This day in history 13 December
Images
Greenhill Lower Junction: Empty tanks from Bishopbriggs oil terminal heading back to Grangemouth refinery approaching Greenhill Lower Junction in December 1988.
Greenhill Lower Junction: Westbound DMU 101331 runs through Greenhill Lower Junction on a bright and sunny 13 December 1988, shortly after leaving Falkirk Grahamston.
Greenhill Lower Junction: A class 47 with a Glasgow Queen Street - Aberdeen train approaching Greenhill Lower Junction on 13 December 1988.
Greenhill Upper Junction: An Edinburgh bound push-pull shuttle service shortly after passing Greenhill Upper Junction in December 1988 about to start slowing for the stop at Falkirk High.
Shippea Hill: The well supported signal box at Shippea Hill, seen from the crossing in December 1993. See image [[40200]]
South Gyle: The station at South Gyle on the west side of Edinburgh, opened in 1985. View north in December 2002 with 158704 arriving on a service to Waverley, as 150262 heads towards the Forth Bridge.
South Gyle: Platform scene at South Gyle station looking north on 13 December 2002, with ScotRail 150262 about to restart from platform 2 with an Edinburgh - Cowdenbeath service.
Horsbrugh Viaduct: Approaching Christmas 2003 with frost and snow covering much of the countryside, including the old railway bridge over the Tweed north of Cardrona station.
Horsbrugh Viaduct: A frosty morning at Cardrona in December 2003. View north towards Peebles.
Cardrona: Cardrona Station and signal box in use as a golf clubhouse - December 2003.
Drem: The National Express East Coast 09.52 Aberdeen - Kings Cross HST rushes through Drem station on 13 December 2007.
Drem: The 10.00 NXEC Kings Cross - Edinburgh Waverley, on the final leg of its 4 hour 25 minute journey between the capitals, speeds through Drem on 13 December 2007.
Drem: A North Berwick - Waverley service picks up passengers at Drem on 13 December 2007.
Drem: The 1300 Edinburgh Waverley - London Kings Cross about to run through Drem station at high speed on 13 December 2007. Operation of the franchise had recently been taken over by National Express East Coast at that time, although the livery could best be described as 'modified GNER'.
Drem: A North Berwick - Edinburgh Waverley 322 EMU service runs into Drem station on 13 December 2007.
Drem: A CrossCountry Voyager speeds through Drem station on 13 December 2007. The train is the 1307 Edinburgh Waverley - Reading.
Tottington: It looks like there was an intention to double the line later when the Holcombe Brook branch was built in 1882. This is Tottington viaduct with its double width piers and single track arches spanning the river and mill lodge. It carried its last passengers in 1952, and final goods train in 1960, and is now part of the Kirklees Trail.
Ramsbottom: The Great Marquess, on ELR Santa Special duties, waits by the level crossing at Ramsbottom. In the early 1960s Ramsbottom was very busy with passenger and freight trains and the signal box here was operated continuously seven days a week, apart from a short period in the small hours of Monday mornings. 61994 returned to Thornton after this weekend's ELR roster.
Ramsbottom: A last Lancashire duty before heading back to Scotland the following Tuesday. K4 61994 simmers in the rain at Ramsbottom after arriving with a Santa Special. It will go back to Bury Bolton St on the tail of the Class 33 hauled train before another run up the Irwell Valley.
Woolfold: Despite the 57 year interval, standing on the cutting side it was easy to imagine 50651 pounding away from Woolfold towards Holcombe Brook See image [[21646]]. The Kirklees trail now follows the trackbed but the site of Woolfold station itself has disappeared and the trail diverges slightly to pass it.
Oban: View of Oban station from Pulpit Hill on 13 December 2008.
Rishton: View from the station footbridge at Rishton towards Blackburn. Colne to Blackpool South trains provide a basic hourly service in each direction.
Rishton: A Colne to Blackpool South service, formed by Northern unit 156472, calls at Rishton. The footbridge originally also spanned the goods yard, which was to the left of this picture but is now occupied by a housing development. View towards Accrington.
Sunnywood Halt: Although the overhead wires of the Holcombe Brook branch were replaced by a third rail system in 1918, several catenary mast support bases, such as this one at Sunnywood Halt, have lasted the intervening 90 years and still sit alongside the Kirklees Trail. View towards Tottington.
