Industrial News

Rail Engineer is saddened to hear of the passing of Tom O’Connor, founder and owner of Rail Media, which publishes the RailStaff and Rail Engineer magazines. Tom was a fervent supporter of both the UK railway and its people. Hailing from Clones, County Monaghan in Ireland, Tom moved to Derby in the late 1960s. Tom’s…

Three months on from the decision to cancel HS2, three parliamentary committee hearings provided further information on how this decision was taken, along with its implications. Liaison Committee 19 December The liaison gives the chairs of the various parliamentary select committee the opportunity to question Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. At this hearing, Sunak answered 108…

The West Coast Main Line (WMCL) is arguably the most important long-distance railway trunk route in Britain. The line was developed in the mid-1800s, to connect London and Glasgow with connections to the cities of Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and Edinburgh. It does not just connect north and south of the country though, as it also…

Graeme Bickerdike offers his personal reflections on the efforts of campaigners to ensure the social value of legacy railway structures is recognised in asset management decision-making. When I joined a group of like-minded folk to highlight and challenge the impending loss of 130-plus legacy railway structures to National Highways’ (NH) infilling and demolition programme, we…

The completion of the £30 million restoration of North Wales’ iconic Barmouth Viaduct was celebrated on 8 December, marking the end of a four-year programme that has fully restored the 156-year-old, grade II* listed structure, and maintained its historic appearance, including a complete replacement of the metallic superstructure. Barmouth Viaduct is a single-track viaduct across…

Since 2005, the Rail Accident Investigation Board (RAIB) has investigated around 50 freight derailments and other accidents such as track damage from wheel flats. The main or contributary cause of almost all these accidents was poor wagon condition. This included deterioration of suspension components, uneven loading, brake defects, handbrakes left on, and severe wheel flats,…

The Airdrie to Bathgate (A2B) project, which opened in 2010, included 108 single track kilometres (stk) of electrification. This new Scottish line was the first substantial UK electrification project since the Paddington to Heathrow Express electrification in 1997. As well as A2B, major electrification projects including those on Great Western and in the North West,…

Travelling by train can, at times, be challenging for anyone, but rail travel for customers with specific needs can be very daunting at any time. Railway stations were largely designed in the Victorian era with little thought for the needs of restricted mobility and impaired travellers. We are also fast becoming an ageing society and,…

HS2 is building four stations, which will be huge, even if Euston ends up only with six platforms. Old Oak Common is underground and, if the plans for over-site development go ahead, Euston will be underground too. Interchange and Birmingham Curzon Street will be on what will amount to extensive bridges. It’s no exaggeration to…

In the closing days of 2023, Network Rail and the rail supply chain delivered a substantial and complex programme of works valued at £127 million. With decreased demand for rail travel, and the closure of the network on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, the festive period is an ideal time for extensive work, with minimal…