Scotland’s oil capital reconnected today after summer derailment
The mainline south from Aberdeen is reopening today, Tuesday, 3 November. The city at the centre of the UK offshore oil industry has been blocked since August, when a passenger train derailed and badly damaged the...Read more
What does Wascosa’s wagon leasing deal say about UK rolling stock?
Lucerne-based Wascosa secured a major wagon leasing contract with Network Rail. The Swiss leasing company will supply 570 wagons to the UK infrastructure management agency. The order will be fulfilled by Greenbrier Europe, who have...Read more
Network Rail awards crossings contract overseas
Progress Rail, a Scottish head-quartered engineering firm, is in danger of closure. This is according to the Transport and Salaried Staff’s Association (TSSA) trades union. They say that Network Rail has decided to buy what...Read more
Optimism as UK rail freight stages recovery
More than 90 per cent of pre-pandemic rail freight traffic volume is back in operation. That seems like good news for the future says Network Rail’s Andy Saunders. The recovery comes despite a thirty per...Read more
Wales to nationalise railways from early 2021
The devolved government in Wales, which acts autonomously of the UK government for transport and other matters, has announced today that it will take direct public control of the entire rail network within the principality....Read more
UK’s oil line remains severed for another month
A month more is required to repair the line that connects most of the UK into Aberdeen, the centre of the offshore oil industry. All services have been suspended since a landslide and fatal derailment...Read more
Southampton port funding and UK Brexit ferry contracts
The UK government has handed a funding package to the South of England, around the Port of Southampton, for improvements to the local rail freight infrastructure. The port, best known for intermodal and automotive traffic,...Read more
UK Network Rail chairman to review ‘union connectivity’
Sir Peter Hendy, the chairman of the infrastructure management agency Network Rail, has been appointed by the government in London to examine transport links between the four nations of the United Kingdom. Under the terms...Read more
Network Rail adds to Transpennine improvements call
Network Rail plans to radically increase capacity at a bottleneck on a key rail route across the North of England. It is not the notorious Castlefield Corridor in Manchester – yet. The troublesome section in...Read more
Leaves on the line – why treatment matters to freight operators
It might be the English-speaking UK where the lyrical “leaves on the line” was first coined. But in any language, autumn spells a season of adhesion problems. These are made all the more troublesome when...Read more
UK freight engages with Rail Week for the next generation engineers
Despite the pandemic, UK rail freight operators are finding ways to support the Rail Week initiative, aimed at encouraging school children to consider careers in the industry. HS2, DB Cargo, Freightliner and the Rail Delivery...Read more
‘Transport sector has helped the UK survive, now it should be rewarded’
The contribution the transport sector to help the UK battle through the coronavirus crisis must be rewarded by the government. This was argued by the outspoken secretary general of the National Union of Rail, Maritime...Read more
‘UK electrification needs more capacity for rail freight’
The planned electrification of the entire UK rail network will also need significant capacity enhancements if rail freight is to take full advantage. The sector is ready to make the switch from diesel to electric...Read more
Graffiti clean up demanded by UK transport minister
UK transport minister Grant Shapps is unhappy with the defaced state of the national rail network. He has written to Andrew Haines, the managing director of Network Rail, calling for greater efforts to reduce vandalism...Read more
UK timber trials prepare the way for fresh freight flows
The success of timber train trials in the north of Scotland has raised hopes for more new freight services across the UK. Industry and lobby groups are increasingly aware that freight must play a bigger...Read more
Will UK rail freight sector be diesel free before 2050?
The UK rail freight sector will be diesel free before 2050. That is the headline from the Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy, published by Network Rail in response to a UK government legislative programme. The industry...Read more