RAIL minister Chris Heaton-Harris has told Rail Delivery Group chief executive Paul Plummer that it is ‘extremely disappointing that the rail industry and train operators will fail to meet the deadline to provide accessible trains for every passenger and every journey by the end of the year’.A number of non-compliant

In the seventh of our series on the writers and artists who influenced the present generation of rail enthusiasts, Robert Humm recalls the life and times of the photographer, film maker, and pioneer preservationist Patrick Whitehouse. A phenomenon of the golden age of railway enthusiasm – those four decades of

THE Scottish Government has decided to terminate the ScotRail franchise held by Abellio when the core contract ends on 31 March 2022.There is a break point in 2022, when the levels of subsidy are recalculated or ‘rebased’, and in theory the contract could have been extended up to 2027. Transport secretary

It’s 50 years since the prototype diesel Kestrel first graced the British Rail network, but after four years it was sold to Russia. The Railway Magazine presents the story of the big bird that flew too far, its life behind the Iron Curtain and the locos it inspired in the

A NEW law limiting the ability of rail unions to disrupt services by industrial action can be expected in the Queen’s Speech tomorrow, it has been reported.The Conservatives had outlined such a law in their election manifesto, and transport secretary Grant Shapps has told the Evening Standard that the new

CRITICISM of problems with performance on Northern is continuing after the introduction of new timetables on Sunday, when 38 early morning services were reported cancelled. There are more cancellations and delays today, some of which are being caused by a derailment in Ardwick depot, which has trapped several trains. Northern

Mark Smithers visits Beamish Museum, one of the North East’s leading regional heritage attractions, featuring several unique railway exhibits. IN THE January 2016 issue of The Railway Magazine, my feature looked in detail at the Tanfield Railway and its important collection of industrial locomotives, manyof which have a strong connection

THE launch of the December timetables yesterday was marred in some areas, although the problems did not seem to be caused by the new timetables themselves.Great Western Railway said ‘an unusually high number’ of staff had not been available for work. It was the last Sunday but one before Christmas,

Driver dies at Tyseley depotTHE Rail Accident Investigation Branch has launched an inquiry into the death of a driver at Tyseley depot in Birmingham. What is being described as a ‘serious incident’ occurred on Saturday evening, but no further details have been released. West Midlands Trains said ‘there was a

THE next 48 hours are set to be critical for the railway industry, as many timetables change. Managers will be anxious not to repeat the events of May 2018, when new timetables on Govia Thameslink Railway and Northern proved to be unworkable, for different reasons, and months of disruption followed. This