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Rail Magazine

Jeremy Westlake and Sir Andrew Haines. NETWORK RAIL.
News

Network Rail announces new Chief Executive to replace Sir Andrew Haines

Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Westlake to step up in October upon Haines' retirement.

Network Rail 23 Jul
East Midlands Railway 170423 passes Barrow upon Soar (on the Midland Main Line) on July 22 2024, with the 1441 Leicester to Lincoln Central service. PAUL BIGGS.
News

Midland Main Line electrification teams to be stood down this year

Midland Main Line 23 Jul
Avanti West Coast 807001 awaits departure from Liverpool Lime Street on November 11 2024 with the 0901 to London Euston. AVANTI WEST COAST.
News

Avanti West Coast at risk of losing extra Liverpool paths

Avanti West Coast 22 Jul
Containers are loaded onto the train ready for its return to Birch Coppice.
News

Study for potential South West freight terminal under way

Rail freight 22 Jul
National Rail Awards 2024. JACK BOSKETT.
News

National Rail Awards 2025 nominations announced

National Rail Awards 23 Jul
The sliding canal bridge at Keadby has required numerous repairs and maintenance in recent years, including a nine-day closure in February 2024. It failed 16 times between April 2024 and March 2025. NETWORK RAIL.
News

Repeated bridge failures force TPE to consider diversionary route

TransPennine Express 21 Jul
News

Government confirms HS2 eastern leg land sale but no decision on western leg

HS2 21 Jul
ScotRail 318268 arrives at Exhibition Centre station on July 15 2019. ALAMY.
News

Alternative funding options being considered to finance new ScotRail fleet

ScotRail 22 Jul
c2c Managing Director Rob Mullen with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander. DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT.
News

c2c managers to be "allowed to get on" after nationalisation

c2c 18 Jul
Latest news

Comment

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

Philip Haigh works his way through a new book on the history of railway electrification in Britain, and considers how history could be repeating 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

He's never been an HS2 fan. But we must finish what we've started, says Christian Wolmar.

Christian Wolmar 18 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
HS2 Ltd Chief Executive Mark Wild speaks to workers in May, after Tunnel Boring Machine Mary Ann broke through at Washwood Heath depot. Wild has noted critical gaps in the company for commercial, technical, assurance, control and finance expertise. ALAMY.
Comment

HS2's top obstacles

Phil Haigh 16 Jul
Source: GREENGAUGE 21
Comment

Reinforce where rail links meet to meet North West’s needs

Industry views 9 Jul
Manchester has been favoured by the government, with transport plans including a Metrolink extension to Stockport and new tram stops. Longer two-car trams to reduce the double-heading of the ‘M5000’ Bombardier/Alstom units has also been suggested locally. In such a formation, Metrolink Trams 3046 and 3047 cross the River Irwell on August 11 2004, approaching Radcliffe with a Bury to Altrincham service. TOM MCATEE.
Comment

How far will money for trams go?

Industry views 8 Jul

Insights from the experts

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

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

Over the past five years, Govia Thameslink Railway has been quietly overhauling its fleet of Class 377s and ‘387s’. As the refurbishment reaches its completion, RICHARD WILCOCK visits Selhurst Depot in south London to learn more about Project Aurora.

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
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

Reviews 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

Plant & equipment 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