Issuu

DRIVER-ONLY OPERATION How did we get to the current disputes about changing roles for on-board staff?

CLASS 08

PRECURSORS

Full story of the locos that led to the first ‘08’ being born 65 years ago

Essential reading for today’s rail enthusiast

‘DELTICS’

THEN AND NOW

Savouring their performance in BR days and preservation

RAIL EXPRESS No. 260 JANUARY 2018

■ Nos. 55016 and 55022 sold to a new owner!

JOIN US ON OUR CLASS 50 TOUR See page 10

MODELLING SECTION ■ WARLEY ROUND-UP Everything new at the show

■ BULLEID DIESEL

The new 4mm loco in depth

■ THE PICK OF ‘47s’ Two new versions reviewed

ORDSALL CHORD OPENS Scheduled services start using the new cross-city link in Manchester

Issue No. 260 January 2018

CONTENTS

TYNESIDE LEAF BUSTER: Now that the autumn leaf fall season is over for another year, here is a look at one of the more unusual railhead treatment trains – the one used on the Tyne & Wear Metro system. The Metro has three Network Rail-registered battery-electric locos, Nos. BL1-3, which are normally used to power the RHTT. But unavailability on November 11 saw the train ‘top and tailed’ by Metrocars Nos. 4029 and 4083 instead – the unusual combination seen approaching Northumberland Park with an afternoon trip around the coast loop. Scott Lowes

FEATURES

NEWS

DOO WOES Examining the history of changing rules for traincrew leading up to the current disputes over driver-only operation.

VTEC to end early in 2020; First EGIP electrics; Ordsall Chord opens in Manchester; First Class to be abolished in next South Eastern franchise; West Midlands franchise launches with two new brands; Full Thameslink timetable postponed for 12 months; Heritage line hosts police firearms training; BARS locomotive fleet broken up; Colas ‘47s’ sold to GB Railfreight.

SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS The best ways to get Rail Express every month.

CLASS 08 PRECURSORS The first ‘08’ emerged 65 years ago, but its development dates back to the 1930s.

EXPRESS MAILBAG

Class 50 rarities; MoD traffic; First HAA wagon.

REVIEWS A selection of recent modern traction titles.

TIME TRAVELLER Looking back to January's modern traction news from the past five decades.

MODELLING It has been a busy month for new product releases, including many at the recent Warley show in Birmingham, and we provide a full round-up of the diesels, electrics and rolling stock in all scales. Reviews include Kernow’s Bulleid diesel, ‘47s’ from two manufacturers, and Hattons’ Class 121 'bubbles'.

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LU WORLD

RAILTOURS Pathfinder recalls ‘Spin & Wind’ days; Bleak January in store.

REGULARS 30

FFROM ONLY

TfL cancels Asset Inspection Train; Tunnelling complete for Battersea extension.

SECOND CHANCE: CLASS 55 Savouring ‘Deltic’ performance in preservation today and looking back to British Rail days.

HEADLINE NEWS

PRESERVATION ‘Deltics’ sold to Locomotive Services; Three DMUs return at ELR gala; '37' moves to Chinnor.

POWER BY THE HOUR Stored ‘92s’ planned for reinstatement.

POWERSCENE Our round-up of key workings

UNITS GWR introduces more ‘800’ diagrams.

SHUNTERS GWR ‘Gronks’ escape Laira.

COACHES ERS buys more coaches; Mk.3s go off lease.

WAGONS First IIA-F covered hoppers arrive.

IRISH ANGLE New route for Grand Hibernian.

The Deltic Preservation Society marked its 40th anniversary with a gala at the Bluebell Railway in October featuring three Class 55s. One of them, the NRM’s No. 55002 (as D9002), is pictured accelerating up Freshfield Bank on the first day, October 6, with the 16.15 Sheffield Park to East Grinstead – see page 26 for more on these magnificent locos. John Pearson

Editor’s Comment PRINT & DISTRIBUTION

Newstrade & distribution Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU. 0203 787 9001 Printed by William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton Published Monthly This issue December 22, 2017 Next issue January 19, 2018 Advertising deadline January 3, 2018 ISSN No 1362 234X

