Railnews Magazine Apr 2020 Back Issue

THE new edition of Railnews naturally gives priority to the national emergency. We include reports of main developments, including the effective ending of franchises. We have a diary of the startling events which unfolded during the second half of March, and a roundup of industry reactions. This edition includes a personal message to all railway staff specially written for Railnews by Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines, while the Chief Constable of British Transport Police Paul Crowther has also made a personal contribution, in which he pledges that policing the railway will continue.

We also have plenty of other news.

Train operators offered free travel for Flybe passengers stranded by the airline’s collapse on 4 March, and tests have started of Greater Anglia’s new fleet of Bombardier-built commuter trains. The first test run took place in the early hours of 17 March on the Southend Victoria line.

A ballot of 10,000 London Underground staff opened on 6 March, as a pay dispute between their union the RMT and Transport for London remained unresolved. The Northern franchise run by Arriva lost £222.6 million in the year to March 2019, according to newly-published accounts from Arriva Trains North Ltd. Meanwhile, plans have been unveiled for a £14.5 million development at Motherwell station.

We don’t like to shoot a good story down, but we report that a letter said to contain an offer from the China Railway Construction Corporation to build HS2 within five years has been disowned by the Chinese ambassador to the UK.

Finally, a man has been jailed for tearing the blue lights from the top of a British Transport Police car at Sunderland station, and then walking off with them.

A very busy month, and a unique one. Catch up with the details in the April edition of Railnews.