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 […]

Thameslink managers work with Autism Bedfordshire to help young adults gain independence

A group of young Luton and Bedford autistic adults took the train to London last week in an exercise by Thameslink and Autism Bedfordshire to encourage them to travel independently. Thameslink managers gave a tour of the two stations, explaining how to find the right train, buy tickets and – crucially – seek advice from […]

Great Western Railway battery train world record confirmed as 200.5 miles

Great Western Railway (GWR) has received official confirmation that its battery-electric train achieved a world record distance of 200.5 miles on a single charge. Officials from the Rail Performance Society (RPS), an organisation dedicated to recording and studying the performance of railways and railway traction in the UK, today presented a Certificate of Achievement to […]

Investment in new rail to boost track reliability in East Midlands

A project to install 565 metres of new rail will affect Midland Main Line journeys on Saturday 20 September. Services between Nottingham and Leicester will be affected, along with some Midland Main Line journeys to/from London St Pancras. Network Rail teams will be putting down 109 pre-curved rails at Syston North Curve, along with 3,500 […]

Cutting-edge rail ticket technology to be trialled across the Midlands and North

Passengers across the East Midlands can now benefit from simpler and more flexible tickets, with the launch of new digital trials. From today, rail passengers travelling between Leicester, Derby, and Nottingham will be able to take part in these trials, with more taking place in conjunction with Northern Trains in Yorkshire from the end of […]