The government has announced a new collaboration with France on cross-Channel transport, saying the aim is to take ‘ambitious action’ over decarbonisation, confirm a new regulatory framework following Brexit and encourage more rail operators to run international services. Eurostar said: ‘Eurostar welcomes the UK-France declaration as a meaningful step toward further improving cross-Channel connectivity. Eurostar’s CEO, Gwendoline Cazenave, was proud to join President Macron’s official business delegation during his State Visit, underlining the importance of strong Franco-British economic ties and the vital role international rail plays in that relationship. ‘Eurostar is growing fast. In 2024, we carried 19.5 million passengers across our network – a 5 per cent increase on the previous year, with London-Paris route seeing 280,000 more travellers. The focus is now to invest €2 billion in 50 new trains and to grow direct services from London to Frankfurt and Geneva to reach an ambitious target of carrying 30 million passengers annually. ‘We look forward to working closely with both governments to ensure the cross-Channel network can meet future demand and deliver more sustainable journeys across Europe.’ The announcement has come as several potential open access operators are continuing their efforts to launch services in competition with Eurostar but capacity at Temple Mills depot in east London is under pressure, and so far no solution to this problem has been revealed. What do you think? Click here to let us know.

The number of railway staff injured by assaults rose by 53 per cent last year, according to the Rail Safety and Standards Board. The RSSB’s Annual Health and Safety Report also mentions the death of 61-year old gateline worker Jorge Ortega, who received fatal head injuries when he was attacked at Ilford station on 4 December last year. He died in hospital two days later. A 28-year old Ilford man was charged with murder and is set to go on trial later this month. The RSSB report says: ‘The rail industry is taking positive action to reduce and prevent attacks in stations and trains through training, body worn cameras and even body armour. However, for things to really improve, there needs to be a wholesale change in public behaviour.’ It also warns that trespassing continues to be a major problem, and that most of the 29 people who lost their lives on the railway last year had been trespassing, although one died after the collision at Talerddig on the Cambrian Line, while the rate of suicides on the railway has ‘unfortunately mirrored the national increase’. The industry is ‘collaborating and working with other sectors to address this issue’. The RSSB’s director of system safety and health Chris Knowles said: ‘Our Operational Risk and Safety Conference underlined the rail industry’s proactive approach to challenges such as trespass, worker assaults, extreme weather, financial constraints, and societal changes. ‘Our latest Annual Health and Safety Report shows Britain’s railway is still a safe mode of transport, in no small part due to the focus and vigilance of the whole industry. But we can do more. It remains essential to collaborate, to share safety and performance data and to apply the learning and hard-won lessons from incidents.’ What do you think? Click here to let us know.

The decision by the Department for Transport to ‘pause’ further electrification of the Midland Main Line through Leicester and on to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield has been followed by protests from the rail industry. The DfT had said work was also paused on the final stage of stabilising the cliffs along the railway at Dawlish, the York Area Capacity and performance project and a congestion relief scheme for Peckham Rye station in south London, although other schemes are going ahead, including the restoration of three stations and passenger services on the Bristol to Portishead line. The suspension of work on the Midland Main Line has attracted criticism from the Rail Forum and the Rail Industry Association, who have written to rail minister Lord Hendy today, offering to convene a cross-industry group. They claim that keeping electrification under review could cost taxpayers between £50 million and £70 million, and also risk economic benefits of nearly £400 million and the creation of nearly 5,000 jobs. Chief executive of the Derby-based Rail Forum Elaine Clark said: ‘We are extremely disappointed … [the] decision will have a direct impact on supply chain businesses now. We risk losing further highly skilled individuals and jobs from the sector, which will ultimately add to costs for future electrification projects. ‘Whilst recent announcements and confirmation of other projects have been welcomed by our members, stopping Midland Mainline Electrification has caused wide concern and makes no sense. It is a shovel ready project that could deliver tangible benefits this parliament with other projects unlikely to even get off the starting blocks in that timeframe. ‘Taking into account likely demobilisation and remobilisation costs we believe it’s a bad decision for the UK taxpayer and a bad decision for users of the MML with several of our larger cities now condemned to using diesel traction for the foreseeable future. Furthermore it doesn’t demonstrate the whole system thinking that is core to Government’s agenda of “bringing track and train together” through rail reform.’ The Railway Industry Association’s chief executive Darren Caplan agreed that railway suppliers will be concerned. He continued: ‘This decision will delay the benefits of the project and undermine regional economic growth in the Midlands, as well as cost taxpayers money and threaten thousands of jobs. ‘The decision threatens to continue a boom-and-bust approach to rail electrification in the UK, and is clearly a worry for the many businesses which have delivered the previous phases of the scheme on time and on budget. And it demonstrates a lack of whole-system thinking, inhibiting operational performance and revenue growth as well as providing further uncertainty for the rolling stock supply chain. ‘So we urge Lord Hendy to consider to ensure this is only a short “pause” so work can commence promptly within the next year. And we restate our offer to convene a cross-industry group to develop a decarbonisation strategy and resourcing plan. This would confirm the minimum additional electrification to deliver Net Zero for passengers and freight by 2050.’ What do you think? Click here to let us know.

