Railnews Magazine

He had some ideas about HS2, but he was sacked for voicing them. Former DfT Operator non-executive director Chris Gibb speaks exclusively to Railnews about what he had suggested in the October edition.

In other news, reported assaults against railway staff and passengers rose ‘substantially’ in the twelve months to March, a charity is warning that public transport can be effectively barred to people who have limited hearing, and the driver of a Greater Anglia train which derailed at Wickford on 14 August has reported seeing a ‘kink’ in the track.

No trains ran between Reading and Didcot Parkway on 23 September, because of a gas leak, the ‘ironing board’ seats which were installed on Thameslink’s Class 700s are being replaced, while Ashford Borough Council and Kent County Council have stepped up their campaign to secure international trains at Ashford.

The first train in service controlled by ETCS has run on the East Coast Main Line between Welwyn Garden City and Moorgate, the first of the new trains for Docklands Light Railway returned to service on 7 September following the completion of modifications, and the Underground station which has been familiar to generations of schoolchildren visiting London’s museum quarter is being enlarged and given step-free access.

A consultation has been launched by Network Rail’s System Operator into the knotty problem of how Great British Railways will make decisions about network access, the threat of extreme weather has led to Network Rail investing £130 million to strengthen the railway in Scotland over the past two years, and a new target for increasing rail freight was published by the Government on 8 September.

A collection of projects inspired by local wildlife has been unveiled at Stafford station in support of the area’s ‘Bee Friendly Town’ status.

Railnews for October is out now.