Trains stranded by storm
Two Intercity Express trains were stranded at Dawlish and Teignmouth during a storm last night, along the stretch of coastal railway in south Devon which was partly destroyed by heavy seas just over ten years ago. GWR said: ’It’s not yet known why and Hitachi will need to investigate the cause of any issues to those trains.’ Train services in the region are mostly returning to normal today after the storm. Several lines were closed, including part of the main line west of Exeter and two branches in Cornwall, and early morning trains from Newquay were cancelled this morning because there is still floodwater on the line. Meanwhile, train services between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury are not expected to be restored before the end of the day, as the result of flooding at Wellington, although the Marston Vale Line between Bletchley and Bedford reopened this morning after services had been suspended for seven days, again because of flooding.
HS1 access charges may fall
ORR has proposed lower charges for passenger trains which use High Speed 1 between London St Pancras International and the Channel Tunnel, and halving charges for freight traffic. The plan, published today, is part of its Draft Determination of HS1 Ltd’s spending. The draft sets out ORR’s view of HS1 Ltd’s five-year spending from 2025 to 2030, and the ORR said it was able to ‘identify specific areas in the company’s spending plans where further improvements can be made’.
Peak fare restoration condemned
Peak fares are being charged on ScotRail again, after a 12-month experiment to see if abolishing them would boost traffic. The trial did not yield the results for which ministers had hoped, and Transport Scotland said it was not financially possible to continue. ASLEF has added its voice to the protests, after the RMT had opposed restoring the higher fares last month. The drivers’ union has condemned the return of peak fares as a ‘tax on workers’, and described the decision as ‘short sighted’.