Railnews Magazine October 2022 Edizione posteriore

INDUSTRIAL disputes lead Railnews for October, with more strikes having been called during the first ten days of the month. The new transport secretary has been talking to union leaders, but so far without result.

The industry has been mourning Queen Elizabeth, and we recall some of the Royal occasions at which she met railway staff.

September was a challenging month for infrastructure. Trains on two main lines were disrupted by overhead line failures, one of them on the day of Her Majesty’s funeral. In Manchester, a line was closed for several days after it was flooded by a burst water main, and Northern said vandals had made almost 70 attacks on its system during last year. In Hot Topic, we look at the unfortunate history of modernising the Island Line, where the promised half-hourly service has yet to be achieved.

More positively, five days of work to protect a line from landslips was completed, and restoration has been completed of a lineside wall designed by Brunel alongside the Great Western Main Line through Bath.

Autumn is with us again, and Northern is extending its use of new leaf-busting equipment.

A controversy has blown up over a High Court ruling which makes trespassing on HS2’s sites a potential contempt of court, and there was also some debate over Southeastern’s December timetable, which means more passengers will have to change at London Bridge.

Transport for London is losing its transport commissioner Andy Byford, who is returning to the USA. Meanwhile, Bond Street on the Elizabeth Line should welcome passengers this month, after its delayed construction was completed.

The government has unveiled funding for 10 railway schemes as part of its Growth Plan, and the Labour Party has said it would complete railway renationalisation if elected.

Railnews for October is out now.