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 […]
Category: Featured
HS2 breaks through in Birmingham
HS2’s giant tunnelling machine Mary Ann broke through on Friday 9 May, marking the end of her mission to excavate the first bore of what will soon become the longest railway tunnel in the West Midlands. The 125-metre-long machine began constructing the 3.5-mile (5.8km) Bromford Tunnel, which starts at the Warwickshire village of Water Orton […]
World-First: Hitachi Rail Enables Digitally Signalled Steam Locomotive with ETCS Technology
In a historic first for the railway industry, testing of a steam locomotive fitted with Hitachi Rail’s European Train Control System (ETCS) in Level 2 has been completed successfully on the Cambrian line in Wales. As part of Network Rail’s East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), the historic Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado is the first […]
Network Rail Grants £1.1 Billion Contract to Four Firms for On-Track Maintenance Equipment
Network Rail has awarded contracts worth up to £1.1 billion to four suppliers of on-track maintenance machines vital in maintaining and renewing Britain’s railway network. The contracts have been awarded to Balfour Beatty Rail Limited, Colas Rail Limited, Swietelsky Babcock Rail (SB Rail) and VolkerRail Specialist Businesses Limited, to provide On Track Machines (OTM) including […]
Network Rail boss Sir Andrew Haines announces retirement
Sir Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, has advised the board that he has decided to retire from the company in October 2025. Sir Andrew Haines joined Network Rail in August 2018. During his seven years as chief executive, Andrew has maintained a relentless focus on putting passengers first to make Network Rail a […]