This day in history 07 February
Images
Seafield Shed [CR]: St Margarets N15 0-6-2T no 69144 in the sidings alongside Seafield shed in February 1960.
Seafield Shed [CR]: Class J38 0-6-0 no 65918 stands in the shed yard at Seafield in February 1960.
Larbert: Grangemouth shed's Black 5 no 44788 about to pass through Larbert with a northbound freight in February 1965. [Ref query 14397]
Stirling South Signal Box: Perth based Black 5 no 45047 passing Stirling South signal box on a dull and misty February afternoon in 1965 with a train for Aberdeen.
Hawick [2nd]: Another of the Welsh rugby excursions leaves Hawick on Sunday morning 7 February 1965. The heavily loaded 1X41 10.40am Edinburgh - Merthyr return special had stopped at Hawick station where Britannia Pacific no 70038 Robin Hood was provided with support in the form of Hawick shed's standard class 4 2-6-4T no 80113, primarily to assist on the climb to Whitrope. As can be seen here, the assistant set about the task with a vengeance, the rest of the train being totally obliterated on the restart south out of Hawick station.
Buchanan Street: A4 Pacific no 60009 Union of South Africa backs out of Buchanan Street station on a misty February morning in 1965.
Stirling Shed [CR]: Royal Scot 46152 The King's Dragoon Guardsman standing in the shed yard at Stirling South on 7 February 1965, some two months before withdrawal. [Ref query 26627]
Stirling: St Rollox Black 5 44718 brings a Buchanan Street - Dundee train into Stirling in February 1965.
Hawick [2nd]: 'Sosban fach yn berwi ar y tan....' Not the kind of sounds that would normally drift across the rooftops of Hawick on a Sunday morning.... but Sunday morning 7 February 1965 was different. The noise generated by hard-working Black Fives 45364+44867, as they lifted the 1X37 10.00am return Edinburgh - Treherbert rugby special out of Hawick, was but a whisper compared to that from Welsh rugby fans still celebrating their hard-fought 14 - 12 win over the Scots at Murrayfield the previous day. [Wales went on to win the championship that year.]
Stobs: EE Type 4 no D316 is about to take the 1X39 return Edinburgh Waverley - Llanelli rugby special south onto Stobs Viaduct on 7 February 1965. See image [[23859]].
Stirling: One of St Rollox shed's Caprotti valve-geared BR Standard class 5s, no 73146, calls at Stirling on a dull February afternoon in 1965 with a train for Dundee.
Hawick [2nd]: BR Standard class 4MT no 80113 off Hawick shed restarts a returning Welsh rugby special from the south end of the station on Sunday 7 February 1965 with the train locomotive 70038 Robin Hood tucked in behind see image [[30054]].
Stobs: 1X39 return Edinburgh Waverley - Llanelli rugby special behind EE Type 4 no D316 heading towards Stobs on 7 February 1965.
Shankend: Another of the Welsh rugby specials returning south from Edinburgh via the Waverley route on Sunday 7 February 1965. This one is the 1X38 08.50 Edinburgh (Waverley) - Cardiff (General) photographed that morning at Shankend behind A4 Pacific no 60027 Merlin.
Castle Douglas: Abandoned platforms at Castle Douglas in 1970.
Castle Douglas: Looking east over Castle Douglas in February 1970. The station had closed to passengers in June 1965.
Maxwelltown: The 1860 station at Maxwelltown (closed 1939) looking east towards Dumfries in 1970. At this time the line was still open as far as the ICI Works at Cargenbridge and the old goods yard off picture to the left housed a rail served fuel distribution depot. Only the up line was in use and the former station house was unoccupied and secured.
Aberdeen: D3985 shunts platform 6 at Aberdeen station in a low winter sun on 7 February 1973.
Aberdeen South Signal Box: Brush Type 4 no.1577 arrives at Aberdeen on 07 February 1973 with a service from the south. The loco was originally thought to have been displaying a headcode of 1S53 however it is now likely to be 1S51 which would have been the 0720 hrs York to Aberdeen. Aberdeen South SB can be seen below the signal gantry towards the right.
