The line to Ryde Pier Head, which has been closed since October last year to allow a major upgrade of the 143-year old pier, will reopen to an hourly service of Island Line trains by 10 June, according to Network Rail and South Western Railway. After the engineering work had been delayed by winter weather, it had been feared that trains would not return until much later this year. However, work has been going well and is now entering the final stages. Engineers have reinstated 172 metres of track and 280 sleepers following the repairs and painting of the steelwork along the 686m structure. Over the course of the winter, engineers braved the elements and continued refurbishing and strengthening the structure, but the difficulties of working in a marine environment, including high tides and bad weather during December and January, meant work had to be suspended for safety reasons. Trains started running again twice an hour between Ryde Esplanade and Shanklin on 2 April. Further work to extend the life of the pier will be carried out in October, after the summer season peak on the Isle of Wight. Engineers will lay 396 metres of new track and 660 sleepers, while also realigning the track and renewing signalling equipment. Network Rail’s Wessex route director Mark Killick said: ‘We’re sorry this work has taken longer than we had hoped, primarily due to the challenging winter weather conditions. We have remained focused on making sure that despite these challenges Ryde Pier Head station is open throughout the busy summer season.’

Trains on the Marston Vale line in Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire which were withdrawn when their supplier Vivarail went into administration at the start of December are unlikely to be replaced before the autumn. Operator West Midlands Trains, which uses the brand London Northwestern outside the West Midlands, said the Class 230 units on the Marston Vale line could no longer be used, because the lack of Vivarail staff at Bletchley depot would make maintenance difficult. The Class 230s are diesel units converted from former London Underground D78 stock, which was originally built for the District Line. Since they were withdrawn buses have been replacing trains on the Marston Vale route, which connects Bletchley and Bedford and is part of the developing East West Rail link. However, finding replacement trains is proving difficult, according to the operator. London Northwestern said: ‘Due to the unreliable nature of the Class 230 fleet and the short platforms on the route there are only a limited number of trains in the country suitable, which has hampered progress. We expect we will be able to introduce morning and evening peak-time train services from autumn 2023, leading to the reinstatement of the full timetable in January 2024.’ Vivarail conversions are continuing to run on the Isle of Wight, and have recently entered service in North Wales. GWR has also taken over a project to run Vivarail battery trains on the Greenford branch in west London. Vivarail was set up by the late Adrian Shooter in 2013, and had been modernising the aluminium-bodied Underground trains to provide economical rolling stock for local lines. The Vivarail website has been reduced to a single page with an animated second hand. There is a simple caption: ‘It was good while it lasted. Over and out...’

The Rail Delivery Group has made a new bid to end the industrial dispute with the RMT. The union had called off two strikes at the start of this month so that talks could continue, but there had been no progress until now, and the union has called another strike ballot. Details of the latest offer have not been revealed, but the RDG said: ‘Following further constructive joint discussions with the RMT leadership we have put forward a fair revised offer which makes important clarifications and reassurances, in particular around job terms and conditions for our employees. ‘Our ambition remains to secure long-term, rewarding careers for our people, a better service for a passengers and a railway that takes no more than its fair share from the taxpayer. Our hope is that the RMT executive will put this proposal to its full train operating company membership and allow them a say on the deal, so we can end this dispute and work together to deliver a strong future for Britain’s railway and all those who work on it.’ The RMT has yet to comment, but it was already known that it was opposed to changes to terms and conditions for staff, which could have involved the closure of most ticket offices.

