A new business unit has been created in a further step towards Great British Railways. GBR West Midlands is the fourth organisation of its kind to be set up, as the Bill to create Great British Railways continues its journey through the House of Lords. West Midlands will join GBR

A bid to reduce fraudulent rail travel has been launched by the government, which is providing 33 million pounds for more and better ticket gates at some stations currently run by six operators. Kaynak

E-bikes which cannot be folded are to be banned by Merseyrail from the start of 2027. The operator says the ban is being imposed because of the risk of fire from lithium-iron batteries. Although it concedes that such fires are rare, it says they can break out without warning, and

A major embankment fire in north east London disrupted London Overground services on the Weaver line last night. More than 120 firefighters and 20 fire tenders were called to the blaze near Wood Street in Walthamstow, which started at around 18.30. Kaynak

The Mayor of Liverpool has unveiled plans to renationalise Merseyrail. Mayor Steve Rotheram is presenting a report to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority next week, which recommends that the present concession held by Transport UK Group and Serco Group should not be renewed. Kaynak

East Midlands Railway is warning its passengers to travel only if they must for the rest of this week, as high temperatures are expected to affect the railway. The UK Health and Security Agency has issued an amber heat-health alert in six regions of England from today until Sunday. Kaynak

Major disruption is expected on West Midlands Trains later this week, as the TSSA says it is going ahead with its strikes over rest day payments. The union said roster clerks will strike from 00.01 on Thursday until Friday at 00.01hrs, while duty train crew managers and control grades will

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

‘Build it, and they will come,’ is sometimes attributed to Peter Hendy who, when he was transport commissioner for London, used the phrase to justify the large investment in London Overground. Those words are actually a misquote from a 1989 film, but he was right about the Overground, which was

A new 3.5km electrified test track has been opened at Long Marston by rail minister Peter Hendy. Lord Hendy was joined by Porterbrook CEO Mary Grant. The rolling stock leasing company acquired the 56 hectare site at Long Marston, between Honeybourne and Stratford-upon-Avon, in 2021, and bought the freehold three

Another 24-hour walkout has begun on London Underground, as the dispute over a voluntary four-day working week goes on. The RMT has called out its driver members, although ASLEF staff are working normally because their union is not in dispute. Kaynak

The Welsh Government is calling for intervention by the Department for Transport after it clashed with Great Western Railway over proposals for Transport for Wales trains to run between west Wales and Bristol. The plans are for two-hourly services between Fishguard Harbour or Milford Haven to Bristol Temple Meads via

Services are disrupted on many London Underground lines today, after drivers belonging to the RMT walked out in the continuing dispute about a four-day working week. Kaynak

The number of passengers on a Cornish branch line rose by a quarter in the first week after the service was doubled on 17 May. The first phase of Mid Cornwall Metro has seen the number of local trains between Newquay and Par increased from eight to 15 a day,

The only train operated by Lumo from London Euston to Stirling was cancelled yesterday, because of a fault on the only unit which was available. The new open access service was launched by FirstGroup on 25 May, although there will be only one train in each direction for the time

Govia Thameslink Railway was renationalised at 02.00 yesterday morning, and the RMT has accompanied the reform by calling for all railway staff to be employed in-house. The union has been running a campaign to end ‘outsourcing’, when staff such as cleaners are employed by a third-party contractor. Kaynak

Govia Thameslink Railway will be returned to the public sector at 02.00 on Sunday, in the next stage of the government’s renationalisation programme. The Department for Transport said the changeover would mean that eight out of 10 journeys would then be provided by public operators, with only Chiltern Railways, Great

Thunderstorms have damaged signalling in west Wales and north west England, and many trains are delayed. Meanwhile, National Rail has warned that temperatures may exceed 30 degrees in some areas again today. Kaynak

Record temperatures are delaying trains again today. South Western Railway is warning that some trains have been cancelled, particularly on the routes between London, Winchester, Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth, and also to Aldershot and Haslemere. Kaynak

The man who was CEO of DfT Operator until recently has returned to the private sector. Robin Gisby, who had been in charge of the company which owns renationalised passenger operators has become chairman of InterCity Rail Freight, which is developing methods to revive the railways’ parcels traffic using passenger

