A court has heard that Network Rail is to plead guilty to health and safety offences over the deaths of two girls at a level crossing. The Office of Rail Regulation’s prosecution of Network Rail is for breaches of health and safety law which led to the deaths of Olivia Bazlinton and Charlotte Thompson, at Elsenham station footpath crossing in December 2005. A spokesperson for the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) said:

The Office of Rail Regulation’s prosecution of Network Rail for breaches of health and safety law which led to the deaths of Olivia Bazlinton and Charlotte Thompson at Elsenham station footpath crossing in December 2005 had its first hearing today at Basildon Magistrates’ Court.

Network Rail pleaded guilty to two charges under The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and guilty to one charge under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The court has committed Network Rail to Chelmsford Crown Court where a sentencing hearing will take place on 15 March 2012.

Our thoughts are with the families of Olivia and Charlotte. ORR will do everything it can to ensure that the prosecution proceeds as quickly as possible.

News Source: Rail.co. Photograph: Ben Harris.

The franchise winner will take on responsibility for 17 stations, encouraging them to invest in them, on a 99 year lease from Network Rail, which will receive a peppercorn rent. Birmingham International station, which serves the city’s airport, is also in line for a new name from May, 2014. A name that reflects its position next to the airport has been called for over many years.

The new franchise will commence in December, with the winner being announced in August, and run until 2026, with an option to extend it for a further 20 months. Originally the franchise was to expire in March, but was extended to allow the Pendolino lengthening project to continue. Under a section 54 agreement the franchise holder must continue to use Pendolinos until March 2022 and Voyagers until March 2016. After this the franchisee is free to propose changes to the fleet. The four bidders for this prestigious franchise are First Group, Abellio, Keolis/SNCF and Virgin. Bids are expected to be in by May.

News Source: Rail.co. Photograph: Mark Heaton.

The return service will run Monday to Friday and will provide Sellafield with seating capacity for up to 186 people. An additional 22 seats will be available to the public from Carlisle to Sellafield. After Sellafield, all carriages will be made available to the public through to Barrow. The train will depart Carlisle at 06:15am , arriving at Sellafield station at 07:55am, making stops at 11 stations en route to Sellafield, before continuing South to Barrow. The return journey will depart Sellafield at 16:48 arriving back at Carlisle at 18:32. Commenting on this service, NMP Infrastructure Director at Sellafield, Paul Foster, said:

We welcome this opportunity to work with DRS in providing alternative options for our employees to travel to work. This work will help us meet our environmental and travel plan commitments. The level of uptake in the trial service will be used to inform the development of future transport solutions, with the aim of reducing the number of vehicles accessing the Sellafield site on a daily basis.

Neil McNicholas, Managing Director at DRS said:

Following on from DRS’ success of the award winning Workington shuttle service during the period of flooding in 2009, DRS is delighted to have the opportunity to work with Sellafield Ltd and Northern Rail in providing this trial train service which will not only give the Sellafield staff a more relaxing and stress free way to travel to work but we will be able to assist Northern Rail in relieving demand for services at this peak time.

News Source: Rail.co. Photograph: Direct Rail Services.

Due to arrive in the UK in late 2013 the locos feature a 3750hp Caterpillar c175 engine and ABB AC traction equipment delivering a top speed of 100 mph and genuine mixed traffic haulage capabilities. The locos will feature the latest emission standards and set new standards for driver environment. The initial order has been placed for 15 locos with further options for future orders.

News Source: Rail.co. Photograph: Direct Rail Services.

The Variobahn already underwent additional test runs on the premises of Chemnitzer Verkehrs-AG (CVAG) in late 2011. Prior to this, a representative of TAB Sachsen had checked the vehicle over and approved it for tests on the CVAG network. Michael Daum, Director of Stadler Pankow GmbH, explains:

The Variobahn will be delivered to London on schedule in mid-January for driver training. We are delighted about this first order from Great Britain. It goes to show that the modular construction system is not only a popular one in Germany, but also goes down well across Europe.

The modular construction produces individual trams that are tailored to the relevant infrastructure and specifications of the operator. They are ‘extremely flexible in terms of their length, width, track gauge and contact wire voltage’. The Variobahn for Croydon offers a real benefit for passengers with restricted mobility. The 100% low flooring with a maximum floor height of 385 mm guarantees easy embarking. The bidirectional vehicles can seat 72 with standing room for 134 passengers, and can reach maximum speeds of 80 km/h. The Variobahn has a length of 32,370 mm and a width of 2,650 mm. As well as state-of-the-art equipment, the vehicles have comfort features such as air-conditioned passenger and driver compartments and ergonomically designed driver cabins. The tram also meets the fire safety requirements for vehicles used in tunnels in accordance with DIN 5510. As of spring 2012, all six vehicles will be available for service on the Croydon tram network.

News Source: Rail.co. Photograph: Stadler.

The Railway Children is an international charity that helps support vulnerable children. If you want to support Ashley you can turn up on the day. You can also sponsor him by going to Just Giving. The YREA would like to wish Ashley the best of luck with his fundraising venture!

