RAILDATE 2024.05.24

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

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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)

UK Rail News

East

• Beloved Cambs heritage railway at risk of closing as it faces rising costs

London

• The 25th anniversary of the Jubilee line extension
• Vacuum cleaning Blackheath Tunnel.
• The London Underground station that looks more like a garden centre than a Tube stop
• Elizabeth Line shines as it carries a record number of passengers
• Tube line that runs through Essex to get major upgrade and new trains
• Barnes railway bridge to close for a week of repairs
• DLR testing improved accessibility at their unstaffed stations
• Expanded mobile phone coverage goes live on Elizabeth line and Underground
• London’s Pocket Parks: Hatton Cross tube station, TW6
• Network Rail submits plan to redevelop final part of 2012 Olympics site

Midlands

• RAIB report in runaway wagon at Kineton
• 69009 arrives at Kidderminster

North East

• Northern's facilities for Northumberland Line drivers and conductors put in place in Ashington

North West

• Lumo applies to run trains between Manchester and London
• Another layer of management for Railways in the North West

Scotland

• Three key pieces of work completed at East Kilbride station

South

• South Western Railway restores Island Line summer services

South East

• New railings to be installed on Winchester Bridge
• Southeastern set to overhaul its Metro Service with a new fleet of trains

Wales

• Vale of Rhieldol line opens new museum
• Road closed after lorry gets stuck under bridge
• Rail Partnership celebrates new website launch

Yorkshire

• Future of one of the country's longest disused railway tunnels remains in doubt

National

• Virgin Trains targets West Coast in return to rail

International Rail News

Bosnia

• The last working steam in Bosnia (or anywhere else?)

Germany

• Self-balancing commuter pods ride old railway lines on demand

Italy

• Italy, Slovenia, Croatia: New train line offers ready-made rail adventure for as little as €8
• New shunting locos for Straights of Messina train ferries

South Africa

• South African narrow gauge hopper Wagons sold to American heritage line

Turkey

• Istanbul's century-old streetcar gets a makeover

USA

• Norfolk Southern agrees to $310m settlement over 2023 East Palestine derailment

Other Transport Modes

Air

• Four Irish on flight in which turbulence leaves one dead
• Lancaster cockpit simulator at Manston
• The first 747-8i to become a Survivable Airborne Operations Center jet

Bus

• Stagecoach competing with Brighton and Hove
• Councils taking charge of local bus services
• Bus catches fire in Twickenham

Credits

Thank you to this week's contributors.

• Alan Rushworth
• Andrew Nummelin
• Matthew Shaw
• Mike Price
• Mike Willcock
• Neil Kearns
• Paul Tambini
• Richard Buckby

The Weekly Poser: Where is this?

Class 50 No.403 is working wrong line somewhere. Where is it?

Last week's Where is this?

This area was transformed just before a 1970s picture was taken. And it has been transformed again since. Where is it?

Answer: Carlisle looking north from the Victoria Viaduct over the No. 4 signalbox. Congratulations are due to the following for their correct answers: Paul Hopper, David Goddard, Richard Foster, Simon Wass.

Image credit: Peter Green RCTS Collection. (I initially released the picture with "Carl..." from the station board still visible, which undermined the quiz somewhat.)

By the time of the picture, the former gas works and goods stations on the left had been cleared and replaced by factory units serviced by the new access road - Viaduct Estate Road.

Carlisle Cathedral stands prominently in the background. Prior to the Dissolution of the monasteries, there were several priories that occupied the now-built area in between.

Electrification of the WCML in 1974 (post-picture) changed the scene again, and the signal box was decommissioned 3rd July 1973 in favour of Carlisle Power Box. The factory units have since been pulled down, some replaced by car parking for the city centre, others left empty.

Carlisle Citadel is well named. The railway station barged its way into the core of this ancient city, as the map below supports. It was a joint station of the Caledonian and LNWR. Victoria Viaduct - our vantage point - diverted the Nelson Bridge approach road that formerly led directly to Court Square.

SMALL PRINT

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©  Matthew Shaw 2024