2013.
Eastcote: Ex-GWR class 4575 2-6-2T 5521, built at Swindon in December 1927, passing Eastcote station as it heads towards Uxbridge on the Metropolitan Line, making one of several trips on this day from and to Harrow-on-the-Hill to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the opening of the first section of the London Underground, on Sunday, 8th December 2013. The locomotive was on hire by Transport for London and repainted in London Transport red livery and renumbered L.150 for the occasion.
Edinburgh Waverley: GBRf 92032 and DBS 67007 in the Klondyke siding at Waverley, along with a couple of ex-Virgin Trains Mk2s destined for Caledonian Sleeper service.
Fushiebridge [2nd]: ScotRail 158733 held at Fushiebridge on 8 December 2016 with the 0959 ex-Tweedbank. The train is being passed by 158727 with the late running 0954 ex-Waverley which has just cleared the single line section see image [[57595]].
Yorkhill: Westbound emu at Yorkhill. No vehicles in the way on the Expressway!
Port Talbot Parkway: The Northern Belle, on a Xmas Lunch outing from Newport, Cardiff and Neath to Fishguard Harbour and back, passing through Port Talbot Parkway on another dreich day in South Wales. 68016 leading and 68023 bringing up the rear.
Port Talbot Parkway: An updated photo of Port Talbot Parkway station with the level crossing now closed to all traffic and fenced off completely. The train is the 1348 from PT to Paddington.
Fushiebridge [2nd]: The late running 0954 ex-Waverley runs onto the double track section at Fushiebridge shortly after leaving Gorebridge station on 8 December 2016. Waiting behind the camera for the line into the station to clear and continue its journey north is the 0959 from Tweedbank. See image [[57470]]
Birmingham St Chads [Tram]: Midland Metro (since renamed West Midlands Metro) tram no. 33 with a Wolverhampton to Birmingham service arriving at Snow Hill (since renamed St. Chad's), on 8th December 2016. This is the replacement stop after trams ceased serving the main Snow Hill station.
Haymarket [Tram]: Announcement about the opening of Edinburgh Gateway on the 11th of December.
Fushiebridge [1st]: The 0959 from Tweedbank approaching Fushiebridge on 8 December 2016. View is south from the road bridge looking over the site of the former goods yard. The train will draw to a halt just before the bridge, to wait for the late running 0954 ex-Waverley to clear the single line section. See image [[57470]] [Ref query 225]
Birmingham St Chads [Tram]: Midland Metro (since renamed West Midlands Metro) No.29 with a Birmingham to Wolverhampton service arriving at Snow Hill (since renamed St. Chad's), on 8th December 2016.
Water Street Junction: Colas 67027, on the rear of the Network Rail Test train as it climbs up Stormy Bank towards Pyle on 8th December 2017. This was an Old Oak Common to Swansea test run returning to Derby and is passing Water Street Jct, which was the entrance to Margam Yard Reception Sidings. [Ref query 12 December 2017]
Hest Bank: Snow on the Lake District mountains, and a low winter sun just illuminates the flanks of 37402 as it propels the 2C32 Carlisle to Preston service through Hest Bank on 8th December 2017.
Stormy Summit: Colas 70817 descends Stormy Bank with the Chirk to Baglan Bay empty timber wagons on 8th December 2017.
Water Street Junction: An Arriva Trains Class 153 single unit climbs Stormy Bank with a Shrewsbury to Cardiff Central stopping train on 8th December 2017. The unit is just passing under the M4 Motorway. To the left were the Reception Sidings of Margam Yard.
Slochd Viaduct: In the midst of a snow shower, the wind from the container train causes the powdered snow to rise and produce a smoke like effect.66433 is heading for Mossend and is a hour late at Slochd.
Joppa [2nd]: A4 60009 nears Joppa with the Railway Touring Company's 'Edinburgh Christmas Market' special from York on 8th December 2018.
Joppa [2nd]: 380 007 passes Joppa with a North Berwick - Edinburgh service on 8 December 2018. The gable end of the old station house is just visible on the right.
Fushiebridge [1st]: A down Sunday morning service on the Borders Railway approaching Fushiebridge in December 2018. By this time no trace remained of the former station or the goods yard through which the train is about to pass.
