This thread is for talking about railways, and things related to railways, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - that means we're all about big intercity trains, modest rural trains, long freight trains, trips, tracks, (deep breath) trams, subways, stations, and a partridge in a pear tree~.

If you're unfamiliar with train travel, take a look at National Rail's journey planner, at nationalrail.co.uk/ - tell it where you're travelling from and to, and it'll show you a few options before handing you over to a train company so you can buy a ticket. For the same journey, they'll all charge the same price, so it doesn't matter who you buy one from. The best option for overseas visitors would be to use thetrainline.com/ - it'll support your language and payment card.

Here's a few links:
~The Man in Seat 61 (seat61.com/) - easily the best rail travel resource out there.
~A Visual History of Railway Rolling Stock in Great Britain (gaelan.me/br-stock/)
~Geoff Marshall (youtube.com/@geofftech2) - likes trains. Mostly harmless.
~Jago Hazzard (youtube.com/@jagohazzard) - London train history. Ditto.

...and some cool 'open data' stuff:
~Realtimetrains (realtimetrains.co.uk/) - live train timetables: ideal for keeping on top of ETAs and platforms.
~Openrailwaymap (openrailwaymap.org/) - not quite 'Google Maps for railway infrastructure', but close.
~TIGER (tiger.worldline.global/home/) - live station departure boards.
~Traksy (traksy.uk/live/) - live signalling information.

What's happening?
~Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill: bills.parliament.uk/bills/3732/ - (mostly) renationalising the railway.
~Phase One of High Speed 2 (Birmingham-London): hs2.org.uk/
~Belfast Grand Central: weaverscross.co.uk/belfast-transport-hub/
~The Transpennine Route Upgrade (electrifying the Liverpool-York mainline): thetrupgrade.co.uk/
~The Midland Main Line electrification (still no website!)
~The East Coast Digital Programme: nextgenerationrailway.co.uk/

What's in the news lately?
~The railway is in the process of being restored to public ownership (link above) - in short, passenger railway services are to be provided by public sector companies, instead of by private companies' franchises. The fine details are a little vague at this stage, and the rolling stock - i.e. the trains - will almost certainly continue to be leased from private companies.
~ScotRail plan to replace the venerable HSTs (railmagazine.com/news/2024/09/03/scotland-to-replace-hst-fleet/)
~UK's first battery-powered intercity train begins tests on the mainline (railtechnologymagazine.com/articles/uks-first-battery-powered-intercity-train-begins-testing-national-rail-network/)
~Network Rail will waive railfreight track access charges for six months (railwaygazette.com/uk/track-access-charge-waiver-aims-to-attract-new-freight-to-rail/67235.article/)
~First HS2 viaduct complete (mediacentre.hs2.org.uk/news/hs2-celebrates-first-completed-viaduct/)

Cool stuff to do?
~lner.co.uk/our-destinations/popular-destinations/trains-to-york/things-to-do-in-york/ - take a trip at 125mph from King's Cross to York. Make sure to spend an hour or two in the National Railway Museum near York station, and take in York Castle and the city's Viking history exhibits afterward.
~avantiwestcoast.co.uk/where-we-go/destination-guides/lake-district/ - journey through the Dales into Oxenholme, and go mountain biking through the gorgeous natural scenery of the Lake District national park.
~www.sleeper.scot/destination/ftw/ - take the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Fort William, then change onto the westcoastrailways.co.uk/jacobite/steam-train-trip/ Jacobite steam train that'll take you over the famous Glenfinnan 'Harry Potter viaduct'.
~scenicrailbritain.com/lines/st-ives-bay-line/ - the St Ives Bay Line will take you to the sandy beaches of Cornwall.
~cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/caerphilly-castle/ - visit the largest castle in Wales, a short walk from the station.

...and no book recommendation this time around - dunno about you but lately I've been absolutely hooked on the Olympics and, right now, the Paralympics. Here's a pair of the specially-liveried Eurostar trains at St Pancras, who've been ferrying TeamGB athletes & para-athletes between London and Paris.

so what's stopping the government run rail franchises to slap the double arrow onto their trains and call themselves British Rail again?

>>2016941
Not a lot - it's probably what the end result will look like. Right now, the law needs to be changed so that this can happen, and so Parliament has to come to an agreement on exactly how it should be changed, and what it should be changed to.

Meanwhile, 'shadow GBR' is being set up by the people in charge of the Government-run rail franchises and Network Rail, ready to take over responsibility for passenger rail travel once they're ready and legally allowed to, and to make whatever improvements are possible in the meantime. Here's a brief speech from yesterday made by the Transport Secretary about this process: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/establishing-a-shadow-great-british-railways

>...and no book recommendation this time around
Is that because nobody reads them?

>>2016934
>First HS2 viaduct complete
The Colne Valley viaduct is now finished, as well: it's now the longest rail bridge in Britain. They've yet to actually install the track and sound barriers, of course, and there's the remediation work to the construction site, but there it is.

Standard in the new 810s...

...and First. Still going to be a year or so before they end up in service, though.

https://hs2.green/our-conference-motion-e01-green-rail-strategy-for-the-midlands-and-the-north/

Grand Central's now open in Belfast, or the bus interchange portion at least ... supposedly the trains will be transferring to the new station 'sometime in the autumn' so, great, just in time for the nice weather lol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YCWnfFLsL0

>>2016941
>so what's stopping the government run rail franchises to slap the double arrow onto their trains and call themselves British Rail again?
Give it time. Once they end this silly arrangement with the rolling stock all being leased from private owners you'll probably see something similar to pic rel, just replace Russia with GBR and Soviet Union with British Rail.

>>2017950
>Once they end this silly arrangement with the rolling stock all being leased from private owners
It's be nice, but given everything else in the news lately, I'm not sure anybody's going to find a few billion between the couch cushions to basically nationalise the ROSCOs as well.

1. Except with written permission from an operator no person on the railway shall, to the annoyance of any person:

1. sing or
2. use any instrument, article or equipment for the production or reproduction of sound

I would rather drive down to London from the the Midlands than get on a train again. If it's more than 2 people in the car it's actually cheaper too.

Someone I work with was talking about rail strikes again, and I had to explain how there are two different unions, one for people who work on the tracks and one for train drivers. But it made me think: if train drivers are going on strike, and if the train companies are privatised, what do we care if they get paid more? It's a private company; my taxes don't pay train drivers. Do they?

>>2018551
>my taxes don't pay train drivers. Do they?
They don't. The closest you'll get to that kind of thing would be how Network Rail - the 'everything that doesn't move or breathe' people - currently exist in a legal fiction where they're an independent private company but just so happen to be underwritten by the Government so that they can borrow money from banks at favourable-ish rates. Like a 16-year-old being put on their dad's car insurance.

vaguely interesting: there's track drainage work going on around Berwick this month, so for a few weekends it's Azumas up part of the WCML after doing a loop-de-loop in Newcastle.

(a rare thing since privatisation - one of those shitty 'it's cheaper + less faff for us to put on rail replacement buses than it is to have drivers maintain route knowledge outside their normal patch' things)

Scratching my head a little at this:

>https://www.railmagazine.com/news/2024/09/17/hull-trains-reveals-possible-sheffield-timetable

Hull Trains are after launching a direct Sheffield-King's Cross train, going via Retford - so doing a big loop around Gainsborough and Lincoln before joining the ECML at Newark. According to the article it's for the benefit of the Worksop catchment area:

>Hull Trains believes there is an untapped market which would make this new service worthwhile, saying that an estimated 350,000 people in the Worksop and Woodhouse catchment areas would have direct rail access to London with this planned new service.

...but Worksop already has an hourly train to Sheffield, which is of course on the Midland Main Line with St Pancras at the other end. Surely there's no pressing demand for a 'long way round' service to the station that's next door to St Pancras?

https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/excitement-builds-for-railways-200th-anniversary-across-the-south-of-england
>Railway 200 celebrations on track, as more partners get on board
>International festival programme unveiled, inspired by journey that changed the world
>National rail sale, largest assembly of trains and rail exhibits, national locomotive ‘whistle-off’, and much more!
>[big-ass list]
>These, and other events across the UK, are being publicised on a new interactive map on the Railway 200 website (www.railway200.co.uk). Other activities include anniversary-related train namings, open days, heritage trails, rail staff and public events, commemorative books, exhibitions, competitions, school and public talks, steam shows, site visits, murals, quizzes and charity fundraising.

This sounds promising, as well:

https://www.railmagazine.com/news/2024/09/19/replica-of-locomotion-no-1-to-re-enact-first-rail-passenger-journey
>The celebrations will include a re-enactment of the first journey on the S&DR, taking place on 26, 27 and 28 September 2025. A newly renovated replica of Locomotion No. 1, the passenger carriage Experiment and coal waggons will run on sections of the original S&DR line over three days. Spectators will be able to see the train at designated locations and visit special events organised along the route over the three days. The Anniversary Celebration is sponsored by LNER and the festival team is working with Network Rail on route planning and delivery of the event.

I'm genuinely pleased that there's a 'proper history' angle to this as well: it feels just and right for Locomotion No.1 - or at least the NRM's replica - to have a fire lit in its belly and to haul a train along the same line its predecessor did, two centuries previous.

sshhh ... train is sleep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJx6MdesrY4

Like another world. Hard to believe it would all be obsolete within what, ten years?

What is a good example of a shunting yard devoted to the maintenance/assembly of engines and other rolling stock and nothing else?

>>2019899
Doncaster Works

>>2019899
Swindon Works, for the GWR - literally put the town on the map.

>>2019923
Such a shame it's partly derelict, these days: there's the big, wide, ornate overhead footbridge leading straight from the platforms to the old works, and it's all barriered off

>train to London
>comfy seat
>food
>sunny day
>overtaking an EMR regional on the slow line
>spot a 66 waiting patiently at the GBRF depot
happy anon

>>2019923
>>2019998
Thanks, will check these out. Planning my first model railroad with English and Polish trains in years for some nephews and I've been trying to find a few straight forward examples to study.

>>2020521
Is that a class 86? Never noticed just how distinctive the yellow fronts made our trains look.

>>2020540
The PKP Class EU06 and later EU07 was derived from the Class 83 locomotive, actually. Polish State Railways placed an order to English Electric in the 1960's for the the assembly of 20 such units their Vulcan Foundry at Newton-le-Willows.

>>2020682
Forgot picture. This one right here is the exact progenitor model, I believe.

(long, drawn-out sigh)

Ladbroke Grove happened 25 years ago today: the long and short of it is, an inexperienced driver passed a red signal at a notorious section of track not far from Paddington, putting his train into the path of an intercity train travelling at top speed. Thirty-one people were killed in the resulting crash because of inadequate privatisation-era driver training, and Railtrack's failure to grasp the scope or scale of the issue with the signal.

reading between the lines, it sounds like Euston is back on the menu for HS2 after all. maybe they'll grasp the nettle and rebuild the entire thing yet again, now that it's out that it's basically not fit for purpose as it is?

>>2017803
>Grand Central's now open in Belfast, or the bus interchange portion at least ... supposedly the trains will be transferring to the new station 'sometime in the autumn'

Later this week, apparently: https://www.translink.co.uk/corporate/media/pressreleases/bgcsupdates
>Following good progress on the Rail Safety Certification Process, Translink is now making preliminary plans to commence rail services from Belfast Grand Central Station on Sunday 13th October.
>We are starting to put plans in place to enable the timely start of rail operations, so everything is ready to go for customers as soon as the certification process is fully complete.
>Local Rail Services: The rail line is expected to reopen between Belfast and Lisburn for passenger services
>Enterprise services: Cross Border Enterprise Services will relocate to operate to/from Belfast Grand Central Station. (Note it will no longer serve Lanyon Place Station).

I've got some longest TOC routes coming up this week boys
>Southern: Southampton to Victoria
>Southeastern: London St Pancras to Ramsgate via Dover
>SWR: Waterloo to Exeter St Davids
Not looking forward to the Southampton one desu because it's only one train at fucking half 6ish in the morning

There was an aborted Nightstar service from the UK to the continent. Would it be possible to start a higher speed sleeper service (100-140mph) using HS1?
Using EU standard rolling stock and starting from St Pancras or Stratford Intl would allow for destinations further than Paris or Amsterdam to be reached using the High Speed and conventional networks of other countries.

ÖBB have shown through the Nightjet service that it can work.

