Network Rail regulation and performance

‘Unacceptable’: Northern’s extra half-hourly trains from Cheshire to Manchester delayed for second time

27.03.19: The introduction of two additional train services between Cheshire and Manchester every hour has been postponed for the second time, according to the DfT. Northern promised half-hourly train services on the Mid-Cheshire Line in its bid for...

ScotRail submits £18m improvement plan in response to government improvement notice

25.03.19: Under-fire train operator ScotRail has unveiled an £18m remedial plan to recruit more staff and bring in additional high-speed trains in response to the government’s improvement demands last month. Transport Scotland issued Scot...

Major redevelopment plans for Edinburgh Waverley station unveiled

25.03.19: Network Rail has launched a consultation on a multi-million long-term redevelopment plan for Edinburgh’s Waverley Station. With annual passengers expected to double to nearly 50 million, Waverley Station is set to undergo a major reno...

Failings found as passengers on stranded train walk on live track in ‘potentially lethal’ incident, RAIB says

25.03.19: Dozens of passengers left “increasingly uncomfortable” on a stranded train at Lewisham left their train and walked along icy tracks still open to traffic, a “shocking” RAIB report has revealed. The RMT stated it was...

New to-the-minute measures for train punctuality introduced to tackle delays

22.03.19: New measures of train punctuality are to be released by train operators and Network Rail next month in a bid to improve performance. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) announced the new ‘on time’ standards which will record train tim...

Government’s role in new passenger-centric railway ‘will have to change’, says Williams Review lead

21.03.19: The man leading the Williams Rail Review has warned that the government’s role in the UK railways “will have to change” as the industry switches to a more passenger-centric railway. Keith Williams, the man leading the &ldq...

Government promises to look ‘very carefully’ at £218m bid for second Chelmsford station

21.03.19: The government will look “very carefully” at a £218m funding bid for a new railway station in Chelmsford, Theresa May has said. Essex County Council has bid for £218m from the government’s Housing Infrastructur...

RDG calls for new regulator to stop railway ‘being used as a political football’

19.03.19: The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has called for a new organisation to regulate the railway and replace the ORR in order to stop the railway “being used as a political football.” Responding to the government’s call for submiss...

Safety warning issued after runaway road-rail vehicle raises concerns over brake maintenance and ‘inadequate supervision’

15.03.19: The RAIB has issued new safety recommendations after a road rail vehicle (RRV) ran downhill and out of control along a track for 340 metres. During works at Bradford Interchange station, a mobile elevating working platform ran away whilst i...

Network Rail reveals winner of final track works contract worth £1.5bn

14.03.19: Network Rail has announced Balfour Beatty as the preferred bidder to carry out track upgrades across central England for the next decade in a contract worth an estimated £1.5bn. The contract covers the delivery of a wide-ranging progr...

£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...