Leadership change at First Rail

Mike Nelson has been appointed managing director of First Rail, following Steve Montgomery’s retirement. Mike was formerly finance and strategic development director of the business.  Graham Sutherland, CEO of FirstGroup plc, said: “I would like to wish Steve Montgomery all the best for his retirement and to pay tribute to his long and successful career […]

ORR makes proposals for fairer redress

Passenger groups are being invited to comment on the Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR) proposals to help ensure fairer redress when booked rail passenger assistance is not provided.  As passenger rail journeys continue to increase, demand for pre-booked passenger assistance is also rising, with our statistics, published today, showing that requests for assistance are […]

July diversions between Norwich and Great Yarmouth as 80-year-old track replaced

On weekdays between Monday 6 July and Friday 17 July, railway engineers will be replacing 2km of old track on the single line near Berney Arms station, helping to boost long-term reliability. The work means that, during the affected weekdays, services between Norwich and Great Yarmouth that normally operate via Reedham will be diverted via […]

Railway improvement work to affect West Yorkshire services for two weekends

Track renewal, tunnel repairs and groundwork engineering will affect services in West Yorkshire over the weekends of 18-19 and 25-26 July. Passengers are advised that rail replacement buses will be in operation for some journeys because of improvement work in Menston and surrounding areas. New rails and sleepers will be installed along almost 1.9km of […]

Scotland’s railway gets ready for rising temperatures

Scotland’s railway is preparing for hot weather this week, with highs of up to 32°C expected, potentially setting a new June record.  From Tuesday, temperatures will rise into the high 20s and are likely to exceed 30°C by Thursday. Thunderstorms are also forecast later that day, bringing lightning, heavy rain and strong winds.  While the Met Office has issued […]

Southeastern urges customers to only travel if absolutely necessary during record heatwave

Southeastern is urging customers to only travel if absolutely necessary as extreme heat is forecast to impact train services across Kent and southeast London on Wednesday and Thursday.  The Met Office has issued red and amber weather warnings for extreme heat covering Greater London and Kent this week, with temperatures expected to remain high throughout the week and potentially reach highs of up […]

Railway family responds to fatal Bedford collision

The railway industry is mourning the loss of East Midlands Railway (EMR) driver Shaun Burton following the tragic train collision near Bedford on Friday 19 June. The collision, which occurred south of Bedford near Elstow, involved two EMR passenger services and resulted in around 100 sustaining injuries, 11 serious. Shaun Burton, a mainline driver with […]

LNER unveils ‘Gresley 150’ livery to celebrate life of railway pioneer

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Nigel Gresley, former chief mechanical engineer of the original LNER, a special Azuma train livery has been unveiled at Doncaster railway station. ‘Gresley 150’ marks the work and influence of the railway pioneer, famous for designing iconic locomotives such as Mallard and Flying Scotsman, who […]