MPs sceptical about Network Rail’s digital railway plans
The message to Network Rail was clear: “Over ambitious claims for improvements in capacity must be met with scepticism, and Network Rail should be very cautious about how it uses…
Still time to revise plans and resolve the Euston dilemma
Euston. What to do about Euston? Recent years have seen various proposals to rebuild the station for High Speed 2. The latest came a little over a year ago when…
London Bridge is building back up
London Bridge station’s new concourse provides a good glimpse of what’s to come when the station fully opens in January 2018. Even partially opened, it’s bigger than its predecessor. For…
Britain’s improved railway has to be funded somehow
Nationalisation will solve Britain’s problem with ever-increasing rail fares. That’s a view widely expressed on August 16 when the Office of National Statistics revealed the inflation figure that drives next…
Birmingham needs more than a new station concourse
My Voyager was creeping round Bordesley Curve and the Down Camp Hill to line up its final approach into Birmingham New Street station when a ping announced an email’s arrival.…
Signalling obstacles in the path of NR’s Digital Railway
Railways and technology go hand-in-hand. Switching from saturated to superheated boilers improved the efficiency of steam locomotives. Introducing electro-mechanical Automatic Warning System (AWS) improved safety. Tilting trains have allowed speeds…
Thameslink upgrade edges towards end
There were many Network Rail and contractor staff at work over the August Bank Holiday weekend in London. They were busy with the latest phase of NR’s massive Thameslink upgrade…
Rising costs plunge Network Rail into crisis
Network Rail is running out of money. It can’t afford its enhancement programme because costs have increased beyond initial estimates. No longer can it borrow private money and public money…
Bringing electric trains to North West England
There’s very little under the sun that’s new. Promoting and pushing through major rail projects today has characteristics that former generations of railwaymen will recognise. When that doyen of railway…
Network Rail chairman talks cars at National Railway Museum dinner
Richard Parry-Jones talked cars at last week’s National Railway Museum 40th anniversary dinner, warning the assembled railwaymen that cars were closing the gap on rail’s environmental advantage. Parry-Jones has had…