Helmshore: If the East Lancashire Railway's original preservation plans had come to fruition this viaduct, over the River Ogden, would be carrying steam trains from Stubbins Junction to Grane Road. However, in 1972, the preservation society moved from Helmshore to Bury to concentrate on reopening the line to Rawtenstall and the tracks on the former line to Accrington, closed in 1966, were lifted.
Daisyfield: Daisyfield station closed in 1958, four years before the other Blackburn to Hellifield stations, and did not reopen when services to Clitheroe were restored. Here, in this view from the level crossing towards the junction with the East Lancashire line, the old down platform is still in situ and the remnants of the up can also be seen. The double track section to Hellifield starts immediately beyond the level crossing.
Daisyfield: Although Preston power box now controls Daisyfield Junction the small cabin at the nearby closed station remains for the gatekeeper. It has recently been refurbished and also has a walkway from the cabin steps to the gates and the similarities with Horrocksford Junction box, further up the line, are apparent. In addition to the hourly Sprinters, and weekend diversions, an increase in Anglo-Scottish freight passing here is also anticipated with the December 2008 timetable changes.
Tottington: The station at Tottington, almost 57 years after the last passenger train called, but with the platform remains still in place. This view is towards Greenmount and Tottington viaduct is just a short distance beyond the overbridge along the trackbed cyclepath. The small goods yard, closed in 1963, lay to the left of the platform and is still an open area.
Summerseat: Compared with the pre closure picture from 1972 See image [[21700]], Summerseat's facilities have not changed dramatically, despite the passage of 36 years, but it certainly looks well cared for these days in preservation. View north towards Ramsbottom.
Burscough Bridge: All alone, 60004 waits at Burscough Bridge for the signal as it tries to get to Southport on a dull and wet 13 December 2008 to haul a charter. Unfortunately an earlier service train had been routed into the only platform that was long enough to accommodate the charter and there wasn't a driver available to move the offending train. The result was a prolonged wait for a driver to be found and a lengthy delay for all services. [Ref query 692]
Ramsbottom: Whilst old DMUs can get a bit smoky this picture is unfair to the ELR Met-Cam set because it hides K4 61994 that had just pulled in to Ramsbottom behind it. The date is 13th December 2008 and the DMU was being used between Ramsbottom and Rawtenstall connecting with the Santa Specials from Bury. See image [[25767]] taken from almost the same spot in 1981 to see the transformation achieved by the ELR.
Ramsbottom: Full credit to the East Lancashire Railway for their restoration at Ramsbottom, which includes reinstating the wheel operated level crossing gate mechanism. Here the gates are opened to road traffic after the DMU has departed for Rawtenstall.
Ramsbottom: A remarkable contrast with Cam Camwell's picture of Ramsbottom, See image [[21508]] taken one week before closure, is this view 36 years later showing how effective the East Lancashire Railway's efforts have been. The DMU is for Rawtenstall and is waiting to connect with a Santa Special from Bury.
Sunnywood Halt: This is approximately the position where Cam Camwell took his picture of the RCTS special train passing Sunnywood Halt See image [[21364]] in 1953 after visiting the Holcombe Brook branch. The trackbed is now the Kirklees Trail running from Greenmount to Woolfold. Ironically, the houses that were some distance from the line have now spread until they back onto it in places and it would probably be much better used if it were open today.
Stubbins: Although it has never reopened in the preservation era the platforms at Stubbins are still intact and it has changed little from the pictures taken at the time of closure in 1972 See image [[21295]]. The ELR Metropolitan Cammell DMU recreates those last days as it heads for Rawtenstall on a shuttle from Ramsbottom.
Ewood Bridge and Edenfield: Another Then and Now comparison with a Cam Camwell pre closure picture See image [[21224]] on the East Lancashire Railway at the site of Ewood Bridge and Edenfield. Although the station has not reopened under preservation the site has been greatly improved and the waterfall on the platform has been diverted into a substantial drain just in front of the train. The Met Cam DMU is heading for Ramsbottom with the first shuttle of the day and will connect with a Santa Special for Bury.
