TRANSPORT secretary Grant Shapps has announced a new campaign to tackle the ‘blight’ of graffiti on railways and roadsides. In a letter to the rail industry, the transport secretary has called for long-term plans to tackle the issue in addition to action which has already been taken, including a review of

Get your name in the limited edition copy of The North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the Esk Valley Line. Mortons Books are launching a brand-new, limited edition book titled The North Yorkshire Moors Railway and The Esk Valley Line. If you order your limited edition copy before September 20th, the first

Alan Barnes is a regular visitor to the North East. Here, he takes a look at the history of the Aln Valley Railway and its progress in extending one of Britain’s newest heritage lines, a project which has not had the easiest of starts. VERY little evidence remains of the railway

A NEW report from Network Rail is setting out plans for the future railway, and it reveals that the last diesel trains could be withdrawn or converted to other forms of traction within three decades or less. The report, an ‘interim business case’, sets out the strategy for decarbonising the network.

All the franchises in England were transferred to Emergency Measures Agreements in March this year, to coincide with the start of lockdown. The EMAs essentially removed commercial risk for the operators, who neither pay the bills nor keep the revenue but simply receive a management fee. At the time, the

Britain’s best-selling rail title The Railway Magazine is back for another month of award-winning photos, news, features and exclusives from the rail industry, past and present. This month’s The Railway Magazine covers the recent derailment tragedy in Scotland, historic Kerr’s Miniature Railway closure and much more… Headline news Three people died following the

To mark World Suicide Prevention Day, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has unveiled a moving art project to raise awareness of its support to those who may be feeling vulnerable. The project ‘Affirmation Art’ sees a team of artists spraying motivational messages in chalk across station entrances and exits. Working closely with

Photo: Network Rail A report into the Stonehaven derailment has found that the impact of severe weather events due to climate change is “accelerating faster than our assumptions”. An interim report by Network Rail admits that the rail industry must improve its response to extreme weather – following the fatal derailment near

PLANS have been outlined by Network Rail to increase the amount it spends on maintaining cuttings and embankments in the wake of the fatal derailment at Carmont near Stonehaven on 12 August, when a ScotRail train collided with a landslip. Water flowing from higher land beside the railway had washed

OPEN access operator Grand Central has scrapped its plan to run services between London and Blackpool. In a statement, the company said: ‘Following months of exploring all options to launch the proposed expansion of services to the North West route as planned, it is not now viable due to the economic