Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Friday, 11th March 2022
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Friday, 11th March 2022
Union leaders may launch a private prosecution against rail chiefs over the fatal Stonehaven derailment.
An article in the Scottish Daily Express says train drivers’ union Aslef wants the Crown Office to pursue Network Rail and ScotRail through the courts in the wake of a damning report.
The article says a Rail Accident Investigation Branch report, released yesterday, found that a contractor, Carillion, had not installed a drain alongside the track as it should have done.
It also said those killed might have survived if they had been travelling on a more modern train, with better safety features.
The Scottish Government today announced a steering group would examine the safety of older trains following the report.
Martin Frobisher, safety and engineering director of Network Rail, apologised for the failings and insisted improvements had been made.
The government has said that a package of works worth £84 million will cut delays and improve train reliability in the North West.
At Manchester Victoria station, rail minister Wendy Morton MP pledged a package of infrastructure improvements designed to transform train journeys in the region.
A new metro station is planned for Cardiff Crossrail at the Bay as part of a new arena development.
An article in the South Wales Argus says the station would be built at Pierhead Street in Cardiff Bay and would form the first phase of the Crossrail project, eventually linking to new stations in Splott and St Mellons.
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has decided to cancel its Railway in Wartime weekend, which was planned for the autumn.
The decision was taken in light of the war and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
Instead, the heritage railway will donate all ticket sales proceeds from the weekend of October 14-16 (when the event was due to take place) to the British Red Cross’s Ukraine Crisis Appeal.
Photo credit: RAIB
