Vandals sentenced ++ Members of a graffiti gang who repeatedly sprayed trains at Northern’s Heaton depot in Newcastle have been sentenced, although the trial was delayed by the Covid pandemic. Adam Smith, 28, of Hedgeley Road in Hebburn, was described as the ‘ringleader’, and he has been jailed for 18 months by Newcastle Crown Court. His accomplices were Jordan Shone, 26, of Lumley Court in Hebburn, Mark Marshall, 28, of Greenbank in Jarrow and Colin Bell, 47, of St Vincent Street in South Shields. They all received suspended sentences between nine and 18 months and were also ordered to undertake unpaid work. A further offender, David McGuire, 28, of Winskill Road in Simonside, South Shields, was given a community order and ordered to undertake 18 months’ unpaid work. The five all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to cause criminal damage between January 2018 and June 2019. Northern said it welcomed the sentences, and that the damage had cost thousands of pounds.

Passenger landmark ++ More than 100 million journeys have been made on the Elizabeth Line since the central section opened in May last year. Transport for London said the number of passengers had reached 600,000 a day, and that the new route is ‘on track to break even by the end of the 2023/24 financial year’. TfL also said it will introduce ‘the final version’ of the Elizabeth Line timetable as planned on 21 May, and that headways between Paddington and Whitechapel will then be shortened to 2.5 mins in the peaks.

Leaves battle ++ The Rail Safety and Standards Board is collaborating with the University of Sheffield to use artificial intelligence to help predict slippery rails. The new project is investigating how more detailed information on local conditions can be used to tackle the seasonal challenge associated with ‘leaves on the line’. Low adhesion track is a serious problem, which costs £350 million a year and can threaten safety if a train fails to stop as intended. The RSSB said temperature, humidity and the presence of leaves or other contaminants can all affect the adhesion between wheels and rails.