Track and signalling

Carillion-bound boss appointed to lead Kier

20 March 2019Kier has appointed Andrew Davies as its new chief executive, two months after the building contractor ousted Hayden Mursell on the back of debt issues. Davies had been appointed to lead the British outsourcing giant Carillion, but it became solve...

Crossrail delays to cost businesses £600m as TfL reports half a billion pound deficit

20 March 2019The delayed opening and financial chaos around Crossrail are to cost businesses and developers up to £600m, as TfL announces a budget deficit of £500m – nearly half that of original estimates. A levy on business rates is to be e...

‘Compelling case’ put forward for £4bn metro network for Cambridgeshire

20 March 2019There is a “compelling case” for a metro scheme for Greater Cambridge after a feasibility report has claimed it could create 100,000 jobs and 60,000 new homes, but could cost £4bn. The feasibility study was commissioned by the C...

Ashington Blyth and Tyne line reopening mulled over in six ‘quick win’ rail projects for northern transport

18 March 2019A series of ‘quick wins’ have been identified to fix the “current crisis” in the north’s transport network in a report by the IPPR. Following the publication of Transport for the North’s (TfN) Strategic Transpo...

£200m Edinburgh tram extension given green light despite criticism for ‘arrogant’ plans of ‘unknown financial risk’

15 March 2019Councillors have rubber-stamped £207m plans to extend Edinburgh’s tram line from the city centre to Newhaven despite major criticism over the project’s rising costs and the disruptions it could cause. Edinburgh City Council vote...

Rail industry urges government rethink to deliver rail electrification at half the costs

15 March 2019The cost of rail electrification projects could be slashed by as much as two-thirds, the Railway Industry Association (RIA) has revealed as it urges the government to review and renew its electrification programme. The RIA has called on ministers...

Safety warning issued after runaway road-rail vehicle raises concerns over brake maintenance and ‘inadequate supervision’

15 March 2019The RAIB has issued new safety recommendations after a road rail vehicle (RRV) ran downhill and out of control along a track for 340 metres. During works at Bradford Interchange station, a mobile elevating working platform ran away whilst it was...

Network Rail reveals winner of final track works contract worth £1.5bn

14 March 2019Network Rail has announced Balfour Beatty as the preferred bidder to carry out track upgrades across central England for the next decade in a contract worth an estimated £1.5bn. The contract covers the delivery of a wide-ranging programme o...

Proposals for direct Perth to Edinburgh train link to be considered by Transport Scotland

12 March 2019Transport Scotland has confirmed it will look into proposals to introduce a direct rail link between Edinburgh and Perth. Rail bosses said it they would consider the transport links between the two Scottish cities as part of an upcoming review of...

Rail minister gives boost to Hull-Manchester Airport direct rail link

11 March 2019Rail minister Andrew Jones has pledged to look at the options for a direct train service from Hull to Manchester Airport. Jones told MPs and business leaders that he would take a strategic look into a direct service, and into a rail link between...

DfT declares electrification extension of Midland Main Line to Leicestershire

05 March 2019The electrification of the Midland Main Line is to be extended to Leicestershire, the DfT has confirmed. Responding to a parliamentary question, rail minister Andrew Jones said Network Rail had been instructed to design an extension of electrific...

‘Clearer vision’ and improved joined-up working needed to deliver growth in Cambridge-Oxford arc, NIC says

25 February 2019The potential of the highly-anticipated Cambridge-Oxford arc project could be stunted if the government does not provide a “clearer vision and better joined-up working” to maximising the output of the corridor, the National Infrastruct...

Final 100mph speed checks made on electrified Manchester to Preston railway

25 February 2019Final checks have been made on the newly electrified railway between Manchester and Preston as a test train made its last journey over the route for the arrival of 100mph in May. During the early hours of Friday morning, the last electric high-sp...

Potential Leicester to Coventry rail link mulled over in updated Leicestershire transport vision

22 February 2019The potential of a Leicester to Coventry rail link has been revived again as one of the key highlights of a new transport masterplan outlined by Leicestershire County Council. In the council’s revamped Prospectus for Growth handed out to Le...

Shepton Mallet railway station and services could be restored under new vision

20 February 2019National rail services could be restored to a Somerset town after the local authority unveiled a new vision for the rail route. Shepton Mallet’s current nearest mainline station is Castle Cary which is over seven miles away, but new station...