On Sunday 1 February, London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services will become the latest to join DfT Operator Limited (DFTO), the Government’s public sector rail owning group. The milestone marks a further step towards creating an integrated rail network that passengers can rely on and be proud of under Great British Railways, which […]
Category: Government
East West Rail meets ministers to discuss accelerating infrastructure delivery
East West Railway Company (EWR Co) joined key infrastructure providers this week to discuss with Government how the new Planning and Infrastructure Act will help deliver critical infrastructure more quickly and improve public engagement during the planning process. The new Act became law just before Christmas and aims to streamline the planning system, accelerating the […]
Milestone for HS2 as tunnelling to Euston begins
HS2’s journey into central London took a stop closer yesterday (Tuesday January 27), after a huge tunnel boring machine started its passage from Old Oak Common to Euston station. Taking HS2 to Euston is essential to unlocking the project’s full economic potential, with estimates from Camden Council suggesting a mix of new homes and commercial […]
Milestone for HS2 as tunnelling to Euston begins
HS2’s journey into central London took a stop closer yesterday (Tuesday January 27), after a huge tunnel boring machine started its passage from Old Oak Common to Euston station. Taking HS2 to Euston is essential to unlocking the project’s full economic potential, with estimates from Camden Council suggesting a mix of new homes and commercial […]
Transport secretary signs transformational rail deal with Greater Manchester
The government has formally agreed to work with Greater Manchester on plans for a new railway connecting Liverpool and Manchester via Warrington as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR). As part of the major investment of up to £45 billion announced by the Chancellor last week – that is set to transform rail travel across […]
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 […]
Birmingham teenager crowned HS2’s 2,000th apprentice
HS2 has exceeded its target of creating 2,000 apprenticeships on Britain’s high-speed rail project – helping workers build new careers and delivering a multi-million-pound boost to the economy. Latest data shows that an additional 99 people started an apprenticeship between September and December 2025. This takes the total number of new apprentice starts on the […]
Government sets out plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail
The Government today (14 January 2026) released its plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail, promising that people across the North West, Yorkshire, and the North East will benefit from faster commutes, greater job opportunities, and increased investment. The first phase will prioritise upgrades and electrification between Leeds-Sheffield, Leeds-York, and Leeds-Bradford to transform commutes, set to be […]
RIA reviews Government rail performance
Eighteen months since the Government took office in July 2024, The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has delivered its third six-monthly assessment on the progress of UK rail policy. RIA recognises there has been progress on rail reform – including initiation of the Government’s Railways Bill to establish Great British Railways – and there has been […]