Track and signalling

RAIB calls for safety review of Sheffield junction after double tram collision

09 January 2019The RAIB has called for a safety review after two tram crashes took place at the same Sheffield junction in just six weeks. Investigators have written to Sheffield City Council advising that a “risk-based review” of the junction and r...

Northern owner Deutsche Bahn wants compensation from Network Rail over extensive delays and disruption

07 January 2019Deutsche Bahn has demanded Network Rail pay compensation for the extensive delays in electrifying its under fire Northern rail franchise. First reported in the Telegraph, the parent company of Arriva Rail North, who run the struggling operator, b...

Ambitious £10bn plans for Gatwick Heathrow HS4Air rail service rejected

04 January 2019Plans to build a new £10bn high-speed rail service connecting HS1 with HS2 via Gatwick and Heathrow airports have been rejected by the DfT. The ambitious plans would see passengers able to travel between Heathrow and Gatwick in under 25 min...

Cairngorm funicular report into UK’s highest railway delayed again

20 December 2018The publication of a report into the safety of the UK’s highest railway and its structural issues has been further delayed until 2019. The Cairngorms funicular railway, which carries tourists, skiers, and snowboarders at the CairnGorm Mount...

Network Rail announces winners of multibillion-pound CP6 contracts

20 December 2018Network Rail has awarded one of its largest deals under CP6, with three companies winning multi-billion contracts for both renewals and enhancements for the south of England. The contracts, worth a collective £4.4bn, to deliver renewals and...

Siemens and Alstom offer to sell high-speed train technology to address EU antitrust concerns

18 December 2018Engineering giants Siemens and Alstom have offered to sell their high-speed train technology as part of a concession package to address EU antitrust objections over the proposed merger. The German and French train companies submitted their conces...

Hitachi and Spencer Group join forces for £500m Tyne and Wear Metro deal bid

12 December 2018Hitachi and Spencer Group have launched a joint bid to win a £500m contract to build new trains and a maintenance depot for the Tyne and Wear Metro. The two northern engineering giants have formed a partnership to bid for the contract which...

Crossrail given £1.4bn bailout as launch date pushed back once again

10 December 2018Crossrail has suffered further delays to its schedule beyond the autumn of 2019 and London transport bosses have today announced a £1.4bn bailout of the flagship project – even worse than first estimates – in what represents yet...

Consultation confirms public support for new rail link between Heathrow and the west

07 December 2018Plans for a new rail link between Heathrow and the west have been overwhelmingly supported in a new consultation published by Network Rail. The proposals set out a new rail link between the Great Western Main Line and London Heathrow Airport, and...

First CP6 contracts awarded by Network Rail in major £645m deal

05 December 2018The first major contracts for CP6 have been awarded by Network Rail, worth a combined £645m. Story Contracting has been announced as the winner of ‘Lot 2,’ which covers renewals and enhancement work in Scotland and is worth arou...

RAIB to investigate LNER train which broke speed limit by 100mph

28 November 2018A LNER train travelling at 120mph on a section of track with an emergency speed restriction of 20mph is being investigated by the RAIB. The Aberdeen to London King’s Cross service went through the Sandy South Junction in Bedfordshire on 19...

Major overhaul of one of country’s longest tunnels sees delays fall by a fifth

23 November 2018A major refurbishment of Sevenoaks tunnel has seen a 20% reduction in delays and halved journey times for passengers, even as the £21m infrastructure renewal nears completion. One of the longest tunnels in southern England, Sevenoaks has be...

Council voices several ‘critical’ objections to East West Rail Phase 2 plans

22 November 2018A county council has expressed a number of issues deemed “unacceptable” and “critical” relating to Network Rail’s application for a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) to build East West Rail (EWR) Phase 2 – st...

RAIB, ORR and BTP all launch investigations after rail worker is killed by train

22 November 2018The ORR, RAIB and the BTP have all launched investigations after a railway worker died when he was struck by a train at Stoats Nest Junction, Surrey, in the early hours of 6 November. The RAIB said it is trying to discover why the worker was kill...

Greater Anglia installs innovative WSP braking system across rural services

20 November 2018Greater Anglia has fitted an innovative new braking system, known as Wheel Slide Protection (WSP) to more of its rural trains across its network. WSP has been fitted to five of the TOC’s single carriage Class 153 trains which operate on rur...