The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed that West Midlands Trains – operator of services under the West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway brands – is set to transfer to public ownership on 1 February 2026. This is part of an on-going transfer of the current train franchises to the public sector in advance […]
West Midlands Trains to transfer to public ownership in February 2026 Read More »
A launch event was held at Euston station today for the new Class 730/2 trains which will enter into public service next week. This is part of a £1 billion investment by London Northwestern and West Midlands Railways in new trains and infrastructure across their network. The 730/2 are 5-car trains with 406 seats, and
The Department for Transport (DfT) has today launched its consultation on the Railways Bill. The DfT is seeking views on new policies to be included in the forthcoming Railways Bill, which will enable the establishment of Great British Railways (GBR), the single directing mind that will run rail infrastructure and passenger services. The reforms will
MPs from the West Coast Main Line All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) visited Euston station today to learn about planned short and long-term improvements. The MPs were briefed by Amanda Webster-Uz, the new Head of Euston Station Operations, and by the Euston Partnership on the measures which are being introduced to improve passenger flows on
The East West Rail Company is currently undertaking a non-statutory consultation on the new Oxford to Cambridge railway line, with responses required by 24 January 2025. Much of the consultation focusses on the new line to be built between Bedford and Cambridge and service patterns on the existing Marston Vale line. However the consultation is
A report published today sets out proposals for a new rail link on the West Coast corridor to replace High Speed 2 Phase 2a which was cancelled in October last year. The report was commissioned the Mayors of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands Combined Authorities. The report concludes that the best way forward is
In a statement on 3 September, the Secretary of State for Transport launched the next stage in rail reform by instructing the CEO of Network Rail, the Director General for Rail Services in the Department for Transport, and the CEO of DfT OLR Holdings Ltd (DOHL) to establish a Shadow Great British Railways. The
West Coast Rail 250 held its AGM and General Council meeting in Birmingham last Thursday. The Chair, Cllr Trevor Roberts, said “I am grateful for HS2 Ltd for hosting this meeting in their offices in central Birmingham. It was a very successful event, and I would like to thank all of those who participated, particularly
The General Council meeting of West Coast Rail 250 was held last Thursday (23rd February) in Liverpool. Members heard from Richard Scott of Avanti West Coast and Melissa Farmer from Transpennine Express on current train operation issues and their plans for the May and December 2023 timetables. The meeting was also updated on the activities
Avanti West Coast has launched a new timetable which reintroduces many services which were a casualty of the August step down. The new timetable started on 11 December, and now includes 40% more services per day. One of the headline changes is the re-instatement of 3 trains per hour on the London to Manchester route.
