A Scottish court is to deal with the prosecution case against Network Rail in connection with the fatal Carmont derailment. Three people on board a train were killed three years ago when it was derailed by debris washed on to the track near Stonehaven on 12 August 2020, which was a day of heavy storms. Some of the vehicles in the ScotRail HST were overturned down an embankment in the crash, which claimed the lives of 45-year old driver Brett McCullough, 58-year old conductor Donald Dinnie and 62-year old passenger Christopher Stuchbury. Fortunately there were few people on board because of the Covid pandemic but six other passengers received mainly minor injuries. The HST had been heading south to Glasgow but was turned back at Carmont after other line blockages were reported, and had been returning to Aberdeen when the accident happened. The charges have not been specified, but will be brought at Aberdeen High Court on 7 September by His Majesty’s Advocate under section 76 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, which applies where notice has been given that a defendant will plead guilty. Network Rail cannot comment on the forthcoming hearing, but said: ‘The Carmont derailment and the tragic loss of Christopher Stuchbury, Donald Dinnie and Brett McCullough was a terrible day for our railway and our thoughts remain with their families and all those affected by the accident. ‘The Rail Accident Investigation Branch report into Carmont made clear that there were fundamental lessons to be learnt by Network Rail and we have supported the investigation process. ‘Since August 2020, we have been working hard to make our railway safer.’ The RAIB highlighted gaps in Network Rail’s procedure for maintaining records about changes to its infrastructure, a lack of guidance or additional support for control room staff during a very busy time, a failure to recognise that existing measures did not fully deal with the risk from very heavy rain, and also the absence of an effective strategy to deal with the general threat to the stability of earthworks in extreme weather. The report also noted that HSTs, designed in the late 1970s, are not as crash-resistant as newer trains, and commented that it was ‘more likely than not’ that the consequences of the derailment might not have been so bad if the train had met modern crashworthiness standards. The RAIB made 20 recommendations, many to Network Rail. Others were intended for the RSSB, the Rail Delivery Group or rolling stock operators. Kevin Lindsay, who is ASLEF’s full-time organiser in Scotland, said: ‘We welcome the news that Network Rail is being held to account for its endemic and systemic failings which resulted in the tragic deaths of three people, including train driver Brett McCullough. But we are still angry and disappointed at those failings. We appreciate that Network Rail has accepted responsibility for their failures and their commitment to ensuring a tragic incident like Carmont never happens again. ‘However, such corporate failure must result in penalties for those responsible. Full justice should mean that penalties are laid squarely at the door of those individuals in senior management roles who presided over the corporate failure that has seen Network Rail end up in court – and accepting culpability for their role in this tragedy.’

The Railway Industry Association has signed an agreement with Rail Business Daily to acquire most of its assets. A transition period is expected to take three months, as RIA becomes the publisher of the Rail Business Daily titles and the employer of some RBD staff. Rail Business Daily will continue to offer marketing and recruitment services, although these will be rebranded. RIA chief executive Darren Caplan said: ‘We at the Railway Industry Association are excited to be acquiring the widely-read RBD Daily newsletter and Rail Director magazine, and the RBD Community. The acquisitions will enable RIA to grow its reach and augment our ability to do even more to help develop a bigger and better UK rail supply sector in the coming years. ‘As part of the acquisition we are delighted to welcome into the RIA family Dean Bruce as md of the newly-acquired assets, along with other talented members of the RBD media and Community teams. All of us in Team RIA look forward to working with and integrating with them in the months ahead.’ RBD chairman David McLoughlin added: ‘We would like to thank Darren Caplan and chairman David Tonkin for their pragmatism and professionalism in working with us on this deal and we wish RIA and RBD every success together in the future.’

A light plane came close to colliding with a train in Cheshire last week, it has been reported. The incident affected a train travelling from Crewe South Yard to Chester depot, when it was passing the industrial area at Dairy House Farm, west of Crewe, which is the base of the Cheshire Microlight Centre. According to the train driver, a two-seater high-winged monoplane banked steeply in front of the train, risking a collision. British Transport Police and the Civil Aviation Authority have been informed. No one was injured, and the driver was able to continue the journey to Chester.

The train drivers’ union ASLEF has called a new 24-hour strike in England on 1 September, with an overtime ban on the following day. The action has been announced in addition to walkouts by the RMT between tomorrow and early September. The operators affected are Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, c2c, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway, Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, LNER, Northern, Southeastern, South Western Railway, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains. ASLEF’s general secretary Mick Whelan said: ‘We don’t want to take this action but the train companies, and the government which stands behind them, have forced us into this place because they refuse to sit down and talk to us and have not made a fair and sensible pay offer to train drivers who have not had one for four years – since 2019 – while prices have soared in that time by more than 12 per cent. ‘The government appears happy to let passengers and businesses suffer in the mistaken belief that they can bully us into submission. They don’t care about passengers or Britain’s railway, but they will not break us.’ The Rail Delivery Group has dubbed the further action ‘unnecessary’. It continued: ‘The union leadership has its head in the sand and refuses to put our fair and reasonable offer to members.’

