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Network Rail has been awarded a National Railway Heritage award for its work on the refurbishment of the South Esk viaduct at Montrose. More
 South Esk Viaduct: Ballast train waiting on the viaduct just south of Montrose station. |
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Operators of the Caledonian Sleeper admit the service has been 'unsatisfactory' following a 'number of issues'. More
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A crucial ScotRail commuter service through Fife skipped stations this morning, missing out five stops in the area, with the operator blaming a crew shortage. More
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UK: First Trenitalia has awarded Hitachi Rail a contract to supply and maintain 23 inter-city trainsets for use on Avanti West Coast services. The contract announced on December 6 is worth £350m.
Due to enter service from 2022, the 200 km/h trains to be assembled at Hitachis Newton Aycliffe factory would come in two versions. Hitachi is to supply 10 seven-car electric trainsets with 453 seats to be used on services to the West Midlands and Liverpool, and 13 five-car bi-mode trains with 301 seats for services to north Wales. The latter would replace the existing fleet of Class 221 Voyager sets supplied by Bombardier. More
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The UK's competition watchdog agrees to cap rail fares on certain routes between Scotland and Preston. More
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Scotland’s railways is the story that keeps on giving but often not in a good way - Alastair Dalton [Scotsman]
Train operators like ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper crave positive headlines but all too often they shoot themselves in the foot, writes Alastair Dalton. More
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Aberdeen railway heritage society receives royal recognition for turntable restoration [Press and Journal]
Their members have spent years refurbishing a former railway site in an effort to create a new age of steam in the Granite City. More
 Ferryhill MPD: 60163's driving wheels, at the Ferryhill turntable, on 7th September 2019. |
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Pair 'almost certainly wearing ear defenders' and were not aware of train until too late. There were no formal lookouts when two experienced rail workers were hit and killed on a train mainline, a report has found. Gareth Delbridge, 64, and Michael 'Spike' Lewis, 58, were struck on the south Wales mainline by a Swansea to London train on 3 July. More
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Virgin Trains has taken a step closer towards offering rail customers across the UK unrivalled onboard broadband speeds by trialling 5G connectivity on the West Coast Mainline. More
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More seats have been pledged for key commuter routes between Glasgow and Edinburgh by ScotRail as their new timetable was announced. More
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ScotRail boss vows to improve services and increase links to north-east towns [Evening Express]
ScotRail has promised to improve services and add journeys to address the 'pent up frustration' of north-east passengers. More
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At the 40th annual National Railway Heritage Awards presented today by HRH Princess Anne, the three Scottish winners were:
- South Esk Viaduct at Montrose : the Costain Structures Award to Network Rail and Taziker International - Restoration of Ferryhill Turntable : the Stagecoach Volunteers Award to the Ferryhill Railway Heritage Trust - Ballater Old Royal Station : the Southeastern Commercial Restoration Award to Aberdeenshire Council, collected in person by Council Leader Jim Gifford Shortlisted Scottish entries were: - Craft Skills Award : Edinburgh Princes Street station gates - Volunteers Award: Lochearnhead scout station - Commercial Restoration: Dunbar Station Yard micropub, Nairn Men's Shed More Ferryhill MPD: 60163's driving wheels, at the Ferryhill turntable, on 7th September 2019.  Ballater: Rebuilt Balllater station building, in what looks like the livery from British Railway times, on 17th November 2018. It now houses a cafe, the local Tourist Information Office and a small Library, which has a lot of local books and many issues of the Deeside Field-perhaps even more issues than the National Library. South Esk Viaduct: Ballast train waiting on the viaduct just south of Montrose station. |
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ScotRail will deliver a boost for customers throughout the country, with more seats, more services, and a brand-new station as it introduces its new timetable.
Announcing the changes to the timetable from 15 December 2019, the rail operator has confirmed the opening of Robroyston station, additional services in the north east of the country, extra seats between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and more peak seats on key services. More
 Robroyston: EMU 385111 with an Edinburgh to Glasgow via Cumbernauld service speeds through the site of what will eventually become Robroyston station between Stepps and Springburn. The new station is currently scheduled to open during December 2019. |
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The changes, which include a new station at Robroyston in the north of Glasgow, take effect on 15 December. More
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Monifieth to Edinburgh passengers to change at Dundee when new ScotRail station opens [Evening Telegraph]
Passengers in Angus and Dundee have been told to be aware of timetable changes in place from December 15, as Scotrail opens a new station. More
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ScotRail has admitted things are 'not good enough' after a staff survey revealed 'too many' felt irritated and just 1 per cent said they were empowered in their roles, The Scotsman has learned. More
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Four major railway stations among first to recognise hidden disability sunflowers [Network Rail]
Four of the country's biggest railway stations will now offer passengers with hidden disabilities a discreet way to ask for extra help while making their journeys. More
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Rail bosses have promised to increase the number of seats on the Borders Railway, from next week.
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The legal action is part of a dispute over the Northern Isles service contract awarded to Serco. More
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Whoever wins the Westminster election, there are major changes coming down the track for the British railways. More
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Transport minister urged to step in over ScotRail train seat free-for-all row [Evening Express]
The Scottish Government's transport minister has been urged to intervene in a row over seat reservations on north-east trains. More
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The London Oyster contactless railcard is rightfully hailed as a visionary technological leap in the way passengers pay for rail travel, and throughout the last decade, user numbers have soared. But with the use of contactless bank cards now on a similarly steep trajectory, are the Oysters days numbered? And what effect do security issues, like a recently disclosed cyber-attack, this technology? More
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A small piece of rail history will be made shortly when the new Azuma starts commercial service in the Highlands. More
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Misery for SWR passengers as RMT union starts 27-day strike in train guards row [ITV News]
Hundreds of thousands of passengers face travel misery as the longest stretch of action against a rail operator in living memory begins. More
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Network Rail engineers will be working around-the-clock this Christmas to renew a key junction near Edinburgh Haymarket station. More
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Plans are being organised to replace the ageing Lismore passenger ferry as it will fail to meet new safety regulations being introduced in coming years. More
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About thirty guests turned up in brilliant sunshine on 30th November 2019 to see a Transport Trust red wheel plaque unveiled at Wemyss Bay station and hear Gordon Masterton hail the station as a transport icon in a style, the impossibility of whose classification was surely its unique charm. He cited Simon Jenkins as having written that it had variously been called domestic revival, Queen Anne, arts-and-crafts and 'chalet', but Jenkins had found also a touch of Los Angeles Spanish, perhaps under Caledonian Railway engineer Donald Mathesons American influence which was reflected also in architect James Millers inclusion of theories about passenger circulation. Friends of Wemyss Bay Station Chair Greg Beecroft conducted a guided tour beforehand and provided hospitality for guests afterwards.
More
 Wemyss Bay: About thirty guests turned up in brilliant sunshine on 30th November 2019 to see a Transport Trust red wheel plaque unveiled at Wemyss Bay station and hear Gordon Masterton hail the station as a transport icon in a style, the impossibility of whose classification was surely its unique charm. He cited Simon Jenkins as having written that it had variously been called domestic revival, Queen Anne, arts-and-crafts and “chaletâ€, but Jenkins had found also a touch of Los Angeles Spanish, perhaps under Caledonian Railway engineer Donald Matheson’s American influence which was reflected also in architect James Miller’s inclusion of theories about passenger circulation. Friends of Wemyss Bay Station Chair Greg Beecroft conducted a guided tour beforehand and provided hospitality for guests afterwards.
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