There is a modern twist on the original power source for the railways. An English company is working to convert the diesel workhorse of the UK freight network, to run under steam power. Will this...Read more
The UK government has announced this morning that it will support the passenger network for at least the next 18 months. This means that it is officially renationalising the railways, doing away with the franchising...Read more
The UK High Speed Rail project, HS2, officially launched its ten-year construction phase last week. The recruitment drive will eventually employ over 22,000 people at over 200 sites along the line, between London and Birmingham....Read more
With a new timetable introduced today, much of the UK passenger network is now operating at almost pre-pandemic levels of service. While passenger numbers are still down, the network is once again filling up. What...Read more
The independent representative body for the industry in the UK, the Rail Freight Group, has published its forward position on post-pandemic business affairs within the sector. The Group has also taken a holistic view on...Read more
Major representative bodies and stakeholders are today seeking progress on a national initiative to make the railways net-zero carbon by 2050, in line with the UK government target set out in legislation.Read more
After last week’s announcement by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in which he committed to ‘build, build, build’, the rail industry was hoping for some detail in today’s statement from UK chancellor Rishi Sunak. However,...Read more
Passenger terminals and former smoke-stack sidings provide the clean, green alternative to city-wide congestion. An economical way to answer the needs of modern freight operations might be to dual-purpose passenger assets and recycle former facilities,...Read more
Rail freight professionals in the UK have overwhelmingly chosen increased network capacity as the primary factor required to enable sustainable growth in the sector. This was concluded in an online poll, conducted by corporate law...Read more
Transport policy in the UK is not moving fast enough to keep up with decarbonisation planning in the EU, says the Rail Freight Group. There are fears that inaction could put rail freight and the...Read more
Two of the most influential bodies in British industry have issued a joint statement, recognising the contribution of the rail freight industry during the current coronavirus crisis. They have called on government to recognise its...Read more
Maggie Simpson, the director general of the Rail Freight Group, gave a frank appraisal of the industry as she opened the RailFreight Webinar UK on the future prospects for growth. Cause for long-term optimism is...Read more
Members of the influential Rail Freight Group believe that recovery for the sector is on the horizon and could lead the way for the British economy. That optimism, together with long term growth, is up...Read more
On Friday 1 May the first UK edition of the RailFreight Webinar takes place. The main topic: capacity for freight: planning for growth in the new reality. The impact of the coronavirus on UK’s rail...Read more
The Rail Freight Group has called on the UK government and society at large to recognise workers in the industry as key to the survival of the UK economy, and as front line troops in...Read more
Rail freight opportunities are better than ever. Transport Secretary to the Scottish Government, Michael Matheson, has told the Scottish conference of the Rail Freight Group, the industry’s representative association in the UK, that the present...Read more
A consortium of business interests from around the UK has called on the UK government to immediately start a programme of rolling electrification to help meet the target of decarbonising the railway by 2040. The...Read more
UK’s high-speed line HS2 has been given the go ahead on 11 February 2020. This is good news for rail transport in general. For rail freight, the government will need to make an effort if...Read more
There are fresh calls for a more sustainable approach to the timber industry, and a new look at bringing back rail as the prime mover. However, even supporters say there are considerable commercial challenges.
Timber trains...Read more
With just a few days to go until what has been called the UK’s Brexit Election, political parties have been called upon to set out their rail freight policies. With an average of one daily...Read more
The British Rail Freight Group has set out its priorities for the new government and called on all party leaders to include rail freight as part of their transport commitments. With a renewed focus on...Read more