Rolling stock

TPE hails ‘major milestone’ as Nova 1 trains arrive

09 July 2019TransPennine Express (TPE) have welcomed the first of its new Nova 1 fleet of trains, which the rail operator claims will transform the on-board experience for passengers. The futuristic-looking trains, built by Hitachi, will have more carriages...

LNER Azuma trains to run in Scotland from August

04 July 2019London North Eastern Railway (LNER) plan to run their new Azuma fleet of trains in Scotland from August, the operator announced today. The new trains have been running services on the East Coast mainline since May, but were not able to launch in...

Greater Anglia shows off their new intercity trains

02 July 2019The first of a new set of Greater Anglia intercity trains have arrived, and the train operator claims they will help transform main-line services between Norwich and London. There will be ten of the 12-carriage vehicles, three of which were deliv...

Hitachi trains for Happy trains

10 June 2019ScotRail project manager Kirsty Devlin discusses the withdrawal of Class 365s, to be replaced with the brand-new Class 385 fleet. While ScotRail awaited delivery of the Hitachi Class 385s last year, we had to replace some older trains which had c...

Council backs plans for £100m global centre of rail excellence in Wales

10 May 2019A £100m train testing site on the border of Neath Port Talbot and Powys has taken a major step forward after the local council voted to approve the joint venture. Neath Port Talbot Council leader Rob Jones called it an “important step...

RAIB to investigate Welsh runaway train incident

07 May 2019The RAIB has launched an investigation into a runaway train on the Welsh Highland Railway which passed through level crossings and a train station, and passed signals placed at danger points without authorisation. The light diesel locomotive was...

First new driverless Subway trains arrive in Glasgow for testing

07 May 2019The first of Glasgow’s new subway fleet has arrived in Scotland and begun an intensive testing programme in preparation for their launch as the first driverless trains in the UK. Operator Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) called t...

£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...

Caledonian Sleeper launches new £150m train fleet, first service over three hours late

29 April 2019Caledonian Sleeper has officially launched its new £150m fleet of trains, with the new carriages making their debut overnight on Sunday between London and Glasgow/Edinburgh, but the first service arrived three hours and 20 minutes late. Des...

ScotRail’s new Hitachi Class 385 trains launched into service on Shotts line

25 April 2019ScotRail has introduced its new Hitachi Class 385 trains onto the Edinburgh to Glasgow via Shotts line, meaning the electric trains are now running on all five routes between the two cities. Following the completion of Network Rail’s £...

Siemens submits plans to build £200m train manufacturing site in East Yorkshire

24 April 2019Planning applications for a £200m rail manufacturing site in Goole, East Yorkshire have been submitted by Siemens. The ‘train factory’, first revealed early last year, will build state-of-the-art trains for the Piccadilly Line...

First of CAF’s new Nova fleet accepted by TPE ahead of rollout across north of England

15 April 2019The first of TransPennine Express’s (TPE) Nova 3 fleet has been officially accepted after completing testing with its manufacturer CAF. The new fleet has been hit by delays due to technical issues and was due to roll out before the end of 2...

University buys land for ‘game-changing’ high-speed rail institute in Leeds

08 April 2019A 10-acre plot of land has been acquired by the University of Leeds in order to build a brand-new Institute for High Speed Rail and System Integration which will be co-located with HS2 eastern leg’s rolling stock depot. Aire Valley Land, a...

Caledonian Sleeper unveil first look inside new £150m fleet

03 April 2019Caledonian Sleeper has revealed the design and interiors of its new £150m fleet of trains as the service nears its launch at the end of May. The first images from inside the new trains built by CAF have been released, showing the interior d...

Wales and Border rail franchise in £200m deal for new metro fleet

02 April 2019The Wales and Borders rail franchise has received £200m from the financial services giant Legal & General to provide new rolling stock on the south Wales Metro. The funding will see a new Wales and Borders rail fleet replace the current...