Railnews Magazine June 2013 Vorige editie

The controversy over High Speed rail took several new twists in May. The National Audit Office and the Major Projects Authority both sounded warnings about the scheme, triggering a fresh debate, while the Government used the Queen's Speech to announce two HS2 Bills planned for the forthcoming session of Parliament. In other news, we preview a major report urging the restoration of a West Midlands railway which was closed 80 years ago, Network Rail revealed that it is now postponing key engineering work to maintain diversions around the Hatfield Colliery landslip, and Chiltern Railways was able to celebrate a High Court victory which has given the green light to its Evergreen3 project. A new station at Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway welcomed its first trains, while the DfT said it is helping to fund four more in England and Wales. The first franchise extension has been confirmed, and Metrolink opened another 4km of tram route in Manchester earlier than expected. Find out, too, why there has been a slight flutter after seagulls took over part of a station. All this, and much more, is in Railnews for June.