Paul Bickerdyke Rail Express Editor

© Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Cumbrian ‘Hoovers’

AM pleased this month to be able to announce a special railtour that will take a pair of Class 50s to some rare territory. We have teamed up with Pathfinder Tours, Riviera Trains, GB Railfreight and the Class 50 Alliance to run the ‘Cumbrian Hoovers’ charter on April 14, with proceeds going to the Railway Children charity. The tour will cover two spectacularly scenic lines. It will run from Birmingham International to Carlisle, outward via the Settle & Carlisle Line and back via the Cumbrian Coast Line. The S&C will test the locos as they haul the 13-coach train up the famous ‘Long Drag’ to Ais Gill summit. But even more mouth-watering is that return trip along the edge of the Lake District. ‘Hoovers' never regularly worked between Carlisle and Barrow in British Rail days, and this trip will be the first for many years – can any reader help with photos or sightings of any previous workings, especially during the class’s early West Coast Main Line days? Full details of the trip are on page 10, and

we look forward to seeing you aboard what is bound to be a sell-out given the traction and routing involved. ■ Speaking of making history, the oldest Class 08 has just notched up an incredible 65 years since entering traffic. Happily that loco – No. 13000, which never received a TOPS number – is now safely in preservation with the Heritage Shunters Trust at Rowsley, Derbyshire. Even more incredible is the fact that the basic ‘08’ design dates back even further to the pre-Nationalisation ‘Big Four’ railway companies – making it by far the most successful diesel in terms of both numbers and longevity. We have the full story of those precursors on page 22, along with the locations of all surviving Class 08/09 locos. Paul Bickerdyke

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EDITORIAL

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Simon Bendall Editor Rail Express Modeller

Christopher Westcott

David Russell

Power by the Hour Shunters Name Game Spectrum

David Rapson

Preservation Units Coaches

Gareth Bayer Wagons

LU World (with Piers Connor)

Powerscene

William Watson Irish Angle (with Alan McFerran)

‘Industry Witness’ News Writer

HITACHI IN FULL PRODUCTION: The scale of construction at Hitachi’s plant in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, is clear in this shot taken on November 20, with many GWR bi-mode and ScotRail EMU vehicles visible at various build stages.

1. Stage one of assembly sees the bodyshells delivered to Newton Aycliffe from storage at the nearby Teesport docks, where they arrived from Japan.

This was the day the first fully completed and branded ‘385’ No. 385103 was inspected by the Scottish Government’s minister for transport Humza Yousaf, and the day before that EMU was taken north to Craigentinny (Edinburgh) by DB Cargo’s No. 67010. The current ‘385’ order comprises 234 vehicles formed into 46 three-car Class 385/0s and 24 four-car Class 385/1s. They are intended for use between and around Glasgow and Edinburgh, the first being due to enter service imminently now that the Edinburgh-Glasgow main line electrification scheme has been completed. All photos by Paul Bickerdyke

2. Once unpacked, the bodyshells are taken inside and placed on wheeled stands so that work can begin on the underframes and interiors. Tasks are divided such that each vehicle moves on to the next one every day.

3. There is a mass of wiring, harnesses and pipework to be fitted to the interiors and underframes.

4. The finished interiors are bright and airy, with a mixture of table and airline seating.

5. Completed units are taken through this gauging structure by one of Hitachiâ€™s Zephir Lok 20.300 road-rail shunting mules.

6. This structure supports water jets that are used to test finished units for leaks.

7. The Newton

Aycliffe plant has its own test track, which runs parallel to the DarlingtonBishop Auckland branch for about half a mile. This is the cab of No. 385103, out on the test track.

8. Finished and tested units such as three-car No. 385015 are kept in the sidings to await delivery, a diesel loco being required to drag the EMUs away.

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HEADLINE NEWS

VTEC to end early in 2020 History repeats itself as the current East Coast operator admits it will not meet its franchise commitments over the full eight year contract, and so will be replaced by an integrated ‘track and trains’ partnership.