The government has unveiled a new ‘mass transit taskforce’, which the Department for Transport says is intended to ‘tackle barriers to delivery of mass transit systems across the UK, supporting economic growth, jobs and new homes’. New schemes could include buses, light rail and trams. Kaynak

A ‘short term’ approach to railway infrastructure procurement is increasing costs, delaying completion and holding back investment and innovation, according to a new report from the Competition and Markets Authority. Kaynak

A Class 387 unit operated on Southern by Govia Thameslink Railway was being unveiled in Great British Railways livery at Brighton on Thursday. The details reveal that the former operators’ names may be set to be continued by GBR, because the unit bears the words ‘Great British Railways Southern’. Up to

Wales says it is being short-changed by the ‘reset’ of HS2, which has been announced by transport secretary Heidi Alexander. She is cutting the maximum speed to 320km/h in a bid to save money, but the Welsh Government has accused ministers at Westminster of denying Wales a ‘fair share’ of

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander has announced that the maximum speed of trains on HS2 will be 320km/h, instead of 360km/h. The cost of the line is now expected to be somewhere between 87.7 million and 102.7 billion pounds. The transport secretary said she was setting out plans for a ‘fundamental

Passengers on West Midlands Trains are being advised to travel only if they must between 21 and 23 May, because of industrial action by members of TSSA. The dispute is about payments for rest day working, which the union says are not in line with the pay for members of

The RMT has suspended this week’s Underground strikes, after talks with TfL made progress. The RMT said: ’At the eleventh hour the employer has shifted its position.’ Kaynak

The introduction of summer timetables on National Rail in two days from now involves significant changes to train services, many of which are new or improved. Kaynak

The introduction of summer timetables on National Rail involves significant changes to train services, many of which are new or improved. Kaynak

Transport for London is warning that Underground services are likely to be badly disrupted next week, as the RMT stages another two 24-hour strikes of drivers in the continuing dispute over a proposed four-day week. The union says the proposals are opposed by its members, while TfL says the plan

Campaigners in Aylesbury are calling for a section of the former Great Central main line to be upgraded to passenger standards, so that their town will be connected to East West Rail. The Aylesbury Action Group says the Aylesbury spur from Claydon Junction is not merely a proposal for a

FirstGroup will be launching its open access Lumo service between Stirling and London this month. Access rights were granted by the Office of Rail and Road in March 2024, but more recent applications for other routes have not succeeded. Kaynak

Cambridge South station will open to passengers on 28 June, the Department for Transport has announced. Trains will start calling then at the 250 million pound station, and there will be an official opening ceremony the following day. As many as 20 trains an hour will be calling during the

The Department for Transport has revealed that it will set up a new publicly-owned railway operating company before Great British Railways has taken over. The new company will be a subsidiary of DfT Operator Limited, which has been taking control of operators as they are renationalised. Kaynak

FirstGroup’s National Rail Contract for Great Western Railway will be renationalised on 13 December, after Chiltern Railways has returned to public ownership on 20 September. Kaynak

Class 175s will be running on a Cornish branch line from later this month. The units, built by Alstom some 25 years ago and cascaded to GWR from Transport for Wales, were already planned to be used on services on the Devon and Cornwall main line, and also on the

The Government has rejected concerns voiced by the Commons Transport Committee in its report on skills in transport manufacturing. The Committee had warned that skills gaps are posing ‘significant challenges’. Kaynak

David Statham is leading the new FirstGroup TfL concession for London Overground, which started on 3 May. He was most recently commercial director for First Rail, and before that was managing director of Govia’s Southeastern until it was renationalised in 2021. Kaynak

The RMT has claimed that Network Rail’s ‘Modernising Maintenance’ programme and reductions in staffing were the real cause of major disruption at Manchester Piccadilly after 400m of overhead wires on the station throat had been damaged earlier this month. Services at Piccadilly had to be suspended after a wire had

The government has refused to amend the Railways Bill to clarify the relative powers of the transport secretary and Great British Railways. The Commons Transport Committee had said that the proposed law should be changed to iron out ‘potential tension’ between the DfT and GBR. Kaynak

Younger adults aged between 18 and 34 are putting themselves at risk when using level crossings, according to the results of a survey released by Network Rail today. Eight out of 10 of those who responded claimed to know what they are doing when they need to cross a line,

