Railnews.co.uk

General

• High Speed report to be published today

  - The Government is preparing to publish its White Paper on further High Speed lines today. It's expected that a route between London and Birmingham will be at the heart of the proposals, but other major cities are waiting to see what the plans will mean for them.

• Coucher calls for Government action over level crossing risks

  - Network Rail chief executive Iain Coucher is urging the Government to take action over level crossing misuse. Mr Coucher wants driving tests to include compulsory questions about how to use crossings properly. There are more than 8,000 level crossings on the National Rail network, and 95% of the 3,000+ incidents annually are being blamed on the actions of vehicle drivers or pedestrians.

Business

• Eccles to replace Green on Network Rail board

  - Graham Eccles is due to replace Chris Green as a non-executive director at Network Rail in July. Mr Eccles, who has 45 years of experience in the railway industry, is one of two new appointments which will depend on the agreement of members at Network Rail's Annual General Meeting.

• Network Rail names new non-exec directors

  - Network Rail has announced the appointment of two new non-executive directors, Lawrie Haynes and Janis Kong. Lawrie Haynes is a successful chairman and chief executive, and Janis Kong has much experience of operating businesses where customer relationships have been critical.

Metro

• TfL poised to challenge Tube Lines funding decision

  - The PPP Arbiter has ruled that Tube Lines will receive £4.46 billion in its next Control Period. The decision leaves the London Underground contractor with a shortfall of more than £1 billion. Even so, Transport for London, which had offered just £4 billion, says it may now challenge the Arbiter’s ruling.

• Manchester Metrolink to grow again

  - Two further extensions to Manchester Metrolink have been authorised by the DfT, and talks are underway on the construction of another new line which would bring trams to Manchester Airport.

Freight

• New American locos for Freightliner arrive in Britain

  - The first American GE PowerHaul locomotives for Freightliner have arrived at Newport in South Wales. The two are the first of an eventual fleet of 30 of Class 70s. Four more should leave the US within the next month, but further deliveries are not due until later in 2010. Freightliner said the performance of the first six will be carefully monitored in service, and the first two will be divided between the Heavyhaul and Intermodal divisions of Freightliner.

• Councillors throw out plans for giant freight interchange

  - PLANS for a giant rail freight depot to be built on the former Radlett Airfield site at Park Street, St Albans have been rejected by St Albans City and District Council for the second time.

International

• Proposed French tax ‘could cost Eurostar £5m’

  - A new proposed French rolling stock tax which could cost Eurostar £5 million or more is set to be challenged under European law. The French proposal would come into effect only a short time before international open access starts on 1 January.

• US enthusiasm for High Speed threatens to break the bank of Obama’s rail budget

  - While the UK government’s proposals for domestic High Speed lines won’t be known until the end of this year, dozens of projects have been put forward in the United States following President Obama’s planned investment of $8bn (£5bn) to stimulate rail projects. The only problem is that the total cost of the applications from various states is seven times the federal budget allocation.

Politics

• ‘Mouthing slogans’ is not enough to achieve seven-day railway, says Adonis

  - The transport secretary Andrew Adonis is warning that ‘mouthing slogans’ will not be enough to achieve a seven-day railway. Lord Adonis told Railnews that the ambition of keeping trains running without engineering disruption is a long way off – but that he intends to keep the pressure on Network Rail to achieve it.

• Adonis seeks cross-party consensus on High Speed rail

  - RAILNEWS EXCLUSIVE The Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis has revealed that he's been holding informal discussions with the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats to improve the chances of a cross-party consensus on High Speed rail. Lord Adonis also told Railnews that he has no intention of serving under any other government if Labour loses the election next year.

Trackback

• Trackback

  - Recall the years since 1963, in our growing series of annual snapshots.

• 1963

  - 1963 was a turning point for the railways in Britain. The British Railways Board took over from the British Transport Commission on 1 January, and the first edition of Railnews was published in July. But railways really hit the headlines on 27 March, when the Chairman, Dr Richard Beeching, published his report on The Reshaping of British Railways.