Railnews Magazine September 2016 Edizione posteriore

The continuing dispute between Govia Thameslink Railway and the unions has returned to the front page of Railnews for September, with fresh strikes having been called. The driver-only operation talks have failed to reach agreement, while a separate one-day strike has been called for early September in the parallel dispute over reductions in opening hours at more than 80 GTR ticket offices. Most of the new concourse at London Bridge opened on Bank Holiday Monday, and we preview this event with a picture of hundreds of volunteers testing the new layout in a special trial. It may have been a political stunt or a serious piece of criticism, but we report the ensuing debate after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn had sat on the floor of a Virgin Trains East Coast service, claiming that he could not find an unreserved seat. GWR will be managing the introduction of new Intercity Express and other trains into service, and indeed the first GWR electric trains are expected to start running from Paddington in September. In other franchise developments, Abellio has confirmed its position in East Anglia with a new contract which will start in October and run until 2025. There is better news for rail campaigners in the Isle of Wight, after the DfT performed a u-turn over a suggestion that could have meant the end of the island's only National Rail line between Ryde and Shanklin, while in Guest Opinion Richard Burningham of the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership hails the success of Community Railways. And now that we know that regulated fares will rise in January by the rate of inflation this July, we ask which headline was more likely in the mainstream media: