Rail service improvements and disruptions

South Western Railway welcomes their newly refurbished trains

16 January 2020South Western Railway customers will now be able to see the new ‘Class 442’ refurbished trains across passenger services. These trains since the new year have been running fast journeys from London to Portsmout via Guildford, Haslemer...

£1.7m investment from Network Rail to protect famous viaduct

16 January 2020The viaduct which was been featured in the Harry Potter series, is the latest Network Rail project. Work has begun the protect the railway from possible landslips and rock-falls from the hillsides and embankments. £1.7m has been invested by...

Building on success - Hull Trains

15 January 2020Source: RTM Dec 19/Jan 20  Louise Cheeseman, managing director at Hull Trains, speaks to Rail Technology Magazine as she reflects on 2019 and outlines what’s next for Hull Trains in 2020   As we approach our twentieth year in bu...

Balfour Beatty completes rail line electrification

14 January 2020Balfour Beatty, as contracted by Network Rail, has successfully completed the electrification of 77km of the Great Western Railway (GWR) line between Bristol and Cardiff. It comes as part of a wider Greater Wester Electrification Programme from N...

Network Rail to improve Beverley railway station

14 January 2020Network Rail has announced today (Jan 14) a £600,000 investment into improving Beverly railway station, to improve passenger experience and enhance the station’s aesthetic and general condition.   The footbridge at the station wi...

South Western Railway £70m ‘Desiro’ fleet completed

13 January 2020South Western Railway (SWR) has completed the £70m refurbishment of Desiro trains as final train enters passenger service. The rail operators’ £70m upgrade programme started in December 2019 and has seen the modernisation of all...

Elizabeth line completion update from Crossrail Ltd

10 January 2020Today (10 January) Crossrail Ltd issued its latest update on progress to complete the Elizabeth line. They have confirmed their plans to open the central section between Paddington and Abbey Wood in summer in 2021. The central section is current...

ScotRail 19 month-high for trains running on time

10 January 2020Scotland’s Railway is celebrating the highest number of trains running on time since June 2018, a 19 month-high for the franchise. Customers of ScotRail are enjoying the benefits of a huge infrastructure investment and £475m spent on...

£640m contract awards announced by Network Rail

09 January 2020Network Rail has announced the awarding of contracts for 82 frameworks to deliver design services across the country, worth an estimated £400m for Control Period 6 (2019-2024) and up to £640m with the option to further the framework in...

£642m deal secured between Alstom and Avanti West Coast

08 January 2020The new West Coast Mainline operator, Avanti West Coast, have secured a seven-year deal worth precisely £642 million with Alstom, who will refurbish and maintain the routes 56 electric Pendolino trains. As well as covering a £127 mill...

Electric rail services underway for South Wales passengers

07 January 2020This week rail passengers in South Wales are benefitting from electric services for the first-time following Network Rail’s successful completion of electrification of the railway between Cardiff Central and London Paddington. Electrificati...

2020 plan for north-east rail network

06 January 2020Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has today committed (6 January) to reviving rail connection across the north-east, outlining how new investment will boost the rail network as the government looks to level up infrastructure across the country. On...

Northern responds to uncertain future of the franchise

03 January 2020Rail operators Northern Railway has responded to a statement made by Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, yesterday (Jan 2) setting out plans to strip Northern of their franchise. David Brown, managing director at Northern, said: “It’s...

Northern Rail to be stripped of franchise

02 January 2020Transport secretary Grant Shapps has said Northern Rail is to be stripped of its franchise following its “unacceptable” performance. This comes off the back of a year of chaos and cancellations across the network, which runs Newcastle...

Northern welcomes new link between East and West Yorkshire

19 December 2019Rail Operator, Northern Railway, is celebrating the improved links between East and West Yorkshire today (Dec 19) following the introduction of a new service on the network, providing a direct service between Halifax and Hull. The new route comes...