Rail Industry Focus

The almost forgotten cascade

14.03.17: After taking on the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) rail franchise, it is fair to say that Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has faced some bad press, especially with regards to the introduction of driver-only operation on Southern....

Innovative engineering at Eden Brows

14.03.17: Last year disaster struck the iconic Settle to Carlisle railway line in Cumbria when a 500,000-tonne landslip occurred. Rhiannon Price, project manager for infrastructure projects at Network Rail, gives RTM an update on the innovative technique...

The eccentric side of cable theft prevention

09.03.17: Ghost trains, secretive Coke cans and bespoke beer mats: RTM’s Luana Salles speaks to Richard Godwin, Network Rail’s route crime manager for the London North West (LNW) route, about the unusual tactics behind the success of the natio...

Celebrating innovation and achievement

09.03.17: The latest instalment of the UK Rail Industry Awards (UKRIA) proved to be the biggest success in the event’s illustrious history, with more than 1,100 guests gathering to celebrate the industry’s achievements and innovation at London...

Industry sets out 12 key rail priorities to ‘strengthen case for funding’

09.02.17: Rail industry experts have come together to launch the Capability Delivery Plan (CPD), which highlights the current challenges facing the railway in the digital age and outlines 12 whole-system priority areas that need to be improved in the comi...

All aboard the digital train

27.01.17: Kevin Ives, digital transformation director at Arriva UK Trains, talks to RTM’s Luana Salles about the company’s ongoing Digital Train programme, designed to enable continuous connectivity supported by a wealth of analytics and bespo...

New strategy needed to tackle ‘digital deserts’ on rail routes

27.01.17: RTM’s David Stevenson looks at the perennial issue of poor mobile coverage on the railways, and how the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) wants the problem to be tackled. Mobile coverage on Britain’s 19,000 miles of railw...

A depot for the future and centre for excellence

24.01.17: RTM’s David Stevenson reports from a recent visit to the modernised Hornsey traincare facility. As you cross the footbridge at Hornsey station to go down to the traincare facility, it is impossible not to notice the vastness of the no...

A one-industry call for skills development

20.01.17: At the launch of the new Rail Sector Skills Delivery Plan in December, key industry figures got together to outline how the major strategy will seek to address rail’s workforce gaps through clear, tangible and deliverable pledges. Luana Sa...

The future of East West Rail

20.01.17: Shortly before the end of last year, transport secretary Chris Grayling announced unprecedented proposals to create a new and independent East West Rail operation tasked with designing, managing and running services between Oxford and Cambridge....

Delivering on route devolution

17.01.17: At RTM’s recent Northern Powerhouse Rail Conference, Andy Haynes, Network Rail’s contracts and procurement director, explained the infrastructure owner’s decision to establish eight devolved routes, each with a managing directo...

Ilkeston, 50 years on

18.11.16: The town of Ilkeston is finally getting another rail station after almost 50 years without tracks. Geoff Pickford, service director for highways at Derbyshire County Council, gives an update on the latest developments taking place at the site. ...

Oxford station on track for Marylebone

15.11.16: Network Rail’s senior programme manager, Jonathan Davies, and its project manager, Rob Mashford, speak to RTM about the ongoing works in and around Oxford station ahead of Chiltern Railways running services on the new Oxford-Marylebone lin...

Making rail history

15.11.16: An innovative approach to partnership working has helped S&C North Alliance make rail history on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) by delivering the UK’s first 125mph handback on a S&C renewal. Neil Johnson, alliance director, explai...

Are we ready to export rail?

07.11.16: RTM’s David Stevenson reflects on the key messages from this year’s Dinner at the Roundhouse. A key message to come out of this year’s Dinner at the Roundhouse was that UK rail needs to be ready to export and broaden its h...