Train operators in England are warning of limited services on 26 August and 2 September as the RMT stages two more 24-hour strikes in the dispute over pay and conditions, but there will also be disruption on CrossCountry routes tomorrow and on 9 September in a separate dispute over the duties of CrossCountry staff at Edinburgh. Although Edinburgh station is managed by Network Rail, CrossCountry staff have been dispatching trains, but the operator wants to abandon dispatching on the grounds that this ‘does not meet their business model’, according to the RMT. The union says its members are set to be paid less as a result, after CrossCountry withdrew a financial offer. The two 24-hour strikes tomorrow and on 9 September are set to disrupt CrossCountry services nationally, and not just those which call at Edinburgh. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘CrossCountry have not been serious in trying to resolve this dispute and have put their energies into attempting to discredit their own staff. ‘We will not accept attacks on our members’ jobs, conditions or allow them to be made poorer. ‘In our union, if you attack one member of staff, you are attacking the whole workforce and that is unacceptable.’ CrossCountry responded: ‘Throughout this process, we have sought to work with the union to provide all ten Edinburgh employees with the best employment options for them. ‘Should the action go ahead, a local issue impacting ten CrossCountry colleagues will lead to hundreds of colleagues losing out on yet more pay as well as disrupting thousands of passengers who are keen to enjoy their summer.’ With two national 24-hour strikes in England also imminent, the Rail Delivery Group added: ‘While the industry is working hard to keep as many services running as possible, the strikes called by the RMT leadership are designed to deliberately target passengers who want to enjoy various sporting events, festivals, and the end of the summer holidays, disrupting their plans, hurting local economies and forcing more cars on to the road. This, despite having repeatedly refused its membership a vote on an offer of up to 13 per cent for the lowest paid over two years, which could settle this dispute. ‘We hope that RMT will call off these unnecessary strikes so that we can continue discussions and avoid further disruption for our passengers.’

Railway fares will rise in March next year but not by the Retail Prices Index in July, which was 9 per cent.  Instead, it is expected that the increase will be based for the second year running on Average Earnings Growth, which was 5.9 per cent in the quarter to July 2022 and used to decide this year’s changes. The 2024 increase applying to train operators in England is due to be announced next month. Any changes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be decided separately, usually by the devolved governments. But the prospect of any increase has already ignited criticism. ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan said: ‘After all the effort by rail workers to keep Britain’s railway network running during 17 hard months of lockdown, to keep key workers and essential services moving around this country, and after all the work done to encourage people back on to our trains post-pandemic, I am shocked, but not surprised, that this government is putting up fares yet again. ‘We should be encouraging more people to use our trains – taking cars off the roads and reducing carbon emissions – but this will only deter passengers from travelling. I’m afraid this government either doesn’t understand, or simply doesn’t care, what it is doing.’ ‘I do hope the government doesn’t try to tell anyone this is our fault. It isn’t. This is a fare rise made in Downing Street, and at the DfT, by people who don’t want our railways to thrive for passengers and businesses in Britain.’ Transport Focus chief executive Anthony Smith said: ‘Nobody likes their fare going up, but after a year where many journeys have been blighted by disruption due to industrial action and patchy performance, passengers will be relieved to hear that fares will be capped below the Retail Prices Index and any increases will be delayed until March next year.’

Two 170m HS2 tunnel boring machines have created another underground section of the high speed line in the Chilterns, by reaching the ventilation shaft at Great Missenden. ‘Florence’ and ‘Cecilia’ are now three quarters of the way through their 16km drive under the Chilterns, having spent the last two years excavating the two bores between the M25 and South Heath, which is roughly 2km east of Great Missenden. Designed for the geology of the Chilterns, the first TBMs were launched in the summer of 2021 from a site near the M25 and have already excavated 2 million cubic metres of chalk and flint. Engineers have also completed five shafts that will provide ventilation and emergency access near Chalfont St Peter, Chalfont St Giles, Amersham and Little Missenden with an ‘intervention’ shaft at Chesham Road. A ‘headhouse’ will be built on top of the shaft to house ventilation and safety equipment, designed to resemble local farm buildings with new planting to help blend it into the surrounding landscape. The landmark comes just weeks after planning consent was granted by Buckinghamshire Council for the North Portal of the tunnel under Schedule 17 of the HS2 Act, meaning that all major design elements now have consent. The tunnel will form part of Phase 1 between London and Birmingham, which has been given a ‘red’ rating by the Infrastructure Projects Authority, meaning that the London to Birmingham and Birmingham to Crewe sections are considered to be ‘unachievable’. Even so, HS2 Ltd pointed out that ‘construction was now hitting a peak, with “work intensifying and huge civil engineering structures taking shape”’. HS2 Ltd’s project client David Emms said: ‘HS2 will transform rail journeys between London the midlands and the north, and free up space on the existing network for more freight and local services. We’re seeing great progress on the tunnel, which will take our trains deep under the Chiltern hills, safeguard the woodlands and wildlife habits above and significantly reducing disruption to communities. ‘The huge progress that Florence and Cecilia have made would not have possible without a huge team in support - manufacturing the tunnel segments, excavating the vent shafts and I’d like to thank everyone involved.’ The two TBMs are operated by Align, a joint venture formed of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine and VolkerFitzpatrick.

