Northern said the major milestone was reached this week, after it began running passenger trains on the line in December, for the first time in 60 years. Services call at Newcastle, Manors and new stations in Seaton Delaval, Newsham and Ashington, with a journey along the entire route taking around 35 minutes and a single […]
Category: Train Operating Companies
Arriva Group submits open access rail application to connect Newcastle and Brighton, via London Gatwick
Arriva Group has today announced it is submitting an open access application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to introduce a new direct rail service between Newcastle and Brighton, via London Gatwick, providing vital connectivity for underserved communities along the route. Arriva’s application, to be formally notified to Network Rail today, makes use […]
Darlington man becomes youngest train driver at Wensleydale Railway
Wensleydale Railway has announced the appointment of its youngest train driver. George Stephens, fromDarlington, has passed his driver training and is now qualified to drive the railway’s class 142 and class 143 diesel multiple unit passenger trains. George is 21 years old and studied Travel and Tourism at Darlington College. He started working for therailway […]
Sustainability Partner of the Year honour for Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast has been named Rail Operator Sustainability Partner of the Year at BTN Group’s 2025 Business Travel Sustainability Awards. The intercity operator’s progress in making sustainable rail travel a viable business alternative for its corporate customers across the west coast resulted in it winning the Rail Operator category. The awards celebrate actions taken […]
Sustainability Partner of the Year honour for Avanti West Coast
Avanti West Coast has been named Rail Operator Sustainability Partner of the Year at BTN Group’s 2025 Business Travel Sustainability Awards. The intercity operator’s progress in making sustainable rail travel a viable business alternative for its corporate customers across the west coast resulted in it winning the Rail Operator category. The awards celebrate actions taken […]
Street to Seat: c2c’s newest drivers begin training
Local rail operator Trenitalia c2c has welcomed a new cohort of trainee drivers to the team as part of its ‘Street to Seat’ recruitment programme, following unprecedented interest in the position. The eight new trainee mainline drivers are the fifth group to join c2c the training scheme – which is open to individuals with little […]
EMR recovers nearly £2 million from fare dodgers
East Midlands Railway (EMR) has recovered more than £1.9 million from fare dodgers travelling between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 – helping to reduce costs for taxpayers and fare-paying customers. During this period, its revenue protection officers and onboard staff issued 11,798 notices, returning a combined total of £1,912,887. The notices were issued […]
New electric tram-trains in testing for South Wales Metro
Brand-new electric tram-trains are now being tested on the recently electrified Valleys railway lines, as TfW take another step forward with delivering the next phase of the South Wales Metro. Part of an £800 million investment into brand-new trains across Wales and the Borders, the Stadler Class 398 CITYLINK tram-trains will revolutionise transport in South […]
Big regional refurb: EMR welcomes first revamped Class 170 train into service
East Midlands Railway (EMR) has today unveiled its first fully refurbished Class 170 train, marking the beginning of a transformative year for the company and a significant upgrade in comfort and convenience for regional customers. The revamped train is the first in a £23 million programme to modernise EMR’s Class 170 regional fleet, enhancing the […]
Hitachi awarded contract extension to maintain Scotland’s best performing fleet
ScotRail has awarded Hitachi a seven-year contract extension to maintain the 100% electric commuter fleet (Class 385). The contract extension includes both heavy and light maintenance of the Class 385 fleet, and will see an improved service quality regime to keep trains operating at peak performance for longer. This will result in more electric trains […]