Network Rail has secured funding for a £50 000 trial using cameras and sensors for instant checking of a road bridge at Grantham which is regularly hit by road vehicles. The system will speed up checks by providing real-time alerts, access to data and video footage after a bridge strike and measurements of the impact. NR said the technology is now cost effective, having previously not represented value for money for the taxpayer. ‘This technology will cut the inspection time after a bridge strike from hours to seconds’, said Route Engineer Michael Clegg.
Consultation on the rail reform bill is to begin ‘very shortly’, Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy told the House of Commons Transport Committee on January 22. He said the consultation document would be ‘pretty meaty’.
SME management consultancy Advance Consultancy is to support Community Rail Network and its members by offering pro-bono services and reduced rates for team development and support including strategy direction, collaborative team development, designing and managing transitions; winning and awarding work, and the Learn2Develop bespoke learning capability.
Concerns have been raised with Rail Business UK that unless consultation on the rail reform bill begins soon, it could be impacted by the ‘purdah’ period ahead of the May 1 council elections. Changes to the compositions of local authorities could also make subsequent feedback less predictable, policymakers close to the process have suggested.
Network Rail has announced the appointment of Dave Hooper as Managing Director for its Southern region from May 1, replacing Ellie Burrows who will move to become Managing Director of the Eastern region. Hooper is currently Director of Major Programmes at Siemens Mobility, and has held roles at Osborne, Transport for London and Serco Rail. He previously worked for Network Rail where he led some early track-train integration work with South West Trains.
Porr has awarded Vossloh a €30m contract to supply rail fastening systems for the slab track on High Speed 2 in 2025-27.
Quadient is to install its Parcel Pending automated lockers at 361 ScotRail stations. ‘We are always looking at ways to make life easier for our customers and add value to their journey’, said ScotRail Advertising, Media & Contracts Manager Derek Murray ‘The introduction of Quadient parcel lockers allows customers to combine their commute with the convenience of parcel collection and drop-off, saving time and reducing the hassle.’
Northern reports that more than 50 000 journeys were made on Northumberland Line services in the first month after the reopening in December.
Managing Director of Transport for Greater Manchester Steve Warrener is to continue to Chair the Urban Transport Group for an additional year. ‘With further devolutionary powers and greater fiscal responsibility, city region transport authorities have an even bigger role to play in ensuring that transport services truly deliver for their communities’, he said. ‘But authorities continue to face similar challenges around funding, climate change and skills, to name just a few. The Urban Transport Group’s network of transport authorities is therefore more important than ever in collectively responding to and finding the solutions to these issues.’
Rachel Firth has been appointed Customer Experience & Innovation Manager at Lumo. She has previously held senior roles at LNER and FirstBus.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch makes two recommendations to London Underground in its report into the death of a passenger who fell onto the track at Stratford station in December 2023. The first relates to considering the use of technology that can detect if a passenger is in a dangerous position and intervene or warn as necessary to stop a train. The second concerns reviewing the environmental, organisational and job factors related to automatic train operation mode to understand how underload may affect train operators. A learning point reminds staff of the importance of using safety-critical communications when reporting and responding to incidents.