Network Rail has obtained Planning Consent for a ‘complete transformation’ of Peckham Rye’s listed Victorian station building. Plans include a new station concourse at ground level with lift and stair access to all platforms, accessible toilets, wider platforms, additional gate lines and an entrance from Dovedale Court. An outline business case and £40m funding request is to follow, with a view to detailed design being completed by summer 2025. Work could then start in autumn 2025 and take around two years.
The Global Centre of Rail Excellence has joined the International Union of Railways. ‘This opens up an important new set of relationships at a global level’, said GCRE Ltd CEO Simon Jones. ‘Areas like Europe and the Middle East are key markets with which we can engage and UIC membership will give us added credibility with key partners.’
Network Rail’s Southern region has announced the appointment of Mark Goodall as Wessex Route Director from late February. He is currently Service Delivery Director at CrossCountry.
Jenny Henderson has been appointed Group General Counsel to the Department for Transport’s OLR Holdings Ltd. She is succeeded as Northern’s Head of Legal by Nush Price, who has joined from the banking sector where she worked in legal and operational roles and was most recently involved in the delivery of the government’s Bounce Back Loans during the pandemic.
Network Rail has completed a £5m upgrade to provide step-free access to all platforms at Streatham. This included two lifts, realignment of the stairs on platform 2 and renewing stairs and handrails on platform 1 as well as refreshed lighting and extra CCTV. The improvements have been funded by the Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme.
The Light Rail Safety & Standards Board and the Office of Rail & Road have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen links and improve safety. This formalises existing arrangements, including reviews of the work of the LRSSB by the ORR, and outlines areas for further collaboration, including the ongoing development of the Tram Accident & Incident Reporting system.
HS1 Ltd has installed a Mobile Segregation Unit waste management system at London St Pancras International station. This will segregate waste streams with a 90% target for re-use and recycling, exceeding government targets of 65% by 2035.
The Global Centre of Rail Excellence and Getzner have agreed an innovation collaboration which would see the elastic components manufacturer use the site to develop, test and showcase new products.
RAIB makes three recommendations in its report into an intermodal freight train derailment at London Gateway in Essex on December 24 2021. One is directed to VTG Rail, the owner and developer of the triple-wagon, covering the need to identify and implement any necessary design changes and operating restrictions. The second is directed to GB Railfreight, the operator of the train, covering the need to develop instructions and best practice guidance for its operations staff. The third is directed to RSSB covering the need to raise the rail industry’s understanding of the derailment risks associated with longitudinal compressive forces and the management strategies that need to be introduced.
The Light Rail Safety & Standards Board has joined the Business Continuity Institute, which aims to help private and public organisations prepare for adverse events such as fire, flood, cyber-attack, supply chain failure or the loss of a key employee.