HS2 contracts which should have cost £19.5 billion in total have already risen in price by another £6.5 billion, according to HS2 CEO Mark Wild. Mr Wild was giving evidence to the Commons Transport Committee. He said that there had been ‘optimism bias’ when projects were being costed, and that control of the scheme had been lost He has been brought in to undertake a complete ‘reset’ of the scheme, which should have welcomed its first passengers next year but has now been put back to an unknown opening date after 2033. Only 60 per cent of the civil engineering on the 160km/h route has been completed, although it should have been virtually finished by now. He told the Committee: ‘The bottom line is that, at the notice to proceed, the contractors could not price the risk. What we’re seeing is the crystallisation of risk: they should have cost £19.5 billion and we’ve already spent £26 billion and we’re just over halfway done. ‘If you lose control of the programme, you end up at the extreme end of optimism bias, which ends up in delusion. The problem with HS2 is we lost control of the programme.’ He predicted an eventual ‘overspend’ of between 50 and 100 per cent. Rail minister Lord Hendy, meanwhile, questioned the need for trains travelling at 350km/h. He said: ‘It is hard to understand why there was such zealotry about the highest-speed railway in a relatively small country.’ The maximum speed on HS1 is 300km/h, and high speed lines on the continent rarely offer more than 320km/h, even though they cover much greater distances than the remaining section of HS2. What do you think? Click here to let us know.

The number of daily trains between London and Amsterdam will rise to five in December, following the completion of a new international terminal at Amsterdam Centraal in February. At the moment there are three trains a day from London to the Dutch capital, but there will be four from 4 September and five from 15 December. Building work at Amsterdam had meant that international travellers could not pass through security checks, with the result that London-bound passengers had to leave their train at Brussels Midi for British immigration controls. The return of through services has also allowed Eurostar to triple its capacity on the route. After the new terminal was opened at Amsterdam the number of passengers rose by almost a fifth, and Eurostar said each train should be carrying an average of more than 650 passengers by the end of the year. Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave said: ‘London to Amsterdam is one of the busiest routes by plane in Europe. With five daily returns, and 3000-plus seats per day, we are offering a sustainable alternative to travel between the UK and the Netherlands.  ‘Since February, we’ve seen exceptional demand on our Amsterdam route, and the addition of a fifth daily service gives customers more choice and flexibility.’ Eurostar is to acquire a new fleet and is planning to add more routes from London to Germany and Switzerland. Ms Cazenave continued: ‘It’s our ambition to offer a sustainable alternative and grow international high-speed rail as customers’ first choice across Europe.’ What do you think? Click here to let us know.

A Great Western Railway Intercity Express has been named for Cyril Bleasdale. He was the first director of InterCity in the early 1980s and then moved on after his retirement from British Rail to help found the company which bought the BR staff newspaper Railnews. Railnews continues today as the industry’s trade newpaper, with more than 100,000 readers. Cyril, who lived on the GWR network in Cheltenham, served as managing director of Railnews until a year before his death in 2022 at the age of 87. His name was unveiled on platform 8 at London Paddington by his wife Katy, before the newly-named train left Paddington at 12.35, bound for Exeter. She said: ‘Cyril would have been so proud to have this train named in his honour and I would like to thank GWR managing director Mark Hopwood and all those who have helped to make it happen.’ Great Western Railway managing director, Mark Hopwood paid his own tribute: ’At Great Western Railway, we have a long history of naming trains after Great Westerners, the past and present heroes from across our network. ‘Cyril Bleasdale’s legacy continues to shape railways. Today’s naming recognises a lifetime of innovation, leadership, and unwavering commitment to the railway and what it delivers for the communities we serve. ‘Cyril was a true railway pioneer. His vision helped modernise rail travel for millions and we are proud to honour his extraordinary contribution with this train naming.’ Cyril Bleasdale’s innovations included changing the title of Second Class to Standard, as well as launching Executive Express services from Paddington to Bristol, pioneering on-board telephones and opening First Class lounges. Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here to send an email to Platform at Railnews.

Investment in rail and road schemes announced in last month's spending review has been confirmed by the Department for Transport, but one transport campaigning group has criticised the proportion to be spent on new roads. The rail schemes are three reopened stations, the reinstatement of the line between Bristol and Portishead, and 'significant government funding' for the Midlands Rail Hub, which will mean more trains on more routes. The additional stations will be at Wellington in Somerset, Cullompton in Devon and Haxby in North Yorkshire. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'Transport is the backbone of our economy, which is why we are giving them the record funding boost they need, putting taxpayers’ money where it matters most and making everyday journeys easier. 'With over £92 billion investment, including the biggest ever boost for city regions in the north and Midlands, we’re delivering the schemes that fast-track economic growth and jobs, connect communities, and will help us build 1.5 million new homes, as we deliver our Plan for Change. 'We’re forging ahead with the vital new transport infrastructure Britain needs, and improving what we’ve already got, to deliver a new era of renewal and opportunity.' However, the Campaign for Better Transport's chief executive Ben Plowden said: 'We’re pleased to see a number of important rail projects being given the green light today. In particular, we’re glad to see the Bristol to Portishead line finally getting the go ahead. This line was one of the projects under the Government’s hastily cancelled Restoring Your Railway Fund – also responsible for the successful Northumberland Line reopening – which we have urged the Government to reinstate to ensure other key reopening projects can also move forward. 'We are however disappointed that many more road schemes are being given the go ahead today. The best way to ease congestion, cut journey times and bring greater access to jobs and opportunities across the country is not by building more roads. It is by prioritising public transport and reducing future car dependency by putting new housing in the right place where it can be connected to public transport, walking and cycling networks from day one.' Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here to send an email to Platform at Railnews.

The Black Country Innovation Manufacturing Organisation in Dudley has been placed in Administration. The organisation was funded in part by local authorities which included Coventry City Council and Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, along with the European Union and the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership. BCIMO included the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre, and the site had been well known for testing a Very Light Rail system which is planned for Coventry. Very Light Rail vehicles use batteries rather than overhead wires, while the prefabricated track has shallower foundations than conventional tramways and does not need costly work to divert utilities under the road surface. It has been revealed that RSM UK Restructuring Advisory LLP were appointed Joint Administrators of the Company on 1 July, although no further details have been published. The nearest offices of the Administrators are in Birmingham, The marketing and operations team of Olivia Brown and Hollie Chidley