Transport secretary Lord Adonis has published £30bn plans for a 250mph rail link between London and Birmingham. The proposals, which would revolutionise Britain's rail network, are subject to parliamentary approval and public consultation. Even after that, work won't begin on the route until 2017, with the first stage expected to take 10 years to complete. After that, the government intends to extend the high speed rail network to northern England and Scotland.Peter Walker hears the views of the people of Wendover in the Chilterns, an area of outstanding natural beauty which the new rail route would pass through.Transport historian Christian Wolmar says the key question is whether the high speed rail plans would increase capacity.Guardian columnist Julian Glover says the plan will bring...

Another story from the BBC: The driving test should have compulsory questions on level crossings to cut the number of drivers who take risks on them each year, Network Rail has said. It said there were 14 crashes and 13 deaths in 2009 and 140 near misses between vehicles and trains. The rail operator recorded 3,200 incidents of misuse, but said the actual figure was likely to be higher. Network Rail said questions in the test would help drivers start out with good habits on negotiating level......

A meeting of MPs from across the North (chaired by Angela C Smith, MP for Sheffield Hillsborough) has prepared the way for establishing a post-election cross-party MPs campaign for more investment in the North’s rail networks. Angela Smith said: “There is increasing cross-party concern from MPs across the North about the disparity on rail investment levels between the South East and the North. In recent years London has seen a massive and comprehensive overhaul and expansion of its rail networks. It’s now time for the centre of gravity of rail investment to move North as on too many of our services we have trains that are too poor quality and too overcrowded to cope. “MPs from across the region know just how important to the North’s economy it is that our...

Refusal to back London-Midlands plan shatters consensus on 200mph trainsThe Conservatives have refused to back a proposed 200mph London-to-Birmingham rail route in a move that shatters the political consensus over a high-speed train network.The transport secretary, Lord Adonis, has warned that the multibillion-pound infrastructure project must be "above politics" if it is to succeed. However, the Tories will not endorse a route proposal amid fears of a backlash from voters in the home counties and West Midlands whose homes may be blighted.Theresa Villiers, the shadow transport secretary, told the Guardian that the Conservatives had refused offers to view an advanced copy of the high-speed rail white paper, due to be published next month, which will be followed by a public consultation on...

While European train users get exemplary service, British rail bosses splash out on Highland estatesAnyone who loves the beautiful Argyll coast south of Tayvallich will know that the Edinburgh estate agents Rettie & Co were not exaggerating when they described the peninsula's Keills Estate as "a rural idyll". With Loch Sween on one side and the sea on the other, with views from its beaches to Islay and Jura, with deer-stalking and fishing rights open to negotiation, Rettie confidently expected a wealthy buyer to snap up the property.They were not disappointed. Iain Coucher already had a company flat in central London and a comfortable house in the Midlands, but he couldn't resist adding to his property portfolio. For just under £1m, he bought three-quarters of the estate, including a...

Ah, the joy of train travel – you buy your ticket, possibly costing you a small fortune unless booked in advance, only to discover you’re chucked off the train and onto a bus if there are repairs being made to the line. Well, no more, says Norman Baker, the Lib Dems’ shadow transport secretary. Stormin’ Norm is proposing that the Lib Dems would radically overhaul Network Rail, replacing its executives with a ‘Public Interest Board’ made up of representatives of customer watchdog Passenger Focus, the Local Government Association and independent experts. They would be charged with putting the interests of passengers first, and making the organisation more more accountable and transparent – including refunding passengers who are forced on to rail replacement...

A high-speed rail line from London to Scotland will cut through swathes of protected countryside under plans to be handed to ministers this week. The route of the £60 billion 250mph line, the biggest rail project in Britain since 1899, has been planned to within about 25 yards. It will cut journey times from London to Manchester by a third and bring the construction of the first new terminus in London for more than 100 years. Lord Adonis, the transport secretary, believes it will herald an end to domestic flights and the carbon savings and environmental benefits will make it “manifestly in the public interest”. He said last week that the high-speed rail network would be an important feature of Labour’s election manifesto. I'm surprised we need to build a new line as there seems to...

We’re quite partial to the occasional rant about train operators, and it’s good to know we have company. The Penalty Fare Appeal Support blog is maintained by a group of ex-railway staff from all areas of the rail industry, and concerns itself with all aspects of consumer travel on the railways, as well as providing help in appealing against penalty fares. Their latest action is to petition the Government into releasing the National Rail Fares Manual (NFM) to the public free of charge. The manual used to be freely available online, but changes in the past year mean you’ll have to dig down the back of the sofa if you want it now; the manual is published on CD-ROM three times a year, and to purchase all three versions, with VAT plus postage and packaging will cost you...

