1.
Passenger rail terminology
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It uses passenger railcars operating singly or in multiple unit trains on fixed rails. It operates on separate rights-of-way from which all other vehicular and foot traffic are excluded and it uses sophisticated signaling systems, and high platform loading. Originally, the rapid transit was used in the 1800s to describe new forms of quick urban public transportation that had a right-of-way separated from street traffic. This set rapid transit apart from horsecars, trams, streetcars, omnibuses, though the term was almost always used to describe rail transportation, other forms of transit were sometimes described by their proponents as rapid transit, including local ferries in some cases. The term bus rapid transit has recently come into use to describe bus lines with features to speed their operation and these usually have more characteristics of light rail than rapid transit. They are consequently designed for operations in tunnel, viaducts or on surface level, in different parts of the world Metro systems are also known as the underground, the subway or the tube. Rail systems with specific construction issues operating on a segregated guideway are also treated as Metros as long as they are designated as part of the public transport network. ”Metropolitan railways are used for high capacity public transportation. They can operate in trains of up to 10 cars, carrying 1800 passengers or more, in Germany, the terms U-Bahn and S-Bahn are used. Some metro systems run on rubber tires but are based on the same principles as steel wheel systems. Subway used in a transit sense refers to either a rapid transit system using heavy rail or a light system that goes underground. The term may only to the underground parts of the system. Some lines described as subway use light rail equipment, notably, Bostons Green Line and the Newark City Subway, each about half underground, originated from fully surface streetcar lines. Sometimes the term is qualified, such as in Philadelphia, where trolleys operate in a subway for part of their route. In some cities where subway is used, it refers to the system, in others. Historic posters referred to Chicagos Red & Blue lines as the subway lines, interestingly, when the Boston subway was originally built, the subway label was only used for sections into which streetcars operated, and the rapid transit sections were called tunnels. Bus subways are uncommon but do exist, though in cases the non-underground portions of route are not called subways. Bus subways are built to provide an exclusive right-of-way for bus rapid transit lines. These are usually called by the bus rapid transit
2.
National Rail
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The name and the accompanying double arrow symbol are the intellectual property of the Secretary of State for Transport. The National Rail logo was introduced by ATOC in 1999, and was used on the Great Britain public timetable for the first time in the edition valid from 26 September in that year. Rules for its use are set out in the Corporate Identity Style Guidelines published by the Rail Delivery Group, the NR title is sometimes described as a brand. As it was used by British Rail, the operator before franchising, its use also maintains continuity and public familiarity. National Rail should not be confused with Network Rail, the two networks are generally coincident where passenger services are run. Most major Network Rail lines carry traffic and some lines are freight only. About twenty privately owned operating companies, each franchised for a defined term by government. The Rail Delivery Group is the association representing the TOCs and provides core services. It also runs Rail Settlement Plan, which allocates ticket revenue to the various TOCs, and Rail Staff Travel and it does not compile the national timetable, which is the joint responsibility of the Office of Rail Regulation and Network Rail. Since the privatisation of British Rail there is no longer a single approach to design on railways in Great Britain, the look and feel of signage, liveries and marketing material is largely the preserve of the individual TOCs. However, National Rail continues to use BRs famous double-arrow symbol and it has been incorporated in the National Rail logotype and is displayed on tickets, the National Rail website and other publicity. The trademark rights to the arrow symbol remain state-owned, being vested in the Secretary of State for Transport. The double arrow was already prescribed for indicating a railway station, the lettering used in the National Rail logotype is a modified form of the typeface Sassoon Bold. It is a misconception that Rail Alphabet was also used for printed material. The British Rail typefaces of choice from 1965 were Helvetica and Univers, TOCs may use what they like, examples include Futura, Helvetica, Frutiger, Bliss, and a modified version of Precious by London Midland. Several conurbations have their own metro or tram systems, most of which are not part of National Rail, LO now also possesses some infrastructure in its own right, following the reopening of the former East London line of London Underground as the East London Railway of LO. Heathrow Express and Eurostar are also not part of the National Rail network despite sharing of stations, northern Ireland Railways were never part of British Rail, which was always confined to Great Britain, and therefore are not part of the National Rail network. National Rail services have a common ticketing structure inherited from British Rail, through tickets are available between any pair of stations on the network, and can be bought from any station ticket office
3.
West Yorkshire
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West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in England. It is an inland and in relative terms upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in moors of the Pennines and has a population of 2.2 million, West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. West Yorkshire consists of five boroughs and shares borders with the counties of Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, North Yorkshire. In the heart of the county is Leeds Bradford International Airport, West Yorkshire County Council was abolished in 1986 so its five districts became effectively unitary authorities. However, the county, which covers an area of 2,029 square kilometres, continues to exist in law. West Yorkshire includes the West Yorkshire Urban Area, which is the most built-up, West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council inherited the use of West Riding County Hall at Wakefield, opened in 1898, from the West Riding County Council in 1974. Since 1987 it has been the headquarters of Wakefield City Council, the county initially had a two-tier structure of local government with a strategic-level county council and five districts providing most services. In 1986, throughout England the metropolitan county councils were abolished, the functions of the county council were devolved to the boroughs, joint-boards covering fire, police and public transport, and to other special joint arrangements. Organisations such as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive continue to operate on this basis, although the county council was abolished, West Yorkshire continues to form a metropolitan and ceremonial county with a Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and a High Sheriff. Wakefields Parish Church was raised to cathedral status in 1888 and after the elevation of Wakefield to diocese, Wakefield Council immediately sought city status and this was granted in July 1888. However the industrial revolution, which changed West and South Yorkshire significantly, led to the growth of Leeds and Bradford, Leeds was granted city status in 1893 and Bradford in 1897. The name of Leeds Town Hall reflects the fact that at its opening in 1858 Leeds was not yet a city, the county borders, going anticlockwise from the west, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, South Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. It lies almost entirely on rocks of carboniferous age which form the southern Pennine fringes in the west, in the extreme east of the metropolitan county there are younger deposits of magnesian limestone. The Bradford and Calderdale areas are dominated by the scenery of the slopes of the Pennines, dropping from upland in the west down to the east. There is a conjunction of large scale industry, urban areas. The dense network of roads, canals and railways and urban development, the carboniferous rocks of the Yorkshire coalfield further east have produced a rolling landscape with hills, escarpments and broad valleys. In this landscape there is evidence of both current and former industrial activity. There are numerous derelict or converted mine buildings and recently landscaped former spoil heaps, the scenery is a mixture of built up areas, industrial land with some dereliction, and farmed open country
4.
North Yorkshire
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North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan county and larger ceremonial county in England. It is located primarily in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber, created by the Local Government Act 1972, it covers an area of 8,654 square kilometres, making it the largest county in England. The majority of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors lie within North Yorkshires boundaries, the largest settlements are York, Middlesbrough, Harrogate and Scarborough, the county town, Northallerton, has a population of 16,832. The area under the control of the county council, or shire county, is divided into a number of local government districts, Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough, the changes were planned to be implemented no later than 1 April 2009. This was rejected on 25 July 2007 so the County Council, the largest settlement in the administrative county is Harrogate, the second largest is Scarborough, while in the ceremonial county, the largest is York. The largest urban area within the county is the Middlesbrough built-up area sub-division of Teesside. Uniquely for a district in England, Stockton-on-Tees is split between North Yorkshire and County Durham for this purpose, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, and Redcar and Cleveland boroughs form part of the North East England region. The ceremonial county area, including the authorities, borders East Riding of Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria. The geology of North Yorkshire is closely reflected in its landscape, within the county are the North York Moors and most of the Yorkshire Dales, two of eleven areas of countryside within England and Wales to be officially designated as national parks. Between the North York Moors in the east and the Pennine Hills in the west lie the Vales of Mowbray, the Tees Lowlands lie to the north of the North York Moors and the Vale of Pickering lies to the south. Its eastern border is the North sea coast, the highest point is Whernside, on the Cumbrian border, at 736 metres. The two major rivers in the county are the River Swale and the River Ure, the Swale and the Ure form the River Ouse which flows through York and into the Humber estuary. The River Tees forms part of the border between North Yorkshire and County Durham and flows from upper Teesdale to Middlesbrough and Stockton and to the coast, North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan county that operates a cabinet-style council, North Yorkshire County Council. The full council of 72 elects a council leader, who in turn appoints up to 9 more councillors to form the executive cabinet, the cabinet is responsible for making decisions in the County. The county council have their offices in the County Hall in Northallerton, the county is affluent and has above average house prices. Unemployment is below average for the UK and claimants of Job Seekers Allowance is also very low compared to the rest of the UK at 2. 7%, agriculture is an important industry, as are mineral extraction and power generation. The county also has high technology, service and tourism sectors. This is a chart of trend of gross value added for North Yorkshire at current basic prices with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling
5.
