Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Thursday, 8th February 2024.
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Thursday, 8th February 2024
Following the cancellation of HS2 Phase 2, the mayors of the West Midlands and Greater Manchester have outlined plans to improve rail links between their regions.
In a joint press conference on Wednesday 7 February, Andy Street and Andy Burnham announced that they were exploring options with a consortium of businesses, the BBC reported.
They unveiled three potential plans: the enhancement of the West Coast Main Line, the introduction of bypasses to relieve congestion, and the construction of a new line, which could follow the scrapped HS2 route.
Train services have resumed following a derailment between Thetford and Harling Road, Norfolk, on Tuesday 6 February.
BBC News reported that the East Midlands Railway passenger service came partly off the track after striking a large tree. One person was left with minor injuries, and police, ambulances, and fire crews attended the scene.
Now, National Rail has confirmed that the line is clear, and trains can “run as scheduled.”
The incident affected Greater Anglia services between Norwich and Cambridge-Stansted Airport, and East Midlands Railway trains running between Norwich and Liverpool Lime Street.
As the East West Rail (EWR) project progresses, Bedford’s Mayor has outlined eight potential alternative routes through the borough, the BBC reports.
EWR has already revealed its preferred route, which would run through Bedford to the north, linking Oxford and Cambridge.
But, after this route was announced in May 2023, Conservative Mayor Tom Wootton tasked consultants with exploring alternatives to the south.
The mayor defended the £40,000 report, adding that there was “no definitive winner among the proposed routes”, and describing the potential economic impact for Bedford as “significant.”
And finally, a project at Wrabness railway station, Essex, has been shortlisted for a coveted national Community Rail Award, Rail Advent reports.
Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership worked to create a special wildlife garden on scrubland that had previously been the site of the stationmaster’s house.
Station adoption volunteers, local residents, the Bee Friendly Trust, the Essex Path to Prosperity Project, and Greater Anglia worked together on the garden, creating a visitor-friendly space that would support wildlife.
Opened in March 2023, the garden features bird boxes, bug hotels, and a pond for frogs.
