Railnews Magazine December 2022 Back Issue

THE Christmas and New Year holiday period was set to see more disruption caused by strikes as the December edition of Railnews went to press.

The unions, railway operators and government remained deadlocked over the issue of pay and conditions, and the latest strike called by the RMT was likely to disrupt work over the holiday break on renewing and upgrading the railway.

In other news, the details of a proposed ‘guiding mind’ for the railways with the provisional title of ‘Great British Railways’ could be reconsidered, according to transport secretary Mark Harper.

Rolling stock conversion firm Vivarail appointed administrators in early December, trains started running again through a junction east of Carlisle on 7 December after a destructive freight train derailment in October, a lorry driver who jammed his vehicle under a railway bridge has been banned and fined, the reopened Exeter to Okehampton line has carried its first 250,000 passengers in just over a year, and the project to rebuild the railway to Portishead has been given the green light.

The government reaffirmed in the Autumn Statement that investment will continue on building HS2 to Manchester, core elements of Northern Powerhouse Rail and East West Rail.

Trains were disrupted by a warehouse fire close to the railway at Wolverhampton, which left a wall unstable and meant that the line towards Birmingham had to be closed.

Rail minister Huw Merriman has seen progress with digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line, and the first Class 197 unit has been put into service by Transport for Wales.

In Metro news, Elizabeth Line trains have started running through central London from Reading, Heathrow and Shenfield.

Finally, the pupils at a Glasgow primary school have been given 22 refurbished bicycles by Network Rail.

Railnews for December is out now.