Network Rail are currently consulting on their investment plans for railway stations across the country. Our local stations – Walkden, Eccles, Patricroft and Irlam – are all in need of significant investment, and I’d encourage all local rail commuters to complete the short Network Rail “Action Stations” survey to make sure that their views are heard! Click here to take the “Action Stations”...

Network Rail is transporting 200 staff by coach from Reading to Coventry for a conference because of the high cost of train tickets, it has emerged.The rail operator has opted to shun train travel for road transport as it is more than £24,000 cheaper. If open return tickets were bought for all the staff it could cost up to £27,000 - £135 each. But coach travel, at £12 a head, will cost just £2,400. The firm said it made no apologies for getting the "best value" for taxpayers. Network Rail said it looks at cheaper options for journeys as part of cost-cutting, as its workers do not get free travel or discounts. A spokesman added: "Whilst we have no role in setting train fares, we use rail for the overwhelming number of business journeys. Occasionally, if there is a cheaper alternative,...

A train, yesterday. 200 Network Rail staff are preparing to head from Reading to Coventry for a conference, but they won’t be getting there via the rail service that they oversee. No, they’ll be going there and back by coach – as the prospective rail fares for them all was deemed to be too expensive. The BBC are reporting that taking the mob by road would work out as being £24,000 cheaper than going by train. The coach travel will set Network Rail back just £12 per head as opposed to the £135 that an open return train ticket would have cost. A Network Rail spokesman got his sums right when he understatemented: “Whilst we have no role in setting train fares, we use rail for the overwhelming number of business journeys. Occasionally, if there is a cheaper alternative, we will...

Network Rail transports 200 staff by coach from Reading to Coventry for a conference as rail tickets cost too...

Local people have until 27th November to comment on the future of rail services in the area. Network Rail have published a draft "Route Utilisation Strategy" for Great Western services, including mainline services through Bristol and local services such as those from Yate.The document suggests that there could be an hourly service between Yate and Weston-super-Mare and also an hourly service from Portishead to Gloucester, stopping at Yate. If these proposals came into force there would then be two trains an hour between Yate and Bristol, although investment of more than £2 million would be required at Yate station to enable trains to turn round. The strategy says that this would only be feasible with 'third party investment', which means the local authority and/or developers putting in...

I couldn't let this go by without comment. Earlier this month I moved a motion at Gateshead Council about rail services. It was in response to a proposal by Network Rail that a high speed rail network be built that bypasses the North East. I say "moved" - the reality was that I was shouted down and constantly interrupted by Labour. And I was accused of "scare-mongering" for raising the...

I am at Labour Party Conference in Brighton. With High Speed 1 now excitingly having started from Ramsgate I went along to the joint meeting from the rail unions ASLEF and TSSA on A High Speed Rail Policy to a Low Carbon Future. The main speaker was Lord Andrew Adonis the Secretary of State for Transport.He arrived early for the meeting and discussed developments with a number of people. I had a chat with him and he was delighted that High Speed 1 has now started the trial service from Thanet and pleased the full service will commence with the Hitachi trains in December. What he wants is for there to be more High Speed rail links across the country. It is wonderful that East Kent now leads where the rest of the country will follow with a 21st century popular service for the future.When...

Just got back from a useful “Meet The Manager” session at Walkden station. Chris Ingham, the Northern Rail station manager for Manchester North, and Peter Gerring, the Northern Rail performance manager, were both on hand – along with a good turnout from Friends of Walkden Station members – to answer questions from commuters and passengers. It’s really encouraging that senior management at Northern Rail are willing to come down to our local stations and engage with passengers and I hope that the local people who spoke to Chris and Peter felt it was...

Seeing the work going on at the new Bathgate and Armadale stations and the rest of the work going on to restore the Bathgate to Airdrie rail link is a wonderful sight. The news that a campaign is afoot to connect people in Grangemouth back to the rail network is additional welcome news.Rail lines still exist from Falkirk to Grangemouth to carry freight so less replacing of infrastructure may...

Irish Railway Safety Scandal Under the Railway Safety Act 2005, Irish Rail is required to commission an independent audit of its safety management system every four years. The next audit is scheduled for 2010. It will consider if inspections of the Broadmeadow viaduct were regular enough, and if an underwater survey of the pier should have been conducted. Irish Rail and the RSC are also expected to appear before the Dail Transport Committee next month to answer questions about safety. What is particularly disgraceful about the state of Irish Rail is that it has had ten years worth of European Union and taxpayer funded largesse and has spent money on high end capital projects and new equipment without even looking at the fundamental business cases for such expenditure or indeed...

