Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Thursday, 20th May 2021
The latest rail news on Thursday, 20th May 2021
British Rail is to be reborn, under a new name, as state control of the railways becomes the tightest since the days of nationalisation, a report recommends today.
The article features in several of the national newspapers including The Daily Telegraph when a publicly owned body, Great British Railway, will be formed to centralise operations, bringing track and trains under the control of one body once again, in the biggest shake-up of the industry in a quarter of a century.
The formation of Great British Railway is the key recommendation of a government review, led by Keith Williams, chairman of Royal Mail, which also proposes simpler fares and changes to commuting patterns as a result of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, an article in The Daily Telegraph also says rail chiefs are exploring thousands of job cuts as the pandemic hits demand for train services.
Bosses from Network Rail will meet with trade unions next week for crunch talks over plans to overhaul working practices and introduce greater use of technology in maintaining rail infrastructure such as tracks and stations.
Union leaders fear up to 9,000 of Network Rail’s 42,000 jobs could be axed.
In other news, the Croydon tram crash which killed seven people in November 2016 was caused by excessive speed, an investigator has told an inquest.
The article in The Times says the tram toppled over and spun off the tracks after hitting a curve at 45mph, despite a 12mph restriction.
Simon French from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said the driver, Alfred Dorris, may have slipped into “microsleep” on the stretch where he was not required to do much to control his tram.
Matthew Golton has been appointed Managing Director of TransPennine Express from June 1st.
Matthew has been with FirstGroup since 2006, holding a number of senior leadership roles including Great Western Railway’s Interim Managing Director.
Finally, the National Railway Museum in York and Locomotion in Shildon has reopened for the first time this year, as national COVID restrictions are eased.
Since tickets were released two weeks ago, 10,219 people have booked their free tickets to visit the National Railway Museum, with another 5,441 people booking to visit Locomotion in Shildon.
Photo credit: Department for Transport
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