NETWORK RAIL
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East Midlands franchise taken over by Abellio
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AUGUST 18 saw the take over of the East Midland franchise by Abellio, with the brand name East Midlands Railway replacing East Midlands Trains (EMT), the Stagecoach brand. EMT had run services since November 2007 Abellio formally launched the franchise and new brand in Derby the following day, unveiling reliveried ‘Meridian’ set No. 222104 in a…
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Torrential rain and landslips closes West Highland line
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SCOTLAND’S West Highland line was closed on August 4 after heavy rain caused serious landslips at Glen Falloch, south of Crianlarich, which left the track in mid-air. There was also a ballast washout near Tyndrum Lower, with heavy rain flooding the line at Arrochar. After Network Rail had carried out a detailed geo-technical and aerial…
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Asset Monitoring: Looking after the rail infrastructure
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Many RM readers will have seen the yellow Network Rail trains around the country, but what do they do and why are they operated? Andrew Royle, who was a technician on the trains, explains their crucial role. The yellow-liveried test trains of Network Rail, or ‘Infrastructure Monitoring’ (IM) trains to use the correct description, feature…
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Yorkshire BLS tour raises £15k for charity
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THE Branch Line Society and West Coast Railways operated the ‘Luca Pezzulo Express’ on July 20, visiting rare freight lines around Yorkshire. Highlights included a rare trip over the remnants of the Woodhead Route, running beyond the Network Rail boundary into Liberty Steel’s Stocksbridge Steelworks, near Sheffield, and the former Tinsley Yard. The train also…
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NNR launches Reedham signalbox appeal
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THE North Norfolk Railway (NNR) has launched a £35,000 appeal to cover the costs of transporting Reedham Junction signalbox in Norfolk to its new location at Holt, and its restoration as a working museum, reports Richard Horner. The 1904-built Great Eastern Railway ‘box has been gifted to the NNR by Network Rail (RM May, p85),…
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Stoneblower derailment causes chaos at Victoria
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GATWICK Express and Southern services suffered severe disruption on July 9 after a Network Rail stoneblower derailed at London Victoria. The vehicles had been engaged in overnight track maintenance in the station throat when one of the three sections became derailed on pointwork at around 03.00. GEX services were suspended and Southern operated an emergency…
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Conwy Valley reopens after washout repairs
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THE Conwy Valley Line in North Wales was due to reopen throughout on July 24 following extensive repairs to six miles of track washed out by a storm in March. Llandudno Junction to Llanrwst North reopened to passengers on July 18, in connection with the Welsh National Eisteddfod, while the southern section to Blaenau Ffestiniog…
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Worksop wins heritage award
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WORKSOP station in Nottinghamshire has won a prestigious National Railway Heritage Award following a £1.1million investment to restore and conserve parts of its listed structures. The Railway Heritage Trust’s Conservation Award was given to the station following work carried out by Network Rail to strengthen and refurbish the lattice footbridge, re-glaze and refurbish the platform…
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Landor Street bridge reopens – with a warning from Network Rail
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A RAILWAY bridge struck by lorries 32 times since 2009 reopened to road traffic in July after a five-month closure to repair damaged sustained in January. The bridge, which carries the Camp Hill line over Landor Street in the Bordesley Green area of Birmingham, had to be closed for repair, and a collision protection beam,…
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‘Passengers first’ as Network Rail’s regional structure goes live
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JUNE 24 signalled the start of significant structural changes at Network Rail, designed to tackle the declining performance and punctuality of passenger and freight trains over recent years. More power is being devolved into five new regions, with 14 smaller, regional organisations aimed at being closer to customers and giving local managers the authority to…