Helmshore: A view towards Stubbins, from the site of the level crossing at Helmshore, showing the now extended Station House, cutting and overbridge together with a cottage built on the site of, and in the style of, the old signalbox. In front of this one of the original level crossing gate posts can still be seen. The line to Accrington closed in December 1966 and the station site, behind the camera, has now been covered by housing.
Glasgow Central: 380001 stands at Platform 15 and is the rear unit of the terminated 0742 Largs - Glasgow Central. Although now being used in service, the Class 380 continues to have teething problems and the class is not yet ready for full operation as hoped.
Perth: 170 428 forms the 13.14 service from a wintry Perth to Glasgow Queen Street on 13 December.
Lancaster Green Ayre: A short single track line from Lancaster Castle dropped down to Lancaster Green Ayre, alongside the River Lune. Originally electrified it closed to passengers in 1966 but remained open to serve Lancaster Power Station until around 1980. The entire length has since been incorporated into Lancaster's network of cycle paths. Early morning view down the hill to Green Ayre from the mid point of the line.
Bridge Street: 380008 passing the former Glasgow Central Signalling Centre on a service to Gourock in December 2011.
Hangzhou: A class CRH3C (a variant of the Siemens Velaro/ICE3) 16 car unit forming train G7318, the 15.00 Hangzhou - Shanghai Hongqiao awaiting departure at Hangzhou station for its 49 min sprint. The 202km (126m) Shanghai - Hangzhou high speed rail line was opened in October 2010 and took a mere 20 months to finish.
Hangzhou: A CR diesel locomotive runs round its train at the south end of Hangzhou station on 13 December.
Buckshaw Parkway: Although TPE's Scottish services now run via Parkside and Wigan other trains continue to run via Bolton. 185111 calls at Buckshaw on 13 December 2013 with a service to Barrow-in-Furness. Although the two platforms at this new but well used station are only 6 coach lengths they each have 17 lamp columns See image [[41590]].
Cheddleton: 2944 Hotspur propels a 'Santa Special' into Cheddleton Station on 13 December.
Farington Curve Junction: An ECS movement from Chorley to Preston of the DRS 6-coach rake being used on extra Saturday Northern trains to Manchester in December 2014. 47853 and 47818 top and tailed the train, seen here at Farington Curve Junction.
Ashton Swing Bridge (Preston): Bagnall 0-6-0ST Courageous takes a Santa Special across the swing bridge at Preston Dock on 13th December.
Cranmore: Ivatt 2-6-0 46447 in action on the East Somerset Railway on 13 December 2014.
Cranmore: The Santa Special season underway on the East Somerset Railway with Ivatt 2-6-0 46447 running round its train at Cranmore station on 13 December 2014.
Grosmont: BR Sulzer Type 2 D7628 rounds the curve alongside the north end of the NYMR carriage sidings at Grosmont in December 2015, as it approaches the Esk Valley line station with a Santa Special working from Whitby to Glaisdale. BR Standard 76079 was assisting on the rear of the rake, plus providing copious amounts of steam heating, and hauled the service back to Whitby interspersed with a water top up stop at Grosmont Station.
Whitby: Standard class 4 76079 has just arrived at Whitby on the return working of the 11.00 Santa Special and is being readied to depart on the rear of the 13.00 departure, topping & tailing with BR Sulzer Type 2 diesel D7628. The Whitby Santa Specials run along the Network Rail Esk Valley line as far as Glaisdale, unlike the Grosmont and Pickering versions that stay on NYMR tracks. Note the loco is at the Network Rail platform, rather than the dedicated NYMR platform to the left.
Partick Central: Oh no it's not! Oh yes it is! Not a vestige left in West Village.
Whitby: Looking seaward along the disused and disconnected tracks running along Whitby's Endeavour Wharf. The lines ran between the river and a large transhipment shed, enabling wagons to be loaded direct from seagoing vessels or from the shed itself. As the wharf has been out of use commercially for over a decade the goods shed has been demolished, and the cleared area is now used mainly for car parking.
Whitby: BR Sulzer Type 2 D7628 waits in the Network Rail platform, normally used by Northern Rail services, at Whitby Town station ready to lead the second, early afternoon, 'Santa Special' to Glaisdale on 13 December 2015. BR Standard 76079 was connected at the rear to provide extra propulsion and steam heating, also to head the return working back to Whitby. There are no Sunday workings to Whitby during the winter period, which allowed 'Santa Special' workings to operate to Glaisdale on three weekends.
