21 February: news in brief
++Network Rail issues weather warning for north west ++Bakerloo Line strikes to cause disruption ++Keolis opens Cardiff HQ
Trains are running again on the full length of the London Overground route between Gospel Oak and Barking, after 4km of track was ripped up by a derailed freight wagon. The derailment occurred early in the morning of 23 January, when one pair of wheels on a freight train travelling from Barking to Calvert became derailed on a bridge near Wanstead Park station. The train had travelled another 4km before the driver was alerted, and by then the derailed wheels had caused extensive damage to the track.
Canadian train builder Bombardier is to be taken over by Alstom of France. Bombardier has a number of rail-related sites in Britain, including its Derby train factory where 2,000 people are employed. Bombardier also has several maintenance depots which it operates on behalf of train operators.
Disruption as a result of Storm Dennis is continuing in Wales, where some routes remain closed. Among the casualties of the weather was the Conwy Valley Line, which was again damaged by floods near Llanrwst. The Cambrian Line is also closed, which means no trains can run from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth or Pwllheli. In London, the full Overground service will return tomorrow between Gospel Oak and Barking, after a wagon derailed and damaged 4km of track.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed that traditional rail franchises based on a profit motive from collecting the ticket revenue, allied with a limited amount of commercial freedom, are about to come to an end. Mr Shapps has outlined the concept of ‘passenger contracts’ with the private sector to operate National Rail, and quoted the Transport for London concession London Overground as an example. The transport secretary is also facing some urgent decisions, because both the Great Western Railway and Southeastern franchises are due to end on 1 April.
The French train-builder Alstom has confirmed this morning that it is holding discussions about a possible acquisition of Canadian-based Bombardier, which has a number of sites in Britain including the Litchurch Lane works in Derby.
Two transport ministers have lost their posts at the Department for Transport in Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle, in which the headline change was the unexpected departure of chancellor Sajid Javid. The two leaving the DfT are George Freeman and Nusrat Ghani, but transport secretary Grant Shapps has remained in the cabinet.