Railnews Magazine April 2019 Back Issue

THE Williams Review continues, and his latest remarks about state ownership have ignited new criticism from the RMT, who condemned his comment that there is ‘no clear consensus’ for renationalisation as a ‘political fix’. Rail Delivery Group chief executive Paul Plummer, meanwhile, has called for an end to the railway being treated as a ‘political football’.

LNER has announced the date for the new Azuma trains to enter service on the East Coast Main Line, but only one route has been cleared.

Other new trains are still delayed by technical issues, most of them connected with software, and the Feature in April’s Railnews asks if our railways are becoming ‘too clever for their own good’.

April also marks the start of Control Period 6 at Network Rail, and the ORR is tightening its regulatory grip. In particular, performance penalties could be funded from the bonuses of senior management.

There are new calls in Scotland for complete rail devolution, while one minister has warned that the ScotRail franchise is still at risk of termination. ScotRail has filed a Remedial Plan.

The summer timetables which come into force on 19 May include another 1,000 trains a week, said the Rail Delivery Group, but one branch line in Wales will remain closed for months after Storm Gareth had swept across the region.

Major engineering work will be taking place on the West Coast Main Line over Easter and the early May bank holiday. It will include the closure of London Euston.

Tram system extensions have been approved in Edinburgh and the West Midlands, finally achieving plans for trams to Newhaven and Brierley Hill.

Finally, rail staff are being asked to help a colleague who is under pressure, stressed or just unhappy, as part of a Samaritans initiative.

Railnews for April is out now.