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Rail Magazine

Maritime Intermodal Six, operated by DB Cargo 66090, exits the Northampton Gateway Strategic Rail Freight Interchange on June 16. MARITIME TRANSPORT.
News

How new junction will help Northampton Gateway realise potential

Network Rail and Maritime Transport expect 16 trains per day to run in and out of Northampton Gateway.

Rail freight 30 Jul
Flooding inside Bransty Tunnel near Whitehaven on the Cumbrian Coast Line. NETWORK RAIL.
News

Need to strengthen track bed leads to tunnel closure

Network Rail 31 Jul
Sandy Lane crossing near Prestatyn on the North Wales Main Line. NETWORK RAIL
News

Updated plans released for North Wales Main Line level crossing replacements

Level crossings 31 Jul
A former TransPennine Express Mk5 rake stands at Long Marston on June 18. DAVID STUBBINGS.
News

Deal close for Chiltern to use Mk 5s and Class 68s from April 2026

Chiltern Railways 30 Jul
GB Railfreight 69007 passes Silt Drove (March) with the 0816 March Yard-Middleton Towers sand train on March 27. This was the first day GBRf entrusted a Class 69 with this work, hence having 66789 tucked inside as insurance. Network Rail has targets to grow freight use and is continuing to apply dispensations to allow heavy axle load traffic to run.
News

GB Railfreight Class 69 programme nears its end

GB Railfreight 31 Jul
Hull Trains Class 802
News

ECML open access applications vs what was approved

Open access 30 Jul
Lumo service passes over Newburn Bridge with the Tyne Bridge in the background in Newcastle
News

ORR approves limited East Coast Main Line open access plans

Open access 29 Jul
New ‘730s’ enter service on Birmingham’s Cross-City line
News

West Midlands Railway public ownership date announced

West Midlands Railway 29 Jul
Two Class 701s engaged on driver training and mileage accumulation at Waterloo, before 701037 arrived to be scrutinised. PIP DUNN
News

SWR to temporarily reduce some services - move could help '701' roll-out

South Western Railway 29 Jul
Latest news

Comment

OLE work south of Bedford on the Midland Main Line in October 2023. NETWORK RAIL.
Comment

Battery benefits

Benefits could come from developing battery power, argues Noel Dolphin of OLE supplier Furrer+Frey.

Industry views 28 Jul
RAIL columnist Christian Wolmar
Comment

Why Britain needs a proper transport strategy

Britain suffers from a long-term problem: the lack of a coherent transport strategy, says Christian Wolmar

Christian Wolmar 25 Jul
RAIL columnist Christian Wolmar
Comment

Why Britain needs a proper transport strategy

Christian Wolmar 25 Jul
On July 11, construction work continues on the platform hall of the new underground station at Stuttgart. Wolmar says the project has attracted criticism for delays and escalating costs. ALAMY.
Comment

Things go wrong in Europe too

Christian Wolmar 24 Jul
Avanti West Coast 390118 passes Docker on October 5 2024, with the 0707 Birmingham New Street to Glasgow Central. Improved frequencies and faster speeds following electrification attracted more business to the West Coast Main Line. TOM MCATEE.
Comment

Electrification history repeats itself

Phil Haigh 23 Jul
Work began last October on the installation of 2,000 vertical concrete columns for the foundations of HS2’s Birmingham’s Curzon Street station. Wolmar says abandoning the project is not viable, and that the endgame of trains running from Curzon Street to Old Oak Common (at least) justifies the controversy and the waiting. HS2 LTD.
Comment

HS2: grin and bear it

Christian Wolmar 18 Jul

Insights from the experts

Artist’s impressions of White Rose station… once completed and in operation. MUNROE K.
Feature

When will new Leeds station open?

Work has paused on the new Leeds station and few have any notion of when it can expect to welcome passenger services, Andrew Mourant reports.