Grosmont: First impressions can be misleading, with BR Standard 76079 appearing to be pulling a rake of coaches round a curve. However the smoke tells the truth, being forward of the chimney, as the loco is in fact providing additional propulsion on the rear of a 'Santa Special' being hauled by Beyer Peacock Gorton built BR Sulzer Type 2 D7628 as it approaches Grosmont en route to Glaisdale on Sunday 13 December 2015. The Standard hauled the return working back to Whitby, plus provided ample steam heating to the carriages.
Delph [West Lancashire Light]: O&K 0-4-0 T&WT no.21 'Utrillas' waits at Delph on the early evening of 13 December 2015 whilst operating one of the Santa Specials on the West Lancashire Light Railway.
Gartcosh: Northern Belle approaching Gartcosh on 13/12/2016 with 57301 in charge with 57302 on the rear. This was a Xmas lunch special from Glasgow Central to Ardlui.
Gartcosh: 66113 passing through Gartcosh with a Glen Douglas MOD to Mossend.
Buckshaw Parkway: The 5Q01 0005 hrs Preston to Manchester Piccadilly ecs move on 13 December 2018 may at first glance seem nothing special, however the Pendolino is passing Buckshaw Parkway under its own power. This was the first electric traction to travel on the Euxton Jct to Windsor Bridge Jct (via Bolton) and was the first of 2 scheduled return trips in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Buckshaw Parkway: A Pendolino on 5Q01 0005 hrs Preston to Manchester Piccadilly ECS movement on 13th December 2018 seen passing Buckshaw Parkway. This historic journey was the first electric traction to travel on the Euxton Jct to Windsor Bridge Junction in Salford (via Bolton) under its own power. This project has suffered many delays but is finally nearing completion.
Glasgow Queen Street High Level: Mid December early evening view of the progress of the West Truss steelwork. This is the first section of the framework for the new extension to the station, and it is being built in three stages during December 2018 with the heaviest section being installed last.
Glasgow Queen Street High Level: Mid December early evening view of the progress of the West Truss steelwork. This is the first section of the framework for the new extension to the station, and it is being built in three stages during December 2018 with the heaviest section being installed last.
Poulton-le-Fylde: The old running-in board at Poulton contrasts with the brand new, green aspect, banner repeater. The actual signal can be seen through the bridge arch. 319379 calls with a Blackpool North to Preston stopping service on 13th December 2018.
Poulton-le-Fylde: 319372, still in debranded Thameslink Great Northern white and blue, forms a Northern service from Lime Street to Blackpool North on 13th December 2018. The semaphore on the right still guards the severed line from Fleetwood as the train pulls away from Poulton-le-Fylde.
Poulton-le-Fylde: Virgin 390103, stretching back under the bridge at Poulton-le-Fylde, illustrates why the Pendolino services from Euston, introduced in May 2018, do not call at the shortened platforms. 13th December 2018.
Poulton-le-Fylde: Northern units passing at Poulton-le-Fylde on 13th December 2018. 319379 is departing for Preston while 150123 slows to call with a service from Manchester Piccadilly.
Poulton-le-Fylde: 150117, on the rear of a pair of Sprinters working from Piccadilly to Blackpool North, pauses briefly at Poulton-le-Fylde on 13th December 2018.
Arisaig: Arisaig looking to Fort William. The station has had some attention and is looking much better than a few years ago.
Midland Yard Junction: Wakey wakey! The 08.43 from Nuneaton to New Street and beyond (a class 170 unit) catches the morning sun on 13th December 2018. It is crossing over the WCML, and about to pass some flats which are well located for train spotting.
Snaresbrook: Exterior of Snaresbrook station in east London on Friday the 13th December 2019. This station was opened by the Eastern Counties Railway on 22nd August 1856 and first served by London Underground Central Line trains on 14th December 1947.