Harrogate
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Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its attractions include its spa waters. Nearby is the Yorkshire Dales national park and the Nidderdale AONB, Harrogate grew out of two smaller settlements, High Harrogate and Low Harrogate, in the 17th century. Since 2013, polls have consistently voted the town as the happiest place to live in Britain, Harrogate spa water contains iron, sulphur and common salt. The town became known as The English Spa in the Georgian era, in the 17th and 18th centuries its chalybeate waters were a popular health treatment, and the influx of wealthy but sickly visitors contributed significantly to the wealth of the town. Harrogate railway station and Harrogate bus station in the town centre provide transport connections, Leeds Bradford International Airport is 10 miles south-west of Harrogate. The main roads through the town are the A61, connecting Harrogate to Leeds and Ripon, Harrogate is also connected to Wetherby and the A1, by the A661. The town motto is Arx celebris fontibus, which means a citadel famous for its springs, the name Harrogate is first attested in the 1330s as Harwegate, Harougat and Harrowgate. The origin of the name is uncertain and it may derive from Old Norse hǫrgr a heap of stones, cairn + gata street, in which case the name presumably meant road to the cairn. Another possibility is that the means the way to Harlow. The form Harlowgate is known from 1518, and apparently in the rolls of Edward II. In medieval times Harrogate was a place on the borders of the township of Bilton with Harrogate in the ancient Parish of Knaresborough, and the parish of Pannal, also known as Beckwith with Rossett. The part within the township of Bilton developed into the community of High Harrogate, both communities were within the Royal Forest of Knaresborough. In 1372 King Edward III granted the Royal Forest to his son John, Duke of Lancaster, Harrogates development is owed to the discovery of its chalybeate and sulphur rich spring water from the 16th century. The medicinal properties of the waters were publicised by Edmund Deane and his book, Spadacrene Anglica, or the English Spa Fountain was published in 1626. In the 17th and 18th centuries further chalybeate springs were discovered in High Harrogate, the two communities attracted many visitors. A number of inns were opened for visitors in High Harrogate in the 17th century In Low Harrogate the Crown was open by the mid 18th century, in accordance with an Enclosure Act of 1770, promoted by the Duchy of Lancaster, the Royal Forest of Knaresborough was enclosed. The Enclosure Award of 1778 clarified ownership of land in the Harrogate area, under the Award 200 acres of land, which included the springs known at that time, were reserved as a public common, the Stray, which has remained public open space
6.
York
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York is a historic walled city at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The municipality is the county town of Yorkshire to which it gives its name. The city has a heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events in England throughout much of its two millennia of existence. The city offers a wealth of attractions, of which York Minster is the most prominent. The city was founded by the Romans as Eboracum in 71 AD and it became the capital of the Roman province of Britannia Inferior, and later of the kingdoms of Northumbria and Jórvík. In the Middle Ages, York grew as a wool trading centre and became the capital of the northern ecclesiastical province of the Church of England. In the 19th century, York became a hub of the railway network, in recent decades, the economy of York has moved from being dominated by its confectionery and railway-related industries to one that provides services. The University of York and health services have become major employers, from 1996, the term City of York describes a unitary authority area which includes rural areas beyond the old city boundaries. In 2011 the urban area had a population of 153,717, the word York derives from the Latinised name for the city, variously rendered as Eboracum, Eburacum or Eburaci. The first mention of York by this name is dated to circa 95–104 AD as an address on a wooden stylus tablet from the Roman fortress of Vindolanda in Northumberland, the toponymy of Eboracum is uncertain because the language of the pre-Roman indigenous population was never recorded. They are thought to have spoken a Celtic language related to modern Welsh, in his Historia Regum Britanniae the 12th century chronicler, Geoffrey of Monmouth, suggests the name derives from that of a pre-Roman city founded by the legendary king Ebraucus. Alternatively, the word already existed as an Old English word for wild swine. The Anglo-Saxon newcomers probably interpreted the part as eofor, and -rac as ric, while -um was a common abbreviation of the Saxon -heem. To them, it sounded as a home rich in boar, as is common in Saxon place names, the -um part gradually faded, eoforic. When the Danish army conquered the city in 866, its name became Jórvík, the Old French and Norman name of the city following the Norman Conquest was recorded as Everwic in works such as Waces Roman de Rou. The form York was first recorded in the 13th century, many company and place names, such as the Ebor race meeting, refer to the Roman name. The Archbishop of York uses Ebor as his surname in his signature, archaeological evidence suggests that Mesolithic people settled in the region of York between 8000 and 7000 BC, although it is not known whether their settlements were permanent or temporary. By the time of the Roman conquest of Britain, the area was occupied by a known to the Romans as the Brigantes
7.
Leeds
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Leeds /liːdz/ is a city in West Yorkshire, England. Historically in Yorkshires West Riding, the history of Leeds can be traced to the 5th century when the name referred to an area of the Kingdom of Elmet. The name has applied to many administrative entities over the centuries. It changed from being the appellation of a small borough in the 13th century, through several incarnations. In the 17th and 18th centuries Leeds became a centre for the production. During the Industrial Revolution, Leeds developed into a mill town, wool was the dominant industry but flax, engineering, iron foundries, printing. From being a market town in the valley of the River Aire in the 16th century Leeds expanded and absorbed the surrounding villages to become a populous urban centre by the mid-20th century. The city has the third largest jobs total by local authority area with 480,000 in employment and self-employment at the beginning of 2015. Leeds is also ranked as a world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Leeds is served by four universities, and has the fourth largest student population in the country and has the fourth largest urban economy. After London, Leeds is the largest legal and financial centre in the UK, with over 30 national and international banks located in the city. Leeds is also the UKs third largest manufacturing centre with around 1,800 firms and 39,000 employees, the largest sub-sectors are engineering, printing and publishing, food and drink, chemicals and medical technology. Outside of London, Leeds has the third busiest railway station, Public transport, rail and road communications networks in the region are focused on Leeds and there are a number of twinning arrangements with towns and cities in other countries. The name Leeds derives from the old Brythonic word Ladenses meaning people of the fast-flowing river and this name originally referred to the forested area covering most of the Brythonic kingdom of Elmet, which existed during the 5th century into the early 7th century. An inhabitant of Leeds is locally known as a Loiner, a word of uncertain origin, the term Leodensian is also used, from the citys Latin name. Leeds developed as a town in the Middle Ages as part of the local agricultural economy. Before the Industrial Revolution it became a centre for the manufacture of woollen cloth. Leeds handled one sixth of Englands export trade in 1770, growth, initially in textiles, was accelerated by the building of the Aire and Calder Navigation in 1699 and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1816
8.
Yorkshire and the Humber
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Yorkshire and the Humber is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of NUTS for statistical purposes. It comprises most of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire and it does not include Middlesbrough or Redcar and Cleveland. The population in 2011 was 5,284,000, regional ministers were not reappointed by the incoming Coalition Government, and the Government Offices were abolished in 2011. Scammonden Dam, is the highest dam in UK at 73 metres, sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe claims to be longest place name in England. In the Yorkshire and the Humber region, there is a close relationship between the major topographical areas and the underlying geology. The Pennine chain of hills in the west is of Carboniferous origin, the North York Moors in the north-east of the county are Jurassic in age, while the Yorkshire Wolds and Lincolnshire Wolds to the south east are Cretaceous chalk uplands. The highest point of the region is Whernside, in the Yorkshire Dales, the region is drained by several rivers. In western and central Yorkshire, the many rivers empty their waters into the River Ouse, the most northerly of the rivers in the Ouse system is the River Swale, which drains Swaledale before passing through Richmond and meandering across the Vale of Mowbray. Next, draining Wensleydale, is the River Ure, which joins the Swale east of Boroughbridge, the River Nidd rises on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and flows along Nidderdale before reaching the Vale of York. The Ouse is the given to the river after its confluence with the Ure at Ouse Gill Beck. The River Wharfe, which drains Wharfedale, joins the Ouse upstream of Cawood, the Rivers Aire and Calder are more southerly contributors to the River Ouse. The most southerly Yorkshire tributary is the River Don, which flows northwards to join the river at Goole. The River Derwent rises on the North York Moors, flows south then westwards through the Vale of Pickering and it empties into the River Ouse at Barmby on the Marsh. In the far north of the county, the River Tees flows eastwards through Teesdale, the smaller River Esk flows from west to east at the northern foot of the North York Moors to reach the sea at Whitby. To the east of the Yorkshire Wolds, the River Hull flows southwards to join the Humber Estuary at Kingston upon Hull, the western Pennines are served by the River Ribble, which drains westwards into the Irish Sea close to Lytham St Annes. The lower stretches of the River Trent flow through North Lincolnshire and meet the Ouse at Trent Falls, the largest freshwater lake in the region is Hornsea Mere in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Weather conditions vary from day to day as well as season to season. Between depressions, there are often small mobile anticyclones that bring periods of fair weather, in winter anticyclones bring cold dry weather
9.
