Railnews Magazine September 2013 Back Issue

September 2013 marks the 175th anniversary of the London & Birmingham Railway, and today's West Coast Main Line is at the heart of several controversies. Capacity, performance and even the future identity of the intercity operator are all major issues for the industry. In a special three-page feature we examine the WCML, past, present and future, and hear exclusively from some of the people who are most involved, including Virgin Trains' Tony Collins. The related issue of HS2 continues to be debated too, with more critics emerging and the Government responding with a vigorous defence of the scheme. Meanwhile, how many people really travel by train each year? Research by Railnews has revealed that some of the official claims appear to be exaggerated. We also have an update on the start-stop-start developments at Railcare, where jobs have been lost but the future now appears to be brighter, while our recently-launched Euronews section focuses on problems in Germany, where an acute shortage of signallers has started a furious national backlash. All this, and much more, is in Railnews for September.