See query 2217
Snaresbrook: Snaresbrook station, on the eastern section of the LUL Central Line, originally opened by the Eastern Counties Railway in 1856, looking towards Epping, on Friday 13th December 2019. On the left there was once a bay platform that was removed in 1949, two years after the line was taken over by London Transport. The goods yard, now a car park, survived until 1966, reached by BR steam trains via the original section of the ECR line between Stratford (Loughton Branch Junction) and Leyton and for a further four years was served by early morning DMU staff trains which ran over the electrified tracks as far as Loughton but did not go on to Epping nor round the Hainault Loop. After these ceased, the track between Loughton Branch Junction and Leyton rusted over and was removed in 1973, severing the link between the eastern part of the Central Line and the then BR network. Much of its site has been taken by the M11 Link Road at a lower level, bulldozing part of the embankment away, and which has done more damage to the east London landscape than the railway ever did.
Culross [2nd]: 68007 'Valiant' nears Culross with a diverted Grangemouth to Aberdeen Craiginches intermodal train on 13 December 2020. The gradually diminishing mass of Longannet Power Station looms in the background. This line is planned to be closed between Easter 2021 and 2023 for engineering work.
Donibristle Platform: 66529 leans into the curve at Donibristle with a Laurencekirk - Millerhill ballast. 66525 is on the rear on a dreich 13 December 2020.
Middlesbrough: Teesside is the latest destination to benefit from the arrival of LNER's world class trains. The transporter bridge is in the background as an Azuma heads west from Middlesbrough. London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is celebrating the launch of direct Azuma services between Middlesbrough and London Kings Cross.
Soham: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Mayor Dr Nik Johnson officially opened the new railway station at Soham today to the delight of the community as the first trains rolled into the new platform, five months ahead of the original timetable.
Events
Events from the chronology which occured on this day. This generally lists events before 1995, the creation of the website.
| Year | Companies | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1849 | Dunfermline Branch (Edinburgh and Northern Railway) | Dunfermline Branch opened from Thornton Junction to Dunfermline. Stations opened at Halbeath. |
| 1910 | Aberdeen Railway | Alterations to Aberdeen Guild Street goods authorised. |
| 1910 | Aberdeen Railway | Authorisation for further sidings at Craiginches Yard and remodelling of Aberdeen Guild Street Goods. |
| 1960 | Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway | Transformer explosion at Renton. |
| 1970 | Great North of Scotland Railway | Keith to Rothiemay to Huntly singled. |
| 2003 | Deeside Railway | Class 14 D9551 hauls the first train to operate on the line since dismantling in 1972. |
| 2004 | Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway | Eastfield TMD opened on the site of the closed and demolished Eastfield MPD. (Haymarket TMD was at capacity.) |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Eastfield depot opened | A new train maintenance depot has been opened on the site of the former Eastfield Motive Power Depot. |
| 2005 | Commuter rail links to Highland capital extended [Scotsman] | NEW rail services launched yesterday mean hundreds of morning business commuters can now travel to Inverness by train for the first time. |
| 2005 | Experts want high-speed rail link [BBC News] | A £30bn rail link should be built to cut travel times from London to Scotland to three hours, says the Institute of Civil Engineers. |
| 2005 | FirstGroup makes tracks for £1bn after double win [Scotsman] | SCOTRAIL operator FirstGroup was today awarded two new UK rail franchises in a move likely to generate an additional £1 billion-plus in annual revenues. |
| 2005 | FirstGroup wins rail franchises [BBC News] | Rail and bus operator FirstGroup wins two new rail franchises, worth more than £1bn a year in revenue. |
| 2005 | Hospitals warned over car crime [BBC News] | Hospitals and rail stations are criticised for failing to do enough to stop their car parks being vehicle crime hotspots. |
| 2006 | Phone reception at subway stations [Scotsman] | PASSENGERS will be able to use their mobile phones at stations on the Glasgow Subway under plans by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT). |
| 2006 | Rodney Street Tunnel to Reopen | Rodney Street tunnel on the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven route is to be reopened after 40 years. The tunnel was last used in the 60s when it provided a link from the north into Scotland Street goods yard. Reopening will allow pedestrians and cyclists to avoid the busy intersection of Broughton Road, Eyre Place, Rodney Street and Canonmills by extending existing cycle/walkways south through the tunnel into King George V Park in the New Town. Work on the £350,000 project is due to start in around four months time and should be completed by the summer of 2007. |
