Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Thursday, 30th September 2021
The latest rail news on Thursday, 30th September
Welcome to the railway news round-up.
In today’s headlines, Network Rail has announced a £25m project will take place on the Newport-Gloucester line, to protect it from the ongoing effects of climate change, ITV reports.
The line, running along the Severn Estuary, has been devastated by extreme weather, with five major landslips in the last two years alone, leading to the delay of more than 200,000 trains.
Works on the line will begin in summer 2022 and will include the removal of more than 30,000 tonnes of material from the cliff face, with a mesh and bolt system installed to stabilise the rockface and prevent landslips affecting the track below.
Transport for the North (TfN) has called for £596M to be provided for the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project, as part of a submission to the Chancellor’s Spending Review.
TfN chief executive Martin Tugwell said the submission sets out a “realistic” funding request from the government, following the absence of an integrated rail plan (IRP), which has been pushed back following delays, New Civil Engineer reports.
In his letter Tugwell said the three-year funding would be of “particular importance as it would give the supply chain confidence to support the scaling up of activity for the delivery of key stations and the first route upgrades to be accelerated.”
HS2 bosses have praised trials of biofuels which have been used on site as the project strives to leave a legacy for the construction industry.
The Balfour Beatty Vinci joint venture worked with HS2 Ltd and Imperial College London to trial the use of hydrogenated vegetable oil in two excavators on a site near Coventry.
Neil Wait, head of environmental sciences at HS2, said it was “clear” that the alternative fuels had a role to play in slashing carbon emissions on future construction projects.
Read the full story here: https://news.railbusinessdaily.com/alternative-fuels-trial-boosts-hs2-drive-to-cut-carbon/
Finally, a north-eastern MP has a criticised an overcrowded train service after passengers were left stranded on the platform, referring to it as ‘the worst service in the UK’.
Easington MP Grahame Morris blasted the Durham Coastline Northern rail service after overcrowding left passengers stranded on the platform at Seaham, calling it a “second rate” service that the “public has lost faith with”, Northern Echo reports.
Operator Northern Rail has apologised for the disruption, and said challenges brought on by the Coronvirus pandemic have had a “significant impact” on its services.
That’s it from today’s round-up, for the latest in rail news visit news.railbusinessdaily.com
Photo credit: Network Rail
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