![rail](https://feddit.uk/pictrs/image/15b90809-2148-4dc1-9d68-693697097641.png?format=webp&thumbnail=48)
UK Rail and Trains
- New rail service plan to plug HS2 scrappage gapwww.bbc.co.uk New rail service plan to plug HS2 scrappage gap
London Northwestern Railway hopes to extend its services between London and Manchester.
- Southeastern train services reduced for maintenance trialwww.bbc.co.uk Southeastern train services reduced for maintenance trial
Services on the Medway Valley line will operate once an hour during off-peak hours.
- Baildon landslip: Railway line to reopen after repair workwww.bbc.co.uk Baildon landslip: Railway line to reopen after repair work
The landslip led to the demolition of two privately-owned houses near the railway line.
- Refurbished trains begin operating out of London Waterloowww.railadvent.co.uk Refurbished trains begin operating out of London Waterloo
458/4s will be introduced on local suburban services from London Waterloo
- Lost something on the train? Southeastern launch new digital systemwww.railadvent.co.uk Lost something on the train? Southeastern launch new digital system
Southeastern is taking advantage of new technology by using a new digital tracking system to identify and return lost property to its owners
- Train passengers face price hikes and fewer seats after HS2 cancellationinews.co.uk Train passengers face price hikes and fewer seats after HS2 cancellation
Trains could be 20% over capacity for standing and seated passengers by the time HS2 is finished
- Train cancellations up 9% in a year despite soaring fares and bonusesinews.co.uk 875 trains cancelled every day in last year while fares and bonuses soar
Of the 6.3 million services planned in the year ending April 2024, around 320,000 were either part-cancelled or fully cancelled
- Steam locomotive Marcia set for Kent returnwww.railadvent.co.uk Steam locomotive Marcia set for Kent return
Marcia, a 101-year-old steam locomotive, is set to return to the Kent and East Sussex Railway with new owners.
- East Sussex railway makes investment towards steam locomotive restorationwww.railadvent.co.uk East Sussex railway makes investment towards steam locomotive restoration
The 4253 Locomotive Compan has welcomed the announcement that the Rother Valley Railway Heritage Trust wished to add to its investment.
- Redhill Platform Zero
Redhill Platform Zero
(Part 2 of my occasional #Interrail trip series)
Walking from Paddington to #London Victoria Station, from there I went to Redhill. Since it was my first time in London, I was very amazed at how there were many stations the size of #Toronto Union Station.
A goal for some #railfan folks in the UK is to visit every platform zero as they are kind of a novelty. I wasn't looking out for them specifically, but you may see I will encounter one again in a future post.
- Passengers seriously injured boarding Elizabeth line trains at west London stationwww.standard.co.uk Passengers seriously injured boarding Elizabeth line trains at west London station
Two travellers have complained they have suffered serious injuries trying to step off the train at Ealing Broadway
- Duffield: Heritage railway line set to reopen after landslipwww.bbc.co.uk Duffield: Heritage railway line set to reopen after landslip
A £30,000 fundraiser meant a heritage railway was able to fund the work to restore the line.
- Docklands Light Railway: Rollout of new trains delayedwww.bbc.co.uk Docklands Light Railway: Rollout of new trains delayed
TfL says it has encountered some "complex challenges" during testing of the new trains.
- Eurostar: Competition could get trains back in Kent - councillorswww.bbc.co.uk Eurostar: Competition could get trains back in Kent - councillors
Kent councillors believe competition to Eurostar could boost the chances of stations reopening.
- Swanage Railway: Steam locos to reunite for first time in 50 yearswww.bbc.co.uk Swanage Railway: Steam locos to reunite for first time in 50 years
A three-day event in Dorset is remembering the 1940s Bulleid Pacific class steam engines.
- New DLR trains now delayed until "later this year" - Murky Depthswww.fromthemurkydepths.co.uk New DLR trains now delayed until "later this year" - Murky Depths
New Docklands Light Railway trains are won't now enter service until later this year missing a start date by months due to testing problems
- HS2 Thame Valley Viaduct arriving in sectionswww.railtech.com HS2 Thame Valley Viaduct arriving in sections
The HS2 high-speed rail project is littered with superlatives. Among them is the Thame Valley Viaduct in Buckinghamshire, England. The low-lying bridge, which crosses a flood plain, is under construction, using a modular approach that’s a first for the UK. It’s just passed the halfway point, and the...
- London Euston: Train services disrupted due to incidentwww.bbc.co.uk London Euston: Train services disrupted due to incident
Lines reopen after trains were suspended earlier due to an incident north of London.