Stations 24 Jul
377312 sits at Selhurst Depot, waiting for its refurbishment to begin. RICHARD WILCOCK.
Feature

A new dawn for Electrostars as £100m project nears completion

Maintenance and refurb 22 Jul
Piccadilly Line train car at Siemens factory in Goole
Feature

Cautious optimism for rail's future, Siemens Joint CEO tells RAIL

GBR 15 Jul
The first section of roof to be restored as part of the wider Huddersfield station upgrade was unveiled in April. With the expansive scaffolding structure now moved so the restoration of the next section can commence. Northern Class 150 waits at the west-facing Penistone Platform 2. This platform will be moved closer to the main entrance to improve accessibility. CHRIS HOWE.
Feature

Milestones for Manchester-Leeds

Major projects 2 Jul
On September 4 2007, and by now the Chief Executive of Eurostar, Richard Brown was at Gare du Nord in Paris to mark the start of running over high-speed lines to London’s refurbished St Pancras. It was effectively the completion of the Channel Tunnel project. ALAMY.
Feature

Interview: ex-Eurostar boss Richard Brown

GBR 27 Jun
The Networker trains, built for British Rail, are getting close to life-expired. But they will take “several years to replace” says Steve White. Networker 465005 calls at Gravesend in 2015. SOUTH EASTERN RAILWAY.
Feature

Southeastern becomes South Eastern

TOCs 8 Jul
LNER 82205 stands at Leeds on May 22 before departing with the 1245 to London King's Cross. SNAPPITYSNAPS PHOTOGRAPHY.
Feature

“This is the East Coast thoroughbred”

Locomotives 24 Jun

RAIL events

National Rail Awards 2024. JACK BOSKETT.
News

National Rail Awards 2025 nominations announced

National Rail Awards 23 Jul
McCulloch reel handler. JACK BOSKETT
Feature

Rail Live 2025: the essential tech

14 Jul
Network Rail Chief Executive Sir Andrew Haines with RAIL Editor Dickon Ross at Rail Live. JACK BOSKETT/RAIL.
News

Rail reform "frustratingly slow" says Network Rail Chief Executive

Rail reform 9 Jul
At York on April 20, Grand Central 180102 has arrived with the 1213 Sunderland-London King’s Cross, while CrossCountry 220018 and 221132 wait with the 1105 Edinburgh-Penzance. STEVE WIDDOWSON.
News

UK "could have diesel trains for 30 years" amid lack of electrification strategy

Electrification 8 Jul

Reviews

Dating from 1984, the ‘Highland Chieftain’ service was originally operated by HSTs, with Azumas taking over in 2019. On July 21 2021, 800112 is between Inverness and Aviemore, as it heads over Slochd Viaduct with the ‘Highland Chieftain’ for London. Under the current public (as opposed to working) timetable, northbound trains leave King’s Cross at 1200 and arrive in Inverness at 2007, while southbound trains depart from the Highland city at 0755 and arrive in London at 1549. NIGEL CAPELLE.
Feature

Review: ‘Chieftain’ is a practical long-distance choice

In RAIL’s latest Mystery Shopper, we take LNER’s ‘Highland Chieftain’ to Inverness, boarding at Peterborough. How does it fare against driving or flying?

Reviews 24 Jun
The main entrance to the Irish Ferries terminal at Dublin Port. ANDY COMFORT
Feature

Review: train and ferry together tickets

Reviews 3 Jun
The replacement bus wasn’t too bad, but getting off it was time-consuming as it was single file only. RAIL
Feature

Review: the dreaded rail replacement buses

Reviews 16 May
Refurbished and in its new livery, CrossCountry 170101 passes Elford occupation bridge with a Nottingham-Cardiff Central service on April 9. On their Birmingham-Cambridge journey, our Mystery Shopper had to ‘rough it’ on an unrefurbished unit. PAUL KEIGHTLEY.
Feature

Review: 170 (minutes) on a crowded Class 170

Reviews 28 Apr
Glasgow Central is Scotland’s busiest station. As well as commuter and semi-fast trains, Sleeper and inter-city trains also use the terminus. 385022 has just arrived with the 0852 from Lanark-Glasgow Central, while 156495 has arrived from Kilmarnock.
Feature

Review: ScotRail with a 'Spirit of Scotland' rover ticket

Reviews 7 Mar