THE Department for Transport has been accused of leaving staff and passengers ‘in limbo’ as uncertainty continues over the future of the South Western Railway franchise. SWR made a loss of £137 million last year, and transport secretary Grant Shapps has warned that the present operation is ‘not sustainable’. On 22 January

EUROSTAR chief executive Mike Cooper has told Railnews that he is delighted with the launch of through trains from Amsterdam to London, and is hoping that the next stage of Eurostar’s development will see its route network extended into Germany. A key factor is the proposed merger of Eurostar and Thalys,

Britain’s best-selling rail title The Railway Magazine is back for another month of award-winning photos, news, features and exclusives from the rail industry, past and present. This month’s The Railway Magazine the story that Northern are very much in crisis as Arriva lose franchise. Plus, the first ‘Pacers’ are preserved and

THE first Eurostar to run directly from Amsterdam to London has started its journey, as an overture to public services from the Dutch capital starting on 30 April. Trains will also call at Rotterdam from 18 May. Eurostar hopes to increase the two trains a day from Amsterdam to four

RUMOURS are growing that HS2 is about to be given fresh approval, even if timescales have lengthened and costs have almost doubled. Chancellor Sajid Javid met the Prime Minister before the weekend, and it was reported that the Treasury will support the project. While the key Oakervee Review of the project is

Chancellor Sajid Javid has thrown his support behind HS2 in a key meeting with Boris Johnson and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. It is understood that having reviewed costs and alternatives the Chancellor “broadly backs” the high-speed line from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. Downing Street declined to rule out that Mr

Chancellor Sajid Javid is set to throw his support behind HS2 ahead of a key meeting with Boris Johnson and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. It is understood that having reviewed costs and alternatives the Chancellor will “broadly back” the high-speed line from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. Downing Street declined to rule

Railtrail Tours’ brand new ‘Focus on Steam’ 2020 programme features over 25 UK and Europe steam tours, including a new USA option. There will be a variety of short five-day trips of UK steam railways, including miniature to standard gauge. The UK programme kicks off at Easter with two tours departing

SPECULATION is growing that HS2 is set to be approved by the Government – possibly as soon as next week. Chancellor Sajid Javid is meeting the Prime Minister today, and it is reported that the Treasury will support the project. The scheme to build High Speed lines has been put under the

TRANSPORT Grant Shapps has decided to terminate Arriva's Northern franchise. The operation will be transferred to the DfT's Operator of Last Resort on 1 March. Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: ‘This is a new beginning for Northern, but it is only a beginning. ‘Northern's network is huge and complex and some of