A decommissioned Metro train has been donated to the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) to support essential training for its crews. The old Metro carriage, number 4019, will form an integral part of the operational training facilities for fire fighters. It will allow the TWFRS training team to recreate real-to-life scenarios that […]
Category: General Interest
Michael Portillo examines 200 years of the Railways
This week, broadcaster, journalist, and RailStaff Awards 2025 host Michael Portillo launches his new BBC series 200 Years of the Railways. The series, which begins tonight (16 September) at 8pm on BBC Two, follows the route of the pioneering Stockton and Darlington Railway in North East England – the world’s first public railway to carry […]
HS2 fossil finds go on display at Oxford University
A selection of fossils discovered during the construction of the HS2 rail project has gone on display to the public for the first time. The temporary display at Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH) includes finds made by contractors working on cuttings and tunnels across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and West Northants. The fossils include the […]
Plan ahead advice for rail upgrade work north of Newcastle
Passengers are reminded that there will be changes to journeys over the next two weekends because of various rail improvement projects. Network Rail teams will be working at locations around the North East, meaning lines between Newcastle and Edinburgh will close on 13-14 and 20-21 September. The engineering work includes new track, drainage systems, switches and […]
SWR train named in honour of England’s first king at Kingston station
South Western Railway (SWR) has joined forces with The Rest is History’s Tom Holland to name a train after Athelstan, the first King of England. In a ceremony at Kingston station on Friday 4 September, the globally acclaimed podcaster and historian unveiled the new King Athelstan name on one SWR’s Class 450 trains, flanked by […]
SWR train named in honour of England’s first king at Kingston station
South Western Railway (SWR) has joined forces with The Rest is History’s Tom Holland to name a train after Athelstan, the first King of England. In a ceremony at Kingston station on Friday 4 September, the globally acclaimed podcaster and historian unveiled the new King Athelstan name on one SWR’s Class 450 trains, flanked by […]
High Peak rail journeys secured after New Mills landslip repairs
Thousands of tonnes of stone has been used to secure moving land beside the Sheffield to Manchester line to secure future journeys for passengers and freight. Network Rail teams have been working in Hague Bar in New Mills since a landslip in April 2024. Today (Thursday 28 August) drone footage has been released showing how […]
Major investment in station shelters on Wrexham Bidston line
A significant investment in new customer shelters is being delivered at stations in north Wales and the Wirral, as part of Network North Wales. Seven stations on the Wrexham Bidston line are to benefit from more than £400,000 of spending between now and October. The investment represents a significant improvement to customer facilities at stations, […]
Boosting regional economies: More jobseekers progress into careers on HS2
In total, 5,191 jobseekers have benefitted from specialist training and support to help them to progress into new careers on the project. The continued success in engaging and upskilling people ready for work is attributed to HS2’s job brokerage model. Partnerships with the Department for Work and Pensions, the National Careers Service, local authorities, and […]
Greater Anglia funds minibus service to connect railway station and wetland centre
People can now access Welney Wetland Centre, near Littleport, by public transport thanks to a grant from Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Improvement Fund. The train operator granted £9,334 to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust for a trial shuttle bus service connecting Welney Wetland Centre and Ely railway station, to help encourage more people to […]