Joppa [2nd]: 'Flying Scotsman' branded DVT 205 brings up the rear of the 07.30 from Kings Cross to Edinburgh at Joppa on 8th December 2018. A CrossCountry voyager approaches with the 11.00 from Glasgow Central to Penzance.
Edinburgh Waverley: View east from the station footbridge at Waverley showing progress on the new platforms 5 and 6. Taken on Saturday morning 8 December 2018.
Ayr: The Ayr station hotel on 8th December 2018 - honestly! A scaffolding framework is being erected over the roof and the hotel façade is completely obscured by this.
Euxton Junction: BR pacific no.70000 Britannia at speed with the 'Pennine Moors Festive Explorer' from Crewe to Burnley on 08 December 2018, seen at Euxton on the slight climb from Balshaw Lane to Euxton Jct. However a few seconds later the brakes went on as the double yellow aspect of signal PN 17 was sighted as a result of the approach control for the diverging route that was to be taken at Farington Jct.
Niddrie West Junction: 47854 brings the empty stock of the Railway Touring Company's 'Edinburgh Christmas Market' special from York round the Niddrie North/West chord (part of the suburban circle) in a manoeuvre to turn the train round on the Niddrie triangle for its return to York. 60009 was on the rear.
Niddrie West Junction: 60009 draws away from Niddrie West Junction with the empty stock of the Railway Touring Company's 'Edinburgh Christmas Market' special from York, on its way to Newcraighall for a reversal, being turned on the Niddrie triangle. 47854 is on the rear. 8 December.
Ayr: The Ayr station hotel saga continues. The latest in December 2018 - a scaffolding framework is being erected over the roof. This is a close up image of this new construction.
Woodacre Crossing: Avanti West Coast service from Edinburgh to Euston, formed by two Super Voyagers, hurries through Woodacre on the first afternoon of the new franchise, 8th December 2019. The 221s were both in red over silver livery, but without any apparent Virgin markings.
Rosslynlee: A wet Sunday morning at Rosslynlee in December 2019, showing the wooden platform building, which housed general and ladies waiting rooms and toilet facilities. The stone-built structure alongside the level crossing in the background incorporated the booking office and station house. Following closure in 1962 the buildings were taken over as private accommodation, with the trackbed being raised to platform level. The site is currently vacant, although still in remarkably good condition. View is south west towards Leadburn.
Rosslynlee: The former station at Rosslynlee on the Peebles Loop, seen here looking east on 8 December 2019. The garage is a later addition, built across the entrance to the old goods yard following closure in 1962 (see [[62713]]).
Dalgety Bay: DBS 66301 nears Dalgety Bay station with an Auchterarder - Millerhill spent ballast train on 8 December, returning from works near Gleneagles.
Rosslynlee: The old goods yard at the former Rosslynlee station on a wet 8 December 2019. View is south west towards the level crossing with the timber platform building, complete with its narrow canopy, on the left. A goods dock stood on this side of the building formed by the rear face of the platform. Rosslynlee station was closed in February 1962.
See query 2211
Becconsall: Quarry Hunslet 'Irish Mail' waits on shed at Becconsall to haul the 1700 hrs Santa Special to Toyland at the West Lancashire Light Railway on 08 December 2019.
York Place [Tram]: Locals (and I am very local) will see something odd about the position of this tram which was blocking a busy pedestrian crossing at York Place on 8th December 2019. At first I thought it had overshot and hit the buffers, but it was just short. A tram in front had just boarded and pulled out, followed shortly by this one ECS. I have never seen this before and am not sure what it was about. I should really have asked hi-vis guy.
Dalgety Bay: Colas 67027 on the rear of a test train passing Dalgety Bay routed Slateford - Aberdeen - Slateford on 8 December 2020. 67023 was lead locomotive.
Dalgety Bay: Colas 67023 and 67027 pass Dalgety Bay with a Slateford - Aberdeen - Slateford test train on 8 December 2020.
