Paris Gare Montparnasse power failure disrupts TGVs
The Paris Gare Montparnasse power failure suspended rail traffic on August 27 after a failure in the station’s electrical system disrupted operations.
UK & European Rail News
Norfolk and Suffolk Rail Disruption Set for Autumn
Rail disruption for track replacements will affect passengers travelling through Norfolk and Suffolk on weekends during September and October, as Network Rail carries out track renewals and maintenance work.
Eurostar HS1 Appeal Targets a Rule, Not Virgin
UK: The Eurostar HS1 appeal dated Aug. 14 does not expressly ask the regulator to revoke the Aug. 13 pre-approval of Virgin Trains’ framework agreement.
ScotRail’s First July Without Peak Fares Had a Games in It
UK: ScotRail recorded 8,423,512 passenger journeys in July, 897,359 more than in the same month last year — an 11.9% rise during the Commonwealth Games and the first July since peak fares were permanently abolished.
Reopened in Minutes; the Tube Doors Did Not
UK: Police carried out a controlled explosion on an unattended car outside London St Pancras on Aug. 18. The station was briefly evacuated, and Eurostar later said the incident caused no delays to its trains.
Half of HS2’s Longest Curzon Viaduct Won’t Be Slid at All
UK: HS2 has launched the first 170 metres of the Duddeston Junction Viaduct over two freight tracks in Birmingham, beginning a multi-stage operation that will eventually cross six working railway lines.
Lewes Derailment: the Track Fault Was Already on CCTV
UK: A track geometry irregularity was visible in rear-facing CCTV from a train that passed the site at about 14:04 on Aug. 13 — nearly two hours before the Southern service derailed at the same spot at 15:54.
Srbijavoz Signs €35M Deal for Six New Vectron Locomotives
SERBIA: State passenger operator Srbijavoz has signed a €35.35 million contract, excluding VAT, with Siemens Mobility for six new multi-system electric Vectron locomotives to replace equipment the company's own director calls unreliable and more than 40 years old.
DB Cargo Lines Up 900 Wagons as the Rhine Hits a Record Low
GERMANY: DB Cargo has outlined capacity for up to 900 wagons as record-low Rhine levels severely restrict chemical and steel shipments by barge through western Germany.
Why Deutsche Bahn Is Selling DB Cargo UK Now
UK: Deutsche Bahn has launched the DB Cargo UK sale, putting one of Britain's largest rail freight operators on the market despite sharply improved financial results.
Two 125-Tonne Cranes Needed After Lewes Derailment
UK: Two 125-tonne cranes will recover three derailed Southern carriages as the Lewes–Haywards Heath railway in East Sussex remains closed until at least Aug. 26.
What the London Charing Cross Closure Delivered
UK: Southeastern services returned to London Charing Cross and Waterloo East on Aug. 17 after a 22-day closure that delivered £20 million in track, platform and bridge upgrades.