Aberdeen: When Aberdeen's platform 6 north was blocked during the reconstruction work in 1973 see image [[20303]], Inverness services departed from platform 8. Here a Swindon Cross Country set departs from 8 and takes the crossover to 9 in order to gain access to the single line to Dyce at Aberdeen North SB.
Aberdeen: Aberdeen platforms 7 and 8 on 07 February 1973.
Aberdeen: A class 47 no.1577 is released through platform 7 to run back to Ferryhill MPD after bringing in the 0720 hrs service from York on 07 February 1973.
Aberdeen: Guild Street yard, Aberdeen in the early 1970s. BR class 08 no D3877 undertakes the shunting duties as class 47 no 1708 prepares to move a southbound freight out of the yard.
Stranraer Town: View from a train passing Stranraer Town yard on 7 February 1976, with a class 25 shunting. [The long-disused sidings were being lifted in mid-March 2015.]
Kings Cross: Late evening at Kings Cross in February 1979. On the left a Brush Type 4 awaits its departure time with a sleeper service while elswhere parcels trains are being loaded.
Doncaster: Deltic 55011 The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers brings an ECML train into Doncaster station on 7 February 1981.
Doncaster: Signal check at Doncaster in February 1981 as a class 31 is held at the platform
Tickets and labels: This wagon label describes a consignment of coal (stove nuts) delivered to Charringtons coal concentration depot at Hythe, Colchester, in February 1981. The load originated at Onllwyn Washery in Wales. Hythe had two working coal depots at that time. Charringtons (destination code 500 33) was on the south side of the station while the Co-op depot (500 32) was on the north side.
Doncaster: Deltic 55011 The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers arriving at Doncaster with a train from the south on 7 February 1981.
Doncaster: One of the original BR Swindon Trans-Pennine DMU sets calls at Doncaster on 7 February 1981.
Doncaster: 40035 with empty stock at Doncaster in February 1981.
Dolphinton [CR]: Remains of the Caledonian station at Dolphinton photographed in February 2003 looking west from the A702. A line once continued under the road below the camera to link with the NB system on the other side see image [[7425]].
Baileyfield Switch and Crossing Works: VAE Baileyfield Switch & Crossing Works, Portobello, looking along the branch from South Leith in February 2006. Running across the centre of the picture beyond the main shed is a class 66 heading south along the ECML with the morning Powderhall - Oxwellmains Binliner containers.
Meadows Junction: A coal train for Cockenzie power station, having left Leith Docks via Leith South yard, emerges from the bridge under Seafield Road in February 2006. The train is on the former NB Lothian Lines alignment at this point, with the original Edinburgh & Dalkeith line having passed under the northern span of the bridge. Meadows signal box once stood on this side of the bridge between the two routes. Meadows Junction was in the foreground.
Meadows Junction: On a cold February morning in 2006, with mist hanging over the Forth, EWS 66028 brings a trainload of imported coal from Leith Docks below Seafield Road, approaching the site of the former Meadows Yard. Meadows Junction was in the foreground. The coal is part of a major consignment from Russia destined for [[Cockenzie Power Station]].
Meadows Yard: EWS 66028 passing through the former Meadows Yard eastbound in February 2006 with imported coal from Leith Docks heading for Cockenzie power station. The old yard is now a combination of large retail warehouses and an attractive local neighbourhood nature area see image [[3191]].
Newtongrange: Original plan of the new station at Newtongrange. Single platform station with parking for 70+ cars and pedestrian access from the A7.
Newtongrange: Entrance to the car park at the proposed Newtongrange station on the Borders Railway in February 2007 looking across the A7. The site was originally occupied by the rail-served Dean Oil Works, with some of the former works buildings still standing.
Newtongrange: Looking north along the future platform site at Newtongrange in February 2007 through the bridge which carries the A7, eerily named Murderdean Road at this point. The buildings visible on the right were built by the Deans Oil Company, previous occupiers of the site.
Newtongrange: View south over the site of the proposed new station at Newtongrange in February 2007, with the winding gear of the Lady Victoria Colliery visible in the left background.
Lady Victoria Pit Signal Box: Looking north along the trackbed of the Waverley route in February 2007 with the Lady Victoria Colliery on the right.
