Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

• To introduce a larger range of long-distance and book-ahead tickets • To protect the cost of ‘turn up and go’ tickets. • To cut costs by uniting services under GBR to avoid any duplication.

• To speed up the upgrading of existing routes. • To restore some of the closed railway lines.

• To simplify the industries structure under the GBR management. • To encourage the greater use of the railways for transporting freight. • To appoint a Railways Ombudsman. • To make ‘partnerships’ with regional governments and local authorities in order to allow them to integrate rail services with other types of transport. GBR will have five regional areas, one of which would be North West & Central, (covering here). The powers of the already devolved authorities functioning in London, Merseyside, Scotland, Tyne & Wear and Wales would remain in place, but would be required to work with GBR, to continue to support the unified network. The British Transport Police, the Rail Safety Standards Board along with the Rail Investigation Branch, would remain independent of GBR. The Office of Rail & Road would continue to be the statutory regulating body, whilst the DfT would remain in charge of security. The body in charge of passenger rights will remain in the hands of Transport Focus. However, Ministers would remain in control of GBR’s budgets and spending. These plans had not been universally welcomed by the unions and other critics, described as “a simplification of the railways and not a re-nationalisation”, although Northern along with others was now fully under state ownership. It was of course a half-way house between full privatisation and nationalisation, now that the former had proved to be a flawed experiment. It was predicted by 2023 all the necessary legislation will have passed through Parliament, and GBR will have become a reality. However, this was the latest of 31 previous reviews on the railways since 2006, the findings of which have failed to be actioned or implemented so far! June On Tuesday the first day of June, the Class 47 which had previously been used to operate the return route learning run between Crewe and Manchester Victoria was back. Besides being in the livery in which it first was introduced into service as D1645, it also carried its post TOPS number 47:830. Wednesday the 2 nd , saw more light engine movements between Crewe Basford Hall and Leeds Balm Road. This time with 66:563 towing 90:013. The Class 90 on this occasion emitting audible evidence of a severe wheel-flat. Two days later, on Friday the 4 th , the route learning/driver familiarisation run between Wigan and Manchester Victoria was on Freightliner’s 66:592. After a drought of locomotive movements along the East Lancs Line, when their appearance over the years was more of an exception than a rule, 2021 had proved to be a minor bonanza. On Sunday the 6 th , two Castles were through. Not steam locos however! Earlier during the day West Coast Trains had operated an excursion from Wakefield to the North East. On its return from Wakefield Kirkgate, the empty carriage stock was brought back to Carnforth via Copy Pit and Accrington, topped and tailed by the two locomotives which had hauled it throughout the day. It came through Huncoat with 57:601‘ Windsor Castle ’ on the front and 57:313 ‘ Scarborough Castle ’ bringing up the rear. 57:313 was prior to this a Virgin Trains ‘Thunderbird’ engine named Tracey Island . It was new in July 1965, as D1890 and allocated to Tinsley Sheds in Sheffield (41A). It was then renumbered to 47:371 under the TOPS system and reallocated to Knottingley. 57:601 was, when introduced in August 1964, numbered D1757, and allocated to Canton Sheds in Cardiff (86A). It was then renumbered to 47:163, then 47:590, 47787 and 47:823. It had previously been named SS Great Britain then Victim Support . On the following day Freightliner’s 66:538 was operating the light engine Crewe to Manchester Victoria run and this appeared again on Tuesday the 8 th , whilst Colas Rail’s 70:803was on the Preston Docks to Lindsey Oil Terminal empties Formerly the Meadow Top footbridge over the railway in Huncoat, which was the entrance to the Huncoat Colliery site, of recent times had been deemed as unsafe. However, it appears that work had commenced to strengthen it during May. This could be as the area to the north, which has for years been designated as a nature reserve, was now being touted as the site to be developed as a “garden village”.

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