RailwayThe Herald 23 December 2005 No.25 The complimentary UK railway journal for the railway enthusiast Season's Greetings to all our readers In This Issue First Group win Greater Western franchise Virgin hires HST set for Cross-Country! Class 185 inaugural test run in UK 'Archive View' back to the BR-blue era! RailwayThe Herald Issue 25 23 December 2005 Contents Editor’s comment Newsdesk 3 As this is the final Railway Herald First Group win Greater Western and Thameslink/Greater Northern franchises, new before Christmas, it seems a good Brighton-Ashford service, Hampshire DEMU runs away at Meldon Quarry, HSTs opportunity to thank you all for your return to Virgin Cross-Country services and EWS wins haulage contract for sleepers. support and contributions over the FIRST PICTURES: UK Class 185 test runs and FM Rail 'Blue Pullman' Class 47s past ten months. The readership of Railway Herald continues to grow and become Rolling Stock News 9 stronger with each issue and we More HST and Mark 3 movements, Royal Class 67 suffers collision damage and c2c now have subscriptions and regular introduce a 'Cough-Free' coach! readers in a wide range of countries including Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Poland, Russia and The Archive View: Diesels supereme in blue 10 the United States. We take a look back to the BR Blue era of the mid-1980s, through the lens of Chris Many many thanks go to all our Nevard, to view classic traction at work on passenger and freight traffic around the contributors who regularly volunteer Salisbury area. photographs and news information for use within Railway Herald. Being a voluntary magazine, their only Getting involved and contributing to Railway Herald reward is seeing their work in print One of the most common all our readers. The only be of suitable quality this file and for this we cannot thank you questions we are asked by requirement that we have is should be around a minimum enough. Without those contributors we could continue to provide the readers is can I submit news, that pictorial submissions are of 1.5Mb, althought the higher quality of coverage that we do. information and pictures to digital (with the aim of being the better! I would also like to thank all of you? a weekly magazine we simply To submit to us, just drop the passenger and freight operators Yes, definitely is always do not have the timescales to an email to the editor - our and the related railway companies the answer! Just like the allow prints and slides) and contact address and details who provide us with much help and printed magazines, we that the original file off the are contained in the yellow assistance throughout the year. welcome submission from camera is available to us. To box on the left! We always welcome photographs, especially from new contributors and these should be sent to the editor, by e-mail at [email protected] There will be a special, smaller A very Merry Christmas Railway Herald published mid-week next week, so that you all have plenty to read and enjoy while the turkey settles! So look out for that. to all our readers! One does wonder what response this familiar gentleman, observed at Lancaster station got when he rang FRONT COVER: The first runs of one of the new Class 185 First Trans-Pennine Express DMU's under its own National power took place on 22nd December from their temporary base at Manchester Longsight to Carnforth and WILF SMITH Rail back. Here, Siemens built Class 185 No. 185102 passes Lancaster on the outbound journey. Enquiries BELOW: Carrying the original version of EW&S colours, together with a Highland Rail stag logos, Class for the times 37/4 No. 37419 prepares to depart from Cardiff Central with the final scheduled loco-hauled passenger of direct service to Rhymney, 19.05 Cardiff-Rhymney on 10th December, complete with wreath. SAM FELCE services to North Pole via Lapland! Oh, and before anybody suggests it, no, it isn't your editor! Publication The Railway Herald is due to be published every Friday and is available by e-mail subscription from [email protected] E-mail address are never given out and should you chose to cease your subscription in the future, pleas e just contact us. © Copyright Railway Herald.co.uk 2005 2 Railway Herald - Volume 1 : Issue 25 First Group win Greater Western and Thameslink franchises The Department for Around £200 million is to be facilities at every station. be designed to allow First and Transport (DfT) has awarded spend in investments to the Introduction of new automatic Network Rail to work more both the Greater Western and train fleet, mainly in the first ticket gates are to be introduced closely together to provide the Newsdesk Thameslink/Great Northern two years. The interiors of at Plymouth, Exeter St Davids, service. franchises to FirstGroup plc, the HST fleet are to be totally Bath Spa and Swindon, As previously mentioned, the current operator of the redesigned to provide better together with platforms 9-14 First