Vouzela: A sweeping former narrow gauge line viaduct is a notable feature striding high over the Portuguese town of Vouzela. The line finally formally closed in 1990 and the bridge is now open to foot passengers with a metre gauge Henschel 2-4-6-0T Mallet, No. E202 (The E denotes narrow gauge), displayed at the end. Whilst static locos like this are not preserved in ideal circumstances E202 has fared better than sister loco E213 at Pocinho on the closed Sabor line See image [[37992]] and her many scrapped classmates.
Gretna Green: Standing on the platform at Gretna Green on 7 February looking west towards Annan, showing progress on the redoubling work taking place on this section.
Kingsley and Froghall: A sight to warm the cockles of your heart, and one or two other bits, given appropriate wind direction. A most excellent 'new old' station, to boot.
Carlisle: A brace of DRS Class 20s brings a railtour from Birmingham into Carlisle on 7 February 2009.
Carlisle: Preserved Royal Scot 46115 Scots Guardsman prepares to leave Carlisle for the Settle and Carlisle line and eventually Manchester.
Ansdell and Fairhaven: Busy once every decade or so. Just beyond Ansdell and Fairhaven station the Royal Lytham St. Annes golf course can be seen. This was used for the UK Open Golf Championship in 2001 and again in 2012, when the station was again thronged with golf fans. View towards Blackpool from the station entrance on the overbridge. See image [[39660]] for the same view during the 2012 Open.
Moss Side: The guard has operated the level crossing barriers from the platform at Moss Side and 142003 departs for Kirkham on a Colne service. In the other direction the half barriers are activated automatically by the approaching train.
Ansdell and Fairhaven: Ansdell and Fairhaven was formerly an island platform with through roads on either side but is now reduced to a single line using the old down side only. Northern Pacer 142015 calls on its way to Blackpool South.
Carlisle: Railtours occupy the platforms at Citadel station on a day when all Anglo-Scottish services were supplied by buses. The station, city and its watering holes were kept busy for a few hours by enthusiasts.
Moss Side: Just to the Lytham side of Moss Side station is a long embankment with this low bridge over a minor road. This picture looks east on that road as 142015 approaches Moss Side on a Blackpool South to Colne service. Map Ref SD 380295
Carlisle: The valve gear and nameplate of 46115 Scots Guardsman, photographed at Carlisle on 7 February 2009 shortly after arrival with The Cumbrian Fellsman charter from Manchester Victoria.
Ansdell and Fairhaven: With the Royal Lytham St. Annes championship golf course behind the train, Pacer 142015 leaves the former island platform at Ansdell and Fairhaven on a Northern service heading for Blackpool South in February 2009. Ansdell is one of six intermediate stations on the 12 mile branch.
Carlisle: 46115 Scots Guardsman stands at Carlisle on 7 February 2009 following arrival from Manchester via the Settle and Carlisle line.
Moy: 66120 hauls the Stobart Rail containers through the loop at Moy on 7 February. Just behind the tall tree on the right is one of the cut back platforms of Moy Station. (Closed 1965)
Bowhill: The remains of the Bowhill Branch in Fife, where a new Industrial Estate is under construction at the extent of the tracks that ran into Bowhill Washery. In addition, the cutting between Glencraig Junction on the branch and the overbridge towards the site of Glencraig Colliery has also been infilled.
Bowhill: Redevelopment work underway on the former Bowhill branch in Fife see image [[37553]].
Bowhill: A surviving auto rail oiler alongside the trackbed at Bowhill in February 2012. See image [[37562]]
Charing Cross (London): The platforms at Charing Cross station extend out over the River Thames on the Hungerford Bridge and there is a close up view of proceedings from the Jubilee footbridges that run either side of the railway bridge. However, the elevated view of this rebuilt station and its approaches is much better. See image [[25200]].
Woodacre Crossing: Heading for Preston, First TransPennine 185119 sprints down the Barnacre straight passed Woodacre in the early afternoon of 7 February 2012.
Elgin East: The former John Menzies kiosk on the platform at Elgin East sports a fresh coat of paint on 7 February 2013, more than 45 years after selling its last packet of 'Capstan' see image [[41995]].
