News from the East Anglian Branch of Railfuture, Edited by Martin Thorne and Jerry Alderson.
Railfuture News Snippets 250 - 28/02/2014
- RAIL FRANCHISES [all issues]
- ROLLING STOCK [all issues]
- STATIONS [all issues]
- GUIDED BUSWAY [all issues]
The railway line from Oxford to Bicester Town, a crucial part of the East West Rail Link from Oxford to Cambridge, closed to passengers on 14th February 2014 so that it could be completely re-built ready for the new Marylebone to Oxford service due to commence in 2016. A report from the BBC website can be read HERE. A photo from further east along the line, at Newton Longville close to Milton Keynes, taken a week later can be found on the ITV website HERE.
RAIL FRANCHISES
DfT has awarded First Capital Connect a six-month extension until new TSGN franchise commences
Keywords: [FirstCapitalConnect]
The Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded First Capital Connect (FCC) a six-month 'direct award' extension until the new seven-year TSGN Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern (TSGN) 'super franchise' commences on 14th September 2014, which will represent about 280 million journeys each year. The winner will be named in May 2014. According to rail minister Stephen Hammond, when he answered a parliamentary question on 26th February, First Capital Connect will pay to the DfT as premium of around £80m during this short-term extension - the fourth 'direct award' made by the government since the West Coast Mainline franchide debacle in 2012.
FCC recently came bottom of all train operators in Britain in a Which? Magazine survey of passengers. This was not unexpected as it is regularly towards the bottom of the twice-yearly National Rail Passenger Survey conducted by Passegner Focus.
News article: http://www.globalrailnews.com/2014/02/18/first-capital-connect-handed-six-month-extension/
ROLLING STOCK
First Capital Connect's first overhauled Class 365 train enters service
Keywords: [Class365] [FirstCapitalConnect]
In [Snippets 243] (July 2013) it was announced that First Capital Connect's fleet of 40 Class 365 trains, all owned by Eversholt, would undergo a £31 million overhaul. The first refurbished train entered service in January 2014, with the last due at the end of 2015. The trains will comply with the Persons of Reduced Mobility (PRM) leigislation, which has a deadline of 1st January 2020, and will also meet Network Rail's requirement that all trains have controlled-emission toilets. Railfuture has travelled on the refurbished train and considered it clean, spacious and welcoming although the vinyl floors (200 square metres were laid per four-car-unit) will be a disappointment to those who prefer carpets. It took 560 man hours (equivalent of about 15 weeks) to refurish one unit.
STATIONS
New accessible footbridge opens at St Neots station
Keywords: [StNeotsStation]
On 19th February 2014 (as mentioned in [Snippets 249]) the new £6m accessible footbridge at St Neots station was opened. It spans all four railway tracks and, unlike the old footbridge that it replaces, has lifts to each platform, plus an eastern entrance, allowing people in the new Love Farm housing estates to walk to the station. Like Stevenage station, the footbridge can be used simply to cross the railway. The ticket gates are on the bridge between the throughfare and the twin island platforms, where there is also a ticket vending machine next to the ticket gates. The booking office remains in its current ground-level location next to the car park. The footbridge has been funded from an section 106 agreement obtained from the housing developer by Huntingdonshire District Council, plus the DfT's Access for All scheme and Network Rail.
GUIDED BUSWAY
No cycling along part of Cambridgeshire Guided Busway route as flooding lasts for eight weeks
The maintenance track beside the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, which is also used as a bridleway and cycle route, has reached its eighth consecutive week of closure because of flooding. The stretch between St Ives and Swavesey had, at the time of an article in the Cambridge News, reached 51 days, surpassing the 48 days in the 2014. This compares to the 29 days which Cambridgeshire County Council said would be the average annual period of flooding.
Meanwhile, it's not good news elsewhere for concrete-kerb guided busways. A bus on the Luton-Dunstable guided busway, also built on a former railway line. crashed through fencing injuring three people.
BBC news article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-26263423.
Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 250 - 28/02/2014
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