A campaign has been launched to encourage young people to travel by train, with climate change at the heart of the message. The advertising, which is entitled A Greener Future, is led by Network Rail in collaboration with the Rail Delivery Group and the Campaign for Better Transport, and it

TUESDAY BRIEFING: Derailment inquiry launched ++ Northern wants to make buying tickets easier ++ ORR reports ‘drip pricing’ progress ++ FirstGroup reports open access success ++ Kaynak

MONDAY BRIEFING: Telford landslip disrupts trains ++ Northern announces bargain fares on new route ++ Network Rail unveils plans for future Waterloo ++ New colour lights energised in Cornwall Kaynak

The Labour Party has criticised delays to rail reforms which have been highlighted in a new report from the National Audit Office, and has repeated its pledge to fully renationalise the remaining private sector passenger operators if it is elected. The NAO has concluded that the railway’s performance ‘is not

Open access services are set to run between London and Stirling next year, after the Office of Rail and Road approved an application for four trains a day from Grand Union Trains, whose managing director is Ian Yeowart. The ORR has already approved new Grand Union services between Carmarthen and

WEDNESDAY BRIEFING: Network Rail names new route director ++ Detailed designs for Cornish Metro scheme ++ Major upgrades for Newbury completed ++ Kaynak

Siemens is investing �100 million in replacing its rail infrastructure centre in Chippenham, which was previously owned by Westinghouse, with a new factory. All 800 staff at the present site will be transferred to the new factory when it is open in 2026. Siemens described its investment as ‘groundbreaking’, and

The potential deadline for the closure of the Alstom works in Derby had been 31 January, and on that day rail minister Huw Merriman wrote to train manufacturers and operators, setting out plans for new or refurbished rolling stock, although the letter was not published until 22 February. But with

İngiltere ve Galler'deki çoğu Ulusal Demiryolu güzergahındaki düzenlenmiş ücretler Pazar günü yüzde 4,9 artacak, ancak Londra ve Merseyrail'e Ulaşım ücretleri dondurulurken, Londra Belediye Başkanı da en yüksek ücretlerin Cuma günleri 8 Mart'tan itibaren alınmayacağını açıkladı. işe gidip gelmek. Bu arada İskoçya, en azından Haziran ayına kadar tüm zirve ücretlerini kaldırdı,

A tunnelling machine on HS2 has completed a 16km journey by breaking through at the North Portal of the Chiltern Tunnel. The journey of TBM Florence has taken 2 years and 11 months, travelling at about 16 metres a day, but a train will travel through the tunnel in a

MONDAY BRIEFING: Unstable earthworks block lines in Kent and Berkshire ++ �4.7bn transport cash for north ++ Disputes settled on Underground and Translink ++ Go-Ahead denies sale report ++ Kaynak

Governments usually behave as if they will be in power indefinitely, which may explain why a ‘draft’ Rail Reform Bill has been published. We do not know the result of the next election. At the moment, it is being reported that the Conservatives are set to lose. If that happens,

The publication of the Government’s draft Rail Reform Bill has been given a broad welcome by much of the rail industry, although there have been some exceptions. The House of Commons Transport Committee has announced an inquiry in which it will scrutinise the details of the Bill, which sets out

The Government has published its draft Rail Reform Bill, which would pave the way to giving legal status to the proposed ‘guiding mind’ Great British Railways. GBR is referred to as the Integrated Rail Body, and the draft echoes previous suggestions that the IRB will be in charge of awarding

TUESDAY BRIEFING: ROSCo buys stake in railway engineers ++ Northern gateline workers to strike ++ University announces new Japanese link ++ New station planned for south Wales ++ Plaque commemorates railway’s Covid victims Kaynak

The number of rail journeys made in Britain could almost double in the next 25 years, according to the most optimistic of possible outcomes suggested by consultants Steer in a report for the Railway Industry Association. Steer’s new research sets out several possible developments between now and 2050, with passenger

The private train operators’ lobby group Rail Partners has published a five point ‘Manifesto for Rail’ aimed at helping the railways to recover from the long-term effects of the Covid lockdowns and the increasing uncertainty caused by the collapse of franchising. Its Five Point Plan makes the case for greater

ASLEF has announced strikes and an overtime ban at two train operators for what it describes as ‘their persistent failure to comply with existing agreements’. Drivers will stage 24-hour walkouts at LNER and Northern on 1 March, and also an overtime ban from 29 February to 2 March. Kaynak

WEDNESDAY BRIEFING: Full service to be restored on Marston Vale line ++ West Coast line reopens after landslip ++ Merseyrail fares freeze ++ Kaynak

