Regional News

WESTERN

Bere Alston: Devon County Council has formally submitted its Strategic Outline Business Case for the Tavistock extension to the Government’s Restoring Your Railway programme, and is seeking £3 million to progress to the next stage. An hourly service is envisaged, starting from Devonport.

Bradford-on-Avon: The existing abutments will be retained during replacement of the life-expired St Margaret Street bridge. It will be in original style, and the work will take eight months.

Moreton-in-Marsh: Great Western Railway and the town council have agreed how to make better use of the current car park and the former British Legion site… and how it will be paid for.

Pershore: Wychavon Council has committed £500,000 towards a footbridge to a new car park, but still needs a government contribution.

EASTERN

Bradford: Public consultation was held at Interchange station on November 15/22 into proposals to create a large new public entrance by demolishing the NCP car park bought by the council in 2017, and closing roads to all traffic but buses. The station facilities would also be improved. Newark: LNER temporarily changed the name of Northgate station to Newark Southgate, to honour England’s World Cup manager Gareth Southgate. South Hylton: Tyne & Wear Metro services west of Park Lane (Sunderland) were suspended for several days from November 17 after an electricity substation was damaged by flooding.

MIDLANDS

Kidderminster: The replacement footbridge over the Worcester-Stourbridge and Severn Valley lines was installed in October, a week later than scheduled.

Northampton: The connection of the 35-acre Northampton Gateway Rail Freight Interchange at M1 Junction 15 to the West Coast Main Line may not be in place until next September or early 2024. There is a planning stipulation that the warehouses cannot be used until it is.

NORTH WEST

Manchester: Supply problems delayed the Metrolink engineering works in Piccadilly Gardens, forcing a revised timetable until November 29. No trams have been able to use the delta junction between Piccadilly Gardens and St Peter’s Square.

Manchester: Piccadilly station will be shut on December 25-27 and January 15/16 for repairs to the train shed roof.

Penrith: Engineering company and local newspaper owner Barrnon has agreed to revise its planning application to Eden District Council and not construct its new headquarters on a long section of the trackbed at the former Keswick line junction. There had been many objectors to the proposals, which would have prevented any possible future reopening.

Salford: The six-month closure of Salford Central station from January 2 has been confirmed, as Network Rail prepares to start on the £7 million overhaul of the roof and raising platform heights.

SOUTHERN

Basingstoke: The broken station clock above the station entrance is working again, after repairs that took six months.

Chertsey: South Western Railway is seeking a community user for a spare ground floor room at the station.

Micheldever: The sidings next to the station have been relaid.

Thanet Parkway: The new station is not sufficiently complete to open in December, as scheduled, and may not now welcome its first passengers until next May. The Government has provided a further £875,000 to meet construction inflation costs.

ANGLIA

Romford: The south side subway entrance to the station has been closed following the opening of the accessible lifts.

Roughton Road: A redundant two-year-old waiting shelter recovered from Tottenham Hale has been moved to the Bittern Line station.

Royston: The old station footbridge is to be removed soon, to make way for a replacement incorporating lifts. The work has been delayed but should be complete by next summer.

LONDON

Bakerloo Line: Five stations are being improved during December, with platform resurfacing and canopy repairs. The locations are North Wembley, South Kenton, Kenton, Headstone Lane, and

Carpenders Park. The line north of Queen’s Park, closed from December 17, should reopen by Christmas Eve.

Bruce Grove: Extensive renovations are planned for the Liverpool Street-Cheshunt and Enfield line station. They include reinstating the canopy stairwell roofs, improving the forecourt, and converting the boarded-up waiting rooms for community use.

Castle Green: A new intermediate station on London Overground’s Barking Riverside extension is being worked on by Transport for London and Barking & Dagenham Council. The tracks were specifically divided during construction to allow space for an island platform. It would serve 10,000 new homes proposed for the area by 2030.

Dagenham: Barking & Dagenham Council is pushing for the reopening of the main line platforms at Dagenham East station, which is not currently served by c2c services.

SCOTLAND

Barrhead: The 1894 Caledonian Railway 25-lever signal box closed on October 31, with control transferring to the West of Scotland Signalling Centre at Cathcart.

Edinburgh: Overhead wires for the Edinburgh Tramway extension are now installed along most of Leith Walk, in anticipation of services starting next spring.

Glasgow: The city council has been asked to approve Network Rail’s plans to clean the stonework on the Hope Street and Gordon Street entrances of Central station.

Leven: The cost of replacing the unsafe Leven railway river bridge has increased by £1.9 million to £10.6m. The funding gap will be filled by Fife Council.

Motherwell: A start on the fifth phase of the station redevelopment, which includes a new glazed dome roof over the main concourse building, has required the temporary relocation of the ticket office until February. The bus pick-up area is to be expanded, and a new access road created.

WALES

Cwmgwrach: Vandalism and theft have forced the suspension of services over the branch from Neath & Brecon Junction since October 25.

Pontypridd: The Merthyr Tydfil line was closed from October 10-November 4 for South Wales Metro engineering work.