Alternatives on the table to UK’s HS2 Eastern Leg
An under-reported study has emerged proposing several strategic alternatives to the HS2 Phase 2b Eastern Leg – the contentiously cancelled project in the UK government Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands (IRP). An...Read more
HS2 commits further resources to rail freight operations
The company formed to build the UK’s high-speed rail project, HS2 Limited, has already made a sizeable commitment to moving construction materials by rail freight. Now, in the environmentally and politically sensitive Buckinghamshire corridor, the...Read more
Will the UK Integrated Rail Plan be delivered?
Questions have been asked about the UK Government’s intentions to deliver the wide-ranging projects in the Integrated Rail Plan for the North. The recently published document outlines plans for rail connectivity in the North of...Read more
The next stop for HS2 will be Manchester
Britain’s HS2 high-speed rail project will be debated in parliament shortly. The Bill (the parliamentary proposal for debate) has been laid before the House of Commons, the start of the official procedure for finalising the...Read more
Combating criminal damage on UK rail network
The British railway network is not unique in its exposure to criminal activity. Theft and vandalism disrupt services in almost every part of the country. Operators are well aware of the damage done to rolling...Read more
Network Rail animation plays party line
The UK government infrastructure agency Network Rail has not quite renounced its passengers’ first strapline, but a new video short promotes freight and lays the tracks for changes to come. The video extols the virtues...Read more
Ancient artefact found at HS2 works
Just north of London, an early Roman and extremely rare wooden carved figure has been discovered during work on Britain’s HS2 high-speed rail project. The find, at a site in Twyford, Buckinghamshire, is so significant...Read more
London in terminal incline with new facilities
An infrastructure and construction boom is fuelling the London economy, with subsequent benefits for the rail freight industry. Three new bulk handling facilities are all set to join the roster of terminals located within the...Read more
About the positives of UK’s new government plan for rail
Rail freight has been let down in the past, argues one-time rail minister Andrew Jones. He is now member of parliament for Harrogate and Knaresborough, two communities that were left out of the revised plans...Read more
UK rail industry responds to ‘piecemeal’ Integrated Rail Plan
The Railway Industry Association, the national trade body representing over 300 rail companies, has responded unfavourably to the UK government Integrated Rail Plan. The long-awaited document, giving details of revised plans for the North of...Read more
Freight the big loser in cancellation of UK’s high-speed plans
The worst kept secret in Britain is finally out. The high-speed rail network planned for the northeast of England is officially scrapped. The transport secretary Grant Shapps announced to the House of Commons this morning....Read more
CEMEX cements environmental credentials with new Birmingham depot
The global construction materials company, CEMEX, has increased its use of sustainable transport methods. We can take that to mean the official opening of their new rail depot in the heart of Birmingham, in England’s...Read more
HS2 goes to Glasgow … virtually
Britain’s high-speed rail project is making a renewed effort to emphasise its environmental credentials. They will make an appearance at COP26 in Glasgow. Well, a virtual appearance – which is actually quite environmentally aware of...Read more
Tunnel construction materials on rail between Teesside and Thameside
An HS2 contract will bring a new factory and over 100 new jobs to Hartlepool, on Teesside in northern England. A constant stream of rail freight traffic will deliver mass-produced tunnel lining sections to London....Read more
A high-speed Northern UK can drive a high-speed recovery
Speed, capacity and connectivity issues are all holding back the economic fortunes of the North of England. The North is still in the slow lane for rail-based interconnectivity, said Tim Wood, the Northern Powerhouse rail...Read more
All action at HS2 Willesden West London
High Speed 2 Limited, the company delivering Britain’s HS2 project, has had a busy, freight-related time at their West London logistics hub. With the company eager to promote its environmental, capacity and freight benefits, it...Read more
UK’s high-speed project delivers 20,000 jobs so far
One year on from the start of construction, the UK’s high speed rail project – HS2 – is celebrating an employment landmark. Exactly one year since the UK prime minister Boris Johnson announced the formal...Read more
Inland Rail to transform Australian rail freight and economy
Work is underway on a project that has been the talk of Australia since the nineteenth century. Inland Rail is a 1700-kilometre project to provide a freight corridor between Brisbane in the north and Melbourne...Read more
Colas breathes new life into old train depot for HS2
Colas, the freight operator best known for their infrastructure support roles, is preparing a site at Old Oak Common in the west of London as a major interchange for rail traffic. The former locomotive and...Read more