Railways Illustrated July 2024

It’s not unusual that something happens, or an announcement is made, immediately after I’ve safely dispatched an issue of Railways Illustrated to the printer. That has certainly been the case this month… not once, but twice. No sooner was issue 256 completed, the Labour Party announced plans for the railway should it win the next general election. Then just hours before we sent the final pages to our design team, that election was announced for July 4. If opinion polls are correct – and that’s never a guarantee – it is looking very possible that there could be a Labour government in power after the polling booths close, so the party’s proposals for the railways are worth scrutinising further. More detail can be found on pages 8 and 9… a…

FIRSTGROUP PLC is seeking to further expand its open access operations, with the public transport giant submitting the first phase of an application to the Office for Rail and Road to allow it to operate a new service under its Lumo brand between Rochdale and London, which it hopes to start operating from 2027. The company is proposing the operation of six direct return journeys a day between Rochdale and London Euston, with the trains – which are expected to utilise a brand-new fleet of British-built bi-mode electric and battery trains – calling at Manchester Victoria, Eccles, Newton-le-Willows and Warrington Bank Quay, before heading down the West Coast Main Line and terminating at London Euston. FirstGroup said the station at Eccles will provide connectivity to the service for people living…

AN INNOVATIVE railway networking event featuring senior leaders, infrastructure experts, engineers and operations specialists from the East Coast Partnership travelled on an LNER service from Edinburgh to London King’s Cross in mid-May to sample a typical journey from the perspective of a passenger. Known as the Coffee Cup Run, industry experts from Network Rail, LNER, Hitachi Rail and Northern Trains boarded the 09.00 LNER service from Edinburgh. As the train made its way along the East Coast Main Line, the teams assessed the journey to identify potential issues which may impact performance, reliability and safety. The annual event is a revival of an earlier concept, also on the East Coast Route, to place a cup of coffee on a train table and see how much the cup moves, or the…

AS THIS issue of Railways Illustrated closed for press, final preparations were underway for the reopening of the Levenmouth line on June 2, which saw trains return to the six-mile route for the first time since the line was closed to passenger in 1969. The official opening celebrations for the £116 million Levenmouth Rail Link took place on May 29, with recently-appointed Scottish First Minister John Swinney MSP joining officials, invited guests and stakeholders from the local community to celebrate the successful conclusion of the project, which has been financed by the Scottish Government and delivered by Network Rail and ScotRail. The newly-revived line is connected to the East Coast Main Line at Thornton Junction and services will be operated from Edinburgh Waverley, via Kirkcaldy. The reopening forms part of…

→ Greater Anglia’s March station has received a Wildlife Friendly accreditation, recognising the work of community volunteers to improve biodiversity and support nature there. The Friends of March Station received the award following an assessment by a Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust conservation officer. The ecologist’s report noted that the group’s gardening activities have clearly considered wildlife through the planting of pollinator-friendly plants, as well as wild tree and shrub areas that provide shelter for birds and insects. → East Midlands Railway has installed customer information screens at 20 rural stations in Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, many of which have never had information screens provided in the past. Those benefiting are Aslockton, Attenborough, Bleasby, Bottesford, Burton Joyce, Carlton, Fiskerton, Gainsborough Lea Road, Hykeham, Langley Mill, Longton, Lowdham, Netherfield,…

JUST AS this edition of the magazine went to press, the Prime Minister called a general election for July 4. Labour had just outlined its plans for the railways and the following article had been designed and prepared… we have decided to keep this piece so that you can judge the proposals… Getting Britain Moving: Labour’s Plan To Fix Britain’s Railways was published at the end of April and outlines the party’s pledge to “create a unified and simplified governance structure that places passengers at the heart of the goal, objectives and incentives for the railway, and bring train operators under public ownership and control.” The document, promoted by Shadow Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh, outlines six key objectives for passenger rail services: ■ Reliable: Passengers should have…