Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Wednesday, 1st March 2023
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Wednesday, 1st March 2023
A passenger train carrying hundreds of people crashed head-on into a freight train at 100mph in northern Greece, killing 32 and injuring at least 85.
An article on the Metro website says several carriages were ‘completely destroyed’, while others derailed and burst into flames after the collision just before midnight Tuesday near the town of Tempe.
Many of those on board were university students returning home from holiday.
Deputy Health Minister Mina Gaga said: “This is a terrible tragedy that is hard to comprehend. I feel so sorry for the parents of these kids.”
Abellio, the Dutch state-backed transport operator, has relinquished control of its UK business to a brand-new company formed as a result of an MBO – a deal which has huge ramifications for rail services in the East Midlands.
The article on The Business Desk says Abellio UK won the franchise to provide rail services across the region and beyond, operated by its subsidiary EMR, in 2019.
The British company has now completed a “complex” deal to buy out Dutch shareholder Nederlandse Spoorwegen, formally returning the service to UK ownership.
Five new railway stations could be built in the West Midlands, transport bosses say.
An article on the BBC website says feasibility work will take place for potential stations in Balsall Heath, Coventry East (Binley), Foleshill, Castle Bromwich and Tettenhall.
They were selected from a list of 15 and identified as having the strongest case for development first, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) said.
Government funding would be sought to design and build the stations.
Trade body Rail Partners has launched a new report which reveals a growing rail freight market, supported by the right policies, can deliver significant economic and environmental benefits between now and 2050.
If Government sets an ambitious target to treble rail freight by 2050, the sector will deliver nearly £5.2 billion in economic benefits as a minimum. It will also support road decongestion and improved air quality, with the sector forecast to remove the need for over 20 million HGV journeys annually.
Rail Partners’ chief executive, Andy Bagnall, said: “With the right support, rail freight can deliver for Britain – boosting the economy and reducing carbon emissions as well as improving air quality and reducing congestion, especially in cities.”
Photo credit: Rail Partners
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