Grand Central’s No. 90029 with two of the Mk 4 rakes of stock and 90026 on the rear, pass Atherstone during a shake down run on June 26. Photo: Chris Milner Grand Central has permanently abandoned plans for the North West route train service between Blackpool and London after COVID-19 rendered

THE Department for Transport has named the schemes which have failed to qualify in the first round of its railway funding competition.It had already revealed the successful bids which have qualified for a share in a £500 million pot which will help to pay for further development. These comprise passenger

WORK to clear the line and restore train services through the site of the fatal derailment at Carmont near Stonehaven in north-east Scotland last month is beginning this week.Network Rail said a 600-tonne crawler crane is being used to remove the derailed vehicles, but this could only be done after

TIMETABLES on many lines are being increased to around 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels from today, as children return to school and more commuters are set to travel to offices again, at least on some days each week. One priority is to maintain social distancing on board trains, so units

They are not too happy in Kent, because Eurostar has announced that its trains are not expected to call at Kent’s two international stations at Ashford and Ebbsfleet again before 2022. Sim Harris wonders whether they will ever return.THE reason, says Eurostar, is that it must ‘take action to reduce

THE Island Line timetable was suspended on Monday morning, after the only serviceable train on the route was sprayed with graffiti. Passengers were being diverted to buses until the graffiti could be removed. The Island Line was already hampered by a fault on a second train, and passengers had been warned

HS2 LTD says 22,000 jobs will be created by the construction of Phase 1 of the high speed line between London and Birmingham. Enabling works and other preparations at a number of sites have been underway for some time, but HS2 says it is now marking the ‘formal’ start of construction. Transport

EUROSTAR has axed Ashford and Ebbsfleet from its timetables, and says its trains are unlikely to call again at the international stations in Kent before 2022. Eurostar stopped serving the two stations as lockdown started in March, but said: ‘We have experienced an unprecedented fall in demand, with bookings down by

HS2 is strengthening its partnership with the Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) to provide work experience places and 1:1 mentoring to ensure young people can access professional support. The rail company has been working with SMF for the last five years, though this year HS2 has adapted its traditional summer work experience

Photo: Network Rail Bristol’s Temple Meads marked 180 years since the station was built with a special celebration. Isambard Kingdom Brunel built the station in 1840 and to mark the occasion Network Rail and GWR celebrated its historic past and looked forward to a bright future as Bristol Temple Meads is set