Railnews Magazine May 2020 Edizione posteriore

WORK is to start on building HS2, after the four main contractors were given ‘Notice to Proceed’ orders. That’s the lead story in Railnews for May, but the coronavirus emergency is making the headlines too. We have personal reports from frontline staff, who explain what it’s like to be working at the moment, while we also have pictures of stations and bridges which have been given blue spotlighting as an NHS tribute.

Still with the emergency, concerns have been voiced about how safely public transport would work when restrictions are eased.

Our Feature stays with the virus theme and asks what tomorrow’s railway might be like, while rail freight operators are examining ways to carry more containers, although they are only ‘cautiously optimistic’. The government has confirmed funding for tram and light rail systems, but city leaders have been demanding details.

A detective constable with British Transport Police has fallen victim to Covid-19. The Chief Constable says he felt ‘tremendous sadness’.

Open access Hull Trains and Grand Central have cancelled all services for now, saying their position had become ‘unsustainable’.

In other news, the assistant general secretary of the RMT union faces a hearing after he was suspended from duty following remarks he made about Boris Johnson, and direct awards were agreed just in time for Great Western Railway and Southeastern, where the franchises had been due to end on 1 April.

Hot Topic looks at station names, and asks why some are not consistent. Surely a recipe for needless confusion?

Finally, a happy virus story: Captain Tom Moore, who raised more than £30 million for the NHS by performing laps of his garden with a walking frame, has been honoured by two railway namings.

All this and more is in May’s Railnews – still in print and digital editions.