RAILDATE 2025.02.21

Your free weekly guide to what's happening and what's new.

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Raildate is a collaboration between the editor and a number of contributors. Please think about supplying links that you spot. The contact email address is: raildate.co.uk@gmail.com

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There are sections on:

• UK Rail News
• International Rail News
• Other Transport Modes
• The Weekly Poser (and the answer to last week's poser)

*** Double edition (after 14th Feb edition was skipped) ***

UK Rail News

East

• Derailed freight train causes rail disruption
• Police attend Southend East c2c station 'medical incident'
• Regional Refresh undertaken at Melton Mowbray
• The Greatest Gathering: Greater Anglia to send a Class 755 to popular event

East Midlands

• Derailment at Great Yarmouth

London

• Southeastern to look into boosting matchday trains for Charlton fans
• Pull your socks up, TfL told over eyesore Woolwich Arsenal DLR sites
• Cable theft at Clapton
• Hackney Downs Overground step-free access still unfunded
• Jubilee line train drivers’ seats getting an overdue refurbishment
• Railway trespasser who brought rush hour trains to a standstill sentenced to 18 months
• London Overground line with 'extensive' disruptions set for two more weekends of closures
• Tottenham v Manchester United: Rail passengers asked not to use railway station as travel advice released
• New London Trains Stuck in Spain Due to Costly Delays and Storage Issues
• Why the Elizabeth line is closed for third weekend in a row
• Trespasser at New Malden imprisoned
• Drivers on Elizabeth line to strike for four days over coming weeks
• Brand NEW Piccadilly Line Tubes EXCLUSIVE LOOK
• Side by side: Baker Street to Uxbridge 1910 and 2014

Midlands

• Wednesbury To Brierley Hill Metro Extension
• Train carriage converted into new school library
• Hydrogen train tests in Warwickshire
• Proposal to reopen Sutton Park line for passenger services
• Investigation of Severn Valley bank collapse
• Spades in the ground on £295 million West Midlands Metro extension
• Full service resumes between Tamworth and Nuneaton following repairs to overhead line equipmen

North West

• Manchester-Liverpool via Chat Moss rail line closed after Salford car crash
• Car crashes from bridge onto Salford rail line
• Town 'overlooked and disregarded' by Network Rail plans
• New rail in the Carlisle area gets the go-ahead from councillors
• Train driver recognised for raising over £55,000 for charity

South

• Council joins fight over level crossing foot access
• Dorset Council rejects Network Rail's level crossing bid
• Road Traffic accident demolishes Woodsford Level crossing.

South East

• Union criticises Southeastern ticket office closures
• HS1 renamed
• Southeastern £306m investment
• K&ESR nominated for award
• Brighton tram could return to service
• Power supply issues fixed after morning disruption
• Work to start on £6.6m Folkestone funicular restoration
• Railcard for a wandering cat
• The voice of Thameslink automated announcements
• Bluebell Times February 2025
• Surrey to Heathrow rail link proposal
• Engineering works the North Downs line
• RAIB report into derailment at Walton on Thames due to track renewal debris
• Recovery of derailed train in Ramsgate complete as Southeastern confirms work successful to remove Class 395 vehicle
• Vital engineering work in the Portsmouth area to close the railway for a week
• Cutting edge signalling system ready to run trains on new East West Rail infrastructure
• Southeastern train cancellations or diversions this week
• Class 379 units returned to service on Thameslink Great Northern routes
• Train derailed at 85mph after workmen left piece of track in 'hazardous' position
• History of Lancing Carriage Works told in pictures
• Warnham station building for sale.