Leeds railway station
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Leeds railway station is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is the third busiest railway station in the UK outside London and it is located on New Station Street to the south of City Square, at the bottom of Park Row, behind the landmark Queens Hotel, it is one of 19 stations managed by Network Rail. Leeds is an important hub on the British rail network, there are also regular inter-city services to major destinations throughout Northern England including Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield. It is also the terminus for trains running on the scenic Settle to Carlisle Line, future expansion will link the station to the proposed High Speed 2 network. Leeds is a hub for local and regional destinations across Yorkshire such as to York, Scarborough, Hull, Doncaster. The station lies at the heart of the Metro commuter network for West Yorkshire providing services to Bradford, Wakefield, Dewsbury, Huddersfield, the railway station is situated on a hill falling from the south of the city to the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal basin. The railway station has 17 platforms, making it the largest by number of platforms in England outside London, there are 11 terminus and six through platforms. Most platforms are subdivided into up to four sections, i. e. 1a, 1b, all together including the numbers, there are 47 platforms. Retail facilities in the station include coffee shops, fast food outlets, a bar, newsagents, chemists, a British Transport Police station on New Station Street houses officers who police the West Yorkshire railway stations. Leeds railway station retained manned ticket barriers through the 1990s until 2008 when they were replaced by automatic barriers by Northern to improve congestion around the barriers at peak times,9,11,12,15,16 – through platforms. CrossCountry services heading north to York and beyond depart from Platforms 9 or 11,7,14 – Bay platforms used for local Northern services running north/east from Leeds. Leeds Interchange, located at the New Station Street exit, provides onward transport connections from the station. There are five bus stands serving Arriva, First and Yorkshire Tiger routes 4,5,16, 16A,19, 19A,40,85,87,90,757,870, a 24-hour taxi rank also operates at the interchange. Further bus stops are located on Neville Street below the railway station, infirmary Street and Boar Lane Bus Points are a short walk for more bus connections. Leeds Interchange hosts one of the UKs first cycle hubs that allows a number of cycling services including repair, storage, the facility opened in summer 2010 and is designed to encourage visitors and commuters into Leeds to continue their journey from the railway station by bike. Its design is based on the Dutch cyclepoint concept, the railways arrived in Leeds in 1834 when the Leeds and Selby Railway opened its line. It had a terminus at Marsh Lane east of the city centre, in 1840, the North Midland Railway constructed its line from Derby via Rotherham to a terminus at Hunslet Lane to the south. It was extended to a more centrally-located terminus at Wellington Street in 1846, another railway station, Leeds Central, was opened in 1854 by the Manchester and Leeds Railway and the London and North Western Railway, or LNWR
10.
York railway station
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York railway station is on the East Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom, serving the city of York, North Yorkshire. It is 188 miles 40 chains down-line from London Kings Cross and its three-letter station code is YRK. Despite the small size of the city, Yorks station is one of the most important on the British railway network because of its role as a key junction approximately halfway between London and Edinburgh, the junction was historically a major site for rolling stock manufacture, maintenance and repair. The first York railway station was a wooden building on Queen Street outside the walls of the city, opened in 1839 by the York. It was succeeded in 1841, inside the walls, by what is now York old railway station and this was the present station, designed by the North Eastern Railway architects Thomas Prosser and William Peachey, which opened in 1877. It had 13 platforms and was at time the largest station in the world. As part of the new project, the Royal Station Hotel, designed by Peachey. In 1909 new platforms were added, and in 1938 the current footbridge was built, the building was heavily bombed during the Second World War. On one occasion, on 29 April 1942,800 passengers had to be evacuated from a Kings Cross-Edinburgh train which arrived during a bombing raid. On the same night, two workers were killed, one being station foreman William Milner, who died after returning to his burning office to collect his first aid kit. He was posthumously awarded the Kings commendation for gallantry, a plaque in his memory has been erected at the station. The station was repaired in 1947. The station was designated as a Grade II* listed building in 1968, the track layout through and around the station was remodelled again in 1988 as part of the resignalling scheme that was carried out prior to the electrification of the ECML shortly afterwards. This resulted in several bay platforms being taken out of service, at the same time a new signalling centre was commissioned on the western side of the station to control the new layout and also take over the function of several other signal boxes on the main line. The IECC here now supervises the line from Temple Hirst through to Northallerton. It has also taken responsibility for the control area of the former power box at Leeds and thus signals trains as far away as Gargrave. In 2006–7, to facilities for bus, taxi and car users as well as pedestrians and cyclists. The former motive power depot and goods station now house the National Railway Museum, Station management transferred from Virgin Trains East Coast to Network Rail on the 30 June 2015
11.
Network Rail
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Network Rail is the owner and infrastructure manager of most of the rail network in England, Scotland and Wales. Network Rail is an arms length public body of the Department for Transport with no shareholders, since 1 September 2014, Network Rail has been classified as a public sector body. Britains railway system was built by companies, but it was nationalised by the Transport Act 1947. Infrastructure and passenger and freight services were separated at that time, between 1994 and 2002 the infrastructure was owned and operated by Railtrack. The Hatfield train crash on 17 October 2000 was a moment in the collapse of Railtrack. The costs of modernising the West Coast Main Line were also spiralling, the purchase was completed on 3 October 2002. The SRA was abolished in November 2006, the company moved its headquarters to Kings Place,90 York Way, from 40 Melton Street, Euston, in August 2008. In October 2008, Sir Ian McAllister announced that he would not stand for re-election as chairman of Network Rail and he had held the position for six years. He noted that as Network Rail moved to a new phase in its development it was appropriate for a new chairman to lead it there, many track safety initiatives have been introduced in the time Network Rail has been responsible for this area. This ruling came into force in January 2009 for maintenance and property workers and in April 2009 for infrastructure, in 2009, allegations appeared in the media from the Transport Salaried Staffs Association concerning treatment of Network Rail employees. Former chief executive Iain Coucher was also accused of financial impropriety involving unspecified payments to his business partner Victoria Pender during his tenure at Network Rail, an internal investigation held by Network Rail in 2010, vetted by its auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers, uncovered no evidence of wrongdoing. An independent enquiry headed by Anthony White QC in 2011 further examined the claims, critical commentary appeared in the media concerning the knighthood awarded to John Armitt in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to engineering and construction. The reorganisation has been interpreted as a move back towards vertical integration of track, in 2016 Network Rail failed to check whether the Flying Scotsman could fit through tunnels along the Borders Route resulting in the cancellation of a trip just 24 hours before departure. Scottish Transport Minister Derek Mackay branded the affair a debacle, Network Rails attempt to electrify the West Coast Mainline has been dogged by poor planning and cost overruns, the projected cost has ballooned from by £1.2 billion to £2. It however owns a fleet of departmental stock, although it owns over 2,500 railway stations, it manages only 18 of the biggest and busiest of them, all the other stations being managed by one or other of the various train operating companies. Network Rail has a 15-year lease on Square One in Manchester with 800 staff in one of Manchesters largest refurbished office spaces, Network Rail should not be confused with National Rail. National Rail is not an organisation, but merely a brand, used to explain, the majority of Network Rail lines also carry freight traffic, some lines are freight only. A few lines that carry passenger traffic are not part of the National Rail network, conversely, a few National Rail services operate over track which is not part of the Network Rail network
12.
Northern (train operating company)
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Northern, the trading name of Arriva Rail North is the primary train operator in Northern England. A subsidiary of Arriva UK Trains, it operating the Northern franchise on 1 April 2016. Northern operates more stations than any other operating company in the United Kingdom. In August 2014, the Department for Transport announced that Abellio, Arriva, in May 2016, the Competition and Markets Authority launched what The Times called an. unprecedented investigation into the transport departments decision to award the Northern Rail network to Arriva. Northern will staff some currently unstaffed stations, the first stations to be staffed will be Baildon and Ben Rhydding, both in West Yorkshire. Northern has committed to introducing free Wi-Fi on trains, and new ticketing options including the ability for customers to print their own tickets, Arriva will provide new services across the North of England. In October 2017, the Cleethorpes to Barton-on-Humber service will transfer to East Midlands Trains. The transfer will include Barrow Haven, Barton upon Humber, Goxhill, Great Coates, Grimsby Docks, Habrough, Healing, New Clee, New Holland, Stallingborough, Thornton Abbey, the routes transferred from the TransPennine franchise will also be part of the Northern Connect network. Northern inherited the stock operated by Northern Rail, namely Class 142,144,150,153,155,156 and 158 diesel multiple units. To operate services transferred from the TransPennine Express franchise, 185s are sublet from that franchise to Northern, Class 37/4 locomotives and Mark 2 carriages are hired from Direct Rail Services until 2017 for Cumbrian Coast line services. Northern will take delivery of 98 Class 195 and Class 331 trains built in Spain by CAF between 2018 and 2020 and they will be a mix of two and three car diesel multiple units and three and four car electric multiple units all based on the Civity UK platform. The units will primarily be deployed on Northern Connect regional express services, the Class 323 units will be returned to leasing company Porterbrook at the end of 2018 when their leases expire. An additional 18 two carriage DMUs are due to join the fleet by December 2022, northerns fleet is maintained at Allerton, Heaton, Newton Heath and Neville Hill depots. The RMT are unhappy about this change, as roles currently undertaken by guards would instead by undertaken by drivers and have called industrial action over the change
13.
