Railnews Magazine July 2014 Vorige editie

The intriguing suggestion by the Chancellor that there could be a case for a third High Speed line, linking Leeds and Manchester, leads this month’s Railnews. Two important franchise announcements were made during June – Virgin West Coast and Essex Thameside – and we have the details of the awards. Praise for frontline railstaff has come from FirstGroup CEO Tim O’Toole, as part of an announcement by the Rail Delivery Group which sets out the way the industry’s costs can be reduced over the next few years through more collaborative working. Other major stories include the calling of a public inquiry into the delayed Edinburgh Trams project, which finally opened at the end of May, plus a first look at the new Alstom Citadis trams which are being delivered to Nottingham Express Transit. Also in Nottingham, we illustrate the completion of the £50 million upgrade of the city’s station which was completed in June. Our feature is a survey of the main infrastructure projects which are under way at the moment, including electrification in both England and Scotland and the upgrades of Birmingham New Street and Reading. Euronews leads on the continuing industrial unrest in France, where train services have been badly disrupted, while on a lighter note we have reviews of the best new books and DVDs which have crossed the Railnews desk so far this year. This, and much more, is in Railnews for July.