Wales

• Access for all footbridge at Tenby proposed
• Old lengthmans hut near Abergavenny adapted for bats
• Family tributes as rail firm fined £4m for deaths
• Disappointment at Bangor – Afon Wen reopening scheme
• Network Rail fined for Red Zone working fatalities at Margam
• Big redevelopment at Tenby railway station planned

West

• Ammunition found on railway line at Trowbridge
• Funds agreed for rebuilding Portishead branch
• Locomotive restored in memory of boy who died of rare disease
• Bangor to Afon Wen tram-train reopening scheme
• Somerset railway clears vegetation to prepare for 2025 operating season
• Full steam ahead for Bristol & Portishead Line

National

• A railway fit for Britain's future
• Locomotive livery changes announced as DB Cargo has royal warrant renewed
• DB Cargo retain Royal Train warrant

Rail Industry

• DB Cargo goes for gold
• Civils contractor bags £207m HS2 overhead wiring contract
• Job losses warning over pace of Network Rail spending
• Network Rail putting passengers at risk, regulator warns
• Government consultation of future of UK Railways
• DB Cargo UK moves from road/rail to road vehicles to improve breakdown response
• Locomotive livery changes announced as DB Cargo has royal warrant renewed
• FirstGroup steps up efforts to boost open access

International Rail News

Czechia

• Collision at Velim test track

Europe

• St Pancras plans for direct trains from UK to Germany
• Plans to expand St Pancras station to open up new cross-Channel routes across Europe as it hopes to compete against Eurostar
• On board the maiden sleeper from Brussels to Venice: we got there in the end

Germany

• Fatal level crossing collision near Hamburg
• Stadler to Introduce Innovative Trains for Thuringia: Eco-Friendly and Convenient
• Alstom Expands Global Leadership with Deutsche Bahn Partnership to Upgrade Germany’s Rail Control Systems

Hungary

• First Stadler double deck coach to be built in Hungary

India

• Families' heartbreak after deadly Delhi railway station crush

Morocco

• Work accelerates on Morocco’s high-speed rail
• Colas wins contracts worth €430m on Morocco’s new high-speed railway

Sri Lanka

• Derailment in Sri Lanka after train hit wild elephants

Switzerland

• Stadler Unveils First Double-Decker Railjet Train for Long-Distance Travel

USA

• Moment SUV driver narrowly escapes train collision
• Fire on SEPTA suburban train near Pennsylvania
• Derailment and fire in Maine in 2023 caused by failure of beavers dam

Other Transport Modes

Air

• Ten dead as wreckage of plane crash found in Alaska
• Eastern Airlines aircraft overturned at Toronto
• US Government start firing FAA employees
• Tui flight diverted and made to wait to land despite fuel emergency

Bus

• Inverness bus operators sells out to Highland Council

Marine

• SS United States on final journey to be sunk as a reef
• SS United States being scuttled
• One of world's largest ships to dock at Port of Felixstowe

Credits

Thank you to this week's contributors.

• Alan Rushworth
• Bill King
• John Grimley
• John Oliver
• Mike Price
• Neil Kearns
• Paul Hopper
• Paul Tambini
• Richard Buckby
• Richard Maund

The Weekly Poser: Where is this?

Something important is yet to be built. [Early 20th century 1" map]. Where/what is it?

Please send your answers to raildate.co.uk@gmail.com

Last week's Where is this?

Eurostar Class 373 No. (37)3311. Where is it?

Answer: Leeds in 2002. 3312 will be at the other end. Congratulations are due to the following for their correct answers: Nigel Petre, John Czyrko, Blair Robinson, Colin Penfold, David Goddard, Tony Fox, David Bromley, Simon Wass, Paul Hopper, George Spink, Jim Allwood, John Lewis, Neil Kearns, Andrew Treves, Leslie Braithwaite, Chris Gibbard, Phil Deaves, David Sharp, Neil Spencer

Adding regional services from Glasgow and Leeds to Europe via the ECML were part of the original plans for the Channel Tunnel. Daytime trainsets and sleeper coaches were constructed but, with HS1 still unbuilt, viability was questionable. With privitisation, the plans were suspended, never to be resurrected.

Six of the 14 37/3 powercars (three trains) were leased to GNER to provide domestic "White Rose" services, shortened from 18 to 14 cars. 3301–3306 were repainted in GNER colours whilst others, like 3311, had Eurostar logos removed to act as spare sets.

The lease ended in 2005, and most sets went on to operate in France. As far as I'm aware, all still exist: three preserved, the others stored out of service.

SMALL PRINT

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©  Matthew Shaw 2025