The fourth former franchise to be renationalised will be West Midlands Trains in February 2026. South Western Railway and c2c have already been transferred from the private sector to the DfT, and Greater Anglia will follow in October. West Midlands Trains, which is owned by Transport UK Group and Mitsui, has

The Office of Rail and Road has approved applications from three existing open access operators to run additional services on the East Coast Main Line and for Grand Central to call at Seaham for the first time, but it has signalled to the Department for Transport that it will not

Network Rail is to invest £4.5 million on improving a Scottish railway which Dr Beeching had wanted to close more than 60 years ago. Work to replace 7km of worn track on the Kyle of Lochalsh line between Achnashellach and Strathcarron is scheduled for three weeks between 19 October and 10

Network Rail has announced that Jeremy Westlake will be its next chief executive, after Sir Andrew Haines retires later this year. Mr Westlake is currently chief financial officer, and he will take over on 20 October after a period of working alongside Sir Andrew. The new chief will be responsible for overseeing

Competition to provide more trains between Bradford and London is being stepped up, as Grand Central continues to lobby for paths to provide two extra London trains a day from Bradford Interchange. State-owned LNER increased its London services at Bradford from two to seven a day in May, when a new

A lobby group representing manufacturers and a major bank are urging the government to think again about the abandoned sections of HS2 to Manchester and Leeds. Make UK and Barclays UK Corporate Bank have published a survey of companies’ views and say building the rest of HS2 would release paths for rail freight on existing lines. The survey claims that 89 per cent of the companies questioned were in favour of building the rest of HS2, while a similar proportion supports faster connections between Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Hull and Newcastle. Make UK said reviving HS2 and therefore providing more capacity elsewhere is essential if the government is to meet its target of a 75 per cent increase in rail freight by 2050 while reducing carbon emissions from the estimated 12 million journeys which will be made by lorry in 25 years from now. Make UK also said investment in the rail network would yield major economic benefits, such as linking Felixstowe with the Oxford-Cambridge Arc. It pointed to freight hubs on the French model as the way forward at sites such as Ely Junction and Trafford Park. Make UK director of policy Verity Davidge said: ‘It’s clear that the current levels of rail capacity aren’t suitable for the levels of freight traffic the Government is predicting in the future. As a result, if industry is to make greater use of rail then we need the extra capacity which a high speed link for passenger traffic would free up. This would provide a valuable opportunity to invest in multi mode hubs which would improve connectivity between our major ports and better integrate road and rail routes through the spine of the country.’ Lee Collinson is head of manufacturing, transport and logistics at Barclays UK Corporate Bank. He added: ‘It's important that UK transport infrastructure is at the forefront of discussions among policymakers. Upgrading and integrating our road, rail, and port systems is crucial for boosting productivity, decarbonising transport, and supporting long-term competitiveness. By addressing key barriers and enhancing rail freight, we can achieve significant environmental benefits, reduce lorry journeys, and improve road safety.’ It’s reported that 89 per cent of manufacturers regard road as their main mode of transport, while 38 per cent see rail investment as critical for ‘just in time’ deliveries. Cost is a major deterrent for 45 per cent of companies considering rail freight, while 39 per cent mentioned lack of access to local terminals. Make UK and Barclays said the cost per tonne in kilometres for rail freight has increased by 10 per cent in the last decade compared to 3 per cent for road. The present Labour government has consistently refused to revive the sections of HS2 which were abandoned by the previous Conservative government, although despite major financial concerns it has said that the London-Birmingham section will be completed. What do you think? Click here to let us know.

