Transport secretary Heidi Alexander says HS2 should be the match of Japan’s Shinkansen network, which started to be developed in the 1960s. The transport secretary has been visiting Japan, where she met her ministerial counterpart Yasushi Kaneko and toured Hitachi’s Tokyo headquarters. Kaynak

HS2 Ltd has lost a case in the Court of Appeal, which has ruled that it extended Bromford tunnel in Birmingham without planning permission. Kaynak

MPs have cast doubt on the plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail, saying they echo the same failures seen in HS2. The Public Accounts Committee is also doubtful how the full programme can be completed within its price cap of 45 billion pounds. Kaynak

The National Audit Office has warned that the cost of the ‘reset’ of the remaining section of HS2 will be about 153 million pounds. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander announced last month that the line between London and Birmingham will now cost up to 107 billion pounds, after chief executive Mark

Cambridge South station opened for business yesterday morning, and an official opening follows today. The project is the university city’s third station, after Cambridge North was opened nine years ago. Kaynak

Train operators in England and Wales are urging passengers to only travel if they must, as the heatwave continues. Red and amber warnings of extreme heat are still in force, particularly in south east England, and there is also a risk of thunderstorms. Kaynak

The train from Corby which ran into the back of a stationary train south of Bedford, killing the driver and injuring more than 160 passengers, had passed a red signal a few moments before. The RAIB has issued its first report into the collision on 19 June, also revealing that

Warnings of disruption to train services because of very high temperatures have spread to north west England. Journeys will take longer because an amber warning of extreme heat has been issued. Kaynak

Rail passengers are being urged not to travel, particularly in southern England or the Midlands, as temperatures threaten to exceed 35 degrees over the next few days. Train operators are warning that speed restrictions will be necessary as rail temperatures climb, and the Met Office has issued a red ‘extreme

There will be no trains between Luton and Bedford this week, as engineers work on removing the two trains which collided south of Bedford on Friday, killing a driver and injuring 100 passengers. Last night, nine of the injured passengers were still in critical condition in hospital, and inspectors from

It is now known that 100 people were injured in Friday’s train crash near Bedford, in which the driver of one of the trains was killed. Sim Harris asks what lessons might be learnt. Kaynak

An extreme heat weather warning has been issued for this week, and train operators are warning that services could be disrupted. Great Western Railway said speed restrictions are being imposed between Reading and London through the Thames Valley, where temperatures could reach 37 degrees later this week. Kaynak

Almost nine out of 10 railway passengers are satisfied with their journeys, according to the latest survey by Transport Focus. The new Rail Customer Experience Survey has replaced the former National Passenger Survey, and more than 100,000 passengers were invited to respond. Kaynak

More train journeys are being made in Britain than ever before, but the Office of Rail and Road has conceded that the new total of 1.83 billion for the year to March has been inflated to some extent by split ticketing. Kaynak

A test freight train has been run by GB Railfreight from DP World’s London Gateway to Maritime Transport’s Hams Hall freight terminal in the West Midlands, using a new Class 99 bi-mode locomotive. Yesterday’s intermodal service is being hailed by GB Railfreight as a ‘significant milestone’. Kaynak

Two trials of drones which will keep an eye on the railway are set to start this year. The newly integrated Anglia management team, which consists of Network Rail, c2c and Greater Anglia, has been working to reduce vandalism, cable theft and trespassing on the railway, which are among the

Two Network Rail staff members have been honoured by the King. Kaynak

A man has been interviewed by police after a railway bridge at Bedworth was badly damaged by a lorry on Thursday. Kaynak

Normal train services are set to return to the line between Rugby and Nuneaton, after a lorry seriously damaged a bridge carrying the West Coast Main Line over a road at Bedworth. No one was injured in the incident yesterday, but the line had to be closed while Network Rail

A late change to the Railways Bill means that Great British Railways will not be subjected to casual or informal privatisation. The government says the amendment will make it impossible to change the status of GBR by simply reintroducing the private sector, because such a change would need a full