Railnews Magazine Feb 2020 Back Issue

THE early termination of the Northern franchise leads the February edition of Railnews, and we report that other franchises are also risk. A leaked letter from Network Rail is warning the Government that abandoning HS2 would mean expensive upgrades of existing classic lines instead, and the project is behind schedule and costing more than forecast, because the DfT and HS2 Ltd ‘widely underestimated’ the budgets and timescales, according to a new report.

The latest National Rail Passenger Survey was released by Transport Focus on 28 January, and it contained disappointing data for some operators, particularly Northern. Railnews gives details of the highest and lowest scores.

A railway in Kent which was blocked by a major landslip on 22 December should be open again by the end of March, Network Rail said, while an investigation is under way after a freight train was derailed in north London on 23 January, blocking the line.

In other news, retired HM Forces personnel will be able to take advantage of discounted rail travel when a new railcard goes on sale, a preferred route has been identified for the central section of East West Rail, and a battery train from Vivarail has achieved a British first by travelling 64km on battery power alone.

In Metro news, the next generation of trains for Tyne & Wear Metro will come from Stadler at a headline cost of £300 million, and people living in some flats have called for Underground trains to slow down at night, so that they can get some sleep.

January can be a bleak month, and a warm cuppa was at the forefront of GWR’s efforts to cheer up the most difficult day of the year, which is said to be 20 January.

Railnews 276 is far from bleak, however, and is out now.