Photograph: Chris Jeffery.

The Youth Rail Enthusiasts Association has an online shop where you can purchase branded items and gifts for you and your friends. By purchasing from our shop, you’re also contributing financially to the YREA which helps to secure the future of our organisation. We’re currently looking at making some changes to our shop to make it more affordable for you and easier to use. This survey is being used as a way to get some members opinions about the changes we’re looking to make and we’d like to thank you for taking the time to complete it – it should only take a few minutes.

This survey closed on December 8th at 23:59.

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To download and print our calendar you will need to install Adobe Reader, which is free.

Without kind contributions from our members, this calendar wouldn’t have been possible. We would like to thank everyone who sent in pictures for it. We would also like to say a special congratulations to Calum Cholmondeley. We ran an extra competition where our favourite photograph overall would appear on the front of the publication and also the photographer would win a pair of tickets to the London Transport Museum. Calum was our lucky winner. We would like to say a very special thank you to the museum for providing us with the tickets to give away free of charge.

The first question we asked was “Are you interested in getting a career in the railways?”, and 94.1% of people said they were, either now or at some point in the future. We then asked “If we were to run an online careers event, would this interest you?” and 88.2% of people said yes. For these two reasons we decided it was a good idea for the careers event to go ahead. The rest of the questions we asked were designed to help us decide what content to include in the event.

The next question we asked was “Which of the following would you be interested in seeing at our careers event?” and we invited people to select as many options as they liked. The options were:

• Information about the various different career paths in the rail industry.
• Interviews with railway employers about what they look for in candidates.
• Tips for how to succeed in an interview.
• Tips for improving your CV.
• Information about college and university courses which will benefit you in a railway career.
• Information about possible work experience opportunities.
• Information about voluntary work.

The most popular answers were “Information about the various different career paths in the rail industry” with 79.4%, “Interviews with railway employers about what they look for in candidates” with 73.5%, “Tips for improving your CV” and “Information about college and university courses which will benefit you in a railway career” both with 61.8% each and “Information about possible work experience opportunities” with 52.9%. Because these choices got the most votes, they will be the one’s we put the most focus on during this event. But its likely that there will be content about other areas too.

For the above question we also supplied an “other” option where people could enter their own ideas for what they would like to see featured in our careers event. Some of the suggestions we received are listed below, and we’re going to try and incorporate these into our event as well:

• Live chats and discussions.
• Question and answer sessions.
• Interviews.
• Information about graduate schemes.
• Bursaries and monetary help for students.

The next question was “If interviews would be available, which companies and organisations would you be interested reading about?”. The top four results were train operating companies, freight operating companies, railtour operators and preserved railways with 91.2%, 73.5%, 55.9% and 38.2% respectively. As with the last question though, this doesn’t mean we’ll only be featuring these sources of information. We’ll look into the others such as universities, museums, the government and careers advisers as well but not in quite as much detail.

So what happens next?

From the results of this survey we have decided that we’re definitely going to hold the railway careers event as there seems to be a lot of interest. Its going to take lots of planning and organisation so we don’t know exactly when we’ll be holding it just yet. But keep an eye on our website for more news and updates very soon. We look forward to enjoying the event with you!

We’ll be choosing one photograph to appear on each page, but that’s not all. The photograph we like the best will also appear on the calendars cover page, and the photographer who took it will receive a free ticket to the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden which is valid for two adults. This means in total we’re looking for 12 images with good variety, so whether its mainline, metro, light rail, freight, steam or tram, you’re welcome to submit it to us. If you’re interested in taking part, please take note of the following:

• You must have taken the photograph(s) you submit yourself.
• You must be registered at the YREA Forums.
• You must know the date your photograph was taken.
• You must be able to provide a brief description of the picture.
• We cannot accept watermarked images. Please submit originals.
• You can submit as many photographs as you like.
• We won’t use more than one photo from the same person.
• Staff may enter and can appear in the calendar, but cannot win the free ticket prize.
• The free tickets expire on 31.07.2012. The two adults must visit together.

If you want to submit your photographs then please click here to complete an online entry form. This competition closes on December 27th 2011 and the calendar will be available for download from December 30th 2011. Good luck. We would like to thank the London Transport Museum for their support with this competition.

Updated at 23:59 on December 31st 2011:

Entries to this competition are now closed.

This is welcome news from the Government and the favourable decision by the Transport Secretary is testament to the hard work put in by everyone behind the bid, and is a shining example of partnership working between Warwickshire, Coventry and Centro. The NUCKLE rail link is a key element of our transport strategy and will make a fundamental difference to the economic regeneration of the area. Once it is completed, the scheme will give people better access to jobs and open up new possibilities for leisure and services.

In the future, we will see even more growth in the corridor between Nuneaton and Coventry, and this scheme will help to reduce traffic congestion and deliver more reliable trains between the two destinations.

NUCKLE will mean an increase in the frequency of services between Nuneaton and Coventry of two car trains every 30 minutes, new stations at Bermuda Park and Coventry Arena, and longer platforms at Bedworth station.

News Source: Rail.co. Photograph: Warwickshire County Council.

