National Network
Norfolk's Rural Rail Lines are Tracks Ahead
According to the Eastern Daily Press [20th August] the county's rural rail lines have been praised for being "tracks ahead" as figures reveal countryside services have been boosted by Britons holidaying at home.
Nationally, branch lines have seen passenger numbers rocket - with some almost doubling - over the past 4 years, and much is being attributed to the "staycation" holidaymakers. Although the Bittern and Wherry lines have not seen such sharp increases, their popularity with commuters and holidaymakers continues to grow, and calls are being made for more and longer trains.
Operator NXEA said that passenger numbers had increased by 200% for the Bittern line and 50% for the Wherry line since the setting up of the community partnerships. Spokesman Peter Meades said: "Both of the Bittern and Wherry lines have seen significant increases on their lines but that's more linked to the fact that we have been ahead of the game because we have established community rail partnerships".
The figures revealing the highest growing lines across the country showed the biggest increase on the Truro to Falmouth line in Cornwall at 22% in the past year.
A Holiday for Engineering
Once again the Bank Holiday means buses replacing trains on the GEML. The Eastern Evening News website on 23 August and the NEXA website report that from 1800 on Saturday 27 August buses will replace trains between Stowmarket and Ipswich due to track renewals. Closer to London work to replace 1950s overhead lines continues. The £200m project, when completed, should reduce delays and remove the need for speed restrictions in hot weather, as were experienced earlier this year. The extensive works in the region will mean Sunday travellers face up to four changes travelling from Norwich to Liverpool Street and a journey of over three and a half hours. Travelling by bus (or staying at home) seems a more straightforward option.
Recycling Whitemoor
More than 3,000 people attended an open day at Network Rail’s National Track Materials Recycling Centre at Whitemoor Yard on Sunday August 14. The centre has put the Cambridgeshire town at the heart of the railway’s green transformation. It opened for business in June, bringing 25 new jobs to the area. It marks the second phase in the redevelopment of the yard which reopened in 2004 following a £20m investment programme by Network Rail.
Thousands of tonnes of materials will be saved from going to landfill every year, remove thousands of lorry journeys from the roads and help cut the cost of Britain’s railways. Once fully operational, the centre is expected to deliver £7m of savings to Network Rail each year and help towards its goal to reuse, recycle or recover 95% of construction and maintenance waste by 2014.
Cutting-edge camera technology to deter level crossing misuse
Cutting-edge camera technology has been introduced by Network Rail and the British Transport Police to crack down on level crossing law-breakers and change drivers’ behaviour across the east of England.
Network Rail has funded a purpose-built marked police van to be fitted with nine cameras, each of which uses number plate recognition technology to deter motorists from breaking the law. The van is operated by British Transport Police officers and has access to all the systems required to process prosecutions instantly.
On Norfolk's 240 level crossings during the last 12 months there have been 67 reported incidents of misuse, 17 near misses with vehicles and pedestrians and 4 incidents of vehicles striking barriers or other level crossing equipment.
Quite how effective a deterrent one van will prove to be remains to be seen.
Platform 2 for Oxford calling at Cambridge, Bedford, Milton Keynes….
Plans for a new rail link that would bring East Anglia into much closer contact with business centres along a corridor to the West Country would boost both business and tourism, it is claimed in a report by Oxford Economics. The leading economic forecaster makes a strong case for the multi-million pound investment.
The East West Rail Consortium, a group of local authorities and businesses, is lobbying for government investment in the route - going from Norwich and Ipswich in the east via Cambridge, Bedford, Milton Keynes and Oxford to Reading in the west - in its 2014-19 railway programme.
The region’s MPs and business leaders have given their enthusiastic backing to the scheme. The link would use existing lines east of Cambridge but other sections of the route would need the track to be ugraded and re-instated in places.
As reported in the EDP on 3 September, Caroline Williams, CEO of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, said: “With the ever increasing fuel price rises, rail travel will continue to increase in importance. Investment in the railways makes good sense and the availability of travelling east to west by rail would save businesses time and money. In addition it would help change the perception that Norfolk is cut off from the rest of the country which inhibits the recruitment of much needed skilled people.”
Mainline Chaos and the Olympics less than a year away
On the 15 September a breakdown caused hours of delays on the Norwich - London mainline. The National Express East Anglia 0740 service lost power near Diss blocking the mainline and causing the 0800, 0830 and 0900 services to be cancelled. The problem for passengers was compounded when services in the Cambridge area were suspended following cable thefts, disrupting an alternative route to the capital from Norwich.