Plans to reopen the former Midland Railway main line to Manchester have taken a step forward with the submission of the Peaks and Dales Line Feasibility Study to the Department for Transport. Kaynak

Underground drivers who belong to the RMT walked out at 12.00, and Transport for London is warning of ‘severe delays’ on several of those lines which still have a service. The Mayor of London is calling for a ‘swift resolution’ to the dispute, which involves the introduction of a four-day

A non-executive director of DfT Operator has left his post only days after he warned a Parliamentary group that the trains being ordered for HS2 will reduce the number of seats on the London to Manchester route. Chris Gibb, who has been at the DfT’s subsidiary company since 2020, was

Transport for London is warning that Underground services will start to be reduced from mid-morning, as RMT drivers prepare to walk out for 24 hours from midday. A second 24-hour stoppage is planned from midday on Thursday, and more have been called in May and June. The dispute is about

The RMT has accused Transport for London of ‘reneging’ on promises to ‘negotiate in good faith’ over proposals for a four-day working week. The union said the first of two pairs of strikes are set to go ahead from midday tomorrow until midday on Wednesday. The second walkout this week

Network Rail has revealed that more than 400 metres of overhead wires were damaged by a train outside Manchester Piccadilly on Thursday evening, which led to all platforms being closed so that engineers could carry out repairs. Network Rail declared the station ‘fully open’ again at 11.00 today, although it

A fault with the overhead wires at Manchester Piccadilly is expected to cause many delays and cancellations today, which are also affecting trains to Manchester Airport. Wiring on the station throat was damaged yesterday morning, and trains only started to return to Piccadilly at 07.00 today. Kaynak

Two sites in Derby have made the final shortlist for a new Great British Railways HQ. They are city centre brownfield site Becketwell and Midland House, an existing railway building opposite Derby station. Three other candidates have been ruled out. Kaynak

New plans and images for East West Rail have been unveiled, including the possibility of running up to five trains an hour between Oxford and Cambridge. The trains will be longer, and several stations will be rebuilt or gain additional entrances, while discontinuous electrification is likely, so that hybrid electric/battery

The era of telephones at signals is coming to an end, the RSSB has announced. They were originally provided so that train crews could communicate with the nearest signal box without walking down the line, but they are now being replaced by GSM-R cab radios or specialist portable devices. Kaynak

A leaked government review of the plans to build tram lines in Leeds has concluded that buses would be cheaper. The Labour mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin had promised to get ‘spades in the ground’ by 2028, but the project has been pushed back into the 2030s after the

A West Midlands passenger service which was withdrawn as a wartime economy measure in January 1941 is running again. Although the closure of the Camp Hill line in Birmingham was originally said to be temporary, it was confirmed by the LMS in 1946. The line itself has continued to

Railnews is taking a break for Easter, and we will be back on 8 April. Kaynak

The Government has outlined plans to help local councils make seamless travel on trains, trams and buses easier, but one transport campaigning group has warned that a truly integrated national transport system should be the long-term ambition. Other measures announced by the Department for Transport today include a new Google

An interim chief executive has been appointed at the Office of Rail and Road to replace John Larkinson, who was at the centre of a controversy during the autumn of last year when the ORR proposed to withdraw the popular 07.00 Avanti West Coast service from Manchester to London from

The exhibition train which has been touring Britain in celebration of Railway 200 is nearing the end of the line, as its last few calling points are announced. The ‘Inspiration’ train started its tour last summer at the Severn Valley Railway, and has since welcomed thousands of visitors. It is

Frustrated residents in the Buckinghamshire town of Winslow are setting up an Action Group, as there appears to be no end in sight to the deadlock which is preventing scheduled passenger trains running between Oxford, Bletchley and Milton Keynes. The restored section of line between Bicester and Bletchley was completed

The Office of Rail and Road has authorised Bedlington station in Northumberland, which is set to open on 29 March. It will be the last station to be reopened on the route between Newcastle and Ashington. Kaynak

The Department for Transport has published the details of agreements between Westminster and the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales which will apply under Great British Railways. New memorandums of understanding agreed by transport secretary Heidi Alexander provide for joint control, although the Scottish version is only a ‘framework’ at

Train services from Glasgow Central High Level have been restored, after a closure which began on 8 March because of a fire which destroyed a building next to the station. All platforms are now back in use, although part of the concourse is still cordoned off. Kaynak

Trains on HS2 could run more slowly as a result of cost-saving changes to the project. The planned maximum line speed of 360km/h may be abandoned in favour of 320km/h at the most. The rethink has been ordered by transport secretary Heidi Alexander, who is instructing HS2 CEO Mark Wild

The last six platforms at Glasgow Central High Level will reopen on Wednesday, said ScotRail, although some entrances will still not be in use. The whole station was closed on 8 March after a building alongside had been gutted by fire, and Glasgow Central was cordoned off for safety reasons.

