Archive
AUGUST 2007 ISSUE: CONTENTS
To view the contents of any section of the current magazine, just click on the relevant 'Download' link to access a PDF file of your chosen pages. If you prefer to download the whole magazine at one go - beware, it's a 7Mb file! - then click here.
EDITORIAL COMMENT, NEWS & LETTERS [Download]
RAIL PROFESSIONAL COMMENT: Virgin and Nat Express bow out
Two of the Midlands incumbent operators have come away from the franchise awards empty handed. Virgin, which lost Cross Country to Arriva, now has just one franchise to its name and National Express, which lost to Stagecoach, has just two franchises...
NEWS HEADLINES
- £10bn of enhancements announced for 2009-2014
- Metronet goes into administration
- Railteam to offer high speed deals across Europe
- St Pancras canal protests
- SWT’s penalty fares
- TravelWatch warning about FGW
- Network Rail’s AGM
- Aslef’s financial worries
- Grayling criticises bidding process
LETTERS
- Don’t crowd us
- Stagecoach should consider re-openings
- It’s Russ, not Ross!
BUSINESS NEWS & NEWS ABOUT PEOPLE [Download]
BUSINESS NEWS
- Sale of Laing Railway announced
- Eurotunnel to look again at rail freight charges
- National Express loses out
- Scottish HLOS revealed
- More orders for Bombardier
- Jarvis Rail gets new contracts
NEWS ABOUT PEOPLE
Ruth Kelly; Rosie Winterton; Jim Fitzpatrick; Iain Coucher; Cath Proctor; Steve Murphy; Rob Brighouse; David Scorey; Peter Depledge; Sarah Hillyard; Charlotte Simmonds; Brett Tucker; Frank Mohan; Huw Kane; Neil Field; Bob Ducksbury; John Nelson; James Steward; Hugh Fink; Chris Elliott; Ben Still; Garrett Emmerson; Richard Turner...
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RAIL PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW: ELAINE HOLT, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF FIRST CAPITAL CONNECT [Download]
First Capital Connect has had a rough ride for the first year of its franchise. Elaine Holt has had to contend with repeated infrastructure failures, low customer satisfaction ratings and clashes with TfL over branding and peak fares – but things are looking up, as she tells Katie Silvester
NEWS ANALYSIS: FRANCHISE BLOODBATH [Download]
The new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has had a reshuffle; so too it would appear has the Department for Transport. Decisions on the new Midlands rail franchises have left many in a state of shock. Peter Plisner reports
FEATURE: UNLOCKING THE RAIL NETWORK [Download]
Atoc has identified 25 schemes which would remove the worst of the pinchpoints on the present railway system. Chris Austin explains how the wishlist was arrived at
FEATURE: EAST COAST DISAPPOINTMENT [Download]
The East Coast Main Line is expected to have to accommodate 40 per cent more long-distance passengers in nine years time – yet there appear to be no real plans to improve it. Alan Whitehouse reports
FEATURE: PROBLEMS CONTINUE FOR 'WORST LATE WESTERN' [Download]
More bad headlines for First Great Western: it heads the list of Britain’s most overcrowded trains, as well as having the worst performance. But the company claims it is well on the way to tackling the problems. Paul Clifton explains
FEATURE: OVERHAULING LIVERPOOL'S UNDERGROUND [Download]
Network Rail has just completed a challenging job in Merseyside – replacing the concrete and base plates that the track for the underground is fixed to, with limited access and a tight timescale. Keith Lumley explains
FEATURE: NO MORE FREE RIDES [Download]
Until now, operators have sometimes been reluctant to invest in the network knowing that competitors will also benefit, but won’t be helping the foot the bill. Martin Watt and Matthew Hanslip-Ward explain how the ORR is hoping to change this
FEATURE: THE OUTSIDERS [Download]
Management training has become a more complicated affair now that a significant number of middle managers are being brought in from outside the industry. Katie Silvester explains
VIEW FROM ACROSS THE POND: ALL CHANGE [Download]
Another round of new franchises will be helping to keep sign painters across the Midlands in work, says Michael R Weinman
LEGAL OPINION: ALL IN THE MIND [Download]
Large compensation claims for injuries usually follow rail accidents, but claims for psychiatric illness are more of an unknown quantity, explains Mark Burton
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INSTITUTION OF RAILWAY OPERATORS [Download]
Operating at full capacity
John Glover reports on a debate one IRO branch had about improving train services
Plus: Diary of events
HSBC RAIL BUSINESS AWARDS 2007 – THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS [Download]
Now in its 10th year, the HSBC-sponsored Rail Business Awards programme, run in association with Rail Professional and organised by Woodhouse Communications, is the UK’s longest established awards scheme recognising business excellence across the rail industry
Plus: Diary of events
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES [Download]
A regular round-up of key resources.