| 2007 | Train crash guilty verdict thrown out [Scotsman Article] | A TRAIN driver involved in a rail crash which killed five people 18 years ago had his manslaughter convictions overturned yesterday. Robert Morgan's train went through a red light and hit another train outside Purley station in Surrey on 4 March, 1989. |
| 2009 | Party goers get new late night train service [STV] | A post-midnight Scotrail train service will run from Glasgow Central to Edinburgh on Friday nights from next week. |
| 2010 | ^Skirting^ the snow [Scottish Government] | ScotRail to use heated ^skirts^ to defrost trains more quickly. |
| 2010 | Why do trains have winter timetables? [BBC News] | The latest UK rail timetable is up and running. Why do we get a new one every winter? |
| 2010 | Rail disputes threaten disruption [AP] | A series of rail disputes have erupted, threatening disruption to passengers over Christmas and leading to a fresh row over fare increases. |
| 2011 | Picture you thought you^d never see... [Herald] | AFTER years of delays, disputes and rising costs, trams finally began rolling along the tracks in Edinburgh last night for the first time. However, unfortunately for the capital^s long-suffering residents, it was only a trial run. The trams were tested behind closed doors in what has been hailed by the city^s transport convener as a ^welcome boost^ for the crisis-riddled project. |
| 2011 | Good news for Broughty Ferry [Railscot] | Twenty years next month since withdrawal of the old Dundee-Carnoustie local service, a better future beckons for Broughty Ferry, Scotland^s oldest (1838) operational station, where the number of daily calls was today increased from 4 to 13. In addition, the listed building is being refurbished by Network Rail to create a development opportunity such as a restaurant, with reinstatement of the unique old signalbox also planned. |
| 2011 | Alarm after Indian train takes wrong turn [BBC News] | An Indian passenger train travelled several kilometres on the wrong track before the driver was alerted. The Coalfield Express was travelling from Howrah near Calcutta in West Bengal state to Dhanbad, in neighbouring Jharkhand state. Railway officials say the track splits into two at Khana station and the train took the wrong track. Some reports said the driver became confused by heavy fog. Officials said an inquiry had been launched. |
| 2011 | World^s most stunning railway stations [Rediff] | These swanky railway stations are a traveller^s delight. We take you on a tour across some of the world^s most beautiful railway stations... [click on link below] |
| 2011 | Cameras plan at rail crossings [Lancashire Evening Post] | Fixed cameras could be installed at dangerous level crossings in Lancashire to catch motorists jumping red lights. Network Rail wants to install 3,600 cameras at the most dangerous level crossing sites in the country. There are around 7,600 crossings across the UK rail network, but several in Lancashire have consistently been named as ones where offences are most often committed. [From Mark Bartlett] |
| 2011 | Train left Dundee station with drunk conductor stranded on platform [Courier] | A Dundee train conductor who was over the legal alcohol limit while responsible for passengers on a train at Dundee Station was left on the platform when the train departed. |
| 2012 | ScotRail workers to strike on Christmas Eve [BBC] | Workers on ScotRail will strike on 22 December and on Christmas Eve in a dispute over the sacking of an employee, the RMT union has said. In November, staff voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking action. The RMT claimed one of its members was sacked after trying to make sure a passenger had the correct ticket. ScotRail said the dates chosen by the union were ^cynical in the extreme^ and a ^clear attack on the travelling public across Scotland at Christmas^. |
| 2012 | Borders to Edinburgh rail route main contractor agreed [BBC] | Network Rail has appointed BAM Nuttall as main contractor for the delivery of the Borders railway in a £220m deal. The contract includes detailed design and construction works for the route between Edinburgh and Tweedbank. Network Rail said it would see about 500 jobs created between now and the 2015 deadline for reopening the line. |
| 2013 | Alliance plans hourly London – Edinburgh open access service [IRJ] | ALLIANCE Rail Holdings has announced plans to invest up to £300m to introduce an hourly-interval open-access service - operated by its Great North Eastern Railway subsidiary - between London King^s Cross and Edinburgh on Britain^s East Coast Main Line (ECML) using a fleet of Pendolino trains acquired from Alstom. |
| 2013 | Settle to Carlisle railway ^thriving^ 30 years after closure plans [BBC News] | Thirty years ago British Rail announced plans to close the famous Settle to Carlisle railway, one of the last great main lines of the Victorian era. But campaigners fought hard to save it and, after a long struggle, they succeeded. Now it is a thriving passenger and freight route, clocking up 1.2 million journeys a year. |
