Railnews Magazine May 2016 Back Issue

Industrial tensions have been rising, and two strikes have already been held on Southern in a dispute with the RMT over proposed extensions of driver-only operation. ASLEF, meanwhile, has been told by a judge that it must not 'induce' its members to refuse to drive 12-car trains on Gatwick Express without a conductor. A further point of conflict is Govia Thameslink Railway's plans to close or reduce the opening hours of ticket offices at more than 80 stations on the Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink networks, which have produced objections from transport watchdogs as well as the unions. All these issues make the lead story in the latest edition of Railnews. In other news HS2 is moving ahead, with the House of Lords now debating the Hybrid Bill after it was passed by the Commons. Weather continues to be a problem with landslips or other damage blocking several lines, including a section of the Alton branch in Hampshire. Two accidents occurred in April, one involving a tractor on a level crossing near Thetford, while in the other several people were injured when two trains collided at Plymouth. Our feature this month is the first of three about London's railways. We look at a predictive map of the London Underground in 2016 published 12 years ago, and ask how much of 2004's vision has become reality. The love-hate relationship of passengers with their railways continues, and in Guest Opinion the chief executive of Transport Focus Anthony Smith suggests that it is time to improve matters. We also reveal that some trains in New Zealand are certainly popular with their passengers -- because they are driving them. All this and much more is in the 40-page edition of Railnews for May.