Former London Underground District line trains are being transformed at Vivarail’s Long Marston base in Warwickshire. A prototype green and yellow rebuilt coach, centre, is flanked by unrebuilt coaches, left and right. In the depot, more coaches are being transformed.

Last week the West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce published their proposal for a single Leeds station serving all HS2, inter-city, regional and metro rail services, rather than the separate station remote from the city centre currently planned by HS2 Ltd.

The class 700 at the new Three Bridges Siemens depot. Picture by Siemens

Consultants charged with proving the case for the MetroWest service to Henbury have settled for a simple turnback solution, failing to grasp the opportunities which a Henbury loop could create.

The first small steps in our programme to develop the Wealden Line from a sleepy Uckfield branch into a second main line to the Sussex Coast are underway.

Map of Windsor Link Railway proposal

Mockup of new Lea Bridge station

Railfuture is concerned about the complexity of fares, which are way beyond the abilities of the general public – and even some railway staff – to fully understand. This is a big problem as substantial savings can be made by knowing the ‘best’ ticket to buy. (Photo: Some of the tickets from Paul Hollinghurst’s railway journeys.)

Attendees of the Railfuture Summer 2015 Conference in Newark were welcomed by the Town Mayor Councillor Robert Crowe and his wife. Also shown above are Railfuture Lincolnshire branch chairman, David Harby, who helped organise the conference, and branch sales and catering officer Sue Dovey.