Clapham High Street: The South London Line viaduct of 1867 immediately to the east of Clapham High Street station, which has been served by London Overground trains between Highbury & Islington and Clapham Junction since 9th December 2012. Shops and cafes have been incorporated into the Victorian arches, illuminated by a few Christmas lights here on the evening of 8th December 2021. This station is a short distance from Clapham North on the LU Northern Line but there is no direct connection, a walk at street level between the two being required.
Clapham North: Clapham North, LU Northern Line, looking north on 8th December 2021. This station was opened by the City & South London Railway as Clapham Road with the extension of the line from the 1890 terminus at Stockwell to Clapham Common. It was renamed Clapham North on 13th September 1926 when the line was further extended south to Morden. As can be seen, it has a narrow island platform in a single tunnel, one of only two on the London Underground to survive, the other being Clapham Common one stop to the south. Clapham North is almost identical at platform level to Clapham Common but has a short curve at the northern end, as seen in the background.
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 | Cork and Bandon Railway | Public opening from Cork Albert Quay to Bandon. |
| 1897 | Mallaig Extension (West Highland Railway) | In poor weather, the II_>SS Clansman II arrived at Mallaig carrying 2,200 navvies for the railway^s construction. (Some possibly ex of the Kyle of Lochalsh Extension, opened 11/1897). |
| 1958 | Dundee and Forfar Direct Railway (Caledonian Railway) | Forfar North Junction (excluded) to Kingsmuir (excluded) closed to goods. The line becomes a long goods branch from Broughty Junction to Kingsmuir. |
| 1985 | West Highland Railway | Crianlarich signal box closed. |
| 2001 | Caledonian Railway | Elvanfoot Viaduct replaced between the 8th and 10th. |
| 2007 | Great North Eastern Railway | Franchise runs its last trains on the East Coast Main Line. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Edinburgh Park station official opening | Edinburgh Park was officially opened by the First Minister Jack McConnell on a somewhat cold and foggy Monday morning. He thanked the various bodies who had to work together to open the station which included; ScotRail, the Scottish Executive (for funding £3M worth of extra trains), New Edinburgh Ltd, Network Rail, Edinburgh City Council, the SRA (providing £1.9M came from the Rail Passenger Partnership Fund) and others. Bus services run in connection with the trains to locations such as Edinburgh Airport. |
| 2004 | Crash proposals ^not fulfilled^ [BBC News] | Recommendations made after the Paddington rail crash have not been "adequately fulfilled", a survivors^ group says. |
| 2004 | Service remembers rail crash dead [BBC News] | A memorial service is held for the seven people killed in the Berkshire rail crash last month. |
| 2005 | Cycling group to hold trams public meeting [Scotsman] | A PUBLIC meeting to discuss how Edinburgh^s planned trams will affect cyclists is due to be staged next week. |
| 2005 | Potters Bar inquiry call rejected [BBC News] | A public inquiry into the Potters Bar rail crash is ruled out. |
| 2005 | Train operator under fire as 10% fare rises are lined up [Scotsman] | TRAIN operator First ScotRail was criticised today after announcing fare rises of up to ten per cent - four times the rate of inflation. |
| 2006 | City^s trams vision is on right track [Scotsman] | THE Capital^s trams vision today took a huge step forward as its backers unveiled a business plan which showed the scheme was viable and would deliver hundreds of millions of pounds worth of benefits. |
| 2006 | Trains^ festive shutdown [Scotsman] | RAIL passengers travelling with Virgin Cross Country from Edinburgh have been advised to check timetables over Christmas and New Year. |
| 2006 | Don^t rush road verdict [Scotsman] | LIBERAL Democrat MSP Jeremy Purvis has written to Transport Minister Tavish Scott, asking him to extend the period for consultation on the A68 upgrade between Soutra and Oxton, amid concerns over the route the new road will take. |
| 2007 | Passengers see east coast switch [BBC News Item] | A new operator will take over the London to Scotland East Coast Main Line from this weekend. From Sunday the service, operated by GNER since 1996, will be replaced by National Express East Coast. The route was put out to tender last year, after GNER^s parent firm said it could not pay £1.3bn it promised the government to run the service. The new operator has promised to improve punctuality and spend £24m on new rolling stock. |
