Rail is a reliable way of getting goods to customers and ‘is right for the business, for sustainability and for servicing our customers better every day’, Tesco said when the supermarket chain and Direct Rail Services celebrated 20 years of the movement of the company’s goods by train. Tony Miles reports from Daventry International Rail…

Arriva’s open access operator Grand Central has secured an agreement to lease four additional five-car Class 180 trains from Angel Trains, taking its fleet to 14, to support a proposed service between Newcastle and Brighton. The proposed service running up to five times daily in each direction remains subject to Office of Rail & Road…

An interim report on the ongoing investigation into the collision between passenger trains near Elstow in Bedfordshire on June 19 was published by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch on October 1. At around 17.13 train 1H46, the 16.40 from Corby to London St Pancras formed of a Class 360/1 EMU, collided with the rear of…

The House of Commons Transport Committee has launched an inquiry looking at the government’s role in public transport fares, pricing and ticketing arrangements. The inquiry will explore what objectives government should pursue when intervening in pricing and ticketing, and whether the objectives of recent interventions have been clear and effective. MPs will also consider how…

Eligibility for a Disabled Persons Railcard has been expanded from September 30, with people with a long-term impairment, health condition or neurodivergence that has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months and significantly affects their ability to use rail services now able to apply. The Disabled Persons Railcard costs £20 for one…

This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry, from Rail Business UK. Contractor Murphy has begun work to build the station at Golborne in Greater Manchester. It is scheduled to open in spring 2028, with an hourly service between Wigan and Stalybridge via Manchester Victoria. The station is being developed by Transport…

The Office of Rail & Road has appointed Paul Smith as its Chief Executive Officer following a public competition. Smith has previously held roles in the UK’s aviation, energy and payments sectors, as well as senior regulatory roles in Australia. He comes to ORR from Fingleton, the strategic regulatory and competition advisory firm, which he…

Plans for a four rolling stock ‘fleet families’ with features including level boarding as standard are included in the Rolling Stock & Infrastructure Strategy policy paper published by the Department for Transport, which said the future Great British Railways would put passengers at the centre of train design. The RSI Strategy published on September 28…

The Department for Transport has published a Rolling Stock & Infrastructure Strategy policy paper, setting out how the future Great British Railways will provide ‘modern, reliable and accessible’ passenger trains with infrastructure, depots and maintenance considered as one system. The government is to publish a separate Long Term Rail Strategy setting the overall direction and…

Huber+Suhner has announced the expansion of its rail communications portfolio with the signing of an agreement to acquire Motion Applied’s Woking-based Connected Intelligence business, including the Fleet Connect platform which provides onboard connectivity for applications including passenger wi‑fi and mission-critical communications. The closing of the transaction announced at InnoTrans on September 25 is subject to…

Huber+Suhner has announced the expansion of its rail communications portfolio with the signing of an agreement to acquire Motion Applied’s Woking-based Connected Intelligence business, including the Fleet Connect platform which provides onboard connectivity for applications including passenger wi‑fi and mission-critical communications. The closing of the transaction announced at InnoTrans on September 25 is subject to…

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has announced the appointment of Andy Lewis as Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents. He will take up the role in November 2026 when Andrew Hall retires after almost five years as Chief Inspector. Lewis started his career with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, where he trained as a marine engineer, and…

CWE Ltd has officially launched a Wagon Overhaul Facility that it has developed to strengthen its ability to deliver complete wagon overhaul programmes at a single site. Capabilities range from investigation and reverse engineering through to fabrication, refurbishment, testing and project delivery. William Cook Rail subsidiary CWE said it intended to provide wagon operators and…

The Department for Transport has confirmed that the West Coast Main Line inter-city services operated by Avanti West Coast will transfer to the public sector under DFTO on March 7 2027. The services are currently operated under the Avanti West Coast brand by the First Trenitalia West Coast Rail joint venture of FirstGroup (70%) and…

The South Rail Systems Alliance of Colas Rail UK (constructor), Aecom (designer) and Network Rail has completed a major renewal of an ageing siphon carrying a river beneath the railway at Gobowen in Shropshire. This aims to ensure the route is protected against drainage and flood-related problems for years to come. To enable construction while…

VolkerRail has completed a major programme of track renewals on the London Trams network, renewing over 750 m of embedded track during a month-long blockade throughout August. The work on Wellesley Road and Tamworth Road in central Croydon included the renewal of embedded track, rail replacement, welding, bonding, signalling and concrete works, alongside reinstatement activities…