By ‘Industry Witness’ THE eight-year Virgin Trains East Coast franchise is to finish three years early in 2020 following lower than expected growth in revenue and passenger numbers. It will be replaced by an integrated ‘track and trains’ joint venture between Network Rail and a new operating entity. It had become clear that the financial performance of VTEC, which is 90% owned by Stagecoach and 10% by Virgin, was falling far short of the predictions it made to enable the promised premium payments. For the eight-year agreement between 2015 and 2023, the franchise contract included a commitment to pay £3.3 billion to the Department for Transport. This was based on a 50% increase in passenger numbers over the period, and revenue growth of close to 10% per annum. The belief was that a combination of stronger marketing using the Virgin name and enhanced services following the introduction of Class

800 and Class 801 IETs would result in significant traffic growth. The reality has been a much lower increase in passenger numbers, which has made the premium payments in later years unsustainable. The structure of the contract requires ‘ring fenced’ funds to cover any potential revenue shortfall, but it became clear the trading position would exhaust this money long before 2023. A premium payment of £424 million is due in 2021, £516 million in 2022, and £594 million in 2023. This compares to £325 million paid in the current year, which is far more than the operating profit of the TOC.

PATTERN OF OVERBIDDING

Events had the potential to mirror previous franchisees GNER and National Express, both of which handed back the keys early in 2007 and 2009 respectively. But instead of handing it over to the Government-owned Directly Operated Railways as before, the DfT has said it will set up the ‘East Coast Partnership’ operated by a single management,

under a single brand, overseen by a single leader. This is similar to railways in Scotland, where ScotRail and Network Rail are similarly managed. It is hard to understand why experienced transport operators like Stagecoach and Virgin continue to underwrite franchise bids that assume there will be a step change in ticket sales. Past financial success by rail franchises has resulted from higher utilisation of existing capacity by offering good value advance tickets and charging more for First Class premium tickets. More recently, the revenue assumptions made have required more people to make journeys rather than attracting a transfer from air or road travel. VTEC has certainly increased its share of the London-Edinburgh market against airline travel by offering a better service frequency, but it does not appear to have increased the overall size of the market. East Coast operations depend far more on discretionary travel than business or commuter journeys, and

much of the market from stations served on the route is for travel to London. Although the traditional two-for-one tickets for visitor attractions have been publicised, little else has been done such as packaged breaks. For families, there is the reality that London might be avoided at a time when there is a terrorism threat. The National Passenger Survey scores provide VTEC with a satisfaction level of 91%, but there continues to be a low rating of 63% for how the train operator deals with operational incidents that disrupt services. This suggests there is poor contingency planning to enable an effective service to be offered when things go wrong. Passengers making discretionary journeys are less forgiving if there is service disruption and may not be persuaded to repeat a rail trip. The idea of operating as a partnership does not change the fact that Network Rail and the train operator are separate legal entities with their own company structures running below the partnership team, and as such it is difficult to see that much will change. E

PENZANCE FIRST: No. 802002 worked through to Penzance as the 5X90/07.46 from Stoke Gifford (Bristol) on November 15, becoming the first of the bi-mode class to reach the Cornish terminus, where it is pictured after arriving late morning. The set returned as the 5X92/14.00 to Stoke Gifford. Great Western Railway has ordered a fleet of 22 five-car and 14 nine-car Class 802s to replace HSTs on its West of England services. They are similar to the DfTprocured Class 800 IETs but with uprated engines to tackle the stiff gradients in Devon and Cornwall.

FIRST EGIP ELECTRICS: Electric trains started running on the main line between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Falkirk on

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8 RAIL EXPRESS January 2018

December 10, following completion of the route’s electrification scheme (EGIP). The first trains were Nos. 380114+380004 as the 08.30 Queen Street-Edinburgh and Nos. 380020+380113 as the 08.30 Edinburgh-Queen Street, and both formations remained out all day. There are two weekday diagrams formed of a seven-car set, basically the on-the-hour departures from both ends for much of the day. Class 380s will be used alongside the current fleet of Class 170 DMUs until the new fleet of Class 385 EMUs, being built by Hitachi in Newton Aycliffe (see pages 6/7), enter service in the early part of 2018. ScotRail

HEADLINE NEWS

NEW MANCHESTER LINE OPENS:

