Railnews Magazine May 2019 Back Issue

THE rejection of four franchise bids is the lead story in Railnews for May. The Department for Transport described the bids as ‘non-compliant’ over pensions, but some of the affected companies, including Stagecoach and Virgin, have lodged protests. There is talk of at least one legal challenge, and the RMT is threatening industrial action. East Midlands was awarded to Abellio by default, and Railnews includes a preview of the new eight-year contract.

Virgin Group has sent its submission to the Williams Rail Review. It is suggesting that intercity passengers should have to book in advance, and that operators should bid for ‘slots’ rather than compete for fixed-term franchises. We report on the possible consequences.

The first of the new Caledonian Sleepers was due in service by the end of April, and the first D-Train from Vivarail entered service with London Northwestern on 23 April.

Plans to reinforce the railway sea wall at Dawlish have been given the green light by Teignbridge District Council, while a plan to rescue the Elizabeth Line has been agreed by the Crossrail board, but trains may not run under London for almost two years yet. Still in London, the RMT has announced a ballot for industrial action by Underground staff over changes which the union claims amount to ‘attacks on jobs’.

Other network developments include the announcement that GWR trains will run on a heritage railway this summer, and the government is backing a feasibility study which will examine the possibility of extending the Borders Railway from Tweedbank over the rest of its former route to Carlisle.

Finally, LNER was swift to take an opportunity when Ryanair revealed it was reducing its service dramatically between London and Edinburgh. LNER is offering half-price rail tickets to passengers who can produce a confirmed booking from the airline.