Rolling stock

Bristol’s MetroWest could be expanded to Gloucester and Westbury

05 March 2019Great Western Railway and Network Rail are reportedly keen on new plans for the MetroWest railway to be expanded to Gloucester and Westbury, leading to growing belief amongst local transport chiefs. Discussions over expanding the line are due to...

TfL to reduce services on London Overground line after delays to new trains strike again

05 March 2019London Overground services between Gospel Oak and Barking will be forced to operate reduced services every 30 minutes after TfL revealed that new Class 710 electric trains were still not ready for passenger use. The trains, originally due to be i...

Bombardier plans digital takeoff with Heathrow Express fleet

05 March 2019Chris Parker, UK business development director, rail control solutions at Bombardier Transportation, outlines the work being carried out to digitally enhance the Heathrow Express fleet. Last month, it was reported that Porterbrook and Bombardier...

Stadler to build 71 trains for Wales and Borders railway

04 March 2019Transport for Wales (TfW) has awarded a contract to build 71 new trains for the Wales & Borders railway franchise. The contract is to deliver 36 three-car CityLink tram trains, the same model which debuted in Sheffield last year; and 35 FLIRT...

Councillors back controversial plans to extend Edinburgh’s tram network

01 March 2019The controversial extension of Edinburgh’s tram network to Newhaven has been backed by a committee of City of Edinburgh councillors. Final proposals for the £207m project were submitted last month and have been heavily scrutinised by...

South Western Railway to become UK’s first 5G railway as FirstGroup announces deal for superfast Wi-Fi on trains

26 February 2019FirstGroup has announced a deal to become the first UK’s first 5G railway network, bringing superfast Wi-Fi to the Southern Western Railway franchise. In partnership with Blu Wireless, Network Rail and the DfT, FirstGroup’s rail divis...

Introducing Alstom's Breeze trains

26 February 2019Mike Muldoon, head of business development for Alstom UK & Ireland, introduces us to Alstom’s new hydrogen-powered Breeze trains, which could hit UK tracks as early as 2022. On 7 January this year, Alstom and our partners Eversholt Rail...

ScotRail expands new Hitachi electric trains to Glasgow routes

18 February 2019ScotRail’s new Hitachi electric trains are to be rolled out across Glasgow as the operator extends its £475m investment into rolling stock in the wake of its second improvement notice in two months from the government. The new class 3...

40-year-old Pacer trains in East Lancashire gone by end of the year, assures Northern

18 February 2019Northern has assured passengers that it will replace all of its 40-year-old Pacer trains on the East Lancashire line by the end of year. Concerns were raised at a meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and passengers have express...

Scheme to double train capacity on West Norfolk line awarded funding

15 February 2019The capacity on West Norfolk’s trains is set to double after funding for an extension of trains running between Lynn and Cambridge has been given government approval. Political and business leaders have been calling for eight-coach trains o...

Northumberland unveils £3.5m rail project to bring back passenger services

05 February 2019A county council has unveiled a new plan to reintroduce direct trains between Newcastle and south-east Northumberland, bringing back passenger services to a current freight line in a £3.5m investment. Northumberland County Council said it i...

Vivarail unveils plans to build new hydrogen trains

05 February 2019Train manufacturer Vivarail has unveiled their new plans for hydrogen trains, revealing new designs and visuals for their emissions-free rolling stock. The modular hydrogen train is currently in production, with two motor cars powered by batterie...

Flying Banana reaps the fruit of its labour

05 February 2019Steve Quinby, Network Rail’s head of data collection, gives us the rundown on the state-of-the-art ‘Flying Banana’ train. Managing a railway stretching 20,000 miles – from Wick to Penzance, Lowestoft to Aberystwth, and the...

New Hitachi rolling stock unveiled by Hull Trains as part of £60m investment

04 February 2019Hull Trains has unveiled its new fleet of hi-tech Hitachi trains which will replace its current ageing fleet of Class 180s in 2019 as part of a £60m investment. The train operator has given a first glimpse of the new rolling stock which com...

Unite and Hitachi urge government for immediate investment in UK train manufacturers

30 January 2019The Unite union has written to Chris Grayling, with Hitachi’s backing, warning the government to support UK manufacturing, jobs and skills by investing in rail infrastructure or risk “shunting the UK’s rail manufacturing renaissa...