Network Rail regulation and performance

£50m plans for transport projects to support South Wales metro unveiled

07.03.19: A £50m programme of local transport projects to support the South Wales Metro has been proposed. The Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) City Deal has produced the plans for the scheme in collaboration with the Welsh Government and Transport...

New six-carriage Northern trains pushed back two years due to delayed upgrade works

07.03.19: The delivery of Northern’s new six-carriage trains at Leeds station has been delayed by two years due to separate delays to Network Rail upgrades. The longer trains were due to be introduced at the end of this year, but due to delays...

Bristol’s MetroWest could be expanded to Gloucester and Westbury

05.03.19: Great 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 d...

DfT declares electrification extension of Midland Main Line to Leicestershire

05.03.19: The electrification of the Midland Main Line is to be extended to Leicestershire, the DfT has confirmed. Responding to a parliamentary question, rail minister Andrew Jones said Network Rail had been instructed to design an extension of elec...

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

04.03.19: Plans 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 (WMR...

DfT must improve governance over rail industry or passengers face another year of ‘hell’, warn MPs

01.03.19: Rail passengers are facing another year of “hell” with major timetable changes and engineering works unless the government improves its governance of the rail sector, MPs have warned. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has publ...

Former Carillion Rail boss appointed to lead Amey’s rail business

20.02.19: The former managing director of Carillion Rail has been appointed as the new head of Amey’s rail business. Andy Joy will take on the role of sector director at Amey’s rail business after previously holding the role of managing d...

Scheme to double train capacity on West Norfolk line awarded funding

15.02.19: The capacity on West Norfolk’s trains is set to double after funding for an extension of trains running between Lynn and Cambridge has been given government approval. Political and business leaders have been calling for eight-coach tr...

Battered Dawlish rail line gets £80m for new protective sea wall

15.02.19: A new taller sea wall is to be built at Dawlish as the DfT announced that up to £80m is being made available to build it – five years on from the storms which wreaked havoc on the rail line. Around £40m was spent by Networ...

RAIB warns Network Rail over safety recommendations following another near miss

14.02.19: The RAIB has written to Network Rail again following an investigation into an incident where two workers walking along the track on the East Coast Main Line were narrowly missed by a train after an undetected planning mistake. The near miss...

‘Radical change is needed’: Network Rail reveals major reorganisation centred around devolution

12.02.19: Network Rail has announced a major structural reorganisation with devolution and regional responsibility at the front of its new operation model in recognition that “radical change is needed.” The new operating model will be for...

Long-awaited plans to build a sea wall to protect Dawlish rail line unveiled by Network Rail

04.02.19: Plans to build a new sea wall in the first phase of work to protect the costal railway which connects Devon and Cornwall with the rest of the UK have been unveiled by Network Rail. High waves and strong winds have wreaked havoc on the Dawli...

Franchise payments to government slump by 40% as falling passenger numbers, strikes and delays hit rail industry’s income

30.01.19: Falling passenger numbers has seen the rail industry suffer a fall in income in last the year, resulting in a 40% drop in franchise payments to the government, the rail regulator has revealed. The ORR’s annual report shows that the ra...

Network Rail unveils winners of 10-year contracts for £5bn rail system upgrades

30.01.19: Network Rail has announced its preferred bidders to deliver track and rail system upgrades over the next 10 years in the south of England and in Scotland, worth an estimated £5bn. The contracts, initially five years with the option to...

Network Rail set to start £13m upgrade work on Derbyshire railway

21.01.19: Network Rail are carrying out £13m renewal works on junctions, signalling systems, and passenger access on the Matlock branch line as part of a £200m project to improve the railway in Derbyshire. Ambergate Junction, the point wh...