The HS2 project has been ongoing in the UK for over a decade. Its timeline, however, is by no means straightforward. Here are the origins of HS2; who first thought of the high-speed rail? What is its legislative history? What were the early stages of construction? 2009 The first high speed rail line in the UK opened in 2003, High-Speed 1 (HS1), linking the Channel Tunnel to London. At the end of 2009, then Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised £20 billion for rail infrastructure between the North and South of England. The Department for Transport announced a case to examine the possibil ..read more

Digital twin technology has emerged as a revolutionary tool in engineering, allowing businesses to create highly accurate simulations of physical assets, systems, or processes. These digital replicas not only enable real-time monitoring and pre-emptive fault detection but also facilitate a deeper understanding of asset performance under various scenarios, thus enhancing operational efficiency and reducing expenses significantly. Join us as we delve into the world of digital twins, exploring their relevance within rail infrastructure. This webinar will cover the fundamental concepts of digital ..read more

The California High Speed Rail Project, run by Authority, is well underway. However, this high-speed development was years in the planning for the state, here’s part one of its history. The need for a working passenger railway, and the accompanying infrastructure, is fairly clear from the figures. California ranked first with the highest number of registered vehicles in 2019 out of the US states, with a total of 31,247,270. They were then followed by Texas, with 23,007,145, Florida, with 17,833,719, New York, 11,389158, and Ohio, 10,901,279. An added pressure to the existing infrastructure is ..read more

The Railway Industry Association (RIA) is pleased to announce that the award-winning Annual Conference & Dinner will take place on 6-7 November 2024, at the Leonardo Royal Hotel, London. This year’s conference focuses on the theme ‘A fresh start for UK rail’ and will feature a large interactive exhibition area and spotlight pitches where new services and products will be showcased. The evening programme includes networking drinks, dinner and entertainment. As usual, the conference attracts some of the most senior industry figures and this year includes: Andrew Haines OBE, Network Ra ..read more

The cause of accidents and incidents is often attributed to human error. However, people rarely make such mistakes on purpose. The Rail Safety and Standards Board is the independent safety, standards, and research body for Great Britain’s rail network. We work across Britain’s evolving railway to improve safety, efficiency, and sustainability. Our human factors specialists have supported the UK and international rail industry over the past 20 years by contributing to research, Railway Group Standards, and systems like the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), to understand why acc ..read more

Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and Birmingham mayor Andy Street have unveiled plans to revive transport in the North of England. A spokesperson from the High Speed Rail Group commented: “The Mayors rightly conclude that the current plan for a truncated HS2 is not a credible option. It would make Birmingham Britain’s biggest bottleneck, deny the North the transport improvements it needs, and fail even to reach central London. The three options set out by Mr Street and Mr Burnham are all worth exploring, alongside consideration of the range of funding models available. We urge both the ..read more

Spain is portrayed by some as an example of the benefits of passenger rail opening in Europe, with passenger ridership on the high-speed network having grown since the entry of the competing state-owned or state-backed operators. However, Spain’s new centre-left Transport Minister Óscar Puente recently said in parliament that this liberalisation model – in which only state incumbents compete with each other – has “damaging effects” because their losses will “have the cushion of the state to cover them”. Mr Puente’s remarks confirm that the liberalisation model in Spain is not sustainable. The ..read more

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) Tri-Rail began service into downtown Miami at MiamiCentral. “We are delighted to welcome Tri-Rail to MiamiCentral, which will provide increased connectivity for our region,” said Patrick Goddard, president of Brightline. “It is exciting witnessing firsthand how the South Florida region is embracing rail travel and taking cars off the road.” MiamiCentral is a unique destination with  transportation options for connecting residents, employees, visitors, and the local community through easily accessible major roadways and rapid&nbs ..read more

Network Rail Consulting’s US subsidiary, Network Rail Consulting Inc, has been awarded a $73.2m (£57.5m) contract to provide systems engineering services to California’s High-Speed Rail Program. The first dedicated high-speed railway in the USA, California’s high-speed network will see 200-mph trains linking the Los Angeles basin with San Francisco, with later branches to Sacramento and San Diego. With construction under way, Network Rail Consulting will directly support the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s Rail and Operations Delivery Branch in a partner role through to May 2029. Netwo ..read more

Deliveries of HS2’s tunnel segments have begun from Hartlepool, using the UK’s rail network to minimise road traffic and drastically reduce carbon emissions. STRABAG, the company manufacturing the pre-cast concrete segments for HS2’s next London tunnel drives, opened a new state-of-the-art factory in the town earlier this year. The new factory has direct access to the rail network through a rail head that had not been used in over 15 years. STRABAG have made a significant investment in Hartlepool, re-developing an old oil-rig fabrication site into a modern automated precast concrete facil ..read more