The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has today written to Eurostar and new applicants seeking to run cross-channel rail services, to set out next steps for assigning access to Temple Mills International depot (TMI). Access to TMI is considered crucial to providing services from the UK to the continent. Earlier this year, following access […]
Category: Industry News
Nine-day closure of Redhill to Tonbridge railway line announced for August
Network Rail will undertake work to strengthen the railway embankment near Edenbridge, with buses replacing trains along the route. Passengers travelling between Redhill and Tonbridge are being advised to plan their journeys ahead of time and leave more time to travel as the line closes for nine days this summer. Buses will replace trains from […]
Greater Manchester’s £2.5 billion funding boost to unlock UK’s first fully integrated, zero-emission public transport network
Greater Manchester is set to deliver the UK’s first fully integrated, zero-emission public transport system by 2030 thanks to a £2.5 billion government funding boost. Government ministers are in Rochdale this morning [Wednesday 4 June] to announce details of the Transport for the City Regions funding, with Greater Manchester awarded £2.5 billion. Mayor Andy Burnham […]
Alstom secures £50 million contract to enhance and service Class 222 trains for Lumo
Alstom, global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, has signed a £50 million contract in partnership with FirstGroup and Eversholt Rail for the refresh and maintenance of five, six-car Class 222 Meridian trains. This comes ahead of open access passenger services being launched between Stirling and London under FirstGroup’s Lumo brand. The contract comprises two key […]
Extensive maintenance completed during Midland Main Line upgrade work
Essential maintenance work delivered alongside major upgrade project. Network Rail has maximised the planned weekend closures on the Midland Main Line to complete an extensive programme of maintenance and improvement work while overhead line upgrades were taking place between London and Bedford. The series of nine weekend closures, which began in February and finished in […]
Hitachi Rail to support overhaul of the Hamburg–Berlin rail line, a key route in the European rail network
The modernisation of the rail line between Hamburg and Berlin is picking up speed – and Hitachi Rail is on board. In the general overhaul of the Hamburg–Berlin rail line project, Hitachi Rail, on behalf of DB InfraGO AG, is responsible for the comprehensive renewal of the control-command and signalling (CCS) between Paulinenaue and Schwanheide. […]
FirstGroup plc – rolling stock agreement for Stirling open access rail service
FirstGroup plc (or the ‘Group’) is pleased to provide an update on its new London to Stirling open access rail service. As previously announced, in 2024 the Group acquired Grand Union Wcml which included track access rights granted by the Office of Rail and Road (‘ORR’) to run open access rail services from London Euston […]
Network Rail stations and offices go solar in ground-breaking deal with EDF Renewables
A solar farm about to begin construction in Norfolk will help to power Network Rail stations and offices thanks to a revolutionary deal with energy supplier EDF Renewables. Through the Corporate Purchase Power Agreement – a first for Britain’s railway – Network Rail will secure 64GWh of clean energy at a fixed cost every year […]
Campaign for Better Transport publishes its seven priorities for rail reform
Campaign for Better Transport has published seven key priorities for making the Government’s programme of rail reform a success. Ben Plowden, Campaign for Better Transport’s chief executive, said: “The creation of Great British Railways presents a unique opportunity to change how the rail system works – structurally, financially and operationally – to provide a better […]
Rail industry unites to tackle safeguarding challenges at national conference
Leading figures from policing, transport and youth services will gather at the National Safeguarding Conference 2025 today (Thursday, May 29) to address some of the most urgent challenges facing passengers and staff across Britain’s rail network. Hosted by publicly-owned, DFTO rail operators, Southeastern Railway and South Western Railway (SWR) at Birmingham Conference and Events Centre, […]