| 2013 | New boost for railway electrification schemes [Railnews] | THE railway linking Bolton and Wigan is to be electrified by 2017 at a cost of £37 million, the Department for Transport said today. In addition, a task force is to be set up to explore the next steps for railway electrification in the north of England. The routes to be investigated in detail include Sheffield to Leeds and Doncaster, Crewe/Warrington--Chester, Selby--Hull and Leeds--Harrogate--York. The task force will be made up of representatives from train operators, local authorities including the Rail North consortium, the supply chain and local Members of Parliament |
| 2014 | Northampton railway station to open by 12 January [BBC News] | The much-delayed £20m Northampton railway station will open no later than 12 January, Network Rail has announced. It had been due to open on 6 October, but was delayed while Network Rail worked through a ^snagging list^. Area director Terry Strickland said the delay had been ^frustrating,^ but that the station would be a ^fantastic addition^ to the town. Northampton South MP Brian Binley said ^bad publicity^ had pushed Network Rail into solving the problem. |
| 2014 | Strike hits Settle to Carlisle rail service [BBC News] | Staff on the historic Settle to Carlisle railway line are taking part in a one-day strike in a row over a planned compulsory redundancy. Saturday^s stoppage involves a small group of workers who provide at-seat trolley services on the Northern Rail-run trains. They are employed by the Settle and Carlisle Railway Development Company, which says it needs to make savings. |
| 2015 | ScotRail trains ‘carrying twice as many passengers as seats’ [Scotland on Sunday] | SCOTRAIL’S acute shortage of trains has been laid bare in offÂicial figures which show that its busiest services carry more than twice as many passengers as there are seats. The revelation comes as the operator is being stretched to the limit by having to switch carriages from other routes to run longer trains between Fife and Edinburgh because of the Forth Road Bridge closure. The dearth of trains means some commuters elsewhere in Scotland have had their rail service replaced with buses, while trains on other lines are running less frequently. These include trains on the Falkirk Grahamston-Glasgow line being cancelled until January. |
| 2015 | Apperley Bridge^s new railway station opens [BBC News] | The first new railway station to be built in West Yorkshire in 10 years has opened. At Apperley Bridge, between Leeds and Bradford, around 50 people gathered on the platform for the first train to Bradford from the new station. The original station closed 50 years ago as part of the Beeching cuts. Its replacement has cost about £8m. Two trains between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square or Skipton will run hourly Monday to Saturday. [From John Pease] |
| 2015 | Rochester^s £26m railway station opens to trains [BBC News] | The first trains are to run through a new £26m railway station in Rochester ahead of Monday morning^s rush hour. The new station, which is closer to the town centre, allows longer 12-car trains to pass through the station. The old station used to take 10-car trains. Five extra trains to London will run in the mornings and one extra return train will run in the evening. Network Rail said passenger numbers at Rochester had doubled over the past decade to 1.3m journeys a year. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2016 | Southern rail strike: Train drivers begin 48-hour walkout [BBC News] | Rail passengers are facing travel chaos as striking train drivers bring the Southern network to a halt. Members of the Aslef union walked out for 48 hours at midnight. A further 24-hour strike is set for Friday. Around 300,000 passengers usually travel on 2,242 Southern services every weekday, but they have been told there will be no trains on any route. Southern warned people not to travel, and the transport secretary dubbed the strike a ^deliberate act of militancy^. |
| 2016 | Timetabled services begin through Gotthard Base Tunnel [IRJ] | COMMERCIAL services began running through Switzerland’s Gotthard Base Tunnel with the start of the 2017 timetable on December 11, resulting in shorter journey times for passengers and freight customers along the north-south Gotthard corridor. The 57.1 km tunnel was handed over by constructor AlpTransit to Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) in June, and this was followed by an intensive period of testing. The timetable change means that passengers’ journey times will be cut by around 30 minutes, and freight services will have their train path capacity raised from 180 to 210 trains per day. