Rail franchises operators & contracts

£14m depot facility opened in Doncaster

£14m depot facility opened in Doncaster

08 July 2020After work began back in 2015 to transform the site at Marshgate, on Tuesday (July 7) Network Rail opened their new £14m depot in Doncaster. The site aims to bring highly skilled teams across the area together and to boost the economy in th...

New bridge in progress at Eridge station

New bridge in progress at Eridge station

07 July 2020Work to remove and rebuild a footbridge at Eridge station in East Sussex took place over the weekend. In order to keep those safe who use the bridge and the trainline operating below, the work was needed due to the old age and condition of the st...

SWR launches campaign in support of local businesses

SWR launches campaign in support of local businesses

06 July 2020South Western Railway (SWR) has launched a campaign to celebrate and generate support for local businesses across the region. Covid-19 has hit local businesses hard and with restrictions now easing, it has never been more important to support the...

Stations light up blue as NHS turns 72

Stations light up blue as NHS turns 72

06 July 2020In celebration of the NHS turning 72 over the weekend (July 4th) stations across the country were lit up blue. The four major transport hubs in Network Rail’s North West and Central region, Birmingham New Street, Liverpool Lime Street, Manc...

Greater Anglia new electric commuter trains testing continues

Greater Anglia new electric commuter trains testing continues

03 July 2020Greater Anglia are currently in the depths of replacing their old trains with brand new state-of-the-art modern trains, including 111 trains from UK train manufacturer Bombardier. There are now four Bombardier trains on the Greater Anglia network...

Calls from England and Wales to restore Beeching lines

Calls from England and Wales to restore Beeching lines

30 June 2020Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris, has today (June 30) announced fifty bids have been received from across England and Wales to build or reopen lines and stations closed by British Rail chief Dr Richard Beeching from 1963, with the potential to l...

Soham station given the go-ahead

Soham station given the go-ahead

29 June 2020On Friday (June 26th) proposals to construct a new station for Soham were confirmed by East Cambridgeshire District Council. Working alongside with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, led by Mayor James Palmer, who have provid...

£250m HS2 work package puts firms on alert

£250m HS2 work package puts firms on alert

26 June 2020High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd has placed ground investigation firms on alert for a £250m package of work for phase two of the project, north of Birmingham. HS2 is planning to brief firms about the package in a webinar on July 9th ahead of inviti...

Avanti West Coast adopts Sunflower scheme

Avanti West Coast adopts Sunflower scheme

26 June 2020Avanti West Coast has this month partnered with the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme. The scheme gives customers with hidden disabilities a lanyard, wristband or wallet card with a recognisable sunflower logo. They can then show this item to...

HS2 Minister responds to Transport Select Committee

HS2 Minister responds to Transport Select Committee

25 June 2020Following a letter from the Transport Select Committee back in May, Andrew Stephenson, HS2 Minister yesterday (June 24th) responded and published his letter of response. Mr. Stephenson began his later by discussing the challenge of transparency....

Newcastle Central Station set for renovation

Newcastle Central Station set for renovation

24 June 2020Last year Newcastle City Council and partners announced plans to open-up access to the Victorian station, accommodate more passengers, improve traffic flows in front, change taxi pick-up points and short stay parking. City residents, taxi drivers...

Network Rail promotes Women in Engineering Day following findings

Network Rail promotes Women in Engineering Day following findings

23 June 2020Today (June 23rd) marks Women in Engineering Day and to mark the occasion Network Rail is promoting the contributions of women in engineering as new research has exhibited a lack of female role models within Science, Technology, Engineering and Ma...

Multi-million-pound summer investment in Sussex rail route

Multi-million-pound summer investment in Sussex rail route

22 June 2020Rail passengers in Sussex are set to benefit from a significant renewal and refurbishment to Oxted Viaduct and a footbridge replacement in Eridge, a village on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted line.   Oxted viaduct was constructed in 1881 an...

HS2 searching for operational telecoms supplier

HS2 searching for operational telecoms supplier

22 June 2020Today (June 22nd) HS2 have begun looking for an expert contractor to deliver 230km of revolutionary telecommunications systems which will link up to the UK’s new high-speed rail route between London, Birmingham and the north of England. The...

£350m investment for Britain’s first mainline digital railway

£350m investment for Britain’s first mainline digital railway

22 June 2020The East Coast Main Line will become Britain’s first mainline digital rail link with £350m of new investment to install state-of-the-art electronic signalling designed to cut journey times and prevent delays. This significant investme...

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HS2 Ltd: Five tech firms join Innovation Accelerator initiative

11/09/2020HS2 Ltd: Five tech firms join Innovation Accelerator initiative

HS2 Ltd have announced today (11 Sept) the first five revolutionary tech firms that will join HS2 Ltd’s Innovation Accelerator programme. ... more >
Network Rail publish Decarbonisation Plan

11/09/2020Network Rail publish Decarbonisation Plan

Network Rail have released their interim Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy, illustrating its preliminary recommendations for decarbonisin... more >
Trains kept moving by AWC despite damaged overhead wires

11/09/2020Trains kept moving by AWC despite damaged overhead wires

Avanti West Coast have taken an unlikely option to allow their timetable to run, without delays, despite damaged overhead wires. The operato... more >

last word

Encouraging youngsters to be safe on the railway

Encouraging youngsters to be safe on the railway

This summer, Arriva Group's CrossCountry and the Scout Association joined to launch a new partnership to promote rail safety among young people. Chris Leech MBE, business community manager at the... more > more last word articles >

'the sleepers' daily blog

On the right track, Sulzer is awarded RISAS accreditation for Nottingham Service Centre

29/06/2020On the right track, Sulzer is awarded RISAS accreditation for Nottingham Service Centre

Following an independent audit, Sulzer’s Nottingham Service Centre has been accepted as part of the rail industry supplier approval scheme (RISAS). The accreditation reinforces the high-quality standards that are maintained by Sulzer’s network of independent repair facilities across the UK and further afield in its global network. ... more >
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The challenge of completing Crossrail

05/07/2019The challenge of completing Crossrail

With a new plan now in place to deliver Crossrail, Hedley Ayres, National Audit Office manager, major projects and programmes, takes a look at ho... more >
Preparing the industry to deliver trains for the future

04/07/2019Preparing the industry to deliver trains for the future

The move to decarbonise the rail network involves shifting to cleaner modes of traction by 2050. David Clarke, technical director at the Railway ... more >
Sunshine future beckons for South Wales Railways, says 10:10 Climate Action’s Leo Murray

02/07/2019Sunshine future beckons for South Wales Railways, says 10:10 Climate Action’s Leo Murray

Smart electrification is the way to boost clean energy resources, argues Leo Murray, director at 10:10 Climate Action. Contractors are clear... more >
Ambition doesn’t have to be expensive, says Midland Connect's Maria Machancoses

02/07/2019Ambition doesn’t have to be expensive, says Midland Connect's Maria Machancoses

The TCR Midlands conference is only days away and tickets are going fast for the sector event of the year at the Vox Conference Centre in Birming... more >

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interviews

Andrew Haines, CE of Network Rail, tells BBC News his organisation could issue future rail franchises

24/06/2019Andrew Haines, CE of Network Rail, tells BBC News his organisation could issue future rail franchises

Andrew Haines, the Chief Executive of Network Rail, has told the Today programme on Radio 4's BBC’s flagship news programme that he wo... more >