UK mega project Northern Powerhouse Rail back on track?
A project to connect major cities in the north of England with a dedicated high-speed railway, vastly increasing capacity for freight and passenger traffic, could be back on the agenda, but only if members of...Read more
‘Scotland freight performance good, rest of report card below par’
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the autonomous government safety and performance watchdog, has assessed Network Rail Scotland as part of a nationwide review. The annual report card is not good reading for the...Read more
Surprise political casualty as new British rail strike announced
The state of industrial dispute that currently grips the British rail network has claimed a high-profile political casualty. Surprisingly – shockingly for some – the socialist opposition Labour Party sacked their shadow transport secretary Sam...Read more
British weather cools down but strike climate heats up again
Britain faces a fresh wave of strikes across the rail network, starting this Wednesday with an all-out stoppage by the biggest union in the sector, the RMT (Rail, Maritime and Transport). Then, just when you...Read more
Network Rail sets up hot weather resilience task force after sweltering heatwave
Following this week’s unprecedented heatwave, Network Rail is gearing up its efforts to make the UK network more resilient by launching a special task force for hot weather. “We’ve got to pull out all the...Read more
Britain faces decades of climate disruption says minister in the hot seat
This week’s heatwave has put pressure on UK infrastructure like never before. The unprecedented closure of the East Coast Main Line, in the face of temperatures more akin to Spain than Stevenage, was the headline...Read more
Phew! Not lava – just hot UK rails
The East Coast Main Line will close on Tuesday, 18 July, as the UK braces for record temperatures to be broken. Meteorologists predict the record high of 38.7 degrees could be beaten by a record...Read moreStarting gun fired on new British rail strikes
Talks between unions and rail bosses in Britain have broken down without agreement. The RMT (Rail, Transport and Maritime Union) has called for a fresh strike on Wednesday, 27 July. The formal notice was given...Read more
Wascosa, GB Railfreight and Network Rail announce rolling stock deal
A rake of pristine modular wagons, so box fresh they almost have the wrapping paper still on them, and a locomotive so strikingly liveried that one feared to touch the almost dry paint. All that...Read moreA new dawn for Scotland’s Forth Bridge
Network Rail, the UK infrastructure management agency, is currently concluding a lengthy protection and maintenance programme on a World Heritage Site. It also happens in one of the most iconic structures across the railway network....Read more
Oxford freight corridor gets green light
The UK government’s department for transport has approved Network Rail’s plans to expand Oxford Station and provide a corridor for freight operations. The plans will allow an additional twelve freight trains to operate through Oxford...Read more
Disruption, not disaster on East Coast Main Line
On any other day this was a horror crash waiting to happen, with a huge potential loss of life. Instead, on Thursday (23 June) it was just a dramatic incident that caught the attention of...Read more
Strike Day Two: British ports to take the first hit
UK transport secretary Grant Shapps is adamant that the strike on the railways of Great Britain will not lead to empty supermarket shelves or disrupted power station fuel deliveries. However, there is nothing good about...Read more
Quick quick slow: Hope Valley upgrade dances around freight traffic
Network Rail has begun upgrading the ‘Hope Valley’ route railway between Manchester and Sheffield as part of the wider Trans Pennine Upgrade project. The route, serving rural communities between the two cities, will provide more...Read more
Artificial intelligence helps Britain’s railway see the wood from the trees
Computer aided imaging from the cab can helping monitor lineside vegetation swiftly, safely and cheaply. A consortium of commercial and academic interests have collaborated with Network Rail to take control of the growing problem along...Read more
Scotland’s North East – is there a chance for a new modal shift?
The Scottish government agency, Transport Scotland, is halfway through a public review of its plans for travel and communications connections between Aberdeen and Inverness. The two principle settlements in the north of Scotland are separated...Read more
UK rail freight joins in the Jubilee celebrations
Union Jack flags waving from drivers’ cabs, maybe even ‘God Save the Queen’ on the horn and a right royal drive past. From 2 to 5 June, the UK is celebrating the platinum jubilee of...Read moreOverwhelming vote for strike action as British railway relations hit the buffers
UK trades union members have voted overwhelmingly for strike action. The result of a nationwide ballot was announced late on Tuesday evening, giving unions a mandate to call their members out in what has been...Read more
Cable theft in South Yorkshire endangers freight and passenger operations
The UK infrastructure agency Network rail has issued a stark warning over the level of theft in the South Yorkshire area of England. While theft from the railway is as old as the railways themselves,...Read more