Railnews Magazine

The collision between two East Midlands Railway trains near Bedford on 19 June, in which a train driver was killed, has led to questions about how the second train came to pass a red signal. Railnews for July leads with the details of the initial RAIB report.

MPs on the Commons Public Accounts Committee have cast doubt on the plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail, saying they echo the same failures seen in HS2, which is still undergoing a ‘reset’ in a bid to reduce its costs. Meanwhile, HS2 Ltd has lost a case in the Court of Appeal, which has ruled that it extended Bromford tunnel in Birmingham without planning permission.

In other news, Cambridge South station opened at the end of June, a 28-day blockade in West Yorkshire between Morley and Dewsbury has allowed the next stage of the Transpennine Route Upgrade to be completed, Stansted Express has launched a summer trial of overnight Friday train services, two young men convicted of the cyber-attack on Transport for London in 2024 have admitted the offence, and almost nine out of 10 railway passengers are satisfied with their journeys, according to the latest survey by Transport Focus.

This month’s edition includes two features. One asks how stations and trains can be made safer, and the other says that although the process of renationalising the former franchises has passed the half way mark, are politicians are storing up disappointment about Great British Railways by promising too much, too soon?

In ‘Build it, and they will come’, Hot Topic compares the success of investments like London Overground with less likely schemes, which include a proposal to build an electric railway through north Cornwall.

Finally, the Railway200 exhibition train has made its last call, after a nationwide tour.

Railnews for July is out now.