Nuneham Viaduct between Didcot Parkway and Oxford is now expected to stay closed until early June, Network Rail has warned. The bridge over the Thames was closed to all rail traffic on 3 April after engineers had seen increased ‘movement’ in the structure. Shuttle trains are running from Didcot Parkway to Culham and from Oxford to Radley, but through passengers on Great Western and CrossCountry services are being diverted to replacement buses. Forty freight trains which usually cross the bridge each day have also been diverted. Waterloo problem ++ South Western Railway is urging its passengers not to travel to London Waterloo this morning, because of a major signalling fault. SWR said ‘a significantly reduced service’ would run on a ’very limited number of lines’, and that services on other routes could also be affected. The disruption is set to continue until the end of the day. Overground plan ++ The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is reported to have predicted that a new London Overground route in west London could be open by the early 2030s. The link had been proposed by the Mayor in his 2018 Transport Strategy. It would run from Hounslow to Acton Central and the new HS2 station at Old Oak Common. From there it would continue to Acton Wells Junction and then along the Dudding Hill line, which is presently used only for freight, via the existing stations on the Euston-Watford Overground route at Harlesden and the Jubilee Line station at Neasden. Trains would continue from Neasden along the Midland Main Line in both directions to West Hampstead Thameslink and Hendon. It is understood that engineering consultants are being chosen to develop a detailed design. Clean screens ++ Northern is asking its passengers not to watch ‘adult’ material while using its services. Northern said: ‘If it’s “Not Suitable For Work” it’s not suitable for our trains and stations either. Wait till you get home’. Northern said the undesirable content ranges from inappropriate jokes and bad language to offensive topics and explicit subjects. Northern’s own WiFi service already filters the material that can be downloaded.

The railway between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central has reopened to traffic this morning, after a major engineering possession which closed the West Coast Main Line at Watford Junction over the Easter weekend. The upgrade at Watford is part of a longer programme of track improvements south of Milton Keynes, which include more crossovers. The work will restart over the early May bank holiday weekend. It was part of a much greater scheme of renewals over Easter, which involved more than 600 worksites. Unlike at Christmas, train services continued throughout the holiday, but some were inevitably changed or disrupted so that engineers could take possession for many of the projects. More than 12,000 metres of new rail and 33,000 tonnes of ballast were being laid over the four days, although Network Rail said 95 per cent of the network was unaffected. There was one unplanned addition to the closures, when it became clear that Nuneham Viaduct could not be used, with the result that no through trains could run between Oxford and Didcot Parkway. Work on the bridge is continuing. West Coast South route director James Dean said: ‘I’d like to thank people travelling over Easter for their patience while we carried out our essential railway upgrades to improve journeys for passengers and freight in the future. ‘We never take the decision to close Euston station lightly, and this major railway junction overhaul in Watford just wouldn’t have been possible without closing all four lines entirely. Now it’s complete, after two years of major work, passengers will start to see the benefits immediately as it will mean faster, more reliable journeys.’

The dispute between the RMT and train operators is continuing, after the union said last night that fresh talks had made little progress. There had been hopes of an end to the strikes, because walkouts at 14 operators in England planned for 30 March and 1 April had been suspended, two days after the RMT had agreed to end its separate dispute at Network Rail. The move to call off the strikes at operators had come during the afternoon of 22 March after the Rail Delivery Group had tabled a new offer which the RMT said ‘could lead to a resolution to resolve the current national rail dispute’. But further talks had produced ‘no further document’, the union said last night, adding that ‘members are rightly frustrated by this, and the Tory government is once again absent when it comes to giving the RDG the mandate to produce a new document’. The RDG agreed to write to the union ‘in due course’, and the RMT said it was expecting to have another meeting after Easter. But it has also launched a new ballot, with a closing date of 4 May. The union warned: ‘While negotiations continue, we remain in dispute and resolute in our determination to win a further mandate for strike action in the upcoming re-ballot. Be in no doubt, if further strikes are needed, RMT will not hesitate to act to ensure a negotiated settlement on jobs, pay and working conditions.’