Neville Hill TMD
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Neville Hill is a railway Train Maintenance Depot located in Osmondthorpe, Leeds, England on the Leeds to Selby Line. The depot is situated to the east of Leeds railway station, the loco shed at Neville Hill was built by the North Eastern Railway at a cost of £132,971. Sometime during the 1950s the four-roundhouse shed was reduced by half, a DMU shed is believed to have been added in 1958 along with servicing facilities for diesels. D2000 series 0-6-0 diesel shunters were the first diesel locos allocated to Neville Hill, probably in that year, at the formation of British Railways in 1948 the depot code was 50B, under York. In 1959 it was transferred to the Leeds District under Holbeck, after 1973 the depot code became NL. In 1987, the depot had an allocation of Class 08 shunters, classes 101,108,110,111,141,142,144 and 150 DMUs and Class 254 HSTs were also allocated. The line from Leeds City station to Neville Hill depot was electrified in the early 1990s as a corollary to the East Coast Main Line electrification project, the electrification was energised in March 1993. The depot is operated by East Midlands Trains and Northern used for light and heavy maintenance, cross Country and Virgin Trains East Coast also use the site for train storage. The site employs over 400 people, as of 2011, East Midlands Trains had 24 Class 43s, and 10 Mark 3 sets allocated to Neville Hill. Northern had Class 144, Class 153, Class 155, Class 321, Virgin Trains East Coast carry out light maintenance and cleaning on their High Speed Train and InterCity 225 sets as well as CrossCountry High Speed Trains. Neville Hill also has Class 08 diesel shunters owned by Maintrain Ltd. in 2012 East Midlands Trains facility at Neville Hill was used for the Project Miller restoration of a prototype Class 43 unit number 41001 to working condition. As of 2012 five Class 322s were allocated to Neville Hill, webster, Neil, Greengrass, Robert, Greaves, Simon. Media related to Neville Hill depot at Wikimedia Commons
14.
InterCity 125
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InterCity 125 was the brand name of British Rails diesel-powered High Speed Train fleet, which was built from 1975 to 1982 and was introduced in 1976. An InterCity 125 train is made up of two Class 43 power cars, one at end of a fixed formation of Mark 3 carriages. Initially the sets were classified as Classes 253 and 254, a variant of the power cars operates in Australia as part of the XPT. Most sets are to be replaced on InterCity services by 2018 under the Intercity Express Programme, at first, that programme called for some HSTs to continue in use on London to Devon/Cornwall services where there are no plans to electrify the lines. One is in use, as Network Rails New Measurement Train, converted. In the later 1950s and early 1960s, the British Transport Commission was modernising its rail network, in particular, it wanted to increase intercity speeds, so that the railways could compete more effectively with the new motorways. Thus, at the instigation of Terry Miller, Chief Engineer, an operational prototype of this train was to be built by 1972. The prototype high-speed diesel train, which was to become the InterCity 125, was to be formed of a rake of coaches sandwiched between two power cars, one at each end. Also a factor in the decision was that the use of two locomotives, operating in formation, would cause less wear on the rails than a single, much heavier. The framework of the new locomotive, classified British Rail Class 41, was built at Crewe Works before being transferred to Derby Carriage and Wagon Works for completion. The design of the locomotive incorporated a driving desk fitted around the driver, the prototype became the first diesel locomotive in British railway history to use AC alternators in place of a DC generator, with the output converted to DC when used for traction. The prototype train of seven coaches and two locomotives was completed in August 1972 and by the autumn was running trials on the main line, the following year, high-speed testing was being undertaken on the racing stretch of the East Coast Main Line between York and Darlington. The set had been reduced to two cars and five trailers, and there seems to have been a concerted attempt to see how fast the train would go. On 6 June 1973131 mph was reached, and this maximum was raised as the days went by, by 12 June a world diesel speed record of 143.2 mph was achieved. The drivers believed that 150 mph was possible but the BRB issued instructions for the speed tests to cease. It was believed at the time that this was because the BRB wanted to promote the APT as the future of high speed rail travel in the UK. The first production car, numbered 43002, was delivered in late 1975. The streamlined front end lacked conventional buffers, and the drawgear was hidden under a cowling, the single cab front window was much larger than the prototypes, and side windows were included
15.
British Rail Class 142
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The British Rail Class 142 is a class of Pacer diesel multiple-unit passenger trains used in the United Kingdom. 96 units were built by British Rail Engineering Limited in Derby between 1985 and 1987 and they were a development of the earlier Class 141 which were introduced in 1984. They were initially built for use on branch lines. However, as of April 2015 they are used on busy commuter routes in the major cities in the north of England. Until 2011, they operated in Devon, by First Great Western. Government legislation requires all public passenger trains must be accessible by 1 January 2020. Only one of the Pacer family of trains currently meets this requirement and this is only a mock-up of what could be done to the Pacers to make them accessible. Ramps were fitted at the doors, passenger information systems and announcements installed, and it is currently in passenger service with Northern. No refurbishment of the Class 142s has been proposed by Angel Trains, the current Northern franchise operator must not operate any Pacer trains after 31 December 2019. The units body is based on that of the original Leyland National bus, each unit has a seating capacity of any number between 102 and 121 passengers per two-car set. In theory there should be 106 or 121 seats per unit, however, many units have had seats removed to provide additional space for wheelchair access. The same engines and mechanical transmissions were used as on Class 141, excessive flange squeal on tight curves has been a problem on many routes operated by 142s, caused by the long wheelbase and lack of bogies. The rough ride which can result has led to the units being nicknamed Nodding Donkey, the 142s were officially known as Skippers when they were briefly allocated to Cornwall in the mid-1980s. They were transferred elsewhere when they proved unsuitable for the sharply curved branch lines there, the class was upgraded in the early 1990s. This has proven successful, although incidents have occurred, such as when a Northern Rail unit derailed en route from Blackpool to Liverpool in June 2009, the first batch of Class 142 units was numbered 142001-142014 and delivered in Greater Manchester PTE orange and brown livery in Spring 1985. This livery would be retained by these units until the mid-1990s and these Pacers worked a range of services from their home at Newton Heath depot, from short-distance commuter routes like the Oldham Loop to cross-country services such as Holyhead-Scarborough. The second batch, numbered 142015-142027, was delivered for use in the West Country and these units, named Skippers, went straight to Plymouth Laira depot for use on branch-line services in Devon and Cornwall, although their success on these duties was hindered by their lack of bogies. Their long wheelbase caused heavy flange wear when they were negotiating the curves of the West Country branch lines
16.
British Rail Class 144
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The British Rail Class 144 Pacer diesel multiple units were built by British Rail Engineering Limited, Derby from 1986 to 1987. A total of 23 units were built, replacing many of the earlier first-generation Heritage DMUs, at the beginning of the 1980s British Rail had a large fleet of ageing Heritage DMUs, built to many different designs in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Some of the more types were retained and refurbished. However, BR decided to replace many of the non-standard or unreliable types with new second generation units, two different types were pursued, low-cost Pacers built using bus parts and used on short-distance services, and Sprinters built for longer-distance services. Twenty-three Class 144 units were built, the units have a maximum speed of 75 mph and are externally similar to the earlier Class 143 Pacers, built in 1985–1986. The first thirteen of the class, No, 144014-023 are all 3-car units, although all were originally built as 2-car units, the centre vehicle being added later. These ten Pacers are the only Pacers to contain intermediate vehicles, units are formed of two driving motors, one of which contains a toilet. The 3-car units have an intermediate motor. All vehicles have standard-class seating only, the technical description of the formation is DMS++DMSL. Individual vehicles are numbered as follows, 55801-55823 - DMS 55850-55859 - MS 55824-55846 - DMSL The Class 144 units have BSI couplers. This allows them to work in multiple with Class 142, Class 143, Class 150, Class 153, Class 155, Class 156, Class 158, Class 159 and Class 170 units, the class were built specifically for local services sponsored by West Yorkshire PTE. As such, the fleet was painted in the crimson/cream West Yorkshire Metro livery, more recently from 2008, they have been working between Manchester Victoria and Leeds amongst others. Prior to 1994, they were used on Leeds/Bradford-Ilkley and Leeds/Bradford-Skipton services. These lines were electrified in 1994, and passenger services were operated by Class 308 electric multiple units, due to their similarities, services booked for a Class 144 can often be replaced by a Class 142, and vice versa. Since privatisation, the fleet has operated by several franchises. In December 2004, the fleet was transferred to the new Northern rail franchise, Northern Rail has started to replace the silver and red Metro livery with Northern Purple and Blue. During 2009, 144001-013 were all repainted, as of April 2010, all Class 144s have been repainted. Northern Rail carried out a refurbishment programme to their fleet of Class 144 trains,144006 was the first unit to be so treated and this was also the first one to be refurbished in the joint Arriva Trains Northern/WYPTE Metro programme in 2002
17.
