Civils and stations

Rail's role in transit-orientated developments

19 March 2019Jonathan Bray, director at the Urban Transport Group (UTG), argues that transit-oriented developments are the future – and that rail has a vital role to play. Imagine this scenario: you finish work for the day, catch a commuter train from w...

Ashington Blyth and Tyne line reopening mulled over in six ‘quick win’ rail projects for northern transport

18 March 2019A series of ‘quick wins’ have been identified to fix the “current crisis” in the north’s transport network in a report by the IPPR. Following the publication of Transport for the North’s (TfN) Strategic Transpo...

Liverpool mayor announces commission into new high-speed city centre rail station

13 March 2019A commission to deliver a new station in Liverpool city centre to connect the region to HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) has been unveiled by Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Metro mayor Steve Rotherham announced the creation of th...

Manchester's masterplan with Transport for Greater Manchester

12 March 2019Simon Warburton, transport strategy director at Transport for Greater Manchester, outlines the region’s ambitious vision for the future. First things first – the good news: Greater Manchester is a success. Over the past 20 years, we h...

Mace and Dragados sign £1.3bn HS2 contract to construct Euston station

11 March 2019Mace and Dragados has signed a £1.3bn contract with HS2 over the construction of Euston station, ending speculation of a legal challenge from rival bidders who lost out on the contract. The announcement comes just over a month after HS2 rev...

West Midlands Rail Executive appoints executive director to deliver regional ‘rail renaissance’

08 March 2019West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) has announced the appointment of a new executive director. Malcolm Holmes will permanently lead the WMRE after filling the interim role for the last few years, and alongside this will also report to Transport f...

Local politicians ‘incensed’ after council decides not to back Chard Junction reopening

06 March 2019Campaigners and councillors have criticised their local authorities after they said they could back not back the reopening of Chard Junction railway station, likely ending a 30-year campaign. Surrey County Council (SCC) and South Somerset Distric...

Bristol’s MetroWest could be expanded to Gloucester and Westbury

05 March 2019Great Western Railway and Network Rail are reportedly keen on new plans for the MetroWest railway to be expanded to Gloucester and Westbury, leading to growing belief amongst local transport chiefs. Discussions over expanding the line are due to...

Good Growth: Barking Riverside

05 March 2019Lucinda Turner, Transport for London’s (TfL) director of spatial planning, argues that transport investment is the key to unlock good growth in a city. Despite recent economic shocks, London’s population continues to grow. By 2041, th...

Plans unveiled for two new ‘vital’ stations in the West Midlands

04 March 2019Plans for two new railway stations on the Walsall to Wolverhampton line have been unveiled by West Midlands transport bosses today. Designs for Darlaston and Willenhall stations have been released by the West Midlands Railway Executive (WMRE) and...

Engineering firm sues HS2 over £1bn Old Oak Common construction contract

04 March 2019Engineer giant Bechtel has launched a legal challenge against HS2 after losing a £1bn contract to build the Old Oak Common Station, claiming the tender process was botched. The American firm has lodged a High Court claim against the £...

Councillors push for three railway hubs to reopen in expansion of Lancashire rail network

26 February 2019A cross-party call has been issued in Lancashire for major railway hubs in Chorley, Fleetwood, and Leyland to be reopened. The Lancashire County Council Labour Group had a motion to commission feasibility studies into the reopening of three train...

Horden Station project on track

26 February 2019Helen Golightly, chief executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), describes the benefits that the £10.6m Horden station will bring to the north east economy. The announcement that plans to create a new railway station a...

Queues of 15,000 and Eurostar chaos at St Pancras in no-deal Brexit

22 February 2019Eurostar queues of up to 15,000 passengers could mount up at London’s St Pancras International station in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to a DfT analysis. The Financial Times revealed that a government report fears chaos at one o...

Shepton Mallet railway station and services could be restored under new vision

20 February 2019National rail services could be restored to a Somerset town after the local authority unveiled a new vision for the rail route. Shepton Mallet’s current nearest mainline station is Castle Cary which is over seven miles away, but new station...