UK RAIL NEWS
A blessed companion
What’s a good read?
but on the trainRailway journeys are great read poetry over the PA sys- up the M1,
you could enjoy a huge chunk New Orleans. "opportunities for reading tem including a specially- With more books than ever rolling off the
of Harry Potter.’ "Pan Books has been re-publishing Winstonbooks. commissioned poem dedi- presses every day the choice of what to read is
In a recent initiative pas- cated to the Robin Hood Line. Says Stephen Booth, who confusing. Our editor Andy Milne lists a few Graham’s ‘Poldark’ novels set in Cornwall in the
sengers on the Robin Hood Bestselling authors Stephen lives in Retford, ‘I’ve produced books he’s read this year and recommends for late 18th century. This largely unremarked
line were startled to be Booth and Eve Makis boarded a lot of my own writing during train journeys. author is pure gold, the books are real page
approached by a posse of the trains to meet passen- train journeys, and have even Says Andy, "I went to Sweden this summer turners and much better than the TV series -
librarians enquiring what gers at Nottingham and set some scenes at stations so and looked out a few Swedish authors to try although for me Demelza will always be
books they were reading. Worksop. the connection between liter- and imagine what goes on behind those end- Angharad Rees – now running a jewellery busi-
More books from local Says East Midlands Trains ature and train travel means a less lakes and forests. The best discovery and in ness in London.
libraries were on offer. Local managing director, Tim lot to me personally.’ fact my book of the year is ‘The Girl With the An author I discovered quite by chance was
writers lent a hand by provid- Shoveller, ‘One of the many Douglas Jerrold, the play- Dragon Tattoo’ by Stieg Larsson. It’s a thick Andrew Klavan. I saw his book ‘Man and Wife’
ing extracts of their work and benefits of train travel is that wright and author once wrote, thumper of a book, a locked room mystery set lying on the library floor and picked it up. What
poems to be handed out to it allows people time to read ‘A blessed companion is a on an island and in Stockholm. a find, a griping drama based on an age old plot.
passengers. during their journey. After all, book, a book that fitly chosen The book is simply written but compelling. Space precludes me raving about more writers
Local poet, Rosie Garner, you can’t read while driving is a lifetime friend.’ Larsson was a left wing journalist who wrote but Eric Clapton’s biography is very well worth
this book in his spare time. It’s the first of a tril- reading as is Barack Obama’s ‘Dreams From My
ogy; English translations of the other two vol- Father’ which is very well written, poetic and
umes should appear next year. Sadly Larsson inspiring."
died far too young at 50 of a massive heart
attack. Karen Alvtegen’s ‘Missing’ is also un-
put-downable – you just have to know the next
twist. She has the gift of putting you, the read-
er, squarely in the protagonist’s dilemma."
"I have also been re-reading Henning
Mankell’s Inspector Wallander novels. These
are deceptively simple and are set in the south
Skane town of Ystad – Mankell never mentions
that Ystad is one of the best preserved mediae-
val towns in Sweden – thrilling to wander
around his old haunts – you can visit the police
station new and tasteful, brooding upon the
side of a hill and the coffee shop in which
Wallander muses on the iniquity of man.
You should also see Kenneth Branagh star as
Wallander in a new tv series on BBC1."
"Closer to home I can recommend Paul
Watkins, a rapidly growing best seller. His ‘The
Story of My Disappearance,’ ‘The Ice Soldier’ and
‘The Forger’ are all gripping and have the added
bonus of sketching out world’s very different to
normal life.
Among America’s foremost writers is James
Lee Burke from Louisiana. His latest novel,
‘Swan Peak’ continues the series of Cajun
detective and maverick, Dave Robicheaux, now
seen coming to terms with the destruction of
Nortel wins
Spanish radio deal
Canadian communications patchers, engineers and sta- deployed by Nortel. Says
company, Nortel, is to install tion controllers. This new Fernando Valdivielso, vice New depot for Salisbury
a complete GSM-R radio GSM-R project by ADIF links president, Nortel Iberia, ‘This
communication system on the Spanish Madrid- contract is the first with ADIF
the new Barcelona-Figueres Barcelona high-speed line for a high-speed line, extend- Salisbury Traincare Depot is to crossover will allow 6-car of the maintenance team
high-speed line. with Figueres-Perpignan that ing our global market leader- have a new fuelling shed and trains to use both roads. based here, enable us to meet
Spain’s rail infrastructure crosses the Spanish and ship in GSM-R. Our experi- toilet waste removal facilities. Says depot manager Lisa the demands of our busy diesel
company, ADIF, awarded the French border. ence in deploying GSM-R net- The new shed will be open- Hindley, ‘The construction of fleet.’
21 million euro contract. The international Figueres- works worldwide was a key ended covering both roads and the fuel shed is a significant SWT will appoint the con-
Nortel’s GSM-R technology Perpignan high-speed line factor in ADIF’s decision to giving all-weather protection investment in the depot infras- tractor, BAM Nuttall Ltd, and
connects up drivers, dis- also has a GSM-R network award this contract to Nortel.’ to staff. Relocating the tructure which, with the efforts work will start early in 2009.
Contract combination win for Hima-Sella
Hima-Sella and Funkwerk Information (LICC) system based in Leeds and the KeTech Hima-Sella will train Thales UK commission- expertise based in the UK. We’re looking for-
y with Northern Rail,Technologies Karlsfeld GmbH have been Ditra long line public address technology at all ing engineers to install and commission its ward to working closel
Thales UK and Network Rail to complete thisawarded a contract to deliver a 53-station stations. SIU equipment. On completion and following
project.’Customer Information System by spring 2009. The system will consist of a server suite handover, Northern Rail will seek to award a
The contract combines two separate orders, installed at Newton Heath, connected to a separate maintenance contract for the sys- Northern Rail project manager Don Jary added,
one from train operator Northern Rail and one Station Interface Unit (SIU) at each station tem. ‘Providing our customers with clear and up-to-
from Thales UK. The contract encompasses through the existing IT network. The system will Says Hima-Sella account manager Chris date information is imperative and something
the new Customer Information System be controlled from Northern Rail’s operations Elliott, ‘This project is another success in our we value highly. The new Customer Information
together with the replacement of the existing room in Leeds. Operators will be able to provide joint venture, demonstrating the benefits of System will help ensure hassle free journeys for
ATOS Origin Local Information Control Centre information as it happens. having both project delivery and engineering customers through our stations.’
December 2008 | RailStaff | 23
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