The c2c National Rail Contract owned by Trenitalia will end at 02.00 on Sunday, as the operator becomes the second to be renationalised by the Labour government. The first was South Western Railway, which passed into public ownership on 25 May, and the next will be Greater Anglia on 12 October. The RMT has welcomed more renationalisation, but has renewed its call for outsourcing to be brought to an end as well. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: ‘Whether you’re shopping in Lakeside or walking along the beach in Southend-on-Sea, from this Sunday you will be able to get there on a train service run by the public, for the public. ‘Public ownership is already tackling deep-rooted problems we see on the railway that’s led to spiralling costs, fragmentation and waste. A unified network under Great British Railways will take this further with one railway under one brand with one mission – delivering excellent services for passengers wherever they travel.’ c2c managing director Rob Mullen added: ‘We are proud of the reliable and high level of service we offer our passengers, consistently being rated as one of the best performing operators in the country. ‘We now have a golden opportunity to collaborate with the wider family of publicly owned operators, sharing our successes and best practice, but also learning from a wide range of different and diverse operators who have already benefited from public ownership, to drive even more improvements for the people and places we all serve. ‘A unified and focused railway can deliver more for our communities, including better growth, jobs and houses. If we are thriving as a train operator it helps our communities to thrive. This is the positive feedback loop we are excited to deliver, supported by better and closer collaboration with our partners in the lead up to GBR.’ Trenitalia is still a minority shareholder in Avanti West Coast, where the National Rail Contract has a break point in October 2026, which is expected to be renationalised then. Trentialia is part of the Italian transport group FS, and is also hoping to run open access international services between London and Paris. Trenitalia UK managing director Ernesto Sicilia said: ‘Our management of c2c has been grounded in a resolve for continuous improvement and being in tune with the needs of the communities we serve. We acknowledge both the progress made and the ongoing challenges of unifying a fragmented rail industry. In the meantime, we will continue to support and deliver services on the Avanti West Coast franchise until it too transitions to public ownership in 2026.’ The fact that cleaners at c2c will still be employed by the private sector because cleaning is outsourced has been criticised by the RMT. The union’s general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: ’It is great to see c2c being taken into public ownership in an important step along the road to Great British Railways. ‘However, the injustice of outsourcing must end so all railway workers can reap the benefits of public ownership and greedy private contractors can no longer extract obscene profits from the industry. ‘Our members working for Bidvest Noonan deserve decent pay and the same terms and conditions as their colleagues and we will fight tooth and nail to achieve it.’ The c2c franchise was originally known as LTS when it began on 26 May 1996 with National Express, and was rebranded c2c around the turn of the century. The meaning of ‘c2c’ was never clarified. National Express won a second term in 2014 but sold the franchise to Trenitalia in 2017. All DfT franchises were abolished in September 2020 as a result of the Covid pandemic, and c2c has been a National Rail Contract since July 2021. c2c will now be run by DfT Operator, the former Operator of Last Resort, which already runs four operators which were renationalised by the previous government, as well as South Western Railway. The next major step will be the passage of a Railways Bill in Parliament from later this year to provide the legal framework for Great British Railways, the future ‘directing mind’ of the railway industry. What do you think? Click here to let us know.

A new study into restoring the railway between Oxford, Eynsham and Witney and continuing west to Carterton has concluded that the investment would reduce road congestion and bring other benefits. The study was commissioned by West Oxfordshire District Council from consultants Lichfields. The line to Witney started at Yarnton Junction on the North Cotswolds line and ran to Fairford until passenger services were withdrawn in June 1962, but Fairford is not included in the current proposals.  The latest study follows an earlier investigation by Oxfordshire County Council in 2023, which said predicted journey times to Oxford of 23 minutes from Carterton, 16 minutes from Witney and 11 minutes from Eynsham represented journey time savings of more than 70 per cent. The new study also points out that further upgrades to the A40 would not be enough on their own to cope with future demand. Much of the formation of the old line has been lost. At Witney the railway was buried under the dual carriageway A40 bypass which runs to the south of the town, and in 2023 the cost of building a new line was put at between £700 million and £900 million. The latest study says the scheme could offer ‘high’ value for money when wider benefits to the economy, environment and public health are included, and these benefits are estimated to be more than double the cost of the scheme. West Oxfordshire District Council’s executive member for planning Cllr Hugo Ashton said: ‘What this study has shown us is that a rail connection wouldn’t just improve how people travel; it could transform how we grow as a district. It makes a strong case for including rail as part of a long-term, joined-up plan and also shows that it is economically viable. ‘From unlocking new housing to boosting access to jobs, essential services, education, and reducing congestion and carbon emissions, the benefits would be wide-reaching and underline why sustainable transport must be at the heart of our plans for the future.’ Restoring a railway on the Witney corridor and safeguarding the necessary land is also included in the evidence base for the council’s Local Plan for 2041, which is currently out for consultation. What do you think? Click here to let us know.