The last 800m of overhead has been energised and tested between Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Bay, completing the six-year ?1 billion project to electrify the Core Valley lines, which cover 170km. Tram trains are now set to start entering service between between Pontypridd and Cardiff Bay. Kaynak

Train services at Glasgow Central High Level are set to be disrupted into next week, National Rail has warned, after the Union Street fire on 8 March which closed the station. Platforms 7 to 15 were able to reopen on Wednesday, allowing a number of ScotRail routes to be restored.

A fleet of diesel trains built for the Midland Main Line in England more than 20 years ago is going to Scotland, where it will replace ScotRail’s fleet of High Speed Trains. The HSTs, introduced during the 1970s by British Rail, are the last of their type in regular service

The RMT has called off strikes it was to stage from next week in its dispute with Transport for London over proposals for a four-day week on London Underground. The union says the plan would involve four longer shifts each week, and that it was concerned about fatigue, but that

Two restored stations in the West Midlands opened their doors today. Three more are set to open next month. Kaynak

Trains are departing from Glasgow Central High Level again today, ten days after a major fire had gutted a building next to the station. The Low Level platforms were reopened to passengers a week ago, but High Level has remained closed until now while extensive safety checks were carried out.

Part of Glasgow Central High Level station will be back in use from tomorrow, after the destructive fire which gutted a neighbouring building nine days ago. ScotRail said it would be running as many trains as possible using platforms seven to 15, but entry and exit routes for passengers will

Part of Glasgow Central High Level station will be back in use from tomorrow, after the destructive fire which gutted a neighbouring building nine days ago. Kaynak

The government has announced changes to the Delay Repay system when Great British Railways is in charge. The news follows a controversial decision to restrict refunds for unused tickets to no later than 23.59 on the day before travel. However, claims for delays will be possible for the first time

Some ScotRail services could return to Glasgow Central High Level later this week, as work continues on making the station safe after a fire destroyed a neighbouring building in Union Street nine days ago. Glasgow City Council has said what remains of the structure is unsafe and is demolishing the

The Department for Transport’s programme of renationalisation is continuing, with the next former franchise, Govia Thameslink Railway, set to be taken over by DfT Operator on 31 May. Kaynak

There is no reopening date for the main line platforms at Glasgow Central yet, after a building next door was gutted by fire on Sunday. The remains of the building are unsafe and Glasgow City Council is arranging demolition. Kaynak

Five restored railway stations are due to open in the West Midlands over the next three or four weeks, so long as safety inspectors from the Office of Rail and Road give them the green light. West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker said that stations were set to open at Darlaston

The main platforms at Glasgow Central are set to stay closed until next week at the earliest, following the major fire in a building next to the station on Sunday. Network Rail is concerned about an unstable wall adjoining the station, and said assessments need to be carried out before

London Underground train operators who belong to the RMT are set to stage three pairs of walkouts in March, April and May in a dispute over four-day working, which would mean fewer but longer shifts. It is reported that ASLEF is not objecting to the idea, but the RMT says

Glasgow Central station is closed again today, after a devastating fire destroyed a building alongside on Sunday night. The high level platforms are still sealed off, while although trains are running through the low level station they are not stopping. Kaynak

Hundreds of trains have been cancelled after a fire broke out in a shop next to Glasgow Central station yesterday afternoon. The high level station is closed, while although trains are continuing to run through the low level platforms they are not stopping, with passengers advised to use Argyle Street

The RMT is demanding stronger legal protection for transport workers, as violent incidents continue to rise. The union has called on the Government to introduce a specific criminal offence for assaulting public transport workers ahead of a House of Lords debate. Kaynak