- New custodian announced for Flying Scotsmanwww.railadvent.co.uk New custodian announced for Flying Scotsman
The National Railway Museum has announced a new custodian for world-famous locomotive, Flying Scotsman.
- The remarkable tale of Wales’ legendary ‘locomotives graveyard’nation.cymru The remarkable tale of Wales’ legendary ‘locomotives graveyard’
Graham Loveluck-Edwards You often hear people (of a certain age) reminiscing about lost institutions they used to know and love. Maybe it’s the chapel their nana used to go to that’s flats now. Or the local cinema that they used to queue up outside every Saturday that today is just a car park. Howev...
- Volunteers heartbroken after Shropshire signal box vandalisedwww.bbc.co.uk Volunteers heartbroken after Shropshire signal box vandalised
The signal box is leased by volunteer-run Telford Steam Railway.
- The Necropolis Railway station is up for salewww.ianvisits.co.uk The Necropolis Railway station is up for sale
If you have very deep pockets and fancy living in a railway station for the dead, then the Necropolis Station in Waterloo is currently up for sale.
- New bi-mode trains begin operating in North Waleswww.railadvent.co.uk New bi-mode trains begin operating in North Wales
On 2nd June Avanti West Coast launched its new summer timetable, with extra services on some routes and a fleet of 23 new trains.
- Campaign on track to help save Peterborough's Nene Valley Railwaywww.bbc.com Campaign on track to help save Peterborough's Nene Valley Railway
The Nene Valley Railway faces closure due to rising costs and the enduring effects of the pandemic.
- London Paddington Station
London Paddington Station
I did a cross EU/UK trip in May of 2022. Was taken aback by the sheer size and number of tracks at this station.
First of a series of photos I'll be posting occasionally!
@rail #interrail #train #rail #TransportForLondon #London #Paddington
- Crossrail’s Mark Wild takes over as HS2 bosswww.ianvisits.co.uk Crossrail’s Mark Wild takes over as HS2 boss
Mark Wild, who took over the completion of the Crossrail project after it ran into trouble, is taking over as the boss of HS2 railway.
- First passengers to ride newly-built steam train in Cotswoldswww.bbc.com First passengers to ride newly-built steam train in Cotswolds
No. 6880 Betton Grange cost £1.3m to build using parts from scrapped locomotives.
- TikTok trainspotter Francis Bourgeois on identity, internet hate and commuting playlistswww.bbc.com TikTok trainspotter Francis Bourgeois on identity, internet hate and commuting playlists
The star, fresh from a UK rail adventure for the BBC, talks identity, hate and saving the railway.
> "I've got a model railway that runs all the way around my flat," says TikTok trainspotter Francis Bourgeois. > > This admission will make perfect sense, and perhaps bring a grin, to the millions who follow the 23-year-old on social media. > > For those less familiar, he's a unique kind of internet celebrity. > > His trainspotting reaction videos, showing his uncontainable, wholesome excitement as locomotives fly by, appeared to touch people during the pandemic, with comments underneath regularly pointing to the dose of joy he provided. > > Now, boasting a combined five million plus followers across TikTok and Instagram, life is busy. > > Celebrities including singer Joe Jonas and retired footballer Thierry Henry have starred in his videos, there's a book to his name, and fashion partnerships, Gucci included. Oh, and a live onstage appearance at a Sam Fender gig. > > ... > > Now he is set to front his full-length solo TV debut for the BBC Travel Show. > > The adventure sees him travel nearly 900 miles, making 87 train stops over five days, riding exclusively on British Railway rolling stock.
- Elizabeth line hits 350million passengers milestone as it marks 2nd birthdaywww.standard.co.uk Elizabeth line hits 350million passengers milestone as it marks 2nd birthday
The ‘game changing’ £20billion cross-London line has become the UK’s single best-used railway
- Victorian railway bridge in Derbyshire has future securedwww.railadvent.co.uk Victorian railway bridge in Derbyshire has future secured
Network Rail have announced that restoration work on the historic Duffield station footbridge is now complete.
- Kent business leaders want Eurostar return amid new trainswww.bbc.co.uk Kent business leaders want Eurostar return amid new trains
Rail services linking the UK to Europe have not stopped at Ashford or Ebbsfleet since March 2020.
