(01 Apr 2015, 10:19 am)Coppercap40 wrote The DfT has just released a document  today giving the results of the feasibility study recently carried out concerning the fitting of pantographs to Class 142 multiple units,this would enable savings to be made when running on electrified lines such as Newcastle to Morpeth and Chathill and Newcastle to Darlington also between Sunderland and Pelaw Jnct, this last section would require trains to stop at Pelaw Jnct in both directions to raise and lower the pantograph, the pantographs would be dual voltage to enable them to work over all the aforementioned lines.
The cost of these modifications would be covered by the savings in diesel fuel consumption.

(01 Apr 2015, 8:11 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote Found this quote hilarious in Railways Illustrated...

''How depressing is it that Porterbrook seriously thinks Pacers are worth investing in after 2020? They will be 35 years old by then, and there's only so many times you can patch them up. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig!''

Don't know how/why I found it so funny! [emoji14]

(05 Apr 2015, 8:10 am)8222 wrote I see Northern are running special services from Newcastle to St. Peters for the match.
Does anyone know the times of these services? Is anyone going to go and take a pic?

It reminds me of were doing work on the main station and I got a 158 (back in the day of Transpennine to Sunderland!) to St Peters and a Stagecoach bus into town. Quite a nice treat to get off at there.

THE BROTHER of a tragic train driver who watched helplessly as his engine killed a teenager has called on rail companies to provide more help for traumatised staff.

David Roberts said he feared his brother Stephen Douglas would drink himself to death after his life fell apart following the horrific accident in 2003.
Mr Douglas, 50, from Darlington, started drinking heavily after the Arriva train he was driving hit and killed teenager Ben Williams, who had been lying across the rails.

Arriva said it could not comment on individual circumstances, but a spokesman said: “We have policies and procedures in place to ensure our drivers are supported during incidents which, like other rail operators, are sadly sometimes part of our operating environment.

(12 Apr 2015, 10:19 am)northern156 wrote Kind of related.

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/12884268.display/
Sloppy journalism from the Echo (yet again). The incident happened in 2003 under Arriva Trains Northern which have since passed on to Serco and Abellio; Northern Rail.
Yet the Echo ask Arriva themselves on their actions on incidents like this, even though they could be different (I hope not though, it's pretty standard to be offered counselling after a fatality).
An interesting read nonetheless though; it really puts into perspective how emotionally devastating these events can be.

(12 Apr 2015, 11:35 am)Tommy_1581 wrote It's a very sad story indeed, the TOC (ATN) had sacked him because he had a drink problem but never was drunk at work; I find that petty and a horrible thing to do.

I know a similar thing happened with a Tyne and Wear Metro driver, I think he became a counsellor for DB Regio or something along them lines.

Being the Echo, the trolls will come and rant about Arriva buses and bus stations and all the ones writing about how they feel sorry about the driver and the teenager will be heavily 'disliked'.

Not even a quick Google search can please the Echo, it's just another way to pick at Arriva.

(12 Apr 2015, 5:17 pm)northern156 wrote With the amount of suicides on the railway generally increasing, it would be detrimental to give drivers indefinite leave and counselling. Not only because it'd be very expensive but also they've lost a driver - typically, new drivers can't come to replace other drives fast enough. To get someone trained 'off the street' takes around a year and it costs around £70,000 per person.

Some people take it easy, some don't - at the FOC where I work, there was a driver there who had four and he was at around retirement age. Yet there's plenty of others who have had none, you can't predict them.

Christ, it still affects me when I pass an overbridge where I was driven past near Penrith around an hour after a fatality, you could see the police vans and other vehicles parked there. I just get a nervous twitch when I pass there.

(12 Apr 2015, 5:44 pm)aureolin wrote You wouldn't expect indefinite leave, but most should be entitled to an income protection scheme of some sort? It'd typically kick in after 6 months long term sick, and would pay the employee's wages (or at least a percentage of them) from then on. 

(02 May 2015, 8:37 pm)danpick wrote Does anyone know what timetable Northern Rail will run on Monday. I think its a normal Monday service but could be Sunday service just incase I have to look up train times as I know the Metro is supposed to be running a Saturday service but if today is to go by where I live there will be no metros like most of today.

(02 May 2015, 9:22 pm)Davie wrote I think it'll be a Sunday service

(02 May 2015, 9:31 pm)tyresmoke wrote Standard Monday service

(02 May 2015, 10:02 pm)northern156 wrote All Bank Holidays (with the exception of Christmas Day and Boxing Day) on the railway are ran as normal service for that day.

Some services run Boxing Day however that is the exception to the rule.

(08 May 2015, 3:48 pm)Andreos1 wrote Not sure if it has been mentioned already, but Northern have got their deals on again with Johnston Press.

http://www.northernrail.org/JP2015

The prices quoted on the website are cheaper than the ones published in the Echo mind. The dates on the website have obviously been and gone too.

(08 May 2015, 4:29 pm)Dan wrote You got a pic of the ad in the Echo? Going to try and make the most of this, but would like to know what I'm looking out for in the Sunderland Echo (assume it is the same regardless of which paper)

(08 May 2015, 5:01 pm)Andreos1 wrote Just as a thought, how about a Day Ranger challenge?

See who can get the furthest in one day?

Upload pictures as they go and the winner, gets some sort of prize?

(08 May 2015, 9:45 pm)aureolin wrote I got the tokens last time round, but the problem was that you were limited to Northern Rail trains. You'd be pretty much restricted to Cumbria (unless you paid extra for VTEC to York and back).