>>2021296
Maybe.
The amount of noise Reeves is making about the £22B "black hole" makes it a coin toss

>>2021296
I reckon they'll grudgingly agree to Euston and Crewe - basically Phase 1 - then announce it'll be handed over to a quango to run for the next 30 years, same as HS1 12 years ago, plus a few empty promises about Phase 2

>>2021372
The issue with a HS2 sleeper is passport control. No one wants to be woken up in the middle of the night to go through customs and there isn't the room to bolt on a secure customs area at existing stations. Maybe is we join Schengen but that's crack pipe levels of delusion

Average age of rolling stock in years by operator, Great Britain, as of 31 March 2024

You may not like it but this is what peak logo design looks like

>>2021663
This is actually one of the worst logos ever. It's designed with steam locomotives in mind, exactly at the time when steam locomotives were considered ancient. It's pure tone deaf, a simbol of British politicians pretending the UK is still the greatest thing ever.

https://thebeautyoftransport.com/2015/02/18/lions-and-wheels-british-railways-lion-emblems-1949-1964/

Pic related, instead...

>>2021671
>The circular one with white background [...] was intended for carriages, though it was also used on some locomotives when an ad-hoc decision was made that it might look nicer (modern corporate identity designers will at this point have their heads in their hands).
absolutely based

>>2021671
>>2021674
>Images not uploading
Reee

>>2021658
>I'm older than most UK train fleets
Fuck

Also, why are Chiltern trains so much older than everything else?

>>2021683
The bulk of their fleet is made up of MK3 carriages and Class 165s.
I was going to ask the same question for SWT but I remembered they still have loads of 455s in service.

>>2021658
I'd be interested to see that same data from 1 or 2 years previous, before Merseyrail withdrew the 507's and 508's.

>>2021689
They're Mk3's bit they're bloody posh inside.
>>2021793
And TfW not having their brand new stuff

>>2021793
>>2021812
Behold. Digging a little deeper, the other major rolling stock changes around this time was the complete Heathrow Express fleet replacement, and the new 710s for London Overground.

...here's a nice summary, anyway.

>>2021683
>why are Chiltern trains so much older than everything else?
I think they're limited by Marylebone more than anything - the kindest thing you could say about the place is that it's a middling-size unelectrified country town station, somehow plonked in nowheresville, London.

>>2021683
Because all their trains were made at the same time.
You get much older trains on Southern And Southeastern (class 455) but that's cancelled out by their newer trains

I quite like the 185s. Decent seats, big windows, plenty of luggage space, built like a brick shithouse. They're showing their age just a little bit, but they're alright as regional trains go.

Odd question: does the London Underground / T+W Metro / etc use standard-gauge track?

Just seen that video about the new Piccadilly Line trains being built in Goole and, well, surely they're not going to stick going on a hundred Tube trains onto flatbed lorries to truck them down to London

>>2022465
>Odd question: does the London Underground / T+W Metro / etc use standard-gauge track?
yes

>>2022465
https://youtu.be/m-0IKZWCXpo?si=v1WT8CYiJUdKdRnK

What's weird is, it doesn't look like the Siemens factory in Goole has a proper railhead - Goole itself is within spitting distance of the ECML via Doncaster, but to get there they're going to have to drag newly-built trains towards a glass factory (?!), reverse across three tracks to enter the Goole dock goods loop, and then reverse back again to head towards Doncaster. Which seems, er, inefficient.

There's a big Tesco distribution centre inbetween the two, so with Tesco being 'big on rail' these days you'd think there'd be a little impetus towards sorting out a proper railhead.

...well, it's tasteful at least.

More like failways

LOL

Two 158s bumped into each other yesterday evening, and someone has sadly died. I'm going to engage in completely reckless social media-ism and say it's completely the fault of wheelslip caused by leaves on the line.

https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/the-euston-rush-on-its-way-out-as-early-train-boarding-introduced

>While the future of the advertising board remains under review,
'we want money'

also, Network Rail Eastern have had their bottoms spanked for worsening passenger and freight performance:

https://www.orr.gov.uk/search-news/regulator-calls-network-rail-improve-performance-passengers-across-eastern-region

... I love the image of York station used in the article, though.

>ywn experience the awe of being a kid and seeing the london termini for the first time again
Why even live, bros?

Budget day today. Let's see what happens