HS2 has been given a ‘red’ rating by the Infrastructure Projects Authority, which means that the London to Birmingham and Birmingham to Crewe sections are considered to be ‘unachievable’. The definition continues: ‘There are major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable. The project may need re-scoping and/or its overall viability reassessed.’ It is the latest hurdle in the path of HS2, where construction has been under way for some years. The project received another setback when work at London Euston was ‘paused’ for at least 24 months in March this year. Birmingham to Crewe has also been delayed by two years, again to reduce costs. The project’s chief executive Mark Thurston also resigned in July, and will be leaving HS2 Ltd in October.  However, the Crewe to Manchester section, Phase 2b, has achieved a less severe ‘amber’ score, which means ‘Successful delivery appears feasible but significant issues already exist, requiring management attention. These appear resolvable at this stage and, if addressed promptly, should not present a cost/schedule overrun.’ HS2 Ltd said construction was now hitting a peak, with ‘work intensifying and huge civil engineering structures taking shape along Phase One of the route’, in preparation for the launch of services in the early 2030. The Department for Transport added: ‘We remain committed to delivering HS2 in the most cost-effective way for taxpayers. HS2 will bring transformational benefits for generations to come, improving connections and helping grow the economy.’ However, critics have highlighted the pessimistic ratings for Phase 1 and Phase 2a as a further reason for cancelling the project. Lord Tony Berkeley, who has been opposing HS2, said: ‘It should be cancelled tomorrow. This is the Treasury’s own report telling them that the scheme is unachievable. What more evidence do they need? Everyone knows the money would be so much better spent on improving the existing rail infrastructure – particularly Northern Rail. Someone just needs to take the decision.’

The number of responses in the consultation over ticket office closures sent to the transport watchdogs Transport Focus and London TravelWatch has soared from 170,000 in late July to 315,000 now, according to Transport Focus. The original 21-day consultation period, which would have ended on 26 July, has been extended to 1 September, and some sources are describing the volume of protests as ‘overwhelming’. Councils are among the protestors. Reading Borough Council has written to the Rail Delivery Group to make its opposition plain. One Reading councillor said he believes the plans would have a ‘retrograde step, making accessing the railways less inviting and accessible by putting up barriers for vulnerable people and people with disabilities, as well as not encouraging new passengers or providing a welcoming gateway for tourists’. Councillors in Somerset are ‘extremely concerned’, and another councillor in Nottinghamshire described the proposals as ‘an attack on public service’.  Dan Norris, the Mayor of the West of England Combined Authority, which covers Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, warned that he often pays more for a ticket when using a machine compared to talking to a member of staff at a ticket office. He also deplored the fact that many people do not have smartphones, and so cannot buy tickets that way. Jon Cruddas, the Labour MP for Dagenham and Rainham, has criticised the government over the ‘totally insufficient’ initial 21-day consultation period, which he said was a ‘disgrace’. He has written to transport secretary Mark Harper to express his objections to the plan. Railnews has received more messages from readers about ticket office closures than on any other subject, and has added a page to its Platform section in the forthcoming August print edition, which is published a week today, to reflect as many opinions as possible.

Passengers on a London Underground train were taken to a disused station, because of an error by staff. A Jubilee Line train should have terminated at Green Park and then continued out of service to Charing Cross along a section which was closed to passenger traffic in 1999 when the Jubilee’s extension to Stratford was opened. This included new tunnels from Green Park to Westminster and then on to Waterloo and Canary Wharf. But the Green Park to Charing Cross section has been maintained and its conductor rails are still live, because it is used as a reversing siding. Charing Cross Jubilee Line is also one of the stations which Transport for London makes available for film makers, along with Aldwych. The surprise journey was made on Sunday 30 July, but the details have only become known now. One passenger told the BBC: ‘Westminster station looked unusual and as the train slowed, I noticed the roundels said Charing Cross.’ The driver apologised, and was able to return the unharmed passengers to Green Park. TfL said the train had been sent to Charing Cross to even out the service, but some passengers had stayed on the train because of a ‘miscommunication’ at Green Park. Normally, Charing Cross Jubilee Line is only accessible to visitors on one of the London Transport Museum’s ‘Hidden London’ tours, which costs £44.