IN BRIEF

Passenger services started using Manchester’s Ordsall Chord on December 10, which provides a direct connection between the city’s two main Victoria and Piccadilly stations for the first time. The inaugural service was the 08.40 Victoria to Oxford Road formed of DMUs Nos. 150142+158909, which then formed the 08.57 to Leeds via Bradford. The chord opens up a range of possible new direct services, such as Bradford to Manchester Airport, and will help avoid conflicting movements at Piccadilly by diverting away TransPennine Express services that currently have to cross the station throat there. The impressive ‘network arch’ bridge that forms the centre of the chord is pictured before opening on November 9, while the first train is pictured heading south over the bridge towards Oxford Road. Great North Rail Project (right), Paul Bickerdyke (below)

CROYDON TRAM REPORT THE Rail Accident Investigation Branch has released its final report into the overturning of tram No. 2551 at Sandilands junction, Croydon, on November 9, 2016. The report found that the risk of trams overturning on curves was not properly understood by the tramway and so there were insufficient safety measures. All of the passengers who were killed, and many of those who were seriously injured, fell through the windows or doors as the tram tipped over. RAIB has recommended action in five main areas: the use of modern technology to intervene when trams approach hazardous features too fast, or when drivers lose awareness of the driving task; tramways need to promote better awareness and management of the risk associated with tramway operations; work needs to be done to reduce the extent of injuries caused to passengers in serious tram accidents and to make it easier for them to escape; there needs to be improvements to safety management systems; and greater collaboration is needed across the tramway industry on matters relating to safety.

DAMAGED ‘DESIROS’

First Class to be abolished on South Eastern routes in next franchise

New trains will have more standing room and be capable of driver-only operation. By ‘Industry Witness’ A NEW South Eastern franchise will start on April 1, 2019, and the Department for Transport has decided that the successful bidder will be required to declassify First Class accommodation by December 2020. It was acknowledged in the consultation process that there continued to be demand for premium travel, but this has been outweighed by the need to maximise space available for all passengers. The decision will not be welcomed by the Kent coastal resorts, which are seeking to regenerate towns by offering an attractive rail service that will appeal to all sections of the market. The Invitation To Tender (ITT) was issued on November 29 to the three qualified bidders ,Govia (the current operator), Stagecoach, and Abellio in partnership with the East Japan Railway and Mitsui. Trenitalia had previously withdrawn from the competition. Bids must be submitted by March 14, 2018. An examination of the 254-page document shows that the Department for Transport is looking to micro-manage

the process, with little scope for bidders to suggest better ways of providing services. There is one exception, however, in that new routes can be proposed to improve connectivity – but these must follow the restrictive abstraction rules that apply to open access operators competing with franchises. One such opportunity would be to make greater use of HS1 for domestic services with an enhanced fleet of Class 395 EMUs. Changes can also be made to the rolling stock in use. The fleet totals 392 units of Classes 375, 376, 377, 395, 465 and 466, made-up in formations of between two and six vehicles. The ITT allows for passenger space to be reduced from the current 0.45m2 to either 0.35m2 or 0.25m2. This suggests that new trains with metro style interiors, fewer seats and more standing room will be favoured. It raises the question of whether the Class 465/466 ‘Networker’ sets, which date from 1991, will be either rebuilt with new interiors or replaced by new vehicles. Any new trains must allow for driver-only operation but must also

be fitted with equipment for guards to continue in their current role. The timetable is to retain the choice of London terminals from individual stations as now, and any changes must reflect the ability to path 35 international freight services per day between the Channel Tunnel and Wembley. Although there are only a handful of such services currently running, the capacity is protected until 2052 under the terms of the 1996 Eurotunnel agreement with British Rail. A further constraint to timetable change is that no flexing of paths is permitted for Eurostar services on HS1 and Thameslink operations involving South Eastern routes. There is a requirement to establish a Route Supervisory Board to improve management integration between Network Rail and the train operator. Financially, the structure will return to a ‘cap and collar’ regime. This means that if the revenue falls below 97% of the forecast level, the DfT will meet 80% of the shortfall. Similarly, if revenue rises above 103% of forecast, the DfT will take 80% of the benefit.