Elgin East: The hatch at the rear of the John Menzies kiosk which once served passengers in the booking hall at Elgin East station, seen here on 7th February 2013.
Inverurie: An Edinburgh bound service about to depart from a well maintained Inverurie station on a cold February morning in 2013.
Elgin East: The magnificent woodwork around the booking hall ticketing hatch at Elgin East in February 2013. Sadly too late to purchase a single to Boat of Garten. As it says on the window, now the office of Moray Chamber of Commerce.
Lower Darwen: Passing through the site of Lower Darwen station (closed 1958) is a Clitheroe - Manchester service. All trace of the old station has been removed at rail level. Following a long campaign for re-doubling of the line a long loop was installed in the area of Darwen station in 2015. Elsewhere on the line bridges, such as the one in the foreground, and other infrastructure changes have precluded a second track being laid. [Ref query 7170]
London Euston: DRS 57302 Chad Varah succeeds in keeping a 350 away from the buffers at Euston on 7 February.
Granton Junction: Freshly painted in fine Caledonian blue, this bridge carries the Carstairs line over Murieston Crescent, Edinburgh, south west of Haymarket station. The track here had to be modified to allow full running out of Haymarket when Princes Street station closed in 1965, as the Haymarket divergence was then single track at this point. The divergence at Granton Junction, where it separated from the once far more important CR Granton branch, was just to the left.
Shettleston PW Depot: A westbound class 334 passes the little used sidings at Shettleston which are now part of the Torrent Trackside depot. On the other side of the yellow gate, a refuge siding beside the running lines is in daily use, but there is little sign of the stub of the former Glasgow, Bothwell, Hamilton and Coatbridge Railway.
Hayes Knoll: Barclay 0-6-0ST 'Swordfish', sister engine to 'Salmon' now on the Deeside Railway, is seen at Hayes Knoll.
Partially dismantled back in the 1960's, a long stay at the Rutland
Rly. Centre and then purchased in 1998 for use on the Swindon and
Cricklade Rly.
After a ten year restoration period the engine now moves under its own
steam. Due to PW work, the loco is seen moving in the Hayes Knoll
engine shed yard.
Hayes Knoll: Barclay 0-6-0ST 'Swordfish' seen moving in the Hayes Knoll engine shed yard.
Hayes Knoll: 'Swordfish', sister engine to 'Salmon', on the move in the Hayes Knoll yard.
Tollerton: A view looking east at the extremely shabby rail overbridge over the east coast main line on Station Road at Tollerton north of York. It is expected that this bridge will be replaced shortly as last part of a programme of installing five new structures from Beninborough to Forest Lane Alne. The bridges at these two locations were completed last year and the next two towards Beninborough are nearing completion. See image [[53753]]. Station Road will be closed for some 6 months once work gets underway, but a new bridge will give a vast improvement in appearance. See image [[79592]] for a 2019 view of the new bridge
Kilmaurs: DRS class 57 no 57302 drags Pendolino 390152 through Kilmaurs on 7 February 2016 on its way from Edge Hill to Polmadie CAR Depot.
Hayes Knoll: The newly restored Wickham PW trolley at Hayes Knoll on the Swindon and Cricklade Railway in February 2016.
Aintree: Definitely one of the better advertising vinyls. Merseyrail 508111 sports full length images promoting The Beatles Story attraction in Liverpool. Each of the three coaches is different leading to a very eye catching train. Seen here at Aintree on 7th February 2017 with the famous racecourse just behind the station.
Aintree: Merseyrail 507006 pulls away from Aintree heading for Ormskirk on 7th February 2017. The bright sunshine has made a large gold horseshoe in the middle of the footbridge almost invisible in this image. The old excursion platforms used by race goers are still partly in place behind the left hand platform.
Auschwitz II (Birkenau): The main gate, the 'Gate of Death', viewed from within Auschwitz II (Birkenau).
The view is to the east, the line continued out of the site to join the railway network.
The nearby town of Oświęcim is a major railway junction.
Aintree: Merseyrail 508111, in Beatles Story vinyls, pauses at Aintree on its way to Liverpool Central. To the right of the Ormskirk platform the tracks to the long abandoned excursion platforms are still in situ but very overgrown in places.
