Subway
arrivals
The
first
new
trains
have
started
operating
on
the
Glasgow
Subway.
Two
units
were
slipped
into
service
yesterday,
without
any
ceremony.
A
total
of
17
trains
has
been
ordered
from
Stadler
to
replace
the
previous
fleet
as
part
of
a
£288
million
Subway
upgrade,
and
the
new
trains
have
been
designed
for
potential
driverless
operation.
Catering
probe
The
Office
of
Rail
and
Road
has
launched
an
investigation
into
the
station
catering
market,
which
it
says
is
‘not
working
as
effectively
as
it
should
be’.
The
ORR
said
‘a
more
competitive
market
would
provide
better
options
for
passengers
and
allow
station
operators
to
increase
investment
in
the
railway’.
The
regulator
has
found
that
outlets
can
stay
in
the
same
hands
for
a
long
times
because
their
leases
are
protected,
and
even
when
unprotected
leases
come
up
for
renewal,
the
most
common
practice
is
to
roll
over
or
extend
the
lease
without
an
open
competition.
The
ORR
also
believed
this
also
means
that
station
operators
may
have
less
income
to
invest
in
improving
stations
and
services.
Digital
demonstration
Rail
minister
Huw
Merriman
has
travelled
in
the
cab
of
the
10.07
Northern
City
Line
train
from
Finsbury
Park
to
Moorgate,
to
see
the
European
Train
Control
System
for
himself.
His
visit
yesterday
to
the
Govia
Thameslink
Railway
line
followed
the
launch
of
digital
train
regulation
on
the
route
on
27
November.
The
minister
went
on
to
Hornsey
depot,
where
he
was
shown
the
drivers’
simulator.
New
station
and
services
The
new
National
Rail
timetables
which
came
into
force
on
Sunday
included
a
new
station
at
Brent
Cross
West
on
the
Midland
Main
Line,
which
was
opened
to
Thameslink
services
by
the
Mayor
of
London
Sadiq
Khan.
Meanwhile,
a
new
service
linking
Castleford
with
York
and
Manchester
was
launched
yesterday
when
the
station’s
new
fully-accessible
second
platform
was
brought
into
use.
Trains
will
now
run
four
times
a
day
between
Castleford
and
York
for
the
first
time
since
the
1970s,
as
the
result
of
part
of
the
Transpennine
Route
Upgrade.
More
Stadler
Merseyrail
trains
More
of
the
new
Stadler-built
Class
777
trains
for
Merseyrail
have
started
running
on
the
Southport
to
Hunts
Cross
line.
The
first
of
the
new
fleet
was
introduced
in
January,
and
units
have
already
entered
service
on
the
Wirral
Line
and
the
Kirkby
and
Ormskirk
branches
of
the
Northern
Line.
Seven
of
the
53
trains
in
the
eventual
fleet
are
equipped
with
batteries
and
some
are
running
on
the
extension
to
Headbolt
Lane,
which
was
opened
from
Kirkby
in
October
and
has
no
conductor
rail.
Planning
consent
for
station
upgrade
Network
Rail’s
plans
to
modernise
Peckham
Rye
station
in
south
London
have
been
given
formal
planning
consent.
If
the
£40
million
project
can
be
funded,
the
Victorian
station
will
gain
a
new
concourse,
lifts,
accessible
toilets
and
wider
platforms.
The
next
stage
in
the
scheme
will
be
the
submission
of
an
outline
business
case
to
the
Department
for
Transport
in
the
New
Year
and
a
request
for
funding
so
that
a
detailed
design
can
be
prepared.
It
is
hoped
that
construction,
which
will
take
two
years,
can
start
in
autumn
2025.