Group have also gained Great Western, ScotRail and standards in passenger comfort, at London Paddington as new the Thameslink/Great Trans-Pennine franchises. facilities and more capacity, ticket issuing technology comes Northern Franchise, which is The new franchises see major with the first completely on stream. to be renamed First Capital changes affecting the respective refurbished set being accepted One of the key commitments Connect. This franchise will regions, with the new Greater into traffic within the first six of the franchise, which has run for up to nine years, Western franchise combining months of the new franchise. pleased many people, is the depending upon performance First Great Western, First Great To provide a more constant retention of the overnight targets and implementation Western Link and Wessex reliability, the fleet of HST sleeper services between of the anticipated Thameslink Trains into one company. The power cars are to be overhauled London Paddington, Plymouth programme and will result in new franchise will generate £1 and fitted with new quieter and and Penzance. an income to the Government billion in premium payments more environmentally friendly The timetable improvements of £808 million in premium to DfT over the full 10 year engines. put forward by First Group payments. period. The company plans to include the retention of a First Group plan to invest The Greater Western work with the Department half-hourly service between more than £52 million, the franchise, which runs for seven for Transport with regards to Paddington, Bristol and Cardiff majority in the first three years with a potential three the introduction of the HST2 throughout the day and a 20% years, to boost passenger year extension, will come under project, which itself is designed increase in seats available service quality. Changes will First Group operation from 1st to replace the existing HST during morning peak between include cleaner, smarter trains April 2006. fleet. Reading and London and more and stations, better ticketing Several improvements The benefits and than 30% in the evening peak facilities, customer friendly staff are planned for the Greater refurbishment of the fleet are through investments in the and better security combined Western franchise following not limited to the high speed fleet, more rolling stock and with more reliable and punctual the integration of the three fleet of First Great Western improved timetabling. services. companies next year, including Express. Both FGW Link and Other enhancements to the The company intend to a new timetable from December FGW Local fleets will undergo timetable include additional provide a more secure travelling 2006. a programme of improvements morning and evening environment through a wide In addition, a programme and interior uplifts throughout peak services at Twyford, range of security enhancements of continuous improvement the period fo the franchise, Maidenhead and Slough and including additional CCTV and investment is planned which will include the new cross Bristol services cameras, help points and providing increased capacity installation of CCTV cameras with through trains between investment in a team of 24 and service together with the with each coach. Worcester and Taunton, Cardiff dedicated Police Community creation of a new family of Work is also to take place to Westbury/Southampton/ Support Officers, five additional brands for the franchise. High with station enhancements, Weymouth and Weston-super- British Transport Police Officers speed intercity services will occurring in the early years of Mare and Filton, a regular and the investment programme become known as First Great the franchise, including new hourly service between mainly targeted at station Western Express, surburban ticket machine technology and Westbury and London improvements, including services out of London upgrades to passenger facilities Paddington and an increase upgraded waiting facilities and Paddington will remain as First such as waiting rooms, toilet from hourly to half-hourly of toilets and enhanced passenger Great Western Link, while the facilities and ticket offices. the Reading/Gatwick service information systems. regional services, presently It is planned to provide an off peak. Rolling stock enhancements operated by Wessex Trains, will additional 1,700 car parking As has occurred in other are to be undertaken to improve come under the brand name of spaces across the network, parts of the country, a fully reliability and the customer First Great Western Local. in addition to cycle parking integrated control centre is to environment including upgrading the interiors of the Thameslink fleet and automatic ticket gates will be installed at eleven stations to improve security, reduce ticketless travel and cut vandalism. One of key aims of the franchise commitment is to develop a 'round-the-clock' service, operating 24 hours a day between Gatwick Airport and Luton.