Rolling stock

Network Rail awards £257m contract for portable plant

05 February 2020Network Rail has awarded a contract to VP Plc worth £257m for the hire, supply and maintenance of portable plant. The agreed contract covers all 13 of Network Rail’s routes, and the maintenance and repair of 28,000 items of portable r...

Network Rail awards £8m contract for New Measuring Train

08 January 2020That is because Network Rail have announced the awarding of an £8m, five-year contract to Loram UK for the maintenance of its New Measurement Train – affectionately known as the Flying Banana because of its distinctive yellow livery.

Snowdon Mountain Railway unveils plans for hybrid diesel locomotives

03 January 2020Snowdon Mountain Railway (SMR) have announced new plans for hybrid diesel locomotives to operate on its line, as it aims to address climate concerns.

Bombardier secures £117m contract with Avanti West Coast

18 December 2019Bombardier has secured a three-year contract, valued at £117m, to maintain trains for the new Avanti West Coast franchise.

Grand Central completes £9m refurbishment of rolling stock

12 December 2019Grand Central has completed a two-year £9m refurbishment of its train fleet, serving the operator’s route linking Sunderland and Hartlepool to London.

Hull Trains release 360 virtual tour of new Paragon Trains

11 December 2019Hull Trains have released a 360 virtual tour of inside its new Paragon Trains, and are inviting customers to take a look. The immersive video allows you to walk through the train carriages, and see what on offer before you book a ticket, includin...

Northern begins removal of Pacer trains

03 December 2019Northern Railway have today (Dec 3) said goodbye to the first three Pacers as they leave the network for good. The rolling stock has been removed and returned to owners Angel Trains, the first of many more to make the same journey over the next f...

New trains on Ipswich to Cambridge route

27 November 2019Greater Anglia introduced new, longer passenger trains into service yesterday (Nov 26) on the busiest regional route. One of the new Swiss-built trains is now operational on the line between Ipswich, Bury St Edmund and Cambridge, which carries ov...

Azuma trains take first LNER journey

26 November 2019London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has celebrated the first service with the new Azuma trains. The inaugural southbound trip left Aberdeen at 07:52 this morning (26 Nov) for London King’s Cross. The world-class Azuma trains are currently r...

Hull Trains welcomes new Class 802 as part of £60m investment

25 November 2019Hull Trains have today (25 Nov) welcomed the arrival of the first of the brand-new Hitatchi Rail Paragon trains. It comes as part of a £60m investment into five state-of-the-art, bi-mode intercity trains, known as Class 802s, bringing a tra...

Hull Trains appoints new director ahead of £60m fleet arrival

19 November 2019Hull Trains has made a new appointment, as Anne Somers joins the team as commercial and customer experience director. The appointment comes as a way of strengthening its customer experience, with her roles focussing on listening and responding to...

‘Backbone’ of high-speed rail in Britain donated to National Railway Museum

12 November 2019Britain’s most influential modern locomotive, Class 43 High-speed train, also known as the InterCity 125 will join the stationary fleet of over 260 locomotives and rolling stock at the National Railway Museum in York. The train, no.43002 &l...

Poppy train launched to remember rail workers’ wartime service

07 November 2019Southern Railway has launched a special commemorative train to remember the wartime service of railway workers.

Modernised Govia Thameslink Railway fleet improve energy efficiency

01 November 2019Govia Thameslink Railway are now recycling over 50% more energy back into the railway network, helping to power the fleet and making them more energy efficient than any previous generations of trains. The ‘smart’ braking system introd...

Sheffield City Region mayor backs compensation for rail passengers

21 October 2019Sheffield City Region mayor Dan Jarvis has called on Northern Rail to provide passengers compensation and cheaper fares on routes still where Pacer trains will be retained in the region into 2020 – long past the initial deadline for their retirement.