Siemens Mobility and Transport for London formally unveiled part of a newly-built Piccadilly Line trainset at the InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin on September 24. Speaking at the Railway Industry Association’s InnoTrans Reception on September 23, London Transport Commissioner Andy Lord said the ‘game changing’ trainset would bring a step change in quality on one…

This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry from Rail Business UK. Transport for London has selected Aureos Rail, QTS Group and Rail OP OHL for framework contracts to support in-house tram and Elizabeth Line overhead electrification infrastructure maintenance delivery teams on a rostered basis. The framework will run for three years…

To coincide with the opening of the InnoTrans 2026 rail industry trade fair in Berlin, FirstClass Safety & Control has launched a website and capability brochure providing an updated showcase of its safety, control and interlocking expertise across the rail, marine and petrochemical markets. Rail remains a core focus, with dedicated information covering Depot Protection Systems,…

Transport for London is to award Costain a design and build contract for works to increase passenger capacity and enable step-free access to all platforms within London Underground’s Grade-II listed South Kensington station. This will include a new eastbound Circle and District line platform. The contract announced on September 22 is being placed under TfL’s…

Freight operator Direct Rail Services has taken delivery of a suite of driving simulators supplied by Corys as part of efforts to train its drivers on ETCS. Located in DRS’s office at Regents Court in Carlisle, the simulators accurately replicate real-world driving conditions and ETCS operations. A ‘virtual cab’ simulator and a number of desktop…

Chiltern Railways became the latest passenger train operator to be brought into public ownership when it was transferred to Department for Transport holding company DFTO Ltd with the end of Arriva’s contract at 02.00 on September 20. DfT said the transfer would pave the way for a package of improvements including ‘more services and seats,…

The Rail Delivery Group has appointed Dan Mann and Ola Ogun as co-CEOs, succeeding Jacqueline Starr who is to leave in October. RDG said the appointments aim to provide consistent leadership for the organisation through the changes associated with the creation of Great British Railways in 2027. Mann began his railway career on Railtrack’s graduate…

Story Contracting is to build two additional flights of stairs on the main link bridge between the concourse and platforms 4, 5 and 6 at Manchester Victoria station. There are currently staircases on one side of the bridge, and the new stairs are being added opposite. The work will take place from September 2026 until…

DP World will restructure its Southampton Modal Shift Programme from October 1, putting more of the available incentive behind rail operator performance. The maximum payment per eligible rail container will remain unchanged at £70, as the port seeks to push rail’s share of inland container movements beyond 30%.

Engineering components distributor Hayley Dexis and Henkel brand Loctite say they have helped a bogie servicing centre achieve annual savings of £26 000 by introducing a refillable spray system to replace disposable aerosol cans. The site had been using Loctite SF 7063 general-purpose cleaner and degreaser in 400 ml aerosol cans as part of its…

Transport for London has renewed and expanded Sodexo’s contract to provide staff catering at London Underground sites. The latest contact started on September 1 and runs for three years, with an option to extend for an extra year. It covers 25 London Underground sites that already had Sodexo catering services, including Baker Street, Seven Sisters,…

Colas Rail UK is rolling out Advanced Hydrogen Technology Group’s Engine Carbon Clean technology across its fleet of 31 tampers, after successful trials demonstrated fuel and emissions savings of more than 13%. Colas is also the first company to take advantage of the supplier’s Engine Carbon Clean subscription, where the company has its own ECC…

This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry from Rail Business UK. A life-sized replica of the cab of a new Stadler Tyne & Wear Metro train has been given a permanent home at the SafetyWorks interactive education centre in Newcastle where it will be used by the Tyne & Wear Fire…

VolkerRail has completed track renewals at the Delta Junction at the heart of the Supertram network in Sheffield. VolkerRail has been working on the Supertram network since 2010 to extend the lifespan of the network, improve comfort and reduce noise in areas where tracks are currently worn. During August it replaced the three double junctions…

Phil James, former Route Director for Network Rail North West, has joined railway consultancy AARC Professional Services as Principal Consultant after taking early retirement. AARC Professional Services describes itself as ‘a rail consultancy run by railway people for railway people’, providing expert support from high level advice and guidance through to project support in areas…

Deutsche Bahn’s UK rolling stock engineering services business DB ESG has been appointed to Network Rail’s framework as a potential provider of independent vehicle survey reports to support the tendering of ETCS supply and installation contracts. Announcing its appointment on September 14, DB ESG said it was selected for its experience in delivering ETCS retrofit…

