Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Wednesday, 4th May 2022
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Wednesday, 4th May 2022
Cuts to rail funding could lead to more serious rail accidents as well as fewer, more crowded trains, unions have said.
That’s according to an article in the Guardian that says a TUC report said passenger safety will be compromised should Network Rail press ahead with reductions to its maintenance workforce to save £100 million a year.
About 2,500 jobs are expected to go and the TUC said it would be impossible to make such cuts without putting passengers at risk.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Britain’s railway is the safest major network in Europe, and we’d never make changes that would compromise that hard-won achievement.”
A brand new, state-of-the-art signalling system has been commissioned over the bank holiday, promising Great Northern rail passengers at 30 stations much more reliable journeys on the route to Moorgate in the City of London.
The digital equipment replaces outdated and ageing components dating back to the 1970s, including some that ran on compressed air, on the Northern City Line between Finsbury Park and Moorgate stations.
TransPennine Express (TPE) has announced a new scheme designed to make its network more accessible.
Customers at stations across the North of England can now benefit from a new British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation service designed to give additional assistance when travelling on the railway.
The new tool, which is being launched by TPE to mark Deaf Awareness Week, will give those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment access to improved information or assistance when making their journey.
When the new Crossrail route – aka the Elizabeth line – opens in the coming weeks, it will feature four sloping lifts.
The article in the Daily Mail says there are two ‘incline lifts’ at Liverpool Street and two at Farringdon that run alongside escalators, moving up and down sideways lift shafts.
They are innovative features, but not a first for UK public rail transport. That honour goes to the incline lift at Greenford Underground station on the Central line, which was installed in 2015.
Transport for London (TfL) said that sloping lifts are cheaper to install as they save the cost of excavating a lift shaft, can utilise existing escalator space and are 50 per cent more efficient than a standard lift as they only use half as much power to run.
Photo credit: Network Rail
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