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2016 | Iconic Settle-Carlisle line to reopen by 31 March following ‘remarkable’ works [RTM] | The Settle to Carlisle line will finally reopen by 31 March after being closed for over a year following a 500,000 tonne landslip, Network Rail has promised. Northern rail services on the line have been replaced by buses since a section of the gorge bank above the River Eden gave way in poor weather on 31 January this year. The infrastructure owner’s chosen engineering scheme, of building a concrete and steel tunnel-like structure under the tracks at a cost of £23m, is now underway. Rhiannon Price, project manager for Network Rail, said: “The viaduct-like structure we’re building will safeguard this section of railway for generations to come. If the land gives way again, the railway will not. “This is a complex repair job many months in the planning. We are now focused on getting this iconic and much-loved line fully reopened right the way to Carlisle as soon as possible, which is on schedule 31 March 2017.†[From Richard Buckby] |
| 2016 | Super-fast TGV train hits the rails, slashing journey times [The Local] | TGV trains that will cut more than an hour off the journey from Paris to Bordeaux have entered service. The maiden trip of the new ^Océane^ TGV train left Montparnasse station in Paris at 9:28am, arriving just over three hours later at Bordeaux^s St Jean station. A second train departed for Toulouse at 10:46am. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2017 | Christmas rail strikes announced by two rail companies [BBC News] | Workers at two rail companies are set to strike over the Christmas period over ^guards and safety^ disputes. Members of the RMT Union employed by Greater Anglia are set to walk out for 24 hours on 27 December, while those employed by South Western Railway will do the same on 31 December. It comes after a meeting with Transport Secretary Chris Grayling on Tuesday. The union said it had received ^contradictory messages, confusion and lack of clarity^ from the meeting. |
| 2017 | Time to invest in rail and let the train take the strain of lorry freight off our busy roads [Scotsman] | West Central Scotland has the country^s heaviest concentration of population and much of the surviving manufacturing and processing activity. It is therefore little surprise that most of the rail freight business supporting our economy is located there. From ports on the West Coast, such as Hunterston, through industrial plants like Caledonian Paper at Irvine, to key intermodal (container) hubs at Coatbridge and Mossend, rail freight is a strongly Strathclyde-oriented business. |
| 2018 | Deadly high-speed train crash in Turkey [BBC News] | A crash involving a high-speed train at a station in the Turkish capital Ankara has killed at least nine people and injured 47, Turkey^s transport minister has said. Images from the scene showed emergency services working to rescue people from badly damaged carriages. Reports citing local officials said the high-speed train had collided with another train, then into an overpass. The accident occurred at about 06:30 local time (03:30 GMT). |
| 2018 | 180 jobs under threat at Glasgow rail services firm [BBC News] | 180 staff at a Glasgow rail maintenance company have been told their jobs are under threat. Owners of Gemini Rail Services in Springburn, the former Knorr-Bremse Rail Services depot, announced closure plans on Wednesday. If the plans go ahead, some repair and maintenance of Scotland^s rail stock will be carried out in England. The Unite union condemned the proposal, and said it had repeatedly raised concerns over future workload. The 120 staff members and 60 contractors were told a formal consultation would begin on the proposed closure. |
| 2018 | More apologies after fourth working day of ScotRail new timetable disruption [Herald] | ScotRail^S flagship new Class 385 trains were at the centre of further disruption for travellers during a fourth working day of train cancellations and overcrowded carriages. |
| 2018 | Train and van crossing crash closes line in Cornwall [BBC News] | A train and a delivery van have crashed closing a railway line in Cornwall. The train was travelling between Gunnislake and Plymouth when the crash happened at an open level crossing in Calstock at 16:00 GMT. The two drivers are said to be ^shaken up^ but no-one has been injured. |
| 2019 | Why Caledonian Sleeper is (almost) Scotland^s answer to Orient Express Alastair Dalton [Scotsman] | Serco^s new £150 million Scotland-London overnight fleet is finally getting there after months of glitches but some creature comforts remain work in progress. |
| 2019 | ScotRail reveal top 10 strangest things left on Scotland^s trains [Glasgow Live] | From kittens to unusual fancy dress outfits - the lost property team have seen it all. |
| 2019 | New railway station on track for opening this weekend [STV News] | Robroyston station has been over 15 months in the making and will be Glasgow^s 60th railway station. A new station will open in the north of Glasgow in less than 48 hours. Robroyston railway station officially opens on Sunday with the first train stopping at 8.37am on its way to Edinburgh Waverley. |