Rail Business UK tests out the upgraded seats which are to be rolled out across the Thameslink train fleet from summer 2027. The ‘ironing board’ seats Greater Thameslink Railway has unveiled one of the 60 000 upgraded train seats which are to be rolled out to improve passenger comfort on the Thameslink fleet of Class…

The Railway Industry Association has published its five priorities for the government’s budget on October 28, saying its proposals would support ambitions for a strong rail network in an era of constrained public finances. RIA’s five main ‘asks’ are: to ensure budget decisions explicitly incorporate rail investment into the government’s plans for growth, job-creation and…

The Railway Industry Association has published its five priorities for the government’s budget on October 28, saying its proposals would support ambitions for a strong rail network in an era of constrained public finances. RIA’s five main ‘asks’ are: to ensure budget decisions explicitly incorporate rail investment into the government’s plans for growth, job-creation and…

Alstom has been awarded a £1bn contract to supply and maintain 29 five-car battery-electric multiple units for use on TransPennine Express services across northern England. Financed by leasing company...

Hamburg-based leasing company VTG Group has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its VTG Rail UK wagon leasing business to the Universities Superannuation Scheme, one of the UK’s largest pension funds with assets of around £84bn. The transaction announced on September 11 is not subject to any regulatory approvals and is expected to close…

Tram operator West Midlands Metro has opened a ‘state-of-the-art’ operational control centre at its Wednesbury depot, ahead of the opening of the extension from Wednesbury to Dudley town centre which is planned for later this year. The control centre is integrated with the region’s wider transport network, and is designed to make the most of…

A Medical Advisory Panel has been established to ensure that medical advice for train drivers continues to reflect the latest developments in healthcare and clinical practice, and to help the railway move towards a more personalised understanding of individual health risk rather than using traditional triggers such as age-based assessments The panel has been established…

This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry from Rail Business UK. Security company Land Sheriffs now offers an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) service for the rail and other sectors, using drones to provide real-time aerial imagery and intelligence to support security, surveillance and operational activities. ’Our new drone capability gives our…

Northern Trains has overhauled the way it manages the training of its staff to support disabled passengers, following an investigation by the Office of Rail & Road earlier this year. ORR found that the operator had failed to deliver the disability awareness training for its passenger-facing staff that it had committed to in its Accessible…

The rail freight sector has welcomed Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander’s announcement of a target to increase tonne-km 40% by 2040, with operators calling on the government to work with them to create the conditions needed to achieve this growth. The Railways Bill, which is currently making its way through parliament, provides for…

The Rail Safety & Standards Board’s Membership Development Managers will be attending the InnoTrans 2026 trade fair in Berlin this month to meet with affiliates and organisations from across the international rail sector to strengthen relationships and explore opportunities for future collaboration. InnoTrans is the world’s largest rail industry trade fair, bringing together operators, infrastructure…

London’s Docklands Light Railway has returned to service the first of its new CAF trainsets to be modified to improve braking performance in low adhesion conditions. The first three of the 54 B23 automated light metro trainsets initially entered service in October 2025. However, they were withdrawn the following month after what Transport for London…

Train, bus, flight and ferry travel retailer Omio has joined the Online Travel UK industry association. OTUK said Omio brings an international and multimodal perspective, with first-hand experience of how travellers navigate transport systems across Europe, the Americas and Asia. Omio was founded in 2013, and now runs the Omio, Rail Europe and Rome2Rio brands…

Avanti West Coast train drivers have secured a 3.6% pay rise and improvements to other payments, ending the threat of strike action. The deal was agreed  between Avanti West Coast and drivers’ union ASLEF. It includes a 3.6% pay rise for drivers, which is 0.7 percentage points higher than the latest inflation rate. It will…

An eastern entrance to Bristol Temple Meads station opened on September 7 as part of the completion of a new university campus and innovation quarter, built on the site of a former Royal Mail sorting office and close to the former Bath Road locomotive depot which closed in 1995. Delivered by Network Rail in partnership…

Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems and Chiltern Railways have extended their low adhesion monitoring trial for a further 12 months, building on what they describe as a successful first year of real-world data collection. The project, developed jointly with Chiltern Railways and supported by Angel Trains, seeks to identify how slippery the rail actually is, not just…

Network Rail says it has spent £130m in the last two years as part of a four-year package to improve the resilience of the Scottish rail network to extreme weather and related risks. The infrastructure manager said on September 1 that the work delivered so far is part of a £400m programme being delivered in…