Rolling stock

First Greater Anglia bodyshells roll off production line

29.01.18: The first completed bodyshells for part one of Greater Anglia’s regional trains have come off the production line. The train operator is spending £1.4bn on 169 new trains – a total of 1,043 new carriages – whic...

RDG claims 1,300 extra carriages expected by 2021

29.01.18: There will be 1,300 more new carriages than expected debuting on the UK rail network by 2021. Initial projections from the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) indicated that there would be around 5,700 new carriages brought into commission, but recen...

Tyne and Wear Metro opens tender on ‘long overdue’ new £360m fleet

26.01.18: The Tyne and Wear Metro has begun the process of buying a new fleet of trams after launching the tender. Nexus, which operates the network, says the new fleet will be worth more than £360m and is scheduled to enter service by 2021. ...

New longer train numbers to come into effect this year

24.01.18: Beginning this month, new trains will be required to display a new standard European Vehicle Number (EVN), meaning train numbers will be extended. The change in policy is intended to provide more information, as trains increasingly begin to...

Government voices ambition to make hydrogen trains ‘a priority’ in future

23.01.18: The introduction of hydrogen-powered trains on the UK rail network will be “a priority” for the government in the coming years. Transport secretary Chris Grayling confirmed that the DfT would likely be pursuing different types o...

First of new £100m Caledonian Sleeper carriages arrive in UK

17.01.18: Caledonian Sleeper has received the first carriages of its new £100m fleet, which arrived in the UK this week. The fleet consists of 75 new carriages to be introduced in phases from October, with five of them arriving for testing on t...

Thameslink test trains travel through new London Bridge platform for first time

09.01.18: GTR’s first test passenger trains have made the trip through the new platform 5 at London Bridge following the completion of nearly three years of work. The eight-carriage Class 700 RLU was the first passenger train to complete a jour...

CAF moves forward on plans to build factory in Wales

04.01.18: Welsh officials have been updated on the progress of the building of a brand new factory by a Spanish construction company on one of Wales’ business parks. Andrés Arizkorreta, chief executive of Spanish firm CAF recently met wi...

GWR Electrostar fleet enters service after electrification completed

02.01.18: A new fleet of Electrostar trains has entered service today on the Great Western Main Line following the completion of electrification work between London Paddington and Didcot. GWR, which operates services on the line, says the new fleet w...

First photos emerge as Hitachi begins work on ‘game-changer’ TPE fleet

19.12.17: Hitachi has begun production on the fleet of new intercity trains that will connect stations between England and Scotland for TransPennine Express (TPE). As per the deal signed last year, the manufacturer will produce 19 new five-carriage t...

GB Railfreight picks up 41 new IIA hoppers

19.12.17: GB Railfreight (GBRf) has taken delivery of 41 new hoppers intended to transport sand from Middleton Towers in East Anglia to Barnby Dun, Monk Bretton and Goole in Yorkshire. The new fleet will replace the old 71 single-axle PAA wagons inhe...

New Azumas get inaugural Scottish Highlands run

19.12.17: Hitachi has run trials of Virgin Trains’ new Azuma stock in the Scottish Highlands for the first time. The test comes as the operator prepares to introduce 65 of the new trains on Virgin Trains East Coast from December of next year. ...

c2c announces £100m train deal with Bombardier

14.12.17: Train operator c2c has today announced a deal for £100m worth of new trains to be manufactured by Bombardier in its Derby factory. The agreement will see 60 carriages of the latest Aventra trains delivered to c2c by the end of 2021, t...

Angel secures funding to refinance Greater Anglia Aventra rolling stock

06.12.17: Funding of £835m has been secured by Angel Trains to refinance the procurement 665 trains for Greater Anglia. The 665 Bombardier Aventra vehicles will be leased to the Abellio Greater Anglia franchise from 2019. Angel Trains Group has...

First TPE modified Class 68s sent to Spain for initial testing

01.12.17: The first TransPennine Express (TPE) Class 68 modified locomotive has been shipped to Northern Spain. The stock is part of a fleet of new trains consisting of CAF’s Mk5A carriages pulled by the modified TPE locomotives. In May th...