British Rail Class 150
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The British Rail Class 150 Sprinter diesel multiple-units were built by BREL York from 1984 to 1987. A total of 137 units were produced in three subclasses, replacing many of the earlier first-generation Heritage DMUs. At the beginning of the 1980s, British Rail had a fleet of ageing Heritage DMUs built to many different designs in the late 1950s. Some of the more types were retained and refurbished. BR decided to replace many of the non-standard or unreliable types with new second-generation units, in 1984, BREL built two prototype 3-car Class 150/0 units, numbered 150001 and 150002. 150001 was fitted with Cummins engines and Voith hydraulic transmission, and 150002 was fitted with Perkins engines, the design specifications of the prototypes were similar to the later production units, but they were to remain as the only Class 150s to be built as 3-car units. Additional three-car units were created later by re-marshalling a 150/2 car in the middle of a 150/1 set, Both cab doors are air-operated unlike the Class 150/1 production model, but as seen later on in the 150/2 variant. One car was fitted with the Class 151 Twin Disc hot-shift transmission which it used successfully once the control software was sorted out, to distinguish this unit it was reclassified as the Class 154. It has since returned to the standard configuration and reverted to its original number. Both prototypes were still in service with London Midland until 2011,150001 entered service with First Great Western in January 2012, with 150002 to follow after refurbishment and relivery. They are now used primarily on the Reading-Basingstoke line, with Both 150001 &150002 in the new Great Western Railway green livery, at the same time that BREL built the 150/0s, Metro-Cammell built two prototype Class 151 units at its Washwood Heath plant. The two types of unit were tested, with a view to placing further orders for the more successful. In the event, the two Class 150 units proved to be reliable, and as a result an order for 50 two-car units was placed with BREL. This second batch of fifty units were classified as Class 150/1, like the prototype units, they did not have front-end gangway connections. Originally based at Derby Etches Park depot, these units were introduced in 1986, mainly concentrated around Birmingham and Manchester, the final batch of 85 two-car units were built with front-end gangway connections, which allowed passengers to move between two units that were working in multiple. These units were classified as Class 150/2 and numbered in the range 150201-285 and they were used on longer-distance services. The end gangways make them similar in appearance to the Class 317/2 EMUs. Some of the Class 150/2 units were disbanded, and the vehicles were used to make some of the Birmingham
18.
British Rail Class 153
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The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinters are single-coach diesel multiple units converted from two-coach British Rail Class 155s. The class was intended for service on rural and branch lines where passenger numbers do not justify longer trains, in the late 1980s, British Rail took delivery of 35 two-coach Class 155 units from British Leyland to replace older Regional Railways DMUs. Shortly after, West Yorkshire PTE took delivery of 7 two-coach units for use in the Yorkshire region, after the Class 155s entered service, it became an emerging requirement for ageing rural and branch line trains to be replaced. In 1990, British Rail issued a contract to Hunslet-Barclay at Kilmarnock for conversion of the Class 155 units, from 1991 to 1992, the 35 two-coach Class 155 units began to emerge from the works as single-coach Class 153s. A total of 70 single-coach class 153 multiple units were created which were numbered in the range 153301-335, individual coaches are numbered 52301-335 and 57351-385. The layout of the original non-cab ends was different from the cab end, so the ends are noticeably distinct. The 7 West Yorkshire PTE Class 155s were not modified and remained as two-coach class 155 multiple units and their maximum speed is 75 mph and suited for working less widely used local services such as the London Midland service from Coventry to Nuneaton and the Heart of Wales Line. The new or small cab is significantly smaller than the original Leyland cab and encroaches on the vestibule area, providing cramped conditions for Drivers. These units also have the benefit of having passenger door control panels at either end of the cars, pre-privatisation, British Rail operated all Class 153s under their Regional Railways division and were used on many branch lines throughout the Midlands, Wales and Northern England. Due to their working ability, Class 153s were often seen in multiple other classes of sprinter units such as Class 156s. Upon privatisation of British Rail, the Class 153 fleet was divided amongst several different operators, Arriva Trains Wales has a fleet of 8 Class 153s. One is used daily on the short Cardiff Queen Street to Cardiff Bay shuttle, following the timetable change on 9 December 2007, Arriva Trains Wales lost three Class 153 units. Two were transferred to East Midlands Trains with the going to First Great Western. London Midland use ten Class 153 DMUs on commuter lines in the West Midlands including the Coventry to Nuneaton Line, all ten units were inherited from Central Trains in their livery. All of the units are being repainted into London Midland city lines livery upon refurbishment at Eastleigh works, the Class 153s that were used on the Stourbridge Town Branch Line have been replaced by new built lightweight Class 139 railcars. The Class 139 received passenger certification from Network Rail in March 2009, East Midlands Trains fleet of Class 153s are used on rural routes in the East Midlands. On 9 December 2007, East Midlands Trains has also received two additional Class 153 units from Arriva Trains Wales and two trains from Northern Rail. All of the East Midlands Trains Class 153 units have been repainted into the local lines livery of the company, as of July 2010 the first unit from the local fleet for East Midlands Trains 153319 entered Neville Hill depot in Leeds for a C6 refresh programme
19.
British Rail Class 155
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The British Rail Class 155 is a diesel multiple unit. These DMUs were built by Leyland Bus at Workington between 1987 and 1988 as part of British Rails replacement of its diesel fleet which were First-Generation. 42 units were built, however only 7 remain, the other 35 units were converted to Class 153 railcars. The Class 155 train is made up of two 23 metre coaches were fitted with Cummins NT855-R5 285HP engines and Voith transmission, introduction was rapid, but teething troubles soon emerged. The units were the first BR DMUs with sliding-plug automatic doors which closed to provide a smooth bodyside rather than sliding back into the bodyshell and these doors did not work properly and there were reports of them opening while the trains were in use. Consequently, the fleet was out of use and modified. Following rework the fleet performance improved substantially, an emerging requirement for replacement rural lines stock saw BR decide to convert the Regional Railways fleet into single-cars to replace the elderly 121 and 122 Bubblecar units. Instead the Pacers were moved to replace a number of Class 150s, the 150s took over certain 156 diagrams, and the 156s took on the 155 services which were not handed over to the new Class 158s. The 155s emerged from the workshops as single car Class 153s and they do not operate North of the Scottish border. However, West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive refused to allow the seven units which they owned to be converted, the units were equipped with a large parcels locker. This is because when the units were constructed in the 1980s and this fell out of use in the period leading to rail privatisation, and the large areas are now used as luggage space. They are similar in interior to the Class 156 DMUs built at the same time, seven further Class 155 units, were built in 1988 for West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive for MetroTrain services, and remain today in their original formation. The seven surviving units are all based at Neville Hill Railway Depot and operate services mainly on the Caldervale Line and also the Harrogate Line. The units were painted in the Regional Railways livery, or in the case of the Leeds-based units, in the carmine. The surviving units have undergone an internal and external revamp, with all units now carrying the livery of their former operator, train Testing site - pictures of class 155 testing and early service running
20.