The first unit in West Midlands Railway’s new fleet of Class 730 electric trains went into service last night. The Class 730s have been built by Alstom at Derby, and consist of 48 three-car sets. Kaynak

The West Coast Main Line has been blocked by a landslip between Coventry and Rugby, and up trains are being replaced by buses on this section. Down Avanti West Coast trains towards Coventry are being disrupted, and London Northwestern trains are not running in either direction between Northampton and Coventry. Kaynak

Monday briefing: Lines closed for maintenance in Portsmouth area ++ Boost for Liverpool�Chester services ++ TfL increases penalty fare ++ Kaynak

The Mayors of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands have set out three alternatives to HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester, which was scrapped by the Prime Minister last October. Andy Burnham and Andy Street announced their ideas at a joint press conference in Birmingham. They have been joined by former

The Commons Public Accounts Committee has published a highly critical report about the latest developments at HS2, which it says is now ‘very poor value for money’ after Phases 2A and 2B to Crewe and Manchester were cancelled by the Prime Minister last October. The Committee says the remaining Phase

Transport for London has launched a consultation into a proposed extension of the Docklands Light Railway from Gallions Reach to a new station at Beckton Riverside and then under the river to Thamesmead. If it went ahead, it would echo plans to connect Thamesmead to a rail network which go

A new offer of cheap rail travel was launched on 23 January, with the jaunty title of the ‘Great British Rail Sale’. It was surely rather strange that such an offer should come from a government department at all. In the old days the Ministry of Transport (as it then

Train services on a main line in the Scottish central belt have returned to normal today, after four days of work to prevent rocks falling on the track. The �1 million project was carried out by Network Rail at Ratho, but while it was under way services from Edinburgh to

GWR and Cornwall Council have announced that the first part of a �56 million upgrade of railways in Cornwall is due in May 2025, with the rest of the project set to start a year later. Cornwall Council is hosting drop-in workshops about the Mid Cornwall Metro in Newquay and

Members of ASLEF at most train operators in England have started a week-long overtime ban today, and a series of one-day strikes is set to begin tomorrow. ASLEF had planned a further five days of strikes on LNER from Monday of next week until Friday. but has called them off.

The new buildings at University station in Birmingham will be open to passengers from Sunday. The station on the Cross City line opened in 1978, and was designed for 500,000 passengers a year. Since then, Birmingham University has grown, while the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital was opened near the University

ASLEF has cancelled five days of drivers’ strikes on LNER from 5 to 9 February, apparently because LNER has said it will not be applying the new law which enforces minimum service levels during industrial action. Rail minister Huw Merriman had said the government hoped the law would be used,

High winds have caused all ScotRail trains to be cancelled, while many services south of the border are also late or cannot run because of damage caused by Storm Isha. ScotRail withdrew all its services at 19.00 last night, and warned that trains cannot run today until Network Rail can

FRIDAY BRIEFING: TfL fares frozen for 2024 ++ Government lifts safeguarding protection for HS2 land ++ Hitachi Rail workers to strike over pay ++ Lumo submits extra service plan Kaynak

ASLEF has called another five days of 24-hour strikes on LNER from 5 to 9 February, in what could be the first direct challenge to the new minimum service levels law, which requires a set percentage of staff to continue working during strikes. ASLEF has already called rolling strikes for

An internal presentation to Avanti West Coast managers which boasted ‘Roll up, roll up, get your free money here!’, when referring to payments from the government, has been followed by an apology from the operator. Avanti, which is owned by British FirstGroup and Italian Trenitalia, has been under fire because

Train services run by English nationalised operators and those with a Department for Transport contract are set to be disrupted for a week from 30 January, as the pay dispute between ASLEF and the operators continues. Although the main effects will be felt in England, some cross-border services to Scotland

West Coast Railways is urging the Office of Rail and Road to reconsider its ruling that coaches without central locking on their hinged doors can no longer operate on Network Rail infrastructure. The withdrawal of the exemption which had allowed rolling stock without central locking to be used was challenged

için Yeni Yıl 'önemli’ olacak HS2 Ltd, Batı Londra'daki Old Oak Common ile Birmingham Curzon Caddesi arasındaki 1. Aşamanın ayakta kalan bölümü üzerindeki çalışmalar hızlanırken, 2024 için planlanan yeni sözleşmelere 5 milyar dolarlık bir yatırımla 'kritik yeni bir aşamaya' hazırlanıyor. Son 12 ay, West Midlands'ın kuzeyindeki 2A ve 2B Aşamalarının, Başbakan'ın

