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 […]
Category: Industry News
Early May Bank Holiday Weekend: Buses replace trains in the Basingstoke area while Network Rail carry out vital track improvements
Buses will replace trains in the Basingstoke area over the early May Bank Holiday Weekend (Sunday 4 and Monday 5 May) while Network Rail complete essential track improvements. Over the two-day closure, Network Rail’s engineers will be replacing the track that runs through Platform 4 at Basingstoke station as well as between Fleet and Farnborough […]
Great Western Railway and Network Rail bring Control under single leadership team
Great Western Railway (GWR) and Network Rail are joining forces by bringing their Control functions together in a single, joint team to bolster collaborative working and service delivery. The move to bring track and train closer together builds on the organisations’ collaborative working and formal alliance agreement originally signed in 2016 – it is designed […]
£5 Million Government Competition Launches to Transform Rail Passenger Experience
The government has launched a £5 million competition to support pioneering technologies aimed at transforming the passenger experience on Britain’s railways. Delivered by Innovate UK in partnership with the Department for Transport, the First of a Kind (FOAK) competition is now open for applications. The programme offers grant funding to help bring new ideas to life on […]
Robert Stephenson statue goes on display at the Locomotion Museum, marking 200 years of the British passenger railway
The historic bronze statue of Robert Stephenson, the great railway engineer, has gone on display at the Locomotion Museum in Shildon, County Durham. Since its removal from the piazza at London’s Euston station as part of the HS2 redevelopment in October 2020, the statue of the railway pioneer has been kept by HS2 in safe […]
Special test event provides valuable insight for Great Western Railway’s fast-charge battery trial
A special test event saw 250 volunteers board Great Western Railway’s battery train to help provide valuable insight for its industry-leading trial. The ‘High Passenger Load’ operation tested energy consumption and will form part of findings to be fed back to the Department for Transport (DfT). GWR launched its innovative fast-charge battery trial in March […]
Chiltern Railways launches Community Investment Fund for 2025/26
Rail operator Chiltern Railways has today (Monday 07 April) announced the launch of its Community Investment Fund (CIF) for 2025/26, offering grants to support projects that deliver meaningful social, economic and environmental benefits to communities across its network. Applications for the fund are now open, closing on 05 May 2025. Grants ranging from £5,000 to […]
Rail Minister Lord Hendy Launches Construction on Siemens Mobility’s £100 Million Chippenham Investment
Siemens Mobility has officially broken ground on its £100 million state-of-the-art facility in Chippenham, Wiltshire. This milestone marks the start of construction on a state-of-the art innovation hub that will shape the future of rail technology in the UK. Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy joined members of Siemens Mobility’s leadership team, Chippenham MP Sarah Gibson, […]
Egis Awarded Light & Heavy Rail Lots in Framework set to Transform South Yorkshire’s Transport Infrastructure
Global engineering consultancy Egis has been awarded light and heavy rail lots on the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s (SYMCA) Engineers Consultancy Services Framework Agreement. In partnership with Pell Frischmann, Egis will be responsible for providing technical advice and services relating to light and heavy railway systems, including investigation, planning, design, operations and maintenance activities. […]
London St. Pancras Highspeed announces new incentive scheme to grow international rail services
London St. Pancras Highspeed (the new trading name of HS1 Ltd) has unveiled a groundbreaking incentive scheme for new and existing international train operators to accelerate the growth of rail travel from London to Europe on the UK’s only high-speed railway. The International Growth Incentive Scheme will encourage train operators to introduce new services, launch new destinations, […]