Rail Industry Focus

Ordsall Chord: History being made

14 March 2017RTM speaks to the many partners involved in the Ordsall Chord scheme after the team successfully completed a major 16-day blockade over Christmas and put in place the iconic 600-tonne network arch. Luana Salles reports.

The almost forgotten cascade

14 March 2017After taking on the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) rail franchise, it is fair to say that Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) has faced some bad press, especially with regards to the introduction of driver-only operation on Southern. Bu...

Innovative engineering at Eden Brows

14 March 2017Last year disaster struck the iconic Settle to Carlisle railway line in Cumbria when a 500,000-tonne landslip occurred. Rhiannon Price, project manager for infrastructure projects at Network Rail, gives RTM an update on the innovative technique be...

The eccentric side of cable theft prevention

09 March 2017Ghost trains, secretive Coke cans and bespoke beer mats: RTM’s Luana Salles speaks to Richard Godwin, Network Rail’s route crime manager for the London North West (LNW) route, about the unusual tactics behind the success of the national cable thef...

Celebrating innovation and achievement

09 March 2017The latest instalment of the UK Rail Industry Awards (UKRIA) proved to be the biggest success in the event’s illustrious history, with more than 1,100 guests gathering to celebrate the industry’s achievements and innovation at London’s Battersea E...

Industry sets out 12 key rail priorities to ‘strengthen case for funding’

09 February 2017Rail industry experts have come together to launch the Capability Delivery Plan (CPD), which highlights the current challenges facing the railway in the digital age and outlines 12 whole-system priority areas that need to be improved in the coming...

All aboard the digital train

27 January 2017Kevin Ives, digital transformation director at Arriva UK Trains, talks to RTM’s Luana Salles about the company’s ongoing Digital Train programme, designed to enable continuous connectivity supported by a wealth of analytics and bespoke passenger c...

New strategy needed to tackle ‘digital deserts’ on rail routes

27 January 2017RTM’s David Stevenson looks at the perennial issue of poor mobile coverage on the railways, and how the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) wants the problem to be tackled.

A depot for the future and centre for excellence

24 January 2017RTM’s David Stevenson reports from a recent visit to the modernised Hornsey traincare facility.

A one-industry call for skills development

20 January 2017At the launch of the new Rail Sector Skills Delivery Plan in December, key industry figures got together to outline how the major strategy will seek to address rail’s workforce gaps through clear, tangible and deliverable pledges. Luana Salles rep...

The future of East West Rail

20 January 2017Shortly before the end of last year, transport secretary Chris Grayling announced unprecedented proposals to create a new and independent East West Rail operation tasked with designing, managing and running services between Oxford and Cambridge. R...

Delivering on route devolution

17 January 2017At RTM’s recent Northern Powerhouse Rail Conference, Andy Haynes, Network Rail’s contracts and procurement director, explained the infrastructure owner’s decision to establish eight devolved routes, each with a managing director responsible for al...

Ilkeston, 50 years on

18 November 2016The town of Ilkeston is finally getting another rail station after almost 50 years without tracks. Geoff Pickford, service director for highways at Derbyshire County Council, gives an update on the latest developments taking place at the site.

Oxford station on track for Marylebone

15 November 2016Network Rail’s senior programme manager, Jonathan Davies, and its project manager, Rob Mashford, speak to RTM about the ongoing works in and around Oxford station ahead of Chiltern Railways running services on the new Oxford-Marylebone line from D...

Making rail history

15 November 2016An innovative approach to partnership working has helped S&C North Alliance make rail history on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) by delivering the UK’s first 125mph handback on a S&C renewal. Neil Johnson, alliance director, explains why collabora...