Railnews Magazine December 2014 Back Issue

The long-awaited announcement about the future East Coast franchise was made the day before the December edition of Railnews went to press. We lead with a full report with reactions around the industry, including comments from winners Stagecoach and Virgin and also the rail unions, who remain deeply critical. Eurostar is another main topic this month. The international rail operator celebrated its 20th birthday in November and chose the occasion of the anniversary to unveil its new Siemens Velaro at St Pancras. We have pictures of the new train, while our feature recalls some of the main events since Eurostar started operations in 1994. Another new type of train will come into service this month on Thameslink, and we were able to photograph the Class 387s during their commissioning at Bletchley. In other news, there was a VIP event at Nottingham to celebrate the completion of the modernisation of this key station, while the Chancellor has given the go-ahead for another Manchester Metrolink line with a £350 million grant. We also have another update from the Rail Delivery Group which features a useful guide to fares in advance of the January changes. Finally, as Yuletide approaches, we have the story of the furry bears who have found themselves stranded at Bristol Temple Meads. Although First Great Western is kindly looking after them, they want to find their way home for Christmas. Railnews for December is out now.