A weak bridge which has blocked the railway between Didcot Parkway and Oxford is likely to remain closed for at least two or three weeks, GWR has warned, which means there can be no through services between Didcot and Oxford over the Easter weekend. A shuttle train service is running between Didcot Parkway, Appleford and Culham, and also between Radley and Oxford. Trains are continuing to run mainly as usual on the North Cotswolds Line from Hereford and Worcester to Oxford, but CrossCountry passengers using the Bournemouth to Birmingham and Manchester route must change to a replacement bus between Didcot Parkway and Oxford. Network Rail engineers are investigating the problem affecting Nuneham Viaduct, which carries the Cherwell Valley Line across the Thames between Culham and Radley. The Rail Freight Group said the line usually carries 40 freight trains a day. Diverting them is not easy, because not all alternative routes have adequate clearances for the largest containers. Network Rail had been monitoring the viaduct for some time because movement had been detected, and had been trying to stabilise it. The very wet March this year may be a factor. GWR said: ‘Unfortunately, the movement in the structure has significantly worsened in recent weeks and has now reached a point where it is not safe.’ Replacement buses are running between Didcot Parkway and Oxford, while GWR also advised its passengers from the Oxford area  to drive to Didcot and use the multi-storey car park if they could. Chiltern Railways has urged passengers not to use its services in the area over Easter unless they must, because its trains between Oxford and London Marylebone are very busy. GWR managing director Mark Hopwood said: ‘This is a significant route and we are exploring all avenues to be able to bolster services between Oxford and London. ‘To help keep customers on the move we’ve mobilised colleagues to assist at key locations. We’re also looking at what we can do in the longer term, including the possibility of running GWR trains on alternative routes between Oxford and London.’ Network Rail’s interim Western route director David Davidson added: ‘We are sorry for the disruption this has caused for passengers and advise them to continue to check before they travel. ‘Safety is our top priority and our engineers are now working round the clock to identify what can be done to make this viaduct safe for passenger and freight trains to run again. ‘We are disappointed that the work we’ve done so far hasn’t been successful, and our efforts haven’t been helped by the wettest March in over 30 years. We will continue to provide updates as we work to reopen the line as quickly and as safely as possible.’

A new advertising campaign to ‘entice’ commuters, business and leisure travellers back to the railway has been launched by the Rail Delivery Group. The RDG said the campaign is ‘a reminder that taking a train to experience something in person is a reminder of  real life’. Using a mixture of shared social media material and film, the campaign is designed to boost demand from the leisure, commuter and business markets. RDG chief executive Jacqueline Starr said: ‘Rail is fundamental to helping connect passengers to the people, places and things they love. Nothing Beats Being There is a rallying call. ‘Revenue for commuting and business travellers has still not returned to pre-pandemic levels. So we want to use this campaign to encourage everyone back to rail.’

A Vivarail train has started to carry passengers in North Wales this morning, more than four months since the rolling stock conversion company went into administration. Five Class 230 units had been ordered for the former Wales & Border franchise from Vivarail in June 2018, but they have not entered service until now because Transport for Wales has been dealing with technical faults on the trains. The first battery-hybrid unit converted from former London Underground cars to carry passengers in Wales left Wrexham Cantral at 07.31. Similar units have been running in the Isle of Wight, but London Northwestern Railway withdrew its Vivarail trains from the Bedford to Bletchley line at the start of December, when Vivarail appointed adminstrators. Bedford-Bletchley services have been operated by rail replacement buses since then. Vivarail has rebuilt the interior of the D78 cars, equipping them with toilets, power sockets, passenger information screens, WifFi, bike racks and air conditioning. Transport for Wales’ chief commercial officer Alexia Course said: ‘We’re delighted that the first Class 230 train has entered service.  ‘We’re committed to improving services between North Wales and the Liverpool City Region. We’ve already introduced brand new trains on services between Chester and Liverpool, and we’re planning to increase the frequency of services between Wrexham and Bidston, as well as providing a new direct service between Llandudno and Liverpool via the North Wales coast.’

The RMT is urging the new Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf to keep his promise that ScotRail stays in public ownership. The private sector contract to run ScotRail had been held by Abellio, and it was terminated a year ago when the Scottish Government exercised a break point in the contract, which could have lasted until March 2027. During his successful election campaign Mr Yousaf had said: ‘Bringing ScotRail and Sleeper Services into public hands was as much about energy as it is about building a safe, reliable, and accessible public transport system then. It is the belief of the SNP that a successful just transition relies, in part, on the public ownership of our rail. For that reason alone, I will commit categorically to keep Scotrail and Sleeper Services in public ownership.’ The Caledonian Sleeper contract held by Serco is due to end on 25 June. The RMT is also calling on the First Minister to increase services to pre-pandemic levels, investing in infrastructure and ending any cuts to jobs. The union’s general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘The certainty provided by the new First Minister that ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper will remain in public ownership is very welcome and means all revenue can be reinvested in improving Scotland’s railway. ‘The First Minister must also improve rail access and connectivity by increasing funding for infrastructure by reversing cuts to ScotRail services. ‘We are also keen that he will act swiftly on Transport Scotland's report on improving safety of women and girls on public transport by ensuring adequate staffing levels and no closure of ticket offices on Scotland's railway stations.’