Collapsed Broadmeadow ViaductIrish Railways have always had a bit of a Noddy status suffering from a toxic mixture of neglect and confused pork barrel politics. The neglect resulted in the system being starved of meaningful investment for years and gaining a negative public perception for shabby crowded trains particularly at peak times. I remember standing in a 40 year old coach from Mullingar to Dublin where the floor was the ashtray for a carriage full of chain smokers. Over the past 50 years a number of lines have closed to passenger services and gone into that euphemistic state “In the care of the Chief Engineer.” More seriously railways have been justified on social grounds with bottomless subsidies given as a PSO (Public Service Obligation) and pensioners, irrespective of means...

I’m really pleased by this week’s Network Rail report about bringing high-speed rail to Greater Manchester and beyond. It is absolutely the right thing to do, and in the medium-term would likely more than pay for itself. Conservatives are fully behind proposals to bring high-speed rail to Manchester, and I hope that the Government’s lukewarm response can be heated up into enthusiasm over the next few...

The announcement yesterday by Network Rail that they support the creation of a high speed rail link through the Midlands and North West to Scotland is good for those regions. But what about the North East and Yorkshire? Our region subsidises the rest of the rail network - the East Coast Line is the only route where rail companies pay the government to use the line rather than the government...

Network Rail, the company that runs Britain's rail infrastructure, says it intends to cut 1,800 jobs by April...

Proposals by Network Rail for a new £34bn high-speed rail link are welcomed by industry leaders and politicians in...

Thinking of travelling by train either as a regular event or a one off?  Did you know there are way’s you can get money off your ticket?  Well there are, it’s just that they’re not really that well advertised. If you’re a regular traveller it’s worth buying a season ticket in advance – this will reduce the cost per journey.  However even if you’re not a regular traveller it’s worth trying to buy your ticket early as some companies will offer you a cheaper ticket if it’s bought in advance – 12 weeks early is best as this is how far in advance tickets are released and this way you’ll get the best prices!  www.thetrainline.com is a good place to start for buying cheap train tickets in advance, and for season tickets try www.nationalrail.co.uk Rail cards are...

Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis has nailed his colours to the wall, surprisingly speaking out in favour of a future of high speed rail in the UK, at the expense of short haul air travel: The transport secretary, Lord Adonis, said switching 46 million domestic air passengers a year to a multibillion-pound north-south rail line was “manifestly in the public interest”. Marking a government shift against aviation, Adonis added that rail journeys should be preferred to plane trips. “For reasons of carbon reduction and wider environmental benefits, it is manifestly in the public interest that we systematically replace short-haul aviation with high-speed rail. But we would have to have, of course, the high-speed network before we can do it,” he said. Goodness me....

Can someone tell me how many times we've heard the Government tell us in the last ten years that it's going to get us all using high speed rail in the UK instead of flying? It's a bit like the A-Level results, every year a transport minister rolls out a report with a great vision to have us use trains.This time around they've gone a little further, with Andrew Adonis saying that he would like to see short-haul flying to Europe replaced by rail travel instead. "I would like to see short-haul aviation – not just domestic aviation, but short-haul aviation – progressively replaced by rail, including high-speed rail," Adonis said. "If we want to see [this] progressive replacement … then we have got to have a high-speed rail system that links our major conurbations and makes them far more...

Network Rail promises "minimum disruption" after unveiling plans to electrify one of the main rail routes in...

One of Britain's busiest rail lines is to be electrified in a move that will introduce greener and more reliable services for millions of passengers.The government is finalising plans to transform the Great Western mainline as part of a drive to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transport. The programme will involve installing hundreds of miles of electric cables as well as alterations to tunnels, bridges and stations on one of Britain's oldest rail routes.An announcement could come as soon as Thursday, although the financing is still being put in place. The Department for Transport (DfT) and Network Rail, owner of Britain's rail infrastructure, have discussed electrifying the route from London Paddington to Cardiff, taking in Reading and Bristol, as well as the popular commuter route...

Leak reveals transport funding crisis as east coast mainline nationalisedThe full scale of the funding crisis facing Britain's transport system was exposed today as the country's most expensive rail contract was nationalised, while details emerged of a potential £30bn spending gap.A leaked industry memo seen by the Guardian warned of "looming spending cuts" on major transport projects after Department for Transport officials described the consequences of restoring order to public finances. There are now fears that major schemes could be delayed, reduced or scrapped in an expenditure freeze. They include:• The £16bn Crossrail scheme linking Heathrow airport to Canary Wharf and Essex, which could be delayed.• A £6bn road building programme including the extension of the hard shoulder...

A new campaign to save the fast Cannon St service from Maidstone has been set up (Keep our Trains) and has now led to the setting up of a rail user group for Maidstone (Maidstone Area Rail Users Group).There is a No. 10 petition with over 1000 signatures to save the Cannon St service - please add yours!I have emailed them wishing the luck and offered to support them if I can. Lets hope that Southeastern take notice of...