ANOTHER Class 350 faces a spell out of traffic after No. 350115, working the 2Y15/12.25 Northampton-Birmingham New Street, struck an open container door on a passing Freightliner service a few miles into its journey on December 4. The impact damaged the leading cab structure, which will require a works repair, and also caused more minor bodyside scrapes. Meanwhile, the two Driving Motor Standard (DMS) cars damaged in the Watford derailment and collision on September 16, 2016, are due back in the UK in early 2018. Cars No. 61533 and 61564 from Nos. 350233 and 350264 have been undergoing repairs at Siemens’ plant in Germany since late 2016. One is scheduled to return in early January with the other following in April.

WOLVERHAMPTON LOGISTICS BUILDING work officially began on the new £6 million DB Cargo Logistics Centre in Wolverhampton with a groundbreaking ceremony on November 23. The centre will increase the site’s capability to handle and store steel from 1,380 to 3,325 coils, equivalent to 40,000 tonnes of steel. DBC transports the coils to the site by rail, from there they are distributed to manufacturers across the West Midlands to produce products such as white goods and cars. The Wolverhampton Logistics Centre is set to open in summer 2018.

TRANSPORT FOCUS VALUE for money remains the top thing rail passengers want to see improved, according to the independent watchdog Transport Focus, which asked more than 12,800 people to rank things that would most improve their journey experience. Value for money came top, followed by getting a seat and improved punctuality. The watchdog speaks to more than 50,000 passengers a year as part of the National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS).

January 2018 RAIL EXPRESS 9

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HEADLINE NEWS IN BRIEF PADDINGTON DERAILMENT THE Rail Accident Investigation Branch has issued its report into the derailment of a HST at Paddington station in August. The report concludes that timbers on the track had decayed to the point that they were no longer able to maintain the alignment of the track, derailing the rear power car of the 11.57 departure from platform 2. The report concludes that once work to renew longitudinal timbers has been identified as being necessary, it should be given appropriate priority, and that routine visual inspection of these timbers should take account of defects identified in previous detailed examinations. The report also states that when consideration is being given to prioritising project activities over remedial maintenance work, the risk of infrastructure failure is taken into account.

MML UPGRADE THE first overhead line electrification masts have been installed on the Bedford to Corby route. The work is claimed to be part of the biggest upgrade of the Midland Main Line since it was completed in 1870, which will see improvements up and down the route totalling an investment of more than £1 billion. Network Rail’s latest milestone saw 40 masts erected on a section of the line between Kettering and Corby. The new structures will hold the overhead line equipment needed to power new trains on the route, and were installed by engineers who had to align and secure the five-metre masts onto steel piles installed earlier this year.

DONCASTER HUB THE new intermodal rail freight hub in Doncaster, iPort Rail, will become operational in January 2018. The facility is located within seven hours of all the UK’s deep-water ports, and will rank in the top five UK inland ports in terms of size and capacity. iPort Rail is located on a 30-acre site within the 337-acre iPort logistics park, providing an independently operated, high-volume, secure container facility with 24/7 access for customers. It will accommodate maximum UK train lengths, with one 800 metre reception siding, two 400 metre handling sidings and a headshunt and refuge siding, and will handle up to six trains per day.

Ride with Rail Express! Join us for a double-headed Class 50 tour over the Settle & Carlisle and Cumbrian Coast Lines in April. CONTINUING the celebrations to mark 50 years of the Class 50s, Rail Express has teamed up with Pathfinder Tours, Riviera Trains, GB Railfreight and the Class 50 Alliance to run a charter from Birmingham to Carlisle on Saturday April 14, 2018. The outbound trip will be via Wigan, Blackburn and the Settle & Carlisle Line, with the return via the Cumbrian Coast Line and Barrow. The 'Cumbrian Hoovers' will be one of the railtour highlights of 2018, retracing the diversionary route used by Class 50s during their WCML days in the late 1960s and early 1970s, before taking the locos on a very rare outing around the coastal edge of the Lake District – a route they never regularly used in BR days. The two locos are expected to be Nos. 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance, hauling a 13-coach train comprising Standard, First Class Plus and Premier Dining seats. The train will depart Birmingham International around 06.00 and pick up at Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western. It will then travel via Blackburn to a planned photostop at Hellifield, before tackling the famous gradients of the S&C and arriving in Carlisle just after midday. After a break of a couple of hours to service the stock, the ‘50s’ will head south along the Cumbrian

Our trip on April 14 will recall the days of double-headed Class 50s hauling diverted Anglo-Scottish expresses over the Settle & Carlisle Line.