Old Roan: The Merseyrail EMUs are to be replaced by a fleet on order from Stadler for delivery in 2019-2020. The Class 507/508s are basic but have served the area well for nearly forty years and hopefully at least one will be preserved. 507020 slows for the Old Roan stop with a service from Ormskirk to Liverpool Central on 7th February 2017.
Helensburgh Central: A depressing, wet February lunchtime at Helensburgh Central. No sign of the earlier snow remains. But what is the purpose of the striped pole in the foreground?
We've had two replies - thanks to both of you
The 'pole' is a marker post that a train must pass to allow it to reverse. See this link and scroll down to the second last row of images.
Rail Signs
The marker post is shown as image number 21.22 (the last image on the right).
Mike Gibb
I think the pole is a stop marker for trains, so that their automatic couplers don't come into contact with the buffer stops.
Michael Laing
Glasgow Central: Contrast of curves and right angles at Glasgow Central as 90049 (on the Lowland Sleeper ECS), and 314203 (soon to leave for Paisley Canal) wait at platforms 10 and 11 respectively. 7th February 2018.
Glasgow Central: 92043 waits at Platform 10 to take the Lowland Sleeper out of Glasgow Central in February 2018.
Stonehaven: The morning of 7th February 2018 at Stonehaven, with a low loader being loaded on the former goods siding with the weekend's railway maintenance wagons before the rail/road digger loaded itself.
Birkhill: Work is on going to build a second platform at Birkhill on the B&KR on 07/02/18. The final pours for the main platform were completed. The platform is being built in concrete using complex shuttering following Caledonian railway tradition.
Birkhill: Work was on going to build a second platform at Birkhill on the B&KR on 07-02-18. The final pours for the main platform were completed. The platform is being built in concrete using complex shuttering following Caledonian railway tradition.
Haymarket Coal Yard: An oil painting of the former Haymarket coal yard hangs in the headquarter offices of the City of Edinburgh Council beside the ECML at Waverley. David Spaven was responsible for this yard when Speedlink Coal Manager for Scotland. Domestic coal arrived in HEA hopper wagons - built at Shildon Works - until the late 1980s, when the coal merchants were re-located to a site adjacent to the closed Freightliner Terminal at Portobello, thereby freeing up 'Haymarket Yards' for office and housing development (and the tram route). [Photo by David Hunter, painter unknown]
Stalybridge Tunnel: Wakefield Road crosses over the Huddersfield Line tunnel, just east of Stalybridge Station, as it first heads east and then turns north north east towards Mossley. Some 50m inside the curve of the road, amongst housing, a large air shaft for the tunnel sits atop a small mound - like a castle overlooking a surrounding plain - as seen in this view looking north east.
Balshaw Lane Junction: A southbound Pendolino passes Balshaw Lane Jct, at speed, with a London bound service on 07 February 2019. When you are this close to the track (behind a fence at bottom of steps to a footbridge) the air turbulence is quite significant but it does give a different view of the train.
Lady Victoria Pit Signal Box: The 0958 Tweedbank - Edinburgh northbound in light rain on 7 February 2019. ScotRail 158704 is half a mile short of the Newtongrange stop and is about to pass below the old bridge carrying the B704 Gorebridge to Lasswade Road (to which the raised parapet was added in 2013). The area beyond the trees on the left once hosted a coal loading plant and sidings serving nearby Lady Victoria Colliery see image [[6116]].
Ansdell and Fairhaven: 156401, the first of 114 sets of this fine DMU class, is now in its 35th year and has recently transferred from East Midlands Railway to Northern to replace withdrawn Class 153s. On 7th February 2022 it was on the East Lancashire, Ormskirk and Blackpool South lines diagram and is seen leaving Ansdell and Fairhaven for Preston. The bright blue, orange and red EMR livery will probably soon be replaced by Northern vinyls.
