Latest Rail News

Network Rail to outline business case for Clapham Junction redevelopment

15.07.19: Network Rail have timetabled their plans to publish a strategy outline business case (SOBC) for the redevelopment of Clapham Junction station. The public body told delegates at a rail conference in London that it intends to lay out the stra... more >

Let the drain take the strain, argues ORR inspector of railways

12.07.19: Chris Davies, principal inspector of railways at the ORR, debates the often-overlooked importance of drainage in the safe operation of the railway network. In February 1940, a passenger train on the approach to Watford tunnel struck a lands... more >

LATC chair calls for better BAME representation in rail industry

12.07.19: Florence Eshalomi AM, Chair of the London Assembly Transport Committee, has called for the rail industry to better represent the people it serves. She made the call at the Railway Industry Association (RIA) and Young Rail Professionals Trai... more >

TramForward calls for increased tram links to tackle non-exhaust emissions

12.07.19: TramForward has welcomed the Government’s call for action on non-exhaust emissions from tyres, brakes and road surfaces,  It follows a report published yesterday by the Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) calling for urgent action to... more >

Competition opens to convert retiring Pacer trains in the North

12.07.19: Community groups in the North of England can now submit their plans on how to renovate retiring Pacer train carriages. The Department for Transport (DfT) announced the scheme earlier this year, and argues that instead of scrapping the... more >

HSRIL warn scrapping HS2 could cost thousands of jobs

12.07.19: A significant report published yesterday claims that completing HS2 is essential for “smashing the UK’s north-south divide” and warns that scrapping the project could cost thousands of jobs. High Speed Rail Industry Leader... more >

RAIB calls for review of zero-hours contracts for rail workers

11.07.19: The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) have released their findings into the fatal accident between London Victoria and Three Bridge in November 2018. The investigation found track worker was hit by a train in the earlier hours of th... more >

HS2 forced to rethink £435m Curzon Street station after bidding falls flat

11.07.19: HS2 has been forced to cancel the current bidding process to construct the new Curzon Street station in Birmingham, and restart the process later this year. The rail body had hoped to attract at least four bidders for the contract, but a la... more >

RSSB research creates train seat comfort rating

11.07.19: Research by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has led to the first comfort rating scale for creating an appropriate level of comfort into train seats. Rail experts from across the industry have encouraged designers and specifiers t... more >

Richard Branson calls rail franchising “a real mess”

11.07.19: The owner of Virgin Trains, Richard Branson, has claimed the railway franchising system is "a real mess" and is too constrictive against rail operators. After a dispute with the Department for Transport (DfT) over who should be responsible... more >

Transport apprenticeships’ BAME representation increases over 50%

11.07.19: A report published today shows that the number of transport apprentices from under-represented BAME backgrounds have increased in the past two years. The initiative to increase diversity in the workforce is being led by the Strategic Transp... more >

Network Rail launches safety task force

10.07.19: Network Rail has launched a new task force to improve safety measures for employees that work on the railways, the company announced today. The team of safety experts, expected to cost £70m, will bring together multiple strands of wor... more >

Funding agreed for ‘cutting-edge’ rail research centre in Leeds

10.07.19: The government will help fund one of the most advanced high-speed rail research facilities in the world, the University of Leeds has announced. The University’s Institute for High Speed Rail and System Integration (IHSRSI) aims to rev... more >

EWR to begin rolling stock procurement this year

10.07.19: The East West Railway Company (EWR Co) will begin a formal rolling stock procurement process later this year, the company announced earlier this week. The rolling stock market engagement exercise has been underway since November 2018. As pa... more >

GBRf brings back Class 92 to run Caledonian Sleeper service

10.07.19: GB Railfreight (GBRf) have announced that Locomotive 92006 has re-entered service following a £2 million refurbishment at Wabtec’s Brush Traction facility in Loughborough. The Class 92 will be used on the Caledonian Sleeper serv... more >