Coast with planned photostops at Workington and Barrow. The tour will join the WCML at Carnforth and then set down as outward to arrive back at Birmingham International before 23.00. Fares for this special train are: Standard Class: £105 child £55 First Class Plus: £169 child £129 Premier Dining: £259 child £219 Table-for-two seats in First Class Plus and Premier Dining carry a £30 per person supplement.

Seats for the tour are limited and demand is expected to be extremely high. Proceeds will be donated to The Railway Children charity. Bookings open on December 18 at 10.00 on a first-come, first-served basis and are being handled by Pathfinder Tours on telephone 01453 835414 or 834477. You can also book online at www.pathfindertours.co.uk, or by post to Pathfinder Tours, Stag House, Gydynap Lane, Inchbrook, Woodchester, Gloucestershire, GL5 5EZ. E

West Midlands franchise launches with two new brands THE start of the new eight-year West Midlands franchise, which took over from London Midland on December 10, saw the launch of new West Midlands Railway (WMR) and London Northwestern Railway (LNR) brands by West Midlands Trains – a joint venture between Abellio, JR East and Mitsui. The LNR brand was unveiled on Class 350 ‘Desiro’ No. 350373 at Northampton Kings Heath depot on December 11. There it was confirmed that the Class 350/2 sub-class is to be

removed from West Coast services for a yet to be finalised destination. These will be partly replaced by the new build ‘Aventra’ EMUs from Bombardier, but also the transfer in of the 10 Class 350/4s from TransPennine Express. With the Class 350/1 units also set to undergo a refurbishment at the same time, the LNR route will see its Class 319 fleet bolstered to 15 examples to help provide cover. Currently, the Class 350/2s are undergoing traction motor and pantograph modifications to make

them suitable for 110mph operation, a maximum speed that has previously been restricted to only the Class 350/1 and Class 350/3 types. A simultaneous ceremony at Birmingham Snow Hill saw Class 172 DMU No. 172339 unveiled in the new WMR livery. West Midlands Trains plans to invest nearly £1 billion, including £700 million in new and refurbished trains, £70 million in new and existing depots, and more than £60 million in station improvements.

RAILWAY PERFORMANCE SOCIETY MILEPOST THE Railway Performance Society has added its 500,000th entry into its database of train performance. The entry was a record of one of the first runs of the new IETs, which are being introduced on the Great Western and East Coast Main Lines. The society is always keen to recruit new members with an interest in train timing. Members receive a quarterly journal, Milepost, and have access to the society’s vast archive of train runs. Meetings are held regularly in a number of locations across the country.

10 RAIL EXPRESS January 2018

EMU No. 350373 shows off the LNR livery at Northampton Kings Heath depot on December 11. Simon Bendall

DMU No. 172339 launched the WMR livery at Birmingham Snow Hill on December 11. Chris Milner

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HEADLINE NEWS

JINGLE ALL THE WAY:

IN BRIEF

Chiltern Railways unveiled a festive vinyl wrap on Driving Van Trailer No. 82302 in the run up to Christmas. The wrap features Santa Claus in a sleigh filled with presents, the TOC proclaiming it the ‘UK’s fastest sleigh’ as it works on the loco-hauled trains between Marylebone and Birmingham at speeds up to 100mph. The DVT was also used on a special charter taking families from Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Home-Start Banbury for a day out in London on December 16.

COLLAPSED WALL REPORT THE RAIB has released its report into the partial collapse of a wall onto open railway lines at Liverpool on February 28, 2017. Around 170 tons of masonry and other debris fell into the cutting, bringing down overhead wires on some of the tracks and blocking all lines with debris, leading to severe disruption of train services. The report recommends that Network Rail be aware of any of its walls that have a potentially high safety consequence in the event of failure, and to review its assessment procedures for such walls, the use of open-source data to identify changes in land use, and the provision of information on property boundaries to structures examiners.