Click HERE To Start – The survey will close at 8pm on December 18th 2011.

Over the life of the project more than 1,500 people have worked on the structure, with up to 400 people a day on the bridge at the height of the refurbishment works. David Simpson, Network Rail route managing director for Scotland, said:

The completion of this refurbishment will safeguard the future of one of the country’s most famous landmarks. Repainting the bridge has long been considered one of the world’s never-ending tasks, and the refurbishment programme we have just completed has been one of the biggest engineering challenges Network Rail has faced. Our staff and contractors can take real pride in their achievements on this project, not least in the fact that through their efforts this amazing structure will remain free of major maintenance work for at least two decades.

Marshall Scott, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering, added:

Balfour Beatty is immensely proud to have successfully delivered the programme to refurbish the Forth Bridge over the past decade. It is a testament to the skill and commitment of the project team, and the subcontractors and suppliers, involved in this significant and complex programme of works that the iconic Forth Bridge has been returned to its original condition.

With the main refurbishment work completed, contractors will continue to work around the structure between now and spring 2012, decommissioning site compounds and restoring the public viewing area at the North Queensferry side of the bridge. In the years ahead, a small team of specialists and engineers will continue to monitor and maintain the bridge, which is regularly exposed to extreme conditions due to its location above the Firth of Forth.

News Source: Rail.co. Photograph: Network Rail.

The latest Pendolino to roll off the production line in Italy is 390055 and arrived in the UK on 16th November. It is expected to be accepted by Virgin, once test running has finished, in early 2012. Asked if a Pendolino could be seen on the East Coast before too long, Virgin’s chief operating officer Chris Gibb said:

We will work closely with East Coast if there is an opportunity for running a Pendolino along the East Coast for clearance trials.

Although Hitachi has been named preferred bidder for IEP, a final decision on the project has been deferred.

News Source: Rail.co. Photograph: Virgin Trains.

The wagon was moved from Shirebrook to the Freightliner workshops at York earlier this week and has already had viewings from several generating companies who are examining the potential for the generation of renewable power from sustainable biomass. Michael Leadbetter, Freightliner’s General Manager Coal & Biomass, said:

Visits by other customers are already lined up to examine the wagon. The wagon and concept has been extremely well received so far by everyone. We have worked well with the designers and manufacturers to develop this wagon. Having developed its design following consultation with the generation industry, I am now confident to inject it into the market and we will be undertaking trials with it in the near future.

News Source: Rail.co. Photograph: Freightliner.

This new gate line to the Gatwick Express platforms, at both stations, means there will no longer be an option to buy a ticket once onboard the Gatwick Express train from Monday 12th December. More and more customers have been buying their tickets online at gatwickexpress.com due to the great offers available, and pre-purchase is now the favoured sales channel. Customers will need to buy their tickets before they board the train. As well as online, tickets can easily be bought at ticket machines and ticket offices at both Victoria and Gatwick airport stations.

The newly created Gatwick Express Customer Service Hosts will also be on hand to sell tickets with their mobile ticket machines. As well as these new gates and the new staffing role, the non-stop rail service provider is installing eight new ticket machines at London Victoria train station and Gatwick Airport train station. The new gates will be fully operational by the 31st December.

News Source: Rail.co. Photograph: Gatwick Express.

This arrest forms part of ongoing work we are undertaking with Network Rail and local police forces to tackle this crime, work which is having a great effect. As part of our efforts to trace those responsible for cable theft we visit scrap yards in the area as most cable thieves look for the quickest way to sell on the stolen goods – scrap yards are one such method.

We work closely with scrap yard owners to monitor any cable which is brought in and, with assistance from railway and telecoms experts, can quickly identify stolen cable. The theft of cable has a direct impact on the everyday lives of the traveling public; it really is an attack on the community. The act of stealing cable is also an extremely dangerous crime which is costly to the rail industry and to the thousands of passengers who rely on the rail network.

Network Rail, working in partnership with the charity Crimestoppers, is offering a reward of up to £1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any cable thieves. Anyone with information about cable theft can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or anyone with information about cable theft should contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40.

News Source: Rail.co. Photograph: British Transport Police.

The centre was opened by the Queen in 1987 and is home to 3 working signal boxes and numerous steam, diesel and electric locomotives, including the unique tilting APT. It is also used to stable steam locomotives between main line running. Crewe’s railway heritage goes back decades and includes not only the famous Crewe works, but also local heroic train driver Jack Mills, who was attacked trying to defend his mail train in 1963. Such was the emotion surrounding Jack that cinemas refused to show the film Buster in the town.

Locals are also worried that the town’s Christ Church, built by the Grand Junction Railway company in 1845, could also be closed if money cannot be raised to carry out much needed repairs. It was the first railway funded church to be built in Crewe.

News Source: Rail.co. Photograph: Jonathan Webb.

The tree is so tall it reaches up through to the upper level of the station where the platforms are, meaning people can see the tree as soon as they step off their train. The tree will remain at the station until the 2nd of January.

News Source: Rail.co. Photograph: A Samuel.