Inevitably the incidents once again raised questions about the reliability of the railway and the security of its infrastructure with the Olympics less than a year away. Arguments over the franchise arrangements also surfaced with calls for network improvements as soon as possible.
A new train operator is set to take over a short term franchise in February but the bidders - Abellio Greater Anglia, Eastern Railway and Stagecoach Anglia Trains - have been told by the government that the successful new operator will run services for 29 months and not 17 as originally planned.
All 16 Norfolk and Suffolk MPs wrote to the Transport Secretary recently calling for network improvements and a start as early as possible to a 15 year franchise.
Heritage, Narrow-gauge and Miniature
M&GN Society Apologises..........
Lack of traction looks likely to adversely affect the M&GN Members day on the North Norfolk Railway. The Society report that work on ‘Wissington’, the B12 and the Class 31 has been dogged by situations beyond their control so there is little available for the Society to put out on the 1st October – and the J15 could be out of traffic due to its ten year overhaul.
However members can still ride the rails free of charge on the day and have a look at the progress they are making on ‘Wissington’, 31207 and Nigel Scarlett's Joint Heritage Coach Fund projects.
To make up for the disappointment the Society are planning, in conjunction with the NNR, a celebratory event in 2012 to mark the 125th anniversary of the Cromer–Sheringham line which opened on 16 June 1887.
Collision on Dereham rail crossing
On 7 September, the EDP report that the 1.16pm (presumably the 1.15pm) service to Wymondham, run by the Mid Norfolk Railway, clipped the back of a lorry at the Greens Lane crossing just minutes into its journey. Nobody was injured and the train - undamaged in the collision - continued its journey 45 minutes later. James Steward, operations manager for the Mid Norfolk Railway, said: “We stress the importance of obeying the traffic signals at all the level crossings.” Norfolk Police were called at 1.20pm today and the matter will now be referred to the independent Rail Accident Investigation Branch.
David Shepherd and Black Prince at the NNR
On Saturday 20 August the North Norfolk Railway held an evening with David Shepherd all proceeds going to his Wildlife Foundation. The evening included a return journey from Sheringham to Weybourne behind Black Prince, a highly entertaining talk and an art exhibition with originals and prints for sale. It was a delight to see a hive of activity on Weybourne Station where the exhibition was staged. The journey back to Sheringham in darkness was reminiscent of a bygone era. For photographs of the eventclick here.
47596 Returns to Service
Mid-Norfolk Railway report 47596's engine was restarted for the first time at the end of July, 2 years and 4 months after being withdrawn from traffic. In 2009, 47 596 was found to have two leaking liner seals. Consequently water from the cooling system was finding its way into the engine oil. The decision was taken to carry out a complete top end engine rebuild. The opportunity was also taken to clean and paint the engine compartment. The hard work carried out by the Stratford 47 Group will ensure the locomotive is fit for many years' service and it is intended that it will re-enter traffic for this year's Santa Specials.
Away from the Tracks
Signal Box on the move....
It is reported that the historic Soham signal box has been donated to the MNR, and - subject to manpower and equipment availability - is to be erected on the up platform of Kimberley Park station.
.....Signal Box saved
Attleborough Heritage Group has been successful in its representations to English Heritage to obtain Grade II listing status of the Attleborough Railway Station buildings. There are only three other stations in Norfolk with such status. Included in the listing is the rare survival of a Great Eastern Railway Type 4 design Signal Box, including its 1912 mechanical signal lever frame.
Mr Cliff Amos, Chairman of Attleborough Heritage Group said "Network Rail's scheme to replace the mechanical signalling might have lead to the possible loss of this important example of early railway architecture and we are very pleased that we have been instrumental in securing this Grade II listing."
Suffolk-based company buys England's last inland funicular railway
Bridgnorth Cliff Railway in Shropshire, which was built in 1892, has been bought by Suffolk-based property developers Devitt and Sons for more than £700,000. The family firm said it was not intending to make big changes and that it would be "business as usual".
The railway, incorporating Grade II listed buildings at the top and bottom of the cliff, was put on the market in March. It transports people up and down the town's 111ft (33.8m) sandstone cliffs. Two cars on parallel tracks, connected by steel ropes, counterbalance each other - as one rises to the top station, the other runs to the bottom station between High Town and Low Town. The cars are now powered by an electric winding engine, but were originally driven by a system of water balance.