Events
Events from the chronology which occured on this day. This generally lists events before 1995, the creation of the website.
| Year | Companies | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1882 | Girvan and Portpatrick Junction RailwayPortpatrick Railway | Girvan and Portpatrick Junction Railway trains banned from Stranraer and Portpatrick by the Portpatrick Railway. Line closed temporarily from Girvan to Challoch Junction. |
| 1966 | South Queensferry Branch (Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway) | Ratho (Low Level) to Kirkliston to Royal Elizabeth Yard closed to freight. |
| 1989 | Inverness and Ross-shire Railway | Ness Viaduct, Inverness, collapses, separating the Thurso, Wick and Kyle of Lochalsh lines from the rest of the network. Dingwall becomes the southern terminus, Muir of Ord closes (although served by a minibus) and becomes a train maintenance depot. Buses operate between Inverness and Dingwall while a new bridge is built. Oil traffic to Lairg is suspended (it does not restart until 2001). |
| 2020 | Dalmarnock Branch (Caledonian Railway) | Former Rutherglen Training School burned down. |
News
These are old news items which which occured on this day. This generally lists events after 1995, the creation of the website.
| Year | Companies | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Cowlairs re-signalling | Cowlairs signalbox demolished. |
| 2004 | Rail companies fined over failures [Scotsman] | TWO rail firms received near-maximum fines yesterday for repeatedly failing to repair track faults which led to the derailment of a train at Scotland^s busiest station. |
| 2005 | Hatfield crash a ^system failure^ [BBC News] | Five rail managers accused of manslaughter after the Hatfield train crash worked in an under-funded industry, the Old Bailey is told. |
| 2006 | Minister in trams costs warning [BBC News] | Tavish Scott pledges £93m more towards building the first tram line in Edinburgh but its still not enough. |
| 2007 | MP attacks west coast rail ticket ^rip-off^ [Scotsman] | A TRAIN company has been accused by an MP of "exploiting" passengers travelling between Scotland and London by secretly restricting the availability of discount tickets. |
| 2007 | Two faults, 99 trains hit, 22 hours of delays: more rail commuter misery [Scotsman] | LONG-SUFFERING rail commuters again endured major disruption to their journey to work yesterday after two sets of points failed on some of Scotland^s busiest lines. |
| 2007 | Calls for free tram travel for pensioners steps up a gear [Scotsman] | PRESSURE was growing today on the Scottish Executive to guarantee pensioners and disabled people will get free travel on Edinburgh^s trams. |
| 2009 | Tornado makes London visit [BBC News] | The first new mainline steam engine to be built in Britain for nearly five decades is making its first long-distance passenger trip into London. |
| 2009 | Man killed by train at crossing [BBC News Article] | An elderly male pedestrian dies after being hit by a train at a level crossing in Perthshire, police say. |
| 2011 | Site work underway on Borders to Edinburgh rail route [BBC News] | Site investigation works are starting on the £235m rail link project between Edinburgh and the Borders. |
| 2013 | Borders railway: Thousands apply for train driver jobs [BBC News] | Thousands of people have applied for 18 jobs as train drivers on the new Borders to Edinburgh rail route. Scotrail advertised the trainee positions last year and had received 2,229 job requests by the mid-January closing date. |
| 2013 | IMechE Railway Division Scottish Centre - Next Event 21 February 2013 | IMechE Railway Division Scottish Centre - Next Event 21/2/13 - open to all - see adjacent attachment. |
| 2014 | Second Corby to Kettering railway track to be restored [BBC News] | Network Rail hopes restoring a second track on a line in Northamptonshire will lead to a boost in train services. The second track on the line between Corby and Kettering was removed in 1986 when traffic decreased with the closure of steelmaking in the town. Five years ago, Corby rail station was reopened and passenger services grew. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2014 | Northern Hub £600m rail work starts at Manchester Airport [BBC News] | A £600m upgrade to the rail network in the north is to officially start later as work on a fourth platform at Manchester Airport gets under way. The £20m airport project is part of the Northern Hub, which aims to electrify lines and improve the network in and around Manchester by 2019. Northern Hub is expected to increase passenger capacity by 44 million a year and create 20,000 jobs. Chancellor George Osborne will announce the start of the project later. As part of the Northern Hub plans, two new platforms will be built at Manchester Piccadilly and track widening at Oxford Road station will allow longer and more frequent trains. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2014 | Hull railway electrification: Government ^very interested^ in plan [Hull Daily Mail] | TRANSPORT minister Robert Goodwill has said the Government is "very interested" in ambitious proposals to electrify the railway lines in and out of Hull. The minister made the claim in response to a question by Hull North MP Diana Johnson, who asked him to commit to working with Network Rail and First Hull Trains to ensure the scheme got off the ground in time for the UK City of Culture 2017 celebrations. |
