Rail and road users across Britain will continue to see positive impacts from the Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR) planned work as set out in its Business Plan for 2026–27. And while the regulator prepares to transform for the transition to Great British Railways (GBR), the Plan makes clear that ORR will continue to […]
Category: Rail Business
DB Cargo UK signs new seven-year contract with CAT UK
DB Cargo UK has signed a new seven-year contract with CAT UK to move finished vehicles from Jaguar Land Rover’s manufacturing facility at Halewood in Merseyside to the Port of Southampton. The company’s colleagues in Cheshire, the West Midlands, and Hampshire currently operate around three services a week between the two destinations. However, with Jaguar […]
East West Rail announces details of last route-wide public consultation
East West Railway Company (EWR Co) has announced details of its last route-wide consultation on the latest designs for the project which will link Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. The eight-week consultation will run from 14 April to 9 June 2026, offering communities along the route a vital opportunity to have their say on […]
UK Rail Tech Innovator One Big Circle Partners with Global Leader Loram to Accelerate Expansion
British rail technology company One Big Circle has announced a strategic partnership with rail maintenance leader Loram Maintenance of Way that will accelerate the global expansion of its award-winning Automated Intelligent Video Review (AIVR) system. The collaboration includes US-headquartered Loram taking a minority investment in the Bristol and Derby based technology firm, marking a significant […]
Permanent Way Institution (PWI) formally changes name
The Permanent Way Institution (Incorporated) has formally changed its name to the Railway Engineering Institution (Incorporated), PWI becoming RailEI. This milestone marks an important evolution for the Institution, reflecting both the breadth of railway engineering disciplines it supports and its role as a modern, inclusive Professional Engineering Institution licensed by the UK Engineering Council. The […]
First Mark 4 coaches saved for preservation
225 Preservation CIC has announced that it has reached an agreement with Beacon Rail to purchase two Mark 4 Pullman Open coaches for preservation. As part of InterCity 225 electric train sets they worked long-distance services out of London King’s Cross until withdrawal in November 2025. They have benefited from continuous investment over their life […]
Publicly owned operators report rapid growth at stations across UK
Train operators in public ownership have shared details of the stations on their networks seeing strong passenger growth according to the most recent ORR station usage figures. For Southeastern, Thanet Parkway in Kent, which opened its doors in 2023 has become the operator’s fastest growing station. Passenger entries and exits more than doubled in the […]
Rail Freight Group calls on Parliament to amend Railways Bill 2025
Rail Freight Group (RFG) has called on Government and Parliamentarians to amend the Railways Bill 2025 to strengthen the independent appeals function for rail freight. Under the Bill, which starts its Commons Committee stage this week, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) will be stripped of its current role in awarding track capacity, and […]
DB Cargo UK agrees sale of Class 66 locos to Grup Feroviar Roman
DB Cargo UK has agreed to sell 25 Class 66 locomotives to Romania’s largest private railway company, Grup Feroviar Roman (GFR). Under the multi-million-pound deal, the first Class 66 (66014) will leave DB Cargo UK’s traction maintenance depot at Toton in Nottinghamshire at the end of January 2026, with all 25 due to be delivered […]
GWR commits to significant Plymouth investment with city-centre office lease
Great Western Railway (GWR) has confirmed significant long-term investment in Plymouth after securing a major office building next to the city’s railway station, as part of its wider commitment to rail-led regeneration and growth in the region. The deal represents the largest office letting in Plymouth for a decade and the largest in the region […]