Norfolk's Rural Rail Lines are Tracks Ahead
According to the Eastern Daily Press [20th August] the county's rural rail lines have been praised for being "tracks ahead" as figures reveal countryside services have been boosted by Britons holidaying at home.
Nationally, branch lines have seen passenger numbers rocket - with some almost doubling - over the past 4 years, and much is being attributed to the "staycation" holidaymakers. Although the Bittern and Wherry lines have not seen such sharp increases, their popularity with commuters and holidaymakers continues to grow, and calls are being made for more and longer trains.
Operator NXEA said that passenger numbers had increased by 200% for the Bittern line and 50% for the Wherry line since the setting up of the community partnerships. Spokesman Peter Meades said: "Both of the Bittern and Wherry lines have seen significant increases on their lines but that's more linked to the fact that we have been ahead of the game because we have established community rail partnerships".
The figures revealing the highest growing lines across the country showed the biggest increase on the Truro to Falmouth line in Cornwall at 22% in the past year.
A Holiday for Engineering
Once again the Bank Holiday means buses replacing trains on the GEML. The Eastern Evening News website on 23 August and the NEXA website report that from 1800 on Saturday 27 August buses will replace trains between Stowmarket and Ipswich due to track renewals. Closer to London work to replace 1950s overhead lines continues. The £200m project, when completed, should reduce delays and remove the need for speed restrictions in hot weather, as were experienced earlier this year. The extensive works in the region will mean Sunday travellers face up to four changes travelling from Norwich to Liverpool Street and a journey of over three and a half hours. Travelling by bus (or staying at home) seems a more straightforward option.
Recycling Whitemoor
More than 3,000 people attended an open day at Network Rail’s National Track Materials Recycling Centre at Whitemoor Yard on Sunday August 14. The centre has put the Cambridgeshire town at the heart of the railway’s green transformation. It opened for business in June, bringing 25 new jobs to the area. It marks the second phase in the redevelopment of the yard which reopened in 2004 following a £20m investment programme by Network Rail.
Thousands of tonnes of materials will be saved from going to landfill every year, remove thousands of lorry journeys from the roads and help cut the cost of Britain’s railways. Once fully operational, the centre is expected to deliver £7m of savings to Network Rail each year and help towards its goal to reuse, recycle or recover 95% of construction and maintenance waste by 2014.
Cutting-edge camera technology to deter level crossing misuse
Cutting-edge camera technology has been introduced by Network Rail and the British Transport Police to crack down on level crossing law-breakers and change drivers’ behaviour across the east of England.
Network Rail has funded a purpose-built marked police van to be fitted with nine cameras, each of which uses number plate recognition technology to deter motorists from breaking the law. The van is operated by British Transport Police officers and has access to all the systems required to process prosecutions instantly.
On Norfolk's 240 level crossings during the last 12 months there have been 67 reported incidents of misuse, 17 near misses with vehicles and pedestrians and 4 incidents of vehicles striking barriers or other level crossing equipment.
Quite how effective a deterrent one van will prove to be remains to be seen.
Platform 2 for Oxford calling at Cambridge, Bedford, Milton Keynes….
Plans for a new rail link that would bring East Anglia into much closer contact with business centres along a corridor to the West Country would boost both business and tourism, it is claimed in a report by Oxford Economics. The leading economic forecaster makes a strong case for the multi-million pound investment.
The East West Rail Consortium, a group of local authorities and businesses, is lobbying for government investment in the route - going from Norwich and Ipswich in the east via Cambridge, Bedford, Milton Keynes and Oxford to Reading in the west - in its 2014-19 railway programme.
The region’s MPs and business leaders have given their enthusiastic backing to the scheme. The link would use existing lines east of Cambridge but other sections of the route would need the track to be ugraded and re-instated in places.
As reported in the EDP on 3 September, Caroline Williams, CEO of Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, said: “With the ever increasing fuel price rises, rail travel will continue to increase in importance. Investment in the railways makes good sense and the availability of travelling east to west by rail would save businesses time and money. In addition it would help change the perception that Norfolk is cut off from the rest of the country which inhibits the recruitment of much needed skilled people.”
Mainline Chaos and the Olympics less than a year away
On the 15 September a breakdown caused hours of delays on the Norwich - London mainline. The National Express East Anglia 0740 service lost power near Diss blocking the mainline and causing the 0800, 0830 and 0900 services to be cancelled. The problem for passengers was compounded when services in the Cambridge area were suspended following cable thefts, disrupting an alternative route to the capital from Norwich.
