Rail franchises operators & contracts

Historic 175-year-old hillside tunnel repaired from the air

19 June 2020A helicopter has been used to repair a Victorian railway tunnel that takes passenger trains between Clitheroe and Manchester though a hillside in Darwen, Lancashire. The tunnel has two shaft turrets that protrude out of the Darwen moors. They hel...

£5m Milngavie station improvement

18 June 2020Network Rail are set to start £5m of works at Milngavie station to extend the platforms in an investment that will bring greater operational flexibility on the line. Both platforms at the station will be extended from 141m each in length to...

VolkerFitzpatrick to build Metro’s new £70m train depot

16 June 2020Stadler has officially appointed the Swiss train builder to construct Metro’s new fleet depot at Gosforth in Newcastle. The £70m facility will accommodate the new state-of-the-art trains for the Tyne and Wear Metro, which are set to e...

East Coast Upgrade work to continue this weekend

16 June 2020Network Rail and train operators along the East Coast main Line are urging passengers not to travel to or from London King’s Cross or on Thameslink services via Finsbury Park this weekend (June 20th & 21st) as work continues on the monum...

Rail passengers reminded of compulsory face coverings from today

15 June 2020From today (June 15th) face coverings have become mandatory on public transport in England. Network Rail have increased safety measures at major stations the Western route, including London Paddington, Reading and Bristol Temple Meads. The new r...

New West Midlands railway signallers training facility

12 June 2020New signalling training facilities have been opened at Walsall training centre and Birmingham’s New Street signal box. The signalling simulators, which shadow real-life scenarios faced on the railway every day, are already being used to del...

Northern leaders discuss post-Covid rail operations

12 June 2020A meeting was held yesterday (June 11th) by Transport for the North to discuss the importance of getting the ramping up of rial operations right, and also the need for a Northern infrastructure pipeline of road and rail schemes over the next 20 ye...

More seats for passengers following platform extensions in East and West Sussex

11 June 2020In support of the £150m Gatwick Airport station upgrade, platforms have been extended at Cooksbridge, Lancing and Goring-By-Sea, which will also improve accessibility and reduce overcrowding and delays for commuters and leisure travellers ac...

HS2 reveals first images of new tunnel launch site

11 June 2020HS2 have today revealed (June 11th) a selection of new images showing the current preparations for the arrival of the project’s first giant tunnelling machines, which will be launched from a site next to the M25 early next year. The two 2,0...

SWR welcomes new £1bn fleet

11 June 2020The first of South Western Railway’s near £1bn new fleet of modern suburban trains has arrived on the network ahead of a full programme of testing beginning next month.   The 10-car Class 701 trains are the first of the new 90 st...

Railway station announcements taken over by key workers and school children

11 June 2020From today (June 11th) rail travellers will be hearing station announcements from other key workers, thanking them for only taking the train if it’s necessary and for following public health advice. The new station announcements come ahead...

Railway station announcements taken over by key workers and school children

11 June 2020From today (June 11th) rail travellers will be hearing station announcements from other key workers, thanking them for only taking the train if it’s necessary and for following public health advice. The new station announcements come ahead...

High-Speed Rail and Scotland report

10 June 2020High-Speed Rail Group have published their latest report, titled ‘High-Speed Rail and Scotland’, which sets out how travel time between London and Scotland could be cut down to just over three hours. Through a combination of new high...

£35m station transformation launched by Tees Valley Mayor

09 June 2020Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has announced (June 9th) a £35m transformation of Middlesbrough Station to transport more train services to the town, including the first direct rail link to London in decades. Mayor Houchen has committed &poun...

Nine-day closure between Yeovil Junction & Gillingham

08 June 2020Network Rail is reminding passengers that a section of railway in the Templecombe area in Somerset will be closed this weekend for nine days to give NR chance to work on a cutting that suffered severe damage last winter. Following heavy rain duri...