| 2008 | Minister delivers blow to ^sub^ railway hopes [Evening News] | HOPES of reopening Edinburgh^s South Suburban railway line look to have suffered a major blow after the Scottish Government ruled out any money for the project. |
| 2008 | Rail workers find £30,000 in used notes in bag left on train [Evening News] | STUNNED train staff found a holdall containing more than £30,000 in used bank notes on a train at Waverley Station. |
| 2009 | Massive dock transformation plan launched [Inverclyde Now] | A 10-YEAR, £180million plan to redevelop James Watt Dock in Greenock has been launched. PART of the railway embankment can be removed, councillors have agreed. Removal of bridge over A8 also likely. |
| 2009 | Foundations laid for new station on South Bank [Network Rail Article] | Foundations for the first new rail station to be built on the South Bank in over 120 years are being laid as part of Network Rail’s landmark redevelopment of Blackfriars station. |
| 2009 | Row over staff on new rail link [BBC News] | Rail union the RMT accuses train operator First Scotrail of risking safety on the new Airdrie-Bathgate rail link. |
| 2010 | High speed line essential to west coast, rail strategy finds [Network Rail] | A new high-speed line between London, Birmingham and Manchester will be essential in preventing overcrowding on the busy west coast main line, a Network Rail report has found. |
| 2010 | Virgin to bid west coast rail franchise [LEP] | Virgin will bid to run trains on the West Coast Main Line between Scotland and London when the franchise to operate it comes up for renewal in 2012. [From Mark Bartlett] |
| 2010 | Bacup man killed on railway line in Lancaster [Westmorland Gazette] | A ROSSENDALE man died on a railway line in Lancaster yesterday after he was hit by a high-speed train. |
| 2010 | Stagecoach CEO calls for railway reform [Telegraph] | Britain^s cash-guzzling railways should be re-integrated and train operators put in charge of track, according to the CEO of Stagecoach in an attack on rocketing costs under Network Rail. |
| 2011 | Trains: Full details of ScotRail^s reduced services [STV] | ScotRail is running a reduced service on Thursday, the full details of this from the company are available via the link below: |
| 2011 | Five-tonne landslip closes Highland railway line [STV] | A five-tonne landslide has closed a railway line in the Highlands. Rocks, trees and water has covered part of the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh line. Network Rail and Scotrail were alerted the landslide, near Stromeferry village, at around 11am on Thursday. |
| 2012 | Great Central Railway plans museum in Leicester [BBC News] | A multi-million pound museum is to be built for the only heritage railway of its kind in the UK. The museum would be built close to the Leicester North station of the Great Central Railway, which spans Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. It is intended to be a ^significant annex^ to the National Railway Museum. |
| 2013 | Scottish rail customers happiest in UK with service [Scotland on Sunday] | SCOTLAND has the best train service in Britain because of high passenger satisfaction and well-kept stations, analysis by transport campaigners showed today. The country’s rail network was also placed fourth overall in the report by the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT), which found “huge disparities” between 11 areas of Britain. The group said service quality was judged top in Scotland “thanks to a consistently high performance”, with its customer satisfaction overall highest across the network. However, the study by consultants Credo also showed punctuality in Scotland was rated as ninth worst. The report stated: “Improvements in this area could be a key driver in further enhancing the quality of rail services.” Transport minister Keith Brown last month told ScotRail and track firm Network Rail their performance was unacceptable and must urgently improve |
| 2015 | Forth Road Bridge ‘selfie’ danger warning [Evening News] | THOUSANDS of commuters have been hit by travel chaos in the wake of the Forth Road Bridge closure, in a day that saw queues, tailbacks, vandalism – and even selfies. The vital crossing was shut at midnight on Friday after a 20mm-wide crack was spotted in a steel truss under the southbound carriageway. |
