Today’s Railways UK 228 – February 2021

The February 2021 issue of Today’s Railways UK is packed with interesting articles and all the latest railway news. As well as unrivalled coverage of UK rolling stock matters, this issue also contains all our regular monthly sections looking at light rail, heritage railways, preservation, railtours, readers’ letters, our grumpy old man and much, much more!

Feature articles this month include:

Transport for Wales’ New Trains Take Shape: As the first photographs of the new Stadler tram-trains for Transport for Wales are released, Robert Pritchard takes a look at what the new trains will bring to Wales and takes stock of the colourful, but varied fleet that will be replaced.

Peak Forest Route to Reopen? Is the railway between Matlock and Buxton the most significant railway loss of the 1960s? Paul Abell traces the history of the line from opening until closure and examines the current situation and the line’s prospects for reopening.

The Changing Face of Bletchley: Phil Marsh documents the deconstruction of the Bletchley Flyover, a pivotal part of the East West Rail Project which seeks to re-establish a direct rail link from Cambridge to Oxford. The operational railway in this area is now much changed, with the spans over and alongside the West Coast Main Line removed.

Operators Tweak Their Timetables for 2021: Mike Stone presents an operator-by-operator summary of the service changes introduced with the December timetable.

A Guide to Long-Exposure Photography: With winter and the longer nights now with us, Anders Beavis Berry provides a guide to the fascinating art of long-exposure photography, revealing the opportunities that darkness brings.

The End for the Moorswater Cement: John Vaughan looks back at more than 20 years of operation of cement trains to the Moorswater terminal, near Liskeard in Cornwall, which finished at the end of November.

News stories this month include:

• Grant Shapps announces another five stations to receive cash in the Beeching Reversal programme
• Rail enhancement budget cut
• Regulated fares rise by 2.6%
• Midland Main Line upgrade nears completion
• RAIB report shows train missed car on Norfolk level crossing by half a second.
• Demonstration tramway approved in Preston
• Midland Metro Birmingham Eastside extension moves forward
• Track laying progresses on Edinburgh Tramway extension
• DB Cargo trials vegetable oil to power Class 67
• East Midlands Railway HST diagrams reduced as CrossCountry diagrams increase
• Northern and Great Western Pacers bow out
• Greater Anglia Class 720s in traffic at last
• First Heathrow Express Class 332s sent for scrap
• Mid-Hants Railway runs illuminated train as most heritage railways cancel Christmas specials
• Llangollen Railway’s Corwen to open at the end of May
• Diamond Jubilee Fund to secure Didcot Railway Centre’s future
• £715 000 for Welsh heritage lines
• First Class 143 enters preservation
• Midland Pullman makes inaugural run in service
• Vintage Trains unveils spring/summer 2021 programme