Inevitably the incidents once again raised questions about the reliability of the railway and the security of its infrastructure with the Olympics less than a year away. Arguments over the franchise arrangements also surfaced with calls for network improvements as soon as possible.
A new train operator is set to take over a short term franchise in February but the bidders - Abellio Greater Anglia, Eastern Railway and Stagecoach Anglia Trains - have been told by the government that the successful new operator will run services for 29 months and not 17 as originally planned.
All 16 Norfolk and Suffolk MPs wrote to the Transport Secretary recently calling for network improvements and a start as early as possible to a 15 year franchise.
Heritage, Narrow-gauge and Miniature
M&GN Society Apologises..........
Lack of traction looks likely to adversely affect the M&GN Members day on the North Norfolk Railway. The Society report that work on ‘Wissington’, the B12 and the Class 31 has been dogged by situations beyond their control so there is little available for the Society to put out on the 1st October – and the J15 could be out of traffic due to its ten year overhaul.
However members can still ride the rails free of charge on the day and have a look at the progress they are making on ‘Wissington’, 31207 and Nigel Scarlett's Joint Heritage Coach Fund projects.
To make up for the disappointment the Society are planning, in conjunction with the NNR, a celebratory event in 2012 to mark the 125th anniversary of the Cromer–Sheringham line which opened on 16 June 1887.
Collision on Dereham rail crossing
On 7 September, the EDP report that the 1.16pm (presumably the 1.15pm) service to Wymondham, run by the Mid Norfolk Railway, clipped the back of a lorry at the Greens Lane crossing just minutes into its journey. Nobody was injured and the train - undamaged in the collision - continued its journey 45 minutes later. James Steward, operations manager for the Mid Norfolk Railway, said: “We stress the importance of obeying the traffic signals at all the level crossings.” Norfolk Police were called at 1.20pm today and the matter will now be referred to the independent Rail Accident Investigation Branch.
David Shepherd and Black Prince at the NNR
On Saturday 20 August the North Norfolk Railway held an evening with David Shepherd all proceeds going to his Wildlife Foundation. The evening included a return journey from Sheringham to Weybourne behind Black Prince, a highly entertaining talk and an art exhibition with originals and prints for sale. It was a delight to see a hive of activity on Weybourne Station where the exhibition was staged. The journey back to Sheringham in darkness was reminiscent of a bygone era. For photographs of the eventclick here.
47596 Returns to Service
Mid-Norfolk Railway report 47596's engine was restarted for the first time at the end of July, 2 years and 4 months after being withdrawn from traffic. In 2009, 47 596 was found to have two leaking liner seals. Consequently water from the cooling system was finding its way into the engine oil. The decision was taken to carry out a complete top end engine rebuild. The opportunity was also taken to clean and paint the engine compartment. The hard work carried out by the Stratford 47 Group will ensure the locomotive is fit for many years' service and it is intended that it will re-enter traffic for this year's Santa Specials.
Away from the Tracks
Signal Box on the move....
It is reported that the historic Soham signal box has been donated to the MNR, and - subject to manpower and equipment availability - is to be erected on the up platform of Kimberley Park station.
.....Signal Box saved
Attleborough Heritage Group has been successful in its representations to English Heritage to obtain Grade II listing status of the Attleborough Railway Station buildings. There are only three other stations in Norfolk with such status. Included in the listing is the rare survival of a Great Eastern Railway Type 4 design Signal Box, including its 1912 mechanical signal lever frame.
Mr Cliff Amos, Chairman of Attleborough Heritage Group said "Network Rail's scheme to replace the mechanical signalling might have lead to the possible loss of this important example of early railway architecture and we are very pleased that we have been instrumental in securing this Grade II listing."
Suffolk-based company buys England's last inland funicular railway
Bridgnorth Cliff Railway in Shropshire, which was built in 1892, has been bought by Suffolk-based property developers Devitt and Sons for more than £700,000. The family firm said it was not intending to make big changes and that it would be "business as usual".
The railway, incorporating Grade II listed buildings at the top and bottom of the cliff, was put on the market in March. It transports people up and down the town's 111ft (33.8m) sandstone cliffs. Two cars on parallel tracks, connected by steel ropes, counterbalance each other - as one rises to the top station, the other runs to the bottom station between High Town and Low Town. The cars are now powered by an electric winding engine, but were originally driven by a system of water balance.