| 2015 | Heathrow rail link plans to go on show [BBC News] | Plans for a new £500m rail link connecting the main line into London from the west with Heathrow Airport are going on public show. The proposed link, subject to planning permission, includes a 3.1 mile (5km) tunnel from the Great Western Main Line to Heathrow Terminal 5. |
| 2015 | Britain in a day: the longest train route in the country [Telegraph] | Notebooks in hand, Andrew Barrow and his teenage son journey the length of Britain in a single day using the country’s longest rail route from Aberdeen to Penzance. And the pair find plenty to interest them, both outside and inside the carriage. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2015 | Pacer trains may ^still have role^ in North of England [BBC News] | They are 30 years old, they were supposed to be temporary, and yet northern rail passengers find themselves rattling along inside them on a regular basis. They are Pacer trains, introduced on to our railways in the 1980s as a quick fix for the lack of rolling stock. They are basically the body of a bus with train wheels bolted on. They currently run on routes in Manchester, Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire, Teesside, Northumberland and Cumbria. [From Mark Bartlett] |
| 2016 | Carlisle to Newcastle trains set to resume [ITV News] | Trains between Carlisle and the North East will resume tomorrow (Monday 8 February). Rail services have been disrupted since a huge landslip at Farnley Hough, near Corbridge, in January. Network Rail revealed last week that it planned to re-open the line on 8 February providing there were no further setbacks, and it has confirmed today that services will resume as planned. |
| 2017 | Stadler delivers first class 88 locomotive to Direct Rail Services [IRJ] | DIRECT Rail Services (DRS) announced on February 3 that it has received the first of 10 class 88 locomotives from Stadler Rail at its Kingmoor Depot in Carlisle, Britain. The locomotive will undergo a testing programme for six to eight weeks and the remaining nine locomotives will arrive via the Port of Workington over the coming months. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2017 | Man dies in Frampton Mansell level crossing crash [BBC News] | A man has died after his car was hit by a train on a level crossing in Gloucestershire. The vehicle was struck by the Great Western Railway London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa service at 15:10 GMT. The man, who was believed to have been driving the car, died at the scene of the crash in the Frampton Mansell area, British Transport Police (BTP) said. |
| 2017 | All aboard for Garstang rail line revival [The Garstang Courier] | Railway revivalists are to launch a campaign which could see part of an almost forgotten rail route restored. The team of transport enthusiasts have long since dreamed of seeing parts of the route of the former Garstang to Knott End Railway being re-tracked and used by local passengers and tourists. [From Mark Bartlett] |
| 2018 | Greens criticise Scotrail over unacceptable stop-skipping [Scotsman] | The Scottish Greens have highlighted unacceptable levels of stop skipping and overcrowding on trains as they renewed their call for a public-sector bid for the ScotRail franchise. Almost 6,000 trains skipped station stops last year while almost 470,000 seats on services were planned but not provided, according to figures provided by the Scottish Government. Greens transport spokesman John Finnie said the performance failures demonstrated the need for Scotlands railways to be taken into public hands as soon as possible. |
| 2019 | New Swansea railway station ^ticket to opportunity^ [BBC News] | A £20m railway station north of Swansea could slash journey times and boost business, the Welsh secretary says. Alun Cairns is visiting the city to press the case for a West Wales Parkway station at Felindre, after a report said it could cut congestion on the M4. It would be built on a line currently used mainly by freight trains. Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart said he was worried the plan might mean fewer trains calling at the existing Swansea and Neath stations. The report, by transport expert Prof Stuart Cole, said a new station on a route bypassing the city centre could cut journey times between Cardiff and west Wales by up to a quarter of an hour. |
