TRAINS run by open access operator Grand Central will start to return from 26 July, with two daily services between London and Bradford and three between London and Sunderland. Grand Central, along with Hull Trains, had been forced to suspend its operations at the start of April after rescue talks

A NEW report commissioned by Network Rail and now published by Design Council is set to change the way smaller stations are designed, with the aims of making them welcoming to all passengers and supporting the communities in their catchment areas. Other ambitions include reflecting local character and heritage, achieving

AN announcement from Network Rail earlier this week that VolkerFitzpatrick had been appointed to build a new station for Soham in Cambridgeshire has been amended. It has now emerged that VF prepared the design last year, but a further option for the firm to go on to build the station

THE Prime Minister has announced that Network Rail is to start the next stage of work to ‘unblock Manchester’s railways’ after being given £10 million in design and development funding. The work will examine options to solve capacity and reliability problems. The DfT said ‘this is the next step in

PASSENGERS delayed by late-running trains will be able to claim compensation more easily under changes proposed by the Office of Rail and Road. A new operators’ licence condition will require the companies to conform with a code of practice which would mean passengers receiving ‘clear information about their entitlements to

TRAIN operators are increasing the number of services they run again from 6 July to accompany the latest easing of lockdown in England this weekend, and some are returning to a near-normal timetable. On Greater Anglia only Stansted Express and the London to Norwich main line service will still be

A NATURALIST who claims that building HS2 will cause irreversible destruction of ancient woodlands has succeeded in his bid to take his case to the Appeal Court. Chris Packham lost his bid to obtain an injunction and a judicial review in the High Court on 3 April this year. He

HUNDREDS of jobs are being created at HS2 Ltd as construction work on Phase 1 continues to be stepped up. The jobs include engineering, project management, land, property, procurement and various commercial posts. More than 300 of the new jobs will be based in Birmingham. HS2 Ltd CEO Mark Thurston

THE Department for Transport says it has received 50 bids for funding to help restore long-withdrawn railway services or stations, many of which were axed after Dr Richard Beeching had become chairman of the railways in 1961 and published his notorious ‘reshaping’ report two years later. Examples of bids include

TRAINS are calling today at Horden station on the Durham Coast for the first time since May 1964. The station is not far from the post-war new town of Peterlee and will serve a catchment area with a population of 70,000. It has an hourly train service from today in each