Network Rail regulation and performance

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...

DfT declares electrification extension of Midland Main Line to Leicestershire

05 March 2019The 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 electrific...

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...

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

01 March 2019Rail 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 published...

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

20 February 2019The 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 directo...

Scheme to double train capacity on West Norfolk line awarded funding

15 February 2019The 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 trains o...

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

15 February 2019A 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 Network Rail...

RAIB warns Network Rail over safety recommendations following another near miss

14 February 2019The 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 occur...

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

12 February 2019Network 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 formed of...

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

04 February 2019  Image credit - Moorefam

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

30 January 2019Falling 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 rail ind...

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

30 January 2019Network 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 exten...

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

21 January 2019Network 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 where Ma...

Network Rail announces final CP6 multimillion-pound contract winners for rail projects in Scotland and North East

17 January 2019Network Rail has announced the winners of its final major multimillion-pound contracts for CP6, worth a total of £470m. Following on for the previous CP6 contracts awarded by Network Rail at the end of last year, worth several billion pound...

Siemens and Alstom prepared to walk away from merger if EU Commission rejects concessions

17 January 2019Siemens and Alstom will reportedly offer no further concessions to European regulators in their bid to merge their operations and form a European rail champion. The controversial Franco-German rail merger has been heavily criticised and the EU Co...