Railnews is taking a seasonal break. We wish you a very happy festive season and look forward to being back with you on 2 January 2024. Kaynak

Track laying for East West Rail between Bicester and Bletchley is now ‘99 per cent complete’, according to East West Rail Co. But although moving forward, the project has also sustained some hard knocks. Plans to electrify the route as part of the ‘Electric Spine’ of 2012 were dropped some

The long-running conflict over funding for Transport for London has been eased, because the Government has agreed to provide �250 million in capital funding for 2024. TfL has been battling with its finances ever since the Covid pandemic, although passenger figures on the Underground have been rising and are now

One of the councils on the abandoned route of HS2 to Crewe says the impact of the cancellation could force it into effective bankruptcy. Cheshire East Council, which covers Crewe and Macclesfield, said it had spent �11 million preparing for HS2, of which �8.6 million had been borrowed. The money

Cornwall Council has given the green light to another scheme funded by the Government’s Restoring Your Railway programme. Mid Cornwall Metro involves the upgrading of railways so that direct trains can run every hour between Newquay, Truro and Falmouth, alongside intercity services to Newquay. In the longer term, there are

WEDNESDAY BRIEFING: East West Rail benefits ‘uncertain’ ++ Formal opening at East Linton ++ New appointments at Chiltern ++ Northern improves information screens ++ Stoke-on-Trent glazing repairs Kaynak

TUESDAY BRIEFING: New trains for Glasgow Subway ++ ORR launches station catering inquiry ++ Minister sees digital signalling in action ++ New station for north London ++ More Stadler trains for Merseyrail ++ Peckham Rye modernisation moves ahead ++ Kaynak

Third-party ticket retailers who quietly add fees to the fares they display to passengers are being warned by the Office of Rail and Road that they must be transparent when quoting prices, and not leave out charges which will be added to the total. The rail regulator has examined the

The RMT has published the results of a survey which says more than 90 per cent of Network Rail workers think a major railway incident is likely to happen in the next two years because of spending cuts. Network Rail budgets are determined by the Government and the Office of

TUESDAY BRIEFING: Cautious welcome for �3.9bn Transpennine upgrade ++ Mayors work together to improve railways ++ Network Rail unveils masterplan for Cardiff ++ Boastful TikTok fare evader fined ++ Kaynak

Efforts to save the train-building works at Litchurch Lane in Derby are being stepped up, following Alstom’s warning that work will soon run out. If the works close 2000 jobs will be lost, while many more will be at risk in the East Midlands supply chain. Councillors and business leaders

FRIDAY BRIEFING: Industry braces for week of strikes as drivers vote for more ++ Landslip near Woking ++ Limited services restored at Ayr ++ Rail replacement buses in spotlight ++ ORR probes Wales & Western region performance ++ Kaynak

The long series of strikes involving the RMT is over, after 18 months of walkouts. A new ballot of members has shown that a majority are in favour of accepting the latest pay offer. The results of the ballot, as published by the RMT, show that there was a majority

Transport for London says the number of passengers travelling on the Underground was 4.05 million on 23 November, which is the largest daily total recorded since the start of Covid restrictions in March 2020. The new figures have strengthened TfL’s case for a long term budget settlement with the Government.

The number of crimes committed on London Underground rose by more than a third in the six months from April to September this year, pushing the crime rate for each million passengers up from 13.7 to 18.6. There is particular concern about thefts and robberies, because thefts were up by

The lobbying group Rail Partners has made a new bid to get the private sector more involved in operating passenger railways. Although the Government appears to be sympathetic, the Labour Party has said it would move towards a ‘publicly-owned railway’ in England if it gains power at the next General

Grand Central trains will soon be calling at Peterborough for the first time. The open access operator has been given approval for two trains to call at Peterborough twice a day from Monday to Saturday by the Office of Rail and Road. The ORR said it supports open access services

The Office of Rail and Road has begun sponsoring the Rail Ombudsman, in line with a commitment in the 2021 Plan for Rail. The ORR will now hold the Ombudsman to account for independent and impartial provision of its service. The Ombudsman is the last of port of call for

Changes to the rules about central door locking could mean the end of heritage trains on Network Rail infrastructure, a major operator has warned. West Coast Railway Company, which runs many steam-hauled specials on National Rail lines as well as the scheduled ‘Jacobite’ service between Fort William and Mallaig, is

Ballot papers are being sent to RMT members working for London Underground, as the RMT pursues its claim for better pay and a restoration of free travel for all Underground staff. The ballot opened yesterday and will continue until 19 December. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘Tube workers who

