A brand new £8 million collections building opens at Locomotion in Shildon, County Durham, this weekend – the museum’s most significant regeneration project since it opened 20 years ago, making it the largest undercover collection of historic rail vehicles anywhere in Europe.   Over 100 vehicles are now on display, celebrating the role of Shildon as the world’s first railway town – and along with a host of other improvements, the museum aims to attract 250,000 visitors a year to the region.    Locomotion is a partnership between the Science Museum Group and Durham Coun ..read more

Great Western Railway (GWR) will play safety messages at its stations near popular holiday destinations and apply a commemorative Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) 200 livery to a train as part of a special partnership celebrating the RNLI’s 200 years of saving lives at sea. A special ceremony at London Paddington today will see an RNLI 200 logo unveiled on the side of Intercity Express Train, 802008, which was named after the Penlee lifeboat RNLB Solomon Browne. Solomon Browne was lost at sea on 19 December 1981 when it launched to rescue the passengers and crew of the vessel Union S ..read more

Adam Riccoboni, CEO of artificial intelligence (AI) development firm Critical Future, considers the future benefits that AI will bring to the world’s population and, specifically, to the field of railway signalling and telecommunications. I firmly believe that AI will be the most important technological revolution ever. Why? Because intelligence can be implemented into all the little nooks and crannies of our lives. With AI, we can create an enchanted world. AI is not as new as some people may think. I have been running AI development projects long before it was fashionable, and AI has had som ..read more

The current rail retail model has left passengers confused and lacking confidence in the industry, Virgin Trains Ticketing has warned, as it calls on all political parties and the broader industry to ensure passengers can get the best deal wherever they buy their ticket.    Virgin Trains Ticketing’s ‘Charter for Change’ report reveals that 57 per cent of rail passengers have no idea that train operators can restrict certain fares, which do not have to be made available for sale by independent retailers. Four in five (86 per cent) passengers think train fares should be the same w ..read more

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), has just launched automatic weekly capping to customers using its pay-as-you-go keyGo service, helping thousands of post-pandemic commuters returning to the office save hundreds of pounds in rail fares. The new tool means commuters unsure about how many days they will be working from home will never miss out on weekly season ticket deals if that is the cheapest deal. Passengers between Brighton and London Victoria could save almost £125 every week and commuters between Bedford and London could save £65 every week*. The int ..read more

Arriva Group’s open access train operating company, Grand Central, has submitted an application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) that could result in a significant uplift in capacity, around 30 per cent, for its services along existing routes connecting both the North East and West Yorkshire lines to London’s King’s Cross station. The application includes a proposal for two additional daily return services between Bradford and London (with upto eight stops in between), bringing the total to six a day.  It also includes an additional early morning connection from York into London King ..read more

The collaboration between rail freight companies VTG Rail UK, Mendip Rail, and Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems (UK) took centre stage as Rail Minister Huw Merriman visited Merehead Rail Sidings and Torr Quarry in Somerset. The highlight of the tour (on Thursday May 16) was the presentation of the ground-breaking iWagon, a partnership between VTG Rail UK and Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems (UK), which is poised to redefine rail freight performance with enhanced safety measures, operational efficiencies, and increased wagon availability. With cutting-edge technology developed by dedicated engineers and inno ..read more

A 13-month project to strengthen the 160-year-old Camps viaduct has been delivered successfully. Nestled amidst ancient woodland, the 11-span viaduct serves as a crucial artery for passengers travelling between Glasgow and Motherwell by train. Along with Story Contracting, Network Rail began work to extend the lifespan of the historic landmark, which towers 35m above the River Clyde, in spring 2023. Engineers completed 1370 repairs, replaced more than over 10,000 rivets and added 65 tonnes of new steel during these extensive strengthening and refurbishment works. Essential scour protection wor ..read more

Network Rail is investing over £6 million to improve future journeys on the West Coast main line between London Euston and Stafford from Saturday 25 May to Monday 27 May. Upgrades in Milton Keynes and Stafford on Network Rail’s West Coast South route have been planned so that Euston station will remain open throughout the Spring bank holiday weekend allowing passengers to travel between London, the Midlands and the North West. The essential upgrades include: Replacing over 3.5km of track on the West Coast main line in Stafford and Milton Keynes to improve the resilience of the railway and pro ..read more

In his first appearance at the UK Parliament Transport Committee as Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport, Ken Skates set out his three asks of the UK Government as well as his ambition for a fully integrated, efficient system which meets the needs of Welsh passengers. He called for:   Full autonomy for the Wales and Borders franchise. A partnership role in designing and managing services run by other operators which impact Welsh passengers.  Ensure the new integrated rail body (Great British Rail) is accountable to the Welsh Government and the Senedd for its work in Wales ..read more