Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

time for the introduction of the summer timetable in May as they ‘had planned’. Six more Class 158 DMUs have also been cascaded down from ScotRail and are numbers 782/6/9 and 867/8/9. The New Year has seen a return to Class 56 haulage of the VTG tanker train, with on Thursday the 10 th , with Colas Rail’s numbers 090 piloting 086. The following day it was back to Class 70 haulage with #802 in charge. On the railway front, Saturday the 19 th , would see the 45 th stoppage in the long-running dispute between the RMT and Arriva Rail North. The union was now contemplating continuing strikes on every Saturday during February. Although the VTG tanker train did not appear to operate in the earlier part of the week on Thursday, the 17 th , 56:094 was piloting 56:113 going east. February During the early part of the month Network Rail’s gangs were out doing light maintenance on the East Lancs Line. On Saturday, the 2 nd , they were working on the section adjacent to the cemetery wall. On Monday it was further east in the vicinity of Huncoat Railway Station. They were also making their biennial inspection of the embankments in the vicinity of Highams Playing Fields to check for any signs of slippage. After 47 days of industrial action, much of it on continuous Saturdays in 2018, it had been announced that Arriva Rail North had agreed that all its trains would carry a conductor/guard, although this was not envisaged in their franchise bid. This has come after the company and the RMT Union had attended talks with the Arbitration and Conciliation Service. However, the Company has said it was too short a notice to rearrange their timetables, schedules and rosters, to revert to a full service by Saturday, the 9 th , so it will be at least another week before Saturday running returns to normal, although this does not translate into the fully improved service that was expected in the spring of 2018 and may not materialise until the middle of 2019. During the second week of the month there has been a new pairing of locomotives on the VTG tanker train. This time it was Colas Rail’s 56:078, piloting 56:049, which is also named ‘ Robin of Templecombe ’. This engine was only recently returned to traffic. For the first time for months what Arriva Rail North calls a ‘normal’ Saturday service has operated on the East Lancs Line. There had been a total of 48 days of stoppages, but now the Rail Minister, Andrew Jones, had written to the Rail Northern Partnership expressing the Government’s support for a second safety critical member of staff to be on every train, this despite the fact that the Government was not empowered to intervene in any industrial disputes. It has been announced that included in the Northern Powerhouse’s Rail Strategy is the reopening of the twelve mile section connecting Skipton and Colne. A study into the possible reinstatement of the line has shown that it is technically feasible, but much will depend upon its viability as an alternative route for freight. If this proves positive then the line could be in use in 2025. Colas Rail had been ringing the changes in their use of traction on the VTG tanker train. On Tuesday, the 26 th , it was another pairing of 56:078 with on this occasion 56:049 the lead engine. On the following day, Wednesday the 27th, it was back to Class 70 haulage, with #805 in charge. March The Campaign for Better Transport, (CBT), had identified the twelve miles Colne to Skipton line as one of thirty-one candidates for reopening. Meanwhile, Transport for the North, (TfN), has identified the Skipton to Colne line as being included in its ‘Strategic Transport Plan for the period 2020 to 2050’. A sum of £70 billions was what the full programme would be estimated to cost. It has been suggested that if the line is put back, a station at Earby would be reopened with a brand new station at West Craven Parkway. But much would depend upon the line’s ability to handle freight as a viable diversionary route. A great deal would depend upon the Northern Powerhouse being able to obtain some funding, which had tended to be disproportionately invested in rail projects in the south. The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotherham his counterpart for the Liverpool City Region, were credited as being relevant voices in the resolution of the long-running dispute between Arriva Rail North and the RMT. The company had agreed to keep guards on all its trains up until the end of its franchise. Network Rail had again been active in the area of track to the east of Accrington, with gangs making some improvements to the permanent way, without causing any disruption to the services. The bad news was that passengers travelling to Blackpool North will have to change onto the electric service in Preston, as Trans-Pennine services are still terminating in Preston and this will be the case until the

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