The modernised and enlarged station at Gatwick Airport opened to passengers this morning. The first train to call was the 05.48 Thameslink service from Bedford to Brighton. The new reconstruction has added a second concourse, eight new escalators, five new lifts, four new stairways and additional ticket gates. The platforms

The government is said to be poised to reintroduce a degree of commercial freedom in National Rail Contracts, with the intention of allowing operators to increase profits. It has been reported that the owners of operators are urging the government to loosen the tight restrictions of the present contracts. These

FRIDAY BRIEFING: New Piccadilly Line trains under test ++ Merseyside devolution moves forward ++ Clashes over HS2 Euston in the London Assembly ++ Children name new Welsh train ++ Kaynak

Alstom has warned Derby City Council that it intends to end the building of trains in the city. The news follows fears that more than 1300 workers, or two-thirds of the employees, were set to lose their jobs because of a lack of new orders. It has now emerged that

The number of jobs which could be lost in Derby because of the Alstom crisis has more than doubled. Earlier reports suggested that 600 jobs could be shed because of a lack of orders, but it is now feared that more than 1300 workers could be laid off. In a

New figures released by the Office of Rail and Road show that passenger figures are continuing to recover since the Covid pandemic. Altogether 390.2 million journeys were made on National Rail between 1 April and 30 June this year, which the ORR points out was 19 per cent higher than

FRIDAY BRIEFING: Passenger figures rise ++ Underground staff vote for strikes ++ Yorkshire landslip will be repaired by Monday ++ Marston Vale Line to reopen ++ Kaynak

The RMT and the Rail Delivery Group have announced what appears to be a major step forward in resolving the long-running industrial dispute over pay and conditions. New offers will now be subject to ballots of RMT members at the train operating companies still involved in the dispute, which are

A draft Rail Reform Bill which would set up the new ’guiding mind’ Great British Railways has been included in the King’s Speech in the House of Lords today. But the Bill’s draft status has disappointed some observers in the rail industry. Rail Partners’ chief executive, Andy Bagnall, said: ‘The

TUESDAY BRIEFING: First of two DLR strikes has begun ++ Union warns of more problems if minimum service law goes ahead ++ CILT calls for HS2 inquiry ++ Kaynak

MONDAY BRIEFING: King’s Cross station arrests ++ DRL strikes this week ++ Grand Central launches Voyagers ++ Smartcards for Cornwall ++ Viaduct examination ++ Life-saving equipment on TfL ++ Kaynak

Services are being restored this morning on the East Coast Main Line after a section of overhead was damaged by a train pantograph near Peterborough last night. Network Rail engineers have worked through the night to repair the damage. A separate incident near Market Harborough is disrupting services on the

Demiryolu Endüstrisi Birliği konferansı bugün Londra'da açılırken, çoğu demiryolu tedarikçisinin 2024 beklentileri konusunda kötümser olduğunu öne süren yeni bir anket yayınlandı. DEA, yanıt veren şirketlerin yalnızca yüzde 24'ünün demiryolu tedarik endüstrisinin önümüzdeki yıl büyüyeceğine inandığını ve yüzde 54'ünün sözleşme yapacağını söyledi. DEA, bunun son beş yılın en yüksek olumsuz notu

The Government has climbed down over plans to close station ticket offices in England, after the transport watchdogs Transport Focus and London TravelWatch said they would not be recommending any closures. Their announcements today have followed an extended consultation which had attracted 750,000 responses, many of which ’contained powerful and

Transport Focus and London TravelWatch are objecting to the proposals to close station ticket offices in England. The Government has climbed down, and is asking operators to withdraw their plans. The watchdogs’ recommendations had been expected today, after an extended consultation which attracted 750,000 responses. Kaynak

Network Rail’s spending plans for Control Period 7, which begins in April, have been given the green light by the Office of Rail and Road. The budget of �43.1 billion consists of �38.5 billion for England and Wales, and �4.6 billion for Scotland. Network Rail has changed some of its

The RMT has launched a broadside against third-party ticket retailer Trainline, alleging that the company is ‘profiteering’ at the expense of passengers and taxpayers. The union claims that Trainline is also set to gain from ticket office closures. The union has spoken out just days before the passenger watchdogs are

THURSDAY BRIEFING: Network Rail’s ‘shocking’ level crossing warning +++ Unexplained cable damage disrupts Tyneside services +++ New Network Rail route director named +++ Southeastern automates rolling stock inspections +++ Kaynak

Reports are claiming that at least some station ticket offices in England will be spared the nationwide cull which was proposed during the summer, as the deadline for making recommendations about the closures approaches. The House of Commons Transport Committee has written to rail minister Huw Merriman to express its