| 2015 | Plan unveiled to expand National Railway Museum and York Railway Station [Northern Echo] | THE National Railway Museum and York Station are being lined up for a major overhaul and expansion as part of a plan to redevelop one of the largest brownfield sites in the country. Parts of the Leeman Road area of the city could be closed or diverted under the proposals, to give the museum more space to expand and modernise, while creating 120,000 sq m of office space and 2,500 new homes among public squares and green spaces. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2015 | West Coast Main Line reopens after Carlisle flood [Rail News] | THE West Coast Main Line has reopened between England and Scotland two days after a stretch just north of Carlisle station was under more than two metres of floodwater. The first train through the reopened section was the up 10.51 Virgin Trains service from Edinburgh to London Euston which passed through the area just after 13.00. Network Rail said the blockage which had prevented trains running north of Carlisle was at Caldew Junction, where the line crosses the River Eden. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2017 | ^No business case^ made for British Transport Police merger [BBC News] | A report from Scotland^s Police watchdog says no authoritative business case was made for the merger of British Transport Police and Police Scotland. The decision was made by ministers, meaning the benefits, disadvantages and costs were not explained. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary^s overview of BTP says a detailed study of the risks should be undertaken. The functions of BTP are due to be absorbed into the national force on 1 April 2019. |
| 2017 | First electric trains to run on Edinburgh-Glasgow main line on Sunday - a year late [Scotsman] | Passengers will travel in the first electric trains on the Edinburgh-Glasgow main line from Sunday, ScotRail confirmed today. However, they have had to be borrowed from other routes because a brand new fleet for the line will be six months late. The new Class 385 Hitachi trains are not expected to enter service until late March, as The Scotsman revealed last month. |
| 2017 | Ordsall Curve to Open to Traffic [Northern Rail] | Rail operator Northern is preparing to welcome customers onto the first passenger service to cross Manchesters Ordsall Chord on Sunday 10 December. The historic bridge, a centrepiece of the Great North Rail Project, connects north and South Manchester and, on Sunday, will see customers cross for the first time. The moment will be marked by Rail Minister Paul Maynard who will travel on one of the first trains across the Ordsall Chord The new bridge is a key link in the modernisation of rail services in the north of England and will enable Northerns customers to travel from West Yorkshire, through the Calder Valley, direct to Manchester Oxford Road. |
| 2018 | North-east rail investment costing £200 million will speed up journey times by only two minutes [Press and Journal] | A promised £200 million rail investment between the north-east and central belt would only speed up journey times by two minutes. |
| 2018 | North-east rail upgrade bid hits buffers for only cutting two minutes off trips [Evening Express] | A decade-long proposal to upgrade a north-east rail junction has been ditched after it emerged it would only shave up to two-and-a-half minutes off journeys to the Central Belt. |
| 2018 | ScotRail makes video to explain ^slam doors^ on 40-year-old trains [Scotsman] | ScotRail is having to show passengers how to get on and off trains because it is reintroducing carriages with old-fashioned doors that it hasn^t used widely for 16 years. |
| 2019 | Avanti starts running West Coast Main Line after Virgin franchise ends [BBC News] | The last Virgin train left Euston on Saturday evening, ending Britain^s longest-running rail franchise. |
| 2019 | First West Coast Main Line train under new operator rolls out of Glasgow Central Station [Evening Times] | The first train on the West Coast Main Line under its new operator pulled out of Glasgow^s Central Station at 8.25am this morning. |
| 2019 | Chaos ahead as rail reservations ^axed^ in and out of Inverness from central belt and Aberdeen [Inverness Courier] | A row has broken out over the allocation of booked seats, after ScotRail axed reservations to and from Inverness for six months. |
| 2019 | Iconic Inverclyde railway station awarded rare plaque [Greenock Telegraph] | An iconic Inverclyde railway station has been awarded a rare plaque in recognition of its illustrious engineering and architectural heritage. [Unveiled 30th November.] |
| 2019 | Strike-hit South Western Railway and GWR both axe cheap Christmas tickets [Daily Mail] | The axe will hit thousands of passengers travelling between London, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset and Devon. |
| 2019 | Bus crashes onto railway lines near Galashiels station [Border Telegraph] | Borders Railway services have been cancelled between Tweedbank and Gorebridge after a bus crashed onto the tracks near Galashiels station. [Off Ladhope Vale/A7 just south of the station]. |
| 2019 | Several Monday morning Borders Railway services cancelled [Border Telegraph] | Commuters will face disruption tomorrow morning (Monday) as several Borders Railway services have been cancelled. |