NIGHT OVERGROUND PARTS of the London Overground are now running 24 hours a day over the weekend as new routes join the Night Tube network. Trains run between New Cross Gate, in south-east London, and Dalston Junction, into the small hours of Saturday and Sunday morning. Owing to Crossrail construction work taking place at night, however, Night Tube Overground trains will not call at Whitechapel station until the new Elizabeth Line is complete. Night Tube fares are charged at off-peak rates for Oyster card and contactless card holders, while Travelcards are valid until 04.30 on the morning after their expiry date.

SWR REFURBISHMENT SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) announced that as part of its £1.2 billion investment plans, it has signed contracts worth £50 million with Siemens to refurbish its existing 172-strong Class 444 and Class 450 ‘Desiro’ fleets, which currently operate across the SWR network. The enhancement programme will include a full interior refurbishment of all trains, including: at seat power points for mobile devices, real-time information displays, and carpets. Additional benefits for First Class customers will include new leather seats and tables incorporating inductive charging. The programme is expected to take around 12 months to complete.

Full Thameslink timetable postponed for 12 months The core section will be ready for December 2018, but the wider network will need another year of further investment to support the new services. By ‘Industry Witness’ THE full 24-train-per-hour Thameslink timetable has been postponed until December 2019, despite the necessary infrastructure improvements and fleet of new Class 700 EMUs being ready for December 2018. An interim service will be implemented from May 2018 featuring 18 trains per hour, which will provide 70% of the capacity benefits. As a preliminary to that, a number of services from the Midlands route will be diverted via London Bridge in January 2018, with Canal Junction coming into use from April 2018 to allow Great Northern services to run through the central core. These arrangements have been brought forward to allow greater scope for route learning and testing of equipment for Automatic Train Operation. The May 2018 timetable will see the introduction of services between Peterborough and Horsham via Gatwick Airport; Cambridge and Brighton; Luton and the Kent Medway towns; and link Bedford with East Grinstead

and Littlehampton. The intended through trains between Cambridge and Maidstone will terminate at King’s Cross and Blackfriars respectively. The timetable will be enhanced to 20tph in December 2018 with additional Cambridge to Brighton and Bedford to Littlehampton services; 22tph in May 2019 when the Welwyn Garden City to King’s Cross and Sevenoaks to Blackfriars services are linked to form a through service; and finally 24tph in December 2019 when two trains per hour are added between Cambridge and Horsham via Gatwick Airport. The 24tph timetable requires the use of ECTS (European Train Control System) providing ATO (Automatic Train Operation) in the core section between St Pancras International and Blackfriars. This system has already been approved for use with empty movements to allow driver training, with approval to follow for passenger use by the Office of Rail and Road if testing is successful.

The Great Northern problem

The staged introduction of services follows an intervention by the National

Audit Office, which believes the full timetable cannot yet be supported beyond the central London core. The cost to date of route rebuilding is £5.5 billion, which is an overspend from the original £5 billion budget, but it is now judged that a further £700 million must be spent to improve the reliability of the infrastructure Thameslink services will use on the wider network. The longer distance Great Northern route operations look to represent the biggest threat to performance. With two track bottlenecks at Welwyn and from Peterborough to Huntingdon, it is thought that trains will be unable to reliably meet their allocated slot on the core section given that priority at the bottlenecks will be given to keeping long-distance East Coast inter-city services on time. What happens then is unclear. It has been suggested that a Great Northern service running more than five minutes late will be diverted into King’s Cross, with resulting disruption to the return working and passengers travelling to onward stations. E

HERITAGE LINE HOSTS POLICE TRAINING: Officers of the Thames Valley Police took part in firearms training exercises at the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway on four Fridays in November. The exercises made use of a Class 165 DMU loaned by Chiltern Railways each day, and involved officers practising various scenarios using Chinnor volunteers as ‘passengers’ – including the use of gunfire and rescuing passengers from danger. TVP training officer PC Liam Busby of the Tactical Firearms Group said: “This training has been crucial in developing officers’ understanding of being able to operate in and around the rail network. This will enable officers to be better able to respond to any high-threat situations on our rail network.” Phil Marsh

12 RAIL EXPRESS January 2018