Rail freight

New open-access operator plans hourly service between Wales and London

23 September 2019Grand Union Trains, a new open-access train operator, has announced that they are hoping to launch a train service between Wales and London in May 2021. Initially the trains will run every two hours, but plans are to make them hourly by May 2023....

Government announces £25m Brexit high-speed medicines service

15 August 2019In the event of a No Deal Brexit, the Government has announced the setting up of a high-speed train service to ferry medicine to the UK from France.

RSSB: Railways crucial in UK becoming net zero-carbon by 2050

22 July 2019The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has said that Britain’s railways have a crucial role to play in helping the UK economy decarbonise by 2050.

Maritime Transport launch new rail services

17 July 2019Maritime Transport has launched two new rail services from DP World London Gateway to its rail terminals in Trafford Park and Wakefield. It marks further efforts to expand into the intermodal market in response to rising customer demand in the sec...

GBRf brings back Class 92 to run Caledonian Sleeper service

10 July 2019GB 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 service, t...

Cumbria Coastal line plans secure over £8m funding

03 July 2019Plans to improve the railway line across the Cumbrian coast have secured over £8.5m in funding, including £7.5m to prepare the next stage of the project. Network Rail propose to use the money to carry upgrades that aim to improve conn...

Major railway suppliers join forces to form ‘Rail Innovation Family’

26 June 2019The UK’s major rail suppliers have joined forces to form a ‘Rail Innovation Family’ that will help provide greater and clearer support for suppliers seeking to bring innovation into the rail industry. The Rail Innovation Family...

£14m Peak District rail freight extension unveiled

30 April 2019A £14m rail freight extension in the Peak District has been unveiled by Network Rail to boost construction productivity and take lorries off the road. A disused council tip has been transformed by Network Rail into 430 new metres of railway...

Lord Berkeley: TransPennine freight is being sidelined

05 March 2019Lord Berkeley, former chairman of the Rail Freight Group, makes the case for extra freight capacity across the proposed TransPennine route upgrades. Freight has suffered from the lack of capacity across the Pennines, especially for container trai...

Northumberland unveils £3.5m rail project to bring back passenger services

05 February 2019A county council has unveiled a new plan to reintroduce direct trains between Newcastle and south-east Northumberland, bringing back passenger services to a current freight line in a £3.5m investment. Northumberland County Council said it i...

RAIB issues warning over brakes and wheel safety following derailment incident

01 February 2019The RAIB has published a warning about the maintenance of freight vehicles and the safety of wheel and braking systems on trains which can lead to derailment. In a safety digest published following an investigation into the derailment of a rail h...

Operator revealed for flagship rail freight interchange in the East Midlands

29 January 2019Segro has been named as the operator of a new flagship rail freight interchange in the East Midlands ahead of its construction by the end of 2019. The company has signed a 25-year lease with Maritime Transport to operate the huge Strategic Rail F...

Rail freight deal unveiled by DB Cargo UK and Maritime Transport

28 January 2019DB Cargo UK and Maritime Transport have agreed to launch a joint intermodal division and contract out work to each other in bid to increase rail freight capacity and competition in the intermodal market. The deal will see DB Cargo contracted to r...

Planning Inspectorate reject plans for giant rail freight interchange in Northamptonshire

23 October 2018Plans for a massive strategic rail freight interchange (SRFI) in Northamptonshire has been rejected by the government’s Planning Inspectorate (PINS) because of “inconsistencies” in the proposals. The 600-acre proposal, submitted...

£15m Network Rail freight upgrade between Doncaster and Lincolnshire kicks off

12 October 2018Work to upgrade the route between Doncaster and northern Lincolnshire has begun as Network Rail invests more than £15m in rail freight in the region. Network Rail has partnered with Humber LEP and North Lincolnshire Council on the project...