| 2019 | Glasgow Centrals Clyde Bridge in line for £13m refurbishment [Network Rail] | Network Rail is set to begin a £13m, two-year renovation project on the landmark railway bridge over the River Clyde on the approach to Glasgow Central. |
| 2019 | Railway line shut at Stonehaven due to broken rail [Press and Journal] | Railway journeys have been disrupted this afternoon after tracks were blocked close to Stonehaven for a safety inspection. |
| 2019 | Carnoustie road closures for level crossing upgrade [Network Rail] | Residents of Carnoustie are being reminded that the first of two road closures to enable work to upgrade the level crossing on the towns Station Road will begin on Saturday night (Feb 9). |
| 2019 | Michael Matheson hits back at betrayal claims over axed Glasgow Airport rail link [Scotsman] | Transport Secretary Michael Matheson hit back at Tory and Labour claims that the Scottish Government has betrayed people in Glasgow after plans for a rail link to the citys airport were ditched for a second time. |
| 2019 | ScotRail passengers enjoy third month of improved punctuality [Scotsman] | The ScotRail Alliance^s poor punctuality has shown signs of finally being turned around with a third month of improvement and the best punctuality since September. |
| 2019 | Single HS2 station to cost £1Billion as campaigners say the project is ^falling apart^ [Daily Mail] | Plans for a £1billion ^super-hub^ for HS2 at Old Oak Common, next to Wormwood Scrubs prison in West London have triggered fresh concerns over the spiralling cost of the project. |
| 2020 | Contracts for Northern Isles Ferry services awarded [Press and Journal] | The next contract to operate the Northern Isles Ferry Services will be awarded to Serco NorthLink Ferries by the end of March. |
| 2020 | Greenock bridge refurbishment progressing well [Network Rail] | Work to refurbish the railway bridge over the B788 at Dellingburn Street in Greenock is progressing well and will be complete by the end of March 2020. |
| 2020 | Punctuality on the right track as more trains arrive on time [ScotRail] | The number of trains running on time across Scotland^s Railway has improved for the third consecutive period. New figures for the most recent period of performance (5 January - 2 February) show that 88.4 per cent of trains met the rail industry standard public performance measure (PPM) - the highest since October 2019. This means that the PPM MAA (Moving Annual Average), a key performance target for the Scottish Government, is 88.5 per cent - staying the name as the previous period when it was its highest for 19 months. |
| 2020 | ScotRail conductor chased Edinburgh-bound train after it left station without him [Scotsman] | A ScotRail conductor had to run after his train after it started to leave Rosyth station without him, The Scotsman has learned. |
| 2020 | Scotrail issue further warning to commuters over engineering works [Ardrossan Herald] | Train users should expect further weekend travel delays as Scotrail issue more warnings over engineering works. The public transport link will run replacement bus services on Saturday, February 8 and Sunday, February 9 for the lines affected in Ayrshire. Bus services between Paisley Gilmour Street and Kilwinning have been operating on Sundays since January 5. |
| 2020 | The great outdoors: Mighty feat silenced sceptics, transformed towns and laid bare Scotlands sheer beauty [Sunday Post] | When first mooted, during the mid-1800s, the Perth to Inverness railway line was deemed too hilly for the steam trains of the day. |
| 2020 | Your 2020 guide to Highland adventures [Caledonian Sleeper] | With activities for all to enjoy and scenery that can^t be beaten, the Highlands are Scotlands not-so-hidden gem. And to help shape your 2020 Highland adventure, we^ve created a list to guide your planning. With stops in Aviemore, Fort William, Aberdeen and Inverness, Caledonian Sleeper can take you on the journey of a night time. |
| 2020 | 25 Years of the Friends of the Far North Line [CILT Scotland] | Ian Budd told us about his unexpected route to rail campaigning which has left him still finding his way around the railway community. |
| 2020 | Storm Ciara sparks suspension of some ScotRail services in Ross-shire [RossShire Journal] | ScotRail has announced plans to cancel a number of services on the Kyle Line ahead of expected disruption from Storm Ciara. |
| 2020 | People think the revamped Glasgow Queen Street Station looks like Tesco Maryhill Extra [glasgowlive] | A modern transport hub it may be, but there^s folk out there that think the new £120 million refurbishment resembles the supermarket in north Glasgow. |