Members of the RMT have voted in favour of continuing strikes for another six months in the long-running dispute with the Rail Delivery Group over pay and jobs. In the wake of the result, the union has warned that it is prepared to call further stoppages over the autumn and

The Arriva Group has been sold by German state-owned train operator Deutsche Bahn to the American transport investor I Squared Capital. The value of the sale has not been revealed. Arriva owns the Department for Transport contract to run CrossCountry, which has just been renewed and started on Sunday. It

The Second National Infrastructure Assessment has been published today, and it says economic growth will be achieved by improving public transport in large regional cities. It is also advising road improvements on stretches which are ‘underperforming’, but these should be accompanied by a ‘new, comprehensive and long term’ plan for

Transport secretary Mark Harper has revealed that discussions have started on raising private investment to fund the construction of the central London station for HS2 at Euston. Mr Harper said talks took place with the Euston Partnership Board last week. The Board is a group of stakeholders which was set

A Channel Tunnel consortium which includes the British National Express Group is purchasing 12 trains from Alstom, with the intention of competing with Eurostar. The consortium is investing �1 billion, and has an option to ‘scale up’ its fleet to 16. Deutsche Bahn ran a demonstration ICE train to St

The mayor of Greater Manchester has called for land which has already been bought for HS2’s axed Phases 2A and 2B to Crewe and Manchester to be safeguarded. The government has said the land will be resold, but Andy Burnham, who was speaking at a fringe event during the Labour

Reports overnight say that the revival of the HS2 station at London Euston, with its 7km link from Old Oak Common, will only go ahead if private investment can be found. The Prime Minister said on Wednesday that although he was scrapping Phases 2A and 2B from north of Birmingham

HS2 between Birmingham and Manchester has been replaced by numerous transport projects, including road improvements as well as railway electrification, a new tram system and an extension of the �2 maximum bus fare. The improvements have been dubbed ‘Network North’ but they include many schemes elsewhere in England as well

The Prime Minister has told the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester that HS2 will not be built north of Birmingham, saving �36 billion for other transport projects. Kaynak

It is being reported that the Prime Minister will announce the scrapping of HS2 Phases 2A and 2B from Birmingham to Crewe and Manchester today, and that Rishi Sunak will announce a series of alternative transport projects in England and Wales when he addresses the Conservative Party conference in Manchester

The Prime Minister is refusing to say whether HS2 will be built north of Birmingham to Crewe and Manchester, although newspapers overnight are mostly assuming that the axe is about to fall. Rishi Sunak has continued to resist attempts by journalists to find out what will happen. He told BBC

Başbakan, Birmingham, Crewe ve Manchester arasındaki HS2 şubesinin inşa edilip edilmeyeceğini söylemeyi reddetti, çok sayıda raporun 2A ve 2B Aşamalarını hurdaya çıkarmaya hazır olduğunu öne sürdükten sonra. Bay Sunak, Muhafazakar Parti konferansı dün Manchester'da devam ederken planın kaderi hakkında ağzı sıkı kaldı (Pazar). Kaynak

FRIDAY BRIEFING: Rail unions call for emergency HS2 summit ++ More strike disruption ahead ++ Ebbw Vale upgrade close to completion ++ Kaynak

Reports that the Prime Minister is preparing to scrap HS2 Phases 2A and 2B from Birmingham to Crewe and Manchester are igniting more opposition. Transport for the North has added its voice to the protests, saying that both HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail need to go ahead, and that any

TUESDAY BRIEFING: HS2 controversy reaches Cabinet ++ Increase in leisure travel prompts longer Sunday trains ++ Disruption warning on Great Eastern line ++ Kaynak

Business leaders and many politicians have been rallying to the defence of HS2, as reports continue to allege that the Prime Minister is poised to cancel Phase 2 north of Birmingham to Crewe and Manchester. It is said that a decision could be announced before the Conservative Party conference in

The Rail Delivery Group is warning that train services in England are set to be seriously disrupted from the end of this month, when the drivers’ union ASLEF stages industrial action in the continuing dispute over pay. Two 24-hour strikes have been called for 30 September and 4 October, and

The RMT has announced further 24-hour strikes on London Underground on 4 and 6 October, as its dispute continues with Transport for London over job security and conditions. The union fears that 600 staff at stations are facing the loss of their jobs and is also critical of what it

MONDAY BRIEFING: RDG defends pay offer ahead of new ASLEF strikes +++ Labour remains cautious about HS2 +++ Two train operating contracts expire next month +++ Leicestershire reopening plan cut back +++ Kaynak