- UK rail faces fight to stay on track as climate crisis erodes routeswww.theguardian.com UK rail faces fight to stay on track as climate crisis erodes routes
Britain’s railways are spending billions on bolstering the tracks against geological movements caused by extreme weather. But technology and new infrastructure will not save every service
> Under the chalk cliffs east of Folkestone sits the Warren, a coastal wilderness largely owned by the railway, hosting a nature trail for walkers, as well as the Victorian rail line that runs on to Dover. > > It is also, problematically for Network Rail, an active landslide. “Our monitoring here,” says Derek Butcher, principal geotechnical engineer for the southern region, “shows we’re actually moving ever closer to France – despite Brexit.” > > ... > > The Warren is just one of many risk sites. Unprecedented rainfall in the last 18 months – hot on the heels of record-breaking summer heat – has in every sense shifted the ground for the railway. Resilience to extreme weather of all kinds is a preoccupation in planning. > > The kind of money that not long ago would have electrified a railway line is now going, in large part, down the drains. Network Rail has dedicated £2.8bn in the next five years simply to bolster Britain’s tracks against the changing climate – and its leaders have warned that it may never be enough to save all the routes that exist today.
- Teenagers could help fill train driver shortagewww.bbc.com Teenagers could help fill train driver shortage
The government has put forward plans to reduce the age to qualify as a train driver from 20 to 18.
> Teenagers will be able to qualify to drive trains on Britain's railways under new proposals. > > The government is asking for views on reducing the minimum age from 20 to 18, in a consultation running until 13 June. > > The number of train drivers due to retire in the next five years has prompted concerns of a shortage. Their average age at the moment is 48. > > The Department for Transport said the plan would "build resilience". > > School leavers would be able to take up apprenticeships to become drivers. > > ... > > The idea was welcomed by industry groups and the main train drivers' union, Aslef. > > Ministers have repeatedly said they want operators to become less reliant on rest day working - overtime days - to fulfil schedules. > > Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said the union had always been in favour of lowering the age drivers can start training. He said it believed "there should be enough drivers to cover all the available shifts", and did not agree with reliance on rest day working and overtime. > > Mr Whelan added: "Not only will [the plan] increase the number of drivers but we also believe that those at the pointy end of the train should reflect the communities they serve and that includes having young people in cabs". > > The driver qualification process currently takes between one and two years.
- Bid for new Norfolk railway station in King's Lynn unveiledwww.edp24.co.uk Talks under way about creation of new railway station for Norfolk
Talks are under way about the creation of a new railway station in Norfolk, as part of wider plans for a huge upgrade of the county's train network.
- Homeowner finds huge abandoned model railway in back gardenuk.news.yahoo.com Homeowner finds huge abandoned model railway in back garden
Lauren Chessum, 35, is a self-professed model railway 'newbie' – but she's putting everything into restoring the unique feature in her Derbyshire back garden.
cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/11913061
> > When most homeowners move into a new property, they expect to find a few bits and bobs left behind – perhaps a couple of appliances or old cleaning supplies. But most people wouldn't expect to find a giant 150m model railway track buried in the undergrowth of their new back garden. > > > > Lauren Chessum uncovered just that after moving into her 4-bedroom detached home in Derbyshire in November - and she's been unearthing more and more track as she tidies up the back yard. She's now on a mission to restore the track to a working state and has gained her more than 13,000 followers on TikTok who are eager to see her dream turn into a reality. > > > > Lauren told Yahoo News UK: "We've found around 150-200 metres, at a guess, and it could be more, as there're a lot of double lines you just can't see at the moment. > > > > ... > > > > Lauren was aware of at least one section of railway track from when she and her husband Sean came to view the property, but much of it was covered by a huge bush at the time, and she had no idea how much was lying further back in the garden. > > > > "I'm still uncovering more. I'll find some tracks buried in the mud," she says. > > > > "I think because the garden's full of trees and because it hasn't been maintained for so long, the leaves are falling and it's composting, and every year it's getting a little bit deeper. > > > > "It's like I'm excavating it. Every time I find more and think the track might be missing, I find it further down in the mud." > > > > ... > > > > The previous owner, a model train enthusiast named Frank Hammersley, was an elderly man who lived alone, having lost his wife and child, meaning not enough maintenance was being carried out on the property before he passed away in his nineties. > > > > Lauren is considering ways to pay tribute to Frank after restoring his track to its former glory - such as a station or train named after him. > > > > ... > > > > "I joke on my videos that it's like carrying out an archaeological dig, because you're meticulously being so careful not to damage anything as you uncover it," she adds. > > > > ... > > > > Lauren's three-year-old son is already having fun playing with his Hot Wheels on the tracks, and she thinks her 16-year-old son, who is autistic and non-verbal is going to be "so excited" once a train is up and running. > > > > A few parts of track do appear to be missing for reasons that are unclear, meaning Lauren and Sean may have to spend about £60 per metre replacing those sections. > > > > Rather than settling for cheaper battery powered trains, they plan on buying mini-steam trains for the railway, which can cost upwards of £1,000 each.