NEWS
Pure poetry
Poems on the Underground is celebrating a quarter of a century captivating tube travellers with a fresh batch of verses.
Transport for London said the new set of poems have been chosen by a team led by Judith Chernaik.
She was the innovator behind the original idea in January 1986, and have already started appearing in carriages.
Two poets who featured in the very first selection return in the latest batch: Seamus Heaney and Grace Nichols.
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said: “Poems on the Underground is a stroke of pure genius and that’s why it’s stood the test of time.”
Two million trees for high- speed rail route
M
illions of trees will be planted to shelter
homes from the proposed HS2 line between London and Birmingham.
The Government says the 2m trees will deaden the noise impact, keep the trains from view and give a healthy ecological boost to the countryside.
Transport secretary Philip Hammond said:
“I am determined that we will do everything possible to try and reduce the impact of the line, including extensive woodland planting to screen the railway.”
He called high-speed rail “vital to our future” and promised it would boost growth, but acknowledged the fears of people
living near the proposed route. The line has wide industry and political support nationally, but is facing vociferous opposition in many of the constituencies it passes through, from both locals and MPs.
Minor concessions on the route have been made, but the Government seems committed to the basic principle and route.
If construction goes to schedule, services will begin running on the £17bn project in 2025.
Campaigners opposing the construction of the line welcomed the tree-planting announcement, but said it nowhere near made up for the impact of the scheme, which they say is expensive, unnecessary and will blight the countryside.
Boost for railway charity
A charity for railway workers still expanding 153 years after its founding has appointed some top new talent.
The Railway Benefit Fund (RBF) has appointed Jemma Hooper as its fundraising and membership manager, which is a new role for the charity.
The former high-flyer at Penguin and the Parkinson’s Disease Society said: “In the short time since my appointment I have already seen many examples of the good work the RBF does and see that my role will help to significantly grow that activity for the future.”
The funds raised by the RBF support the young and old, active and retired workers connected to the railways.
Call to end unfair fuel duty discrepancy between rail and air T
he annual rail fares increase prompted campaigners to call for an exemption on fuel duty for the rail industry – bringing it into line with air travel and many bus services.
Mike Crowhurst, of pressure group Railfuture, said it would be an alternative to fare rises, adding: “We know the Government is trying to reduce the taxpayer’s contribution to the running of the railways, which is understandable, but we think they’re going too far.
“We need a level playing field. Why is air travel exempt from fuel duty when rail isn’t? The rail industry pays a huge amount back in tax to the Government, at least £1.4 billion, which only contributes to the high cost of rail fares.”
The Campaign for Better
could be recovered through raising revenue from fuel duty on domestic aviation, which would also have the advantage of encouraging modal shift from high CO2 emitting aviation to low carbon rail.”
Transport (CfBT) and the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) have both in the past suggested ending the discrepancy from the other end, increasing aviation fuel duty – which could even raise revenue for rail.
ATOC chairman Tom Smith said in February last year: “We have to become more efficient and bring costs down. That’s probably our greatest challenge as an industry. But I think we
10 | rail technology magazine Dec/Jan 11
can also make arguments in defence of our industry – and in particular advocate cost reform in other modes of transport. What about road user charging? Aviation fuel duty? These are rational policies in their own right and if introduced, as I think is inevitable in time, will have a significant impact on the economics of rail.”
In April, the CfBT said: “The costs to government of reducing the price of regulated fares
On fare rises, an ATOC spokesman said: “Whilst we understand people won’t welcome any kind of price increases, it is important to remember that we need to continue and sustain investment in our railways, which are now more popular than they have been for generations.’’
ATOC was responding to CfBt’s ‘Fair Fares Now’ campaign, launched at Charing Cross Station and backed by Michael Palin, which accuses ministers of “pickpocketing” rail passengers with “astronomical” fare increases on some routes.
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