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Railways win ice battle as road network seizes
January Issue 2010
 The rail industry managed to keep Britain moving in January despite record snowfall and low temperatures.
Most train companies operated emergency timetables while Britain’s road network appeared paralysed and aircraft were grounded. Train companies ran ghost trains over night to keep tracks and overhead wires ice free. De-icer trains were pressed into service.
Extra staff worked long shifts to keep passengers up to date, grit platforms and despatch trains. Even during the worst of the weather, emergency timetables saw 75% of trains running.
In Kent a charter steam train, headed by A1 loco, Tornado, stopped to pick up stranded passengers. Further north the East Lancashire Railway operated a free diesel shuttle to help commuters trapped behind impassable roads - local bus services were suspended.
Says John Gelson at East Coast, ‘Our trains are continuing to operate through the current snow and ice, providing a more resilient alternative to driving or flying for long distance travel.’
Local leaders praised rail staff for keeping the country moving. Says David Wood of Tyne and Wear transport, ‘I want to say thanks to the many hundreds of drivers, engineers, cleaners… who are keeping the region moving.’
Said Keith Whitmore, Chair of GMITA, ‘The (Manchester) Metrolink system was facing conditions like this for the first time in its history, but still managed to provide a service.’
The south east was at first the worst affected with Eurostar services suffering extensive delays. TransPennine services were also cut for a time.
Northern Rail spokeswoman Carolyn Watson said, ‘Many of our employees have made huge efforts to get to work to make sure the vast majority of our trains and stations are open and running normally.’
In standstill, snowbound, Britain the only transport mode consistently moving was the railway. ‘Staff across the network have been doing an extraordinary job against the odds day-in day-out for more than a week to keep trains running and the railways open as far as possible for business,’ says ATOC chief executive Michael Roberts.
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