Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Wednesday, 8th September 2021
The latest rail news on Wednesday, 8th September 2021
A man has been jailed after driving down the tracks near Duddeston railway station, following a British Transport Police investigation.
Aaron O’Halloran, 31, of Thornbury Road, Handsworth, was found guilty of endangering people on the railway, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, and using a vehicle without insurance.
He was sentenced to a total of 15 months imprisonment and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £156 at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday 23 August.
The incident resulted in over £23,000 worth of damage to the railway and passenger delays of up to eight hours.
Work is now complete to protect the West Coast main line from landslips to provide more reliable journeys for rail passengers between Wolverhampton and Stafford.
A £5m investment by Network Rail has seen engineers move thousands of tonnes of earth to secure 1.3km of the railway south of Penkridge.
The improved embankments and cuttings are located on a branch of the West Coast main line, one of the most important railway corridors in the country.
An HS2 construction site is the test bed for a potentially far-reaching fibre optic technology that can sense minute ground movements in embankments and cuttings, and could help prevent land slips and detect the formation of sink holes.
Developing a capability for early detection of movement, and taking precautionary action, can deliver huge savings in maintaining HS2 embankments and railway cuttings, as well as the wider railway and road networks.
The importance of developing this technology is underlined by the increasing frequency of extreme weather and its effect on ground conditions.
Network Rail has transformed a site in Finedon – which was a temporary work compound whilst vital railway upgrades took place – into a specific area to protect wildlife for years to come.
Land just off Finedon Station Road was used by engineers as they carried out vital electrification work as part of the £1.5billion Midland Main Line Upgrade.
Once the railway improvements completed in April, Network Rail and Amey developed the first specific habitat as part of an innovative project to manage protected species.
Photo credit: Network Rail
