Rail service improvements and disruptions

Network Rail invests over £100m to upgrade network over Easter

02 March 2020Network Rail is encouraging passengers to check and plan their journeys in advance over Easter this year due to planned improvement works. Thousands of rail workers will carry out 420 projects over the Easter period to improve the reliability of...

£20m Northern train depot refurb in Manchester

28 February 2020The £20m refurbishment of Arriva Rail North’s (Northern) Newton Heath train depot in Manchester is almost completed. Northern’s brand new diesel trains will be kept at Newton Heath and the team of 300 staff will also be responsi...

New research partnership announced between University of Birmingham and Siemens Mobility Ltd

26 February 2020Siemens Mobility Limited and the University of Birmingham have announced a new, academic framework research partnership, strengthening the relationship between the two organisations. The Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE...

Hull Trains are the only UK operator with an entirely new fleet

26 February 2020The UK’s smallest rail operator, Hull Trains, is the only company which can promise every journey will be on a brand new, world-class train. Hull Trains’ fleet is less than six months old and has rolled out each new train as soon as t...

£20m government funding to make 124 stations more accessible across GB

26 February 2020Announced today (Feb 26th) by the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, disabled passengers across GB are set to benefit from accessibility improvements at approximately 124 stations. The funding comes from the Access for All programme and will incl...

Government campaign launched to increase inclusivity on public transport

25 February 2020Today (Feb 25th) the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has pressed ahead with a new government campaign to improve journeys for disabled passengers on public transport, in light of wanting to make the UK a world leader for accessible travel. The...

Bexleyheath line re-opens following £6.6m improvement work

25 February 2020After four landslips in the last decade, the 9-day closure involved 200 engineers and around the clock work at 17 sits along the railway between Kidbrooke and Barnehurst. The line was closed over half term, in which time 2,500 tones of mud and tr...

£21m investment by Grand Central in new North West route

25 February 2020Grand Central has invested more than £21m in trains that will run on their new North West to London route, with the restoration of the first locomotive complete with its iconic livery. Today (Feb 20th) it was revealed the operator has lease...

Improvement work begins across three level crossings in Staffordshire

24 February 2020Network Rail improvement work will begin this week on three level crossings in Staffordshire. Engineers will be replacing the older barrier gates and their components with new ones at Caverswall level crossing in Stoke-on-Trent, Hockley level cro...

£2.5m government funding set to improve CrossCountry

24 February 2020Announced today (Feb 24th) by the Rail Minister a £2.5m investment is set to benefit passengers across CrossCountry rail services. From May 2020, passengers travelling from Birmingham to Nottingham, Leicester and Cardiff will start to see l...

Southend Victoria line disruption following a landslip at Billericay

20 February 2020Railway tracks on the Southend Victoria line, between Billericay and Wickford, have been damaged following a landslip. Ballast, the stones that help keep the track securely in place, have fallen away under a section of track. As a safety precauti...

RIA calls on Shapps for urgent rail electrification

19 February 2020The Railway Industry Association and other representatives from across the industry such as Northern Rail Industry Leaders, Civil Engineering Contractors Association and Rail Freight Group, have today (Feb 19th) published an open letter to the Tra...

Northern reaches milestone in new train introduction

19 February 2020Following a £500m investment in rail in the north of England, this week nine new trains were integrated into Arriva Rail North’s fleet. 75 per cent of the 101 trains ordered are now transporting Northern customers, travelling to more...

Alstom to take over Bombardier

18 February 2020Alstom, French multinational company who operate worldwide in rail transport markets, are set to take over Canadian train producer Bombardier. Bombardier has numerous rail-related sites in Britain, in particular its Derby factory where 2,000 peop...

£400k project expands car parks for Spital station

17 February 2020Increased parking at Spital station, Wirral, is set to benefit rail users alongside the opening of an extension to the current Park and Ride facility. 71 new parking spaces have been added, taking the total up to 141, including seven disabled spa...