British Rail Class 170
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The Class 170 Turbostar is a British diesel multiple-unit train built by Bombardier Transportation at its Derby Litchurch Lane Works. Introduced after privatisation, these trains have operated regional as well as long-distance services, notable features shared are the aluminium alloy frame and Voith transmission as well as the general body shape, interior design and door fittings. The final drive is sourced from ZF instead of Gmeinder and the supplier changed to MTU. The engine and transmission are under the body, one bogie per coach is powered, all coaches in the set are powered. The units can work in multiple with trains in the 15X series, i. e. Sprinters and they are unable to operate in multiple with units in the 16X series due to different wiring arrangements. Seating arrangements are of both 2+1 and 2+2 formation, and give a seated capacity of between ~100 and ~200 per three-car set. Class 170 units have been categorised into six sub-classes, the specifications remain the same. Because of the different interior fittings the sub-classes differ in weight from one another by a small amount, all the subclasses were built at Derby works either under ADtranz or Bombardier Transportation ownership. Most units are owned by Porterbrook, although units 170 416–424 are owned by Eversholt Rail Group and they are leased to the train operating companies. Abellio ScotRail is the largest operator of the Class 170, with a fleet comprising 55 3-car sets, originally,34 of these had first-class accommodation. They are mainly used on Edinburgh–Glasgow, Inverness–Glasgow/Edinburgh and Aberdeen–Glasgow/Edinburgh services, a further four 3-car sets fitted with mini-buffets were obtained from Hull Trains, but the buffets are out of use. All units are allocated to Edinburgh Haymarket depot, in December 2008, half the standard-class-only units,170 450–5, were fitted with first-class sections. 170456 and 170457 were fitted with first class in December 2011, in April 2015,170 421-424 left ScotRail to go to Southern and be modified to become Class 171s. First TransPennine Express operated nine Class 170s, used on the Manchester to Hull route, from 9 September 2009, two Class 170s are used Sundays to Thursdays on the Cleethorpes–Manchester Airport service. The units were maintained by Bombardier Crofton, the work was carried out by Transys at Clacton-on-Sea. However, in March 2014 it was revealed that the nine Turbostars would move to Chiltern Railways, upon delivery, the Class 170s will be modified to allow them to be used with Chilterns existing Class 168s, and will be reclassified as Class 168/3s. Today, the numbers are 168321-168329. Hull Trains began its London Kings Cross to Hull services using Turbostars, in 2004, it received four of its own 3-car Class 170/3 units, and returned the original units to Anglia
21.
British Rail Class 158
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The British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit, built specifically for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly heritage DMUs, the Class 159 DMUs are almost identical to the Class 158s, having been converted from Class 158 to Class 159 in two batches. A total of 182 units were built, the majority were built as two-car sets. 17 units were built as units, eight of these units have since had the centre car removed. The final ten units were built specifically for West Yorkshire PTE Metro services around Leeds, there were three varieties of unit when built. The standard batch, two- and three-car units had 350 hp Cummins engines, the next batch were built as non-standard to enable 350 hp Perkins engines to be fitted. The final batch were given higher-powered Cummins engines of 400 hp, another 22 of these higher-powered units were built, and became three-car Class 159s. Over time, the units have become mixed up as franchises changed, all units use P4-4A and T4-4A bogies. When introduced, British Rail described the Class 158s as bringing new standards of comfort, as built, interiors were described as fully carpeted, with panoramic windows and a variety of seats arranged both airline-style and in bays of four around tables. Despite an increased top speed of 90 miles per hour, the units also promised a smoother, quieter ride than its predecessors. The Class 158s were expected to achieve 13,500 miles of operation between major services and a range of up to 1,600 miles from each refuelling. Despite the attention given to facilities, the phrase garden shed engineering has been used to describe the build. The class has suffered from unreliable air-conditioning systems since the outlawing of the CFC gases with which they were originally designed to work. Following privatisation, many operators undertook to re-engineer or entirely replace such equipment, as a result, the systems in use and their effectiveness now vary across the fleet. The lightweight aluminium body of the Class 158s leads to a route availability score. However, the units were refused permission by Network Rail to operate on the Conwy Valley, ScotRail was the first part of British Rail to introduce the Class 158s to public service in September 1990, long after the planned date. These were employed on Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley services, as well as services to Aberdeen, the Class 158s then went on to be deployed elsewhere in Britain, primarily in the Midlands, Northern England, Wales and the South West. With the majority of the fleet coming under the control of the Regional Railways division, examples included long-distance Trans-Pennine services in the north of England, as well as a range of upgraded regional services under the Alphaline brand in the Midlands, Wales and the South West
22.
Track gauge
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In rail transport, track gauge is the spacing of the rails on a railway track and is measured between the inner faces of the load-bearing rails. All vehicles on a network must have running gear that is compatible with the track gauge, as the dominant parameter determining interoperability, it is still frequently used as a descriptor of a route or network. There is a distinction between the gauge and actual gauge at some locality, due to divergence of track components from the nominal. Railway engineers use a device, like a caliper, to measure the actual gauge, the nominal track gauge is the distance between the inner faces of the rails. In current practice, it is specified at a distance below the rail head as the inner faces of the rail head are not necessarily vertical. In some cases in the earliest days of railways, the company saw itself as an infrastructure provider only. Colloquially the wagons might be referred to as four-foot gauge wagons, say and this nominal value does not equate to the flange spacing, as some freedom is allowed for. An infrastructure manager might specify new or replacement track components at a variation from the nominal gauge for pragmatic reasons. Track is defined in old Imperial units or in universally accepted metric units or SI units, Imperial units were established in United Kingdom by The Weights and Measures Act of 1824. In addition, there are constraints, such as the load-carrying capacity of axles. Narrow gauge railways usually cost less to build because they are lighter in construction, using smaller cars and locomotives, as well as smaller bridges, smaller tunnels. Narrow gauge is often used in mountainous terrain, where the savings in civil engineering work can be substantial. Broader gauge railways are generally expensive to build and require wider curves. There is no single perfect gauge, because different environments and economic considerations come into play, a narrow gauge is superior if ones main considerations are economy and tight curvature. For direct, unimpeded routes with high traffic, a broad gauge may be preferable, the Standard, Russian, and 46 gauges are designed to strike a reasonable balance between these factors. In addition to the general trade-off, another important factor is standardization, once a standard has been chosen, and equipment, infrastructure, and training calibrated to that standard, conversion becomes difficult and expensive. This also makes it easier to adopt an existing standard than to invent a new one and this is true of many technologies, including railroad gauges. The reduced cost, greater efficiency, and greater economic opportunity offered by the use of a common standard explains why a number of gauges predominate worldwide
23.
Standard gauge
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The standard gauge is a widely used railway track gauge. Approximately 55% of the lines in the world are this gauge, all high-speed rail lines, except those in Russia, Uzbekistan, and Finland, are standard gauge. The distance between the edges of the rails is defined to be 1435 mm except in the United States. It is also called the UIC gauge or UIC track gauge, as railways developed and expanded, one of the key issues was the track gauge to be used. The result was the adoption throughout a large part of the world of a gauge of 1435 mm. In North East England, some lines in colliery areas were 4 ft 8 in. All these lines had been widened to standard gauge by 1846, parts of the United States, mainly in the Northeast, adopted the same gauge, because some early trains were purchased from Britain. However, until well into the half of the 19th century, Britain. The American gauges converged as the advantages of equipment interchange became increasingly apparent, notably, all the 5 ft broad gauge track in the South was converted to standard gauge over the course of two days beginning on 31 May 1886. See Track gauge in the United States, snopes categorized this legend as false, but commented that. It is perhaps more fairly labelled as True, but for trivial, the historical tendency to place the wheels of horse-drawn vehicles approximately 5 feet apart probably derives from the width needed to fit a carthorse in between the shafts. Others were 4 ft 4 in or 4 ft 7 1⁄2 in, the English railway pioneer George Stephenson spent much of his early engineering career working for the coal mines of County Durham. He favoured 4 ft 8 in for wagonways in Northumberland and Durham, the Hetton and Springwell wagonways also used this gauge. Stephensons Stockton and Darlington railway was primarily to transport coal from mines near Shildon to the port at Stockton-on-Tees. The initial gauge of 4 ft 8 in was set to accommodate the existing gauge of hundreds of horse-drawn chaldron wagons that were already in use on the wagonways in the mines. The railway used this gauge for 15 years before a change was made to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in gauge, George Stephenson used the 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in gauge for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, authorised in 1826 and opened 30 September 1830. The success of this led to Stephenson and his son Robert being employed to engineer several other larger railway projects. Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway, authorised 1824 and opened 1825, used 4 ft 6 in, Dundee and Newtyle Railway, authorised 1829 and opened 1831, used 4 ft 6 1⁄2 in
24.
East Coast Main Line
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The East Coast Main Line is a 393-mile long railway link between London and Edinburgh via Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington and Newcastle, electrified along the whole route. Services north of Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Inverness use diesel trains, the main franchise on the line is operated by Virgin Trains East Coast. The route forms a key artery on the side of Great Britain and is broadly paralleled by the A1 trunk road. It links London, the South East and East Anglia, with Yorkshire and it also carries key commuter flows for the north side of London. It is important to the health of several areas of England and Scotland. It also handles cross-country, commuter and local services. The route has ELRs ECM1 - ECM9, the line was built by three railway companies, each serving their own area, but with the intention of linking up to form the through route that became the East Coast Main Line. In 1923 the three companies were grouped into the London and North Eastern Railway and this later became part of British Railways in 1948. The Selby Diversion was opened in 1983 and diverged from the original ECML at Temple Hirst Junction, north of Doncaster, the ECML has been the backdrop for a number of famous rail journeys and locomotives. The line was worked for years by Pacific locomotives designed by Gresley, including the famous steam locomotives Flying Scotsman. Mallard achieved a record speed for a steam locomotive, at 126 miles per hour. It made the run on the Grantham-to-Peterborough section, on the descent of Stoke Bank, steam locomotives were replaced by Diesel electrics in the early 1960s, when the purpose-built Deltic locomotive was developed by English Electric. The prototype was successful and a fleet of 22 locomotives was built, the Class 55s were powered by two Napier Deltic engines originally developed for fast torpedo boats, with the three crankshaft triangular configuration of the engines giving the Deltic name. Their characteristic throaty exhaust roar and chubby body outline made them unmistakable, the Class 55 was for a time the most powerful diesel locomotive in service in Britain, at 3,300 hp. Just after the Deltics were introduced, the first sections of the East Coast Main Line were upgraded to allow 100 miles per hour running. The first length to be cleared for the new higher speed was a 17 miles stretch between Peterborough and Grantham on 15 June 1965, the second was 12 miles between Grantham and Newark. A prototype of the HST, the Class 41 achieved 143 mph on the line in 1973, a secondary factor was that the signalling technology of the time was insufficient to allow detection of two broken rails on the line on which the train was operating. Locomotives have operated on the ECML at speeds of up to 161.7 mph in test runs. 3A equipment and this included the Hertford Loop Line
25.
