In The News: 27th August

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The Government is under pressure to extend emergency rail funding, as operators warn that without further support they will be forced to “hand back the keys”.

That’s according to an article in The Daily Telegraph that says even after the pandemic, industry insiders are expecting a long-term reduction in passenger numbers of around a third as a result of an increase in home working.

Ministers have until September 20th to extend the emergency measures agreement, which according to the article is believed to be costing taxpayers £900 million a month.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the COVID crisis had provided opportunities to establish a “different type of railway” with the Government expected to centralise control.

Councillors in Solihull have approved plans for HS2’s Interchange station.

The station, which will be at the heart of the HS2 network in the Midlands, recently became the first railway station globally to achieve the BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification at the design stage.

The construction partner contract is due to be awarded in 2022, and construction is planned to start in 2024.

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Emergency services have been dealing with a large diesel train which caught fire on the track near Llangennech in Wales last night.

British Transport Police were called to the scene shortly before 11.30 to reports that a number of carriages had derailed and caught fire.

Officers said no injuries have been reported. Enquiries are underway into the cause.

Finally, and Siemens Mobility has been awarded a three-year contract by Transport for Wales as part of the Core Valley Lines Transformation programme.

The project will cover the renewal and replacement of lineside signalling infrastructure, as well as the creation of a new integrated control centre.

On completion in 2023, connectivity will be improved for the 1.5 million people who live and work in the Cardiff Capital Region.

Photo credit: HS2 Ltd

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