London King's Cross railway station
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Kings Cross railway station, also known as London Kings Cross, is a central London railway terminus on the northern edge of the city. It is one of the busiest railway stations in the United Kingdom, the station was opened in 1852 by the Great Northern Railway in the Kings Cross area to accommodate the East Coast Main Line. It quickly grew to cater for services and was expanded several times in the 19th century. It came under ownership of the London and North Eastern Railway as part of the Big Four grouping in 1923, who introduced famous services such as the Flying Scotsman and Mallard. The station complex was redeveloped in the 1970s, simplifying the layout and providing electric suburban services, in the late 20th century, the area around the station became known for its seedy and downmarket character, and was used as a backdrop for several films as a result. Adjacent to Kings Cross station is St. Pancras International, the London terminus for Eurostar services to continental Europe, beneath both main line stations is Kings Cross St. Pancras on the London Underground, and combined they form one of the countrys largest transport hubs. The Kings Cross fire at the station in 1987 led to improved fire safety standards across the London rail network. The station is located on the London Inner Ring Road at the end of Euston Road, next to the junction with Pentonville Road, Grays Inn Road. To the west, at the side of Pancras Road, is St Pancras railway station. Several London bus routes, including 10,30,59,73,91,205,390,476 pass in front of or at the side of the station, Kings Cross is spelled both with and without an apostrophe. Kings Cross is used in signage at the Network Rail and London Underground stations, on the tube map and it has been used on official maps from Underground companies since 1951 – the apostrophe was used on them only very rarely before then. Kings Cross is used in the National Rail timetable database and other National Rail railway pages, Kings X, Kings + and London KX are abbreviations used in space-limited contexts. The National Rail station code is KGX, the area of Kings Cross was previously a village known as Battle Bridge which was an ancient crossing of the River Fleet, originally known as Broad Ford, later Bradford Bridge. The river flowed along what is now the west side of Pancras Road until it was rerouted underground in 1825, the name Battle Bridge is linked to tradition that this was the site of a major battle between the Romans and the British Iceni tribe led by Boudica. According to folklore, Kings Cross is the site of Boudicas final battle, platforms 9 and 10 have been suggested as possible sites. Boudicas ghost is also reported to haunt passages under the station, Kings Cross station was built in 1851–1852 as the London hub of the Great Northern Railway and terminus of the East Coast main line. It replaced a station next to Maiden Lane that had been quickly constructed with the lines arrival in London in 1850. The station took its name from the area of London, named after a monument to King George IV that was demolished in 1845
26.
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
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Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the principal station serving Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. Waverley station is situated in a steep, narrow valley between the medieval Old Town and the 18th century New Town, Princes Street, the premier shopping street, runs close to its north side. The valley is bridged by the North Bridge, rebuilt in 1897 as an iron and steel bridge. This passes high above the central section, directly over the central booking hall. The valley to the west, formerly the site of the Nor Loch, is the parkland of Princes Street Gardens. Edinburghs Old Town, perched on a sloping ridge, was bounded on the north by a valley in which the Nor Loch had been formed. In the 1750s overcrowding led to proposals to link across this valley to allow development to the north, the noxious lake was to be narrowed into a canal of running water, with a bridge formed across the east end of the loch adjacent to the physic garden. The loch was drained as work on the bridge proceeded, the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway opened in 1842 with its terminus at Haymarket railway station, stopping short of Princes Street. The North Bridge station was opened on 22 June 1846 by the North British Railway as the terminus for its line from Berwick-upon-Tweed. The collective name Waverley, after the Waverley Novels by Sir Walter Scott, was used for the three from around 1854 when the through Waverley route to Carlisle opened. In 1868 the North British Railway acquired the stations of its rivals, the present Victorian station was built on the site, and extended in the late 19th century. Waverley has been in use since, under the auspices of the North British. From its opening in its current form by the eastward tunnelled extension from Haymarket, from 1870 to 1965 the city had a second major station, Princes Street, operated by the rival Caledonian Railway, but this was never as important as Waverley. As at other railway stations of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. The North British Hotel, adjacent to the station at the corner between Princes Street and North Bridge opened in 1902, in 1983 British Rail sold it to the Forte hotel group. In 1988 Forte closed the hotel for a year to extensively remodel, when it reopened it was rechristened The New Balmoral Hotel, maintaining the NB initials in what has proved to be an astute marketing move, despite the hotel being 115 miles from Balmoral Castle. Subsequently, New was dropped from the name, the hotel enjoys commanding views over central Edinburgh and is one of the most luxurious hotels in the UK. There is no longer an entrance from the station
27.
Poppleton railway station
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Poppleton railway station is a station serving the suburban village of Upper Poppleton in the York and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line 3 miles west of York and is operated by Northern who provide all train services. The line is double track between Poppleton and Skelton Junction in York, westwards of Poppleton station the line is single track as far as Hammerton. The station still has a nursery which used to supply plants across the stations in Yorkshire pre-privatisation, a two-foot gauge railway still operates around the nursery. The main buildings here are now occupied and the station is unmanned. Ticket machines are not available, so anyone wishing to travel must purchase tickets need to do so on the train or in advance, there are shelters and digital information screens on each platform. Step-free access is available to platforms, which are linked by the manually-operated level crossing - this still retains its wooden gates. Generally there is a service operated by Northern to York eastbound. Services travelling from Leeds continue on to York, train times and station information for Poppleton railway station from National Rail
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Hammerton railway station
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Hammerton railway station serves the villages of Kirk Hammerton and Green Hammerton in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line 8.75 miles west of York and is operated by Northern who provide all train services to this station. Like other stations on line, it is unstaffed so travellers must purchase their tickets on the train or in advance via a smartphone app. There is a room available on the York-bound platform which is open from 0645-2230. The station features step-free access to platforms via short ramps and access between platforms is via the level crossing. There is also cycle storage for up to 10 bicycles on the York-bound platform, digital information screens and a long-line P. A system provide train running information for passengers. The station building here is partly in railway use, as it houses the office for the signaller who operates the manual level crossing gates. Generally there is a service to York eastbound and Leeds via Harrogate westbound. The service from York is timed to arrive before the one from Harrogate and this allows for exchange of the token for the single line block between Hammerton & Poppleton. Train times and station information for Hammerton railway station from National Rail
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Cattal railway station
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Cattal railway station serves the village of Cattal in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line 10.5 miles west of York and is operated by Northern who provide all train services. The station has a modest car park of 22 spaces and has a section of bike stands, apart from the crossing keeper, the station is unstaffed and all tickets must be purchased on the train. Step-free access is available to platforms, with digital information screens and a long-line P. A system for train running information provision. Cattal is at the end of a dual track section from Hammerton. Eastbound trains are timetabled to arrive first on the track section. The level crossing here still has manually-operated metal gates and a signal box. The station buildings are now privately owned, generally there is an hourly service to York eastbound and Leeds via Harrogate westbound. Some additional trains run at peak times. Train times and station information for Cattal railway station from National Rail
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Pilmoor, Boroughbridge and Knaresborough Railway
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The line originally ran only between Pilmoor and Boroughbridge from its opening in 1847 until 1875 when the section from Boroughbridge to Knaresborough opened. This necessitated moving Boroughbridge station onto the new formation, shortly after the Second World War, a rail connected depot for the Air Ministry was opened between Brafferton and Pilmoor. The section from Pilmoor to the Air Ministry siding was removed in 1953, the line had three intermediate stations, at Brafferton, Boroughbridge and Staveley. The station at Staveley was called Copgrove and Staveley on its opening in 1875 and it was renamed Copgrove in 1881 after the nearby Copgrove village to avoid confusion with Staveley in Derbyshire. An attempt was made to cut costs in 1936, for the 3 to 6 trains a day, by replacing traditional signalling with staff, the line closed for passengers in 1950 and for goods in 1964. Pilmoor station closed on 5 May 1958, the Pilmoor, Boroughbridge and Knaresborough Railway. ISBN 1-871944-05-8 Geograph photo of the pre 1875 Boroughbridge station
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Knaresborough railway station
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Knaresborough railway station is a Grade II listed station serving the town of Knaresborough in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line 16.75 miles west of York and is operated by Northern who provide all train services. The station is located at the side of the Nidd Viaduct off Station Road to the South West side of Knaresborough town centre. The station is in walking distance from the centre and the Western side of Knaresborough. The East and West Yorkshire Junction Railway was opened from York to a terminus known as Hay Park Lane. The E&WYJR was absorbed by the York and North Midland Railway on 1 July 1851, in 1865 the North Eastern Railway replaced the 1851 station with a design by Thomas Prosser. The 1851 Water tower is still extant, beyond the platforms eastbound was a tunnel which separated the station from the goods yard and the lines major junction. The Knaresborough to Boroughbridge branch diverged from the line to York opposite the goods yard. This line continued north-east until it met the East Coast Main Line between York and Northallerton at Pilmoor, the tunnel is still extant with both north and south portals are now listed structures. The station signal box is somewhat unusual in that it was built onto the end of a row of terraced houses on Kirkgate. - it supervises the line section eastwards to Cattal, an adjacent level crossing. The station is unstaffed, but has ticket machines available, the station buildings on the eastbound platform are in private commercial use - one of these is a cafe that is open to the public. Both platforms have shelters and are linked by subway and the level crossing, step-free access is via separate entrances to each platform. A long line P. A system and passenger information screens are in place to train running details.80. No date has been set however, money has been set aside for the doubling of the single line sections between Knaresborough and York. This will allow capacity improvements along the whole line, the projected completion date for this work is 2018. During Monday to Saturday off-peak, there is a service to Leeds. During evenings and on Sundays, there is a service in each direction
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Starbeck railway station
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Starbeck railway station is located in the eastern suburbs of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line 2.25 miles east of Harrogate and is operated by Northern who provide all train services. The line on to Ripon and Thirsk was opened the following July, with a line to Knaresborough. Services on the old line to Pannal ended in October 1951, whilst the Leeds Northern main line to Ripon & Northallerton was closed to passengers in March 1967, the station at one time had canopies & substantial buildings, but these have been demolished. The signal box remains in use to supervise a level crossing. The station is unstaffed, but has ticket machines available, shelters and digital information screens are located on each platform - these are linked by a subway with ramps, so both have step-free access. During Monday to Saturday off-peak, there is a service westbound to Leeds. During evenings and on Sundays there is a service in each direction. There are proposals to create another station between Starbeck and Harrogate at Bilton
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Harrogate railway station
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Harrogate railway station serves the town of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Located on the Harrogate Line it is 18.25 miles north of Leeds, northern operate the station and provide nearly all passenger train services except a daily Virgin Trains East Coast service to and from London Kings Cross. The station was opened by the North Eastern Railway on 1 August 1862 and it was designed by the architect Thomas Prosser and was the first building in Harrogate built of brick and had two platforms. Once the individual companies had become part of the NER, the company concentrated all lines at a new single depot, a storm in November 1866 caused a chimney stack to fall through the station roof causing considerable damage. In 1873, a footbridge was added, the booking office was robbed on 7 December 1868 when thieves drilled through the ticket window covering with a bit and brace, and stole a small amount of cash. The station platforms were lengthened by 100 yards in 1883, largely as a result of the opening of a route to Leeds via Wetherby in 1876. In 1892, the actor, Harry Fischer, was shot at by Violet Gordon at the station and she missed and was arrested by the police. The station was demolished in 1964/65 and replaced with a more utilitarian one by Taylor Bown and Miller. A car park now occupies the site of the bay platforms on the south side, the York branch was included in Beechings 1963 report, but it was reprieved in 1966 and remains open. The original, attractive wrought iron footbridge remained until the mid 2000s when it was taken down, the station was serviced by a cafe called the Circle Bar until its closure in the 1990s. The station has a ticket office open seven days a week. Facilities include a newsagent, key cutters, ATMs, a cafe, photo booths, the station has three platforms, but only platforms 1 and 3 are in operation - platform 2 is not in public use. Full step-free access is available to both platforms and they are linked by a footbridge with lifts. Ticket barriers are due to be installed at the station by March 2017, services double in frequency at peak time to Leeds, resulting in 4tph with 1tph running fast to Horsforth. There are 4tph in the direction between 16,29 and 18,00 from Leeds with one running fast from Horsforth to Harrogate. Evenings and Sundays an hourly service operates from Leeds through Harrogate towards Knaresborough, Virgin Trains East Coast operates a daily morning service starting in Harrogate to London Kings Cross, with an evening return. Most trains are operated by Class 150 DMUs, although Class 155 units are common, as are Class 142 &144 Pacer railbuses. Occasionally Class 158 units are used at peak times, the London service is operated using a High Speed Train
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Hornbeam Park railway station
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The Monday to Saturday daytime service is generally a half-hourly to Leeds and to Harrogate and Knaresborough on the Harrogate Line with an hourly service onwards to York. Evenings and Sundays, there is generally an hourly service from Leeds through Hornbeam Park, towards Harrogate, Knaresborough, the route is usually served by a collection of Pacer and Sprinter units operated by Northern. Normally, Class 144s, Class 150s and Class 155s run on this line, access to both platforms is step-free, and although the station is unstaffed, ramps are available for access to the trains from the platforms. Train times and station information for Hornbeam Park railway station from National Rail
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Pannal railway station
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Pannal railway station serves the villages of Pannal and Spacey Houses in the southern suburbs of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, equidistant from both. It also serves the village of Burn Bridge, on the side of Pannal. It is located on the Harrogate Line 15 miles north of Leeds and it is a busy station considering the size of the village it serves. This is due to the number of commuters using the station, from surrounding villages. It was built by the Contractors, James Bray, who had appointed by the Leeds & Thirsk Railway on 26 April 1846 to build the Pannal section between Weeton and Starbeck. The Leeds & Thirsk Railway changed its name to the Leeds Northern Railway in August 1851, on 31 July 1854 the Leeds Northern Railway amalgamated with the York, Newcastle & Berwick Railway and the York & North Midland Railway becoming the North Eastern Railway. When built Pannal Junction had its own separate signalbox, on 1 January 1923, the railways were Grouped and it became the London & North Eastern Railway. The signalbox at Pannal Junction was closed in 1927 and the points, on 1 January 1948, under the Transport Act, the railways were Nationalised becoming British Railways. The original line between Pannal Junction and Starbeck was closed on 7 October 1951 leaving the later Pannal Loop as the line north of Pannal. Goods traffic was withdrawn from Pannal in 1954 but the sidings remained until the closure of the signalbox and removal of the signals in 1969, the station was staffed until 15 June 1969 when it became an unstaffed halt with no facilities other than basic small shelters provided for passengers. Tickets have to be obtained from the Guard/Conductor on the train, the ticket machine is still in use here, as of 2016. In 1983, British Rail was sectorised and the services operated by British Rail Provincial later becoming British Rail Regional Railways until privatisation in 1997, a trench was dug along the Up platform for a cabling duct and access manholes to be installed to carry the signalling cables. The station buildings were located on the platform and there was a timber waiting shelter, with a store. There was a box of standard North Eastern Railway design located at the south end of the down platform. The station had a cattle dock siding, adjacent to the up line, at the end of the up platform, opposite the signalbox. The goods yard had three lines of sidings accessed from a headshunt on the side of the down line and this included a coal depot on two of the sidings furthest away from the station and a small warehouse on the other siding nearest the station buildings. There are just the two platforms, the up line to Leeds and the line to Harrogate with bus type waiting shelters. Digital information screens are in place on platform and an automated public address system is also installed to offer train running information
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Weeton railway station
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Weeton railway station serves the villages of Weeton and Huby in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line 11.5 miles north of Leeds, the Leeds and Thirsk Railway was authorised in 1845, and built in stages. The section between Wormald Green and Weeton opened on 1 September 1848, on 9 July 1849, the final section of the original L&TR main line was formally opened, between Weeton and Leeds. The station at Weeton was described as Weeton for Ormscliff Crags in some timetables, the station is unstaffed and so tickets must be purchased from the conductor on the train or prior to the journey. There are only basic shelters on platform, but there are passenger information screens in place. Neither platform is DDA-compliant, as the Leeds one has steps to it, during Monday to Saturday daytimes, there is generally a half-hourly service southbound to Leeds and a half-hourly service northbound to Knaresborough with one train per hour onwards to York. In the evenings and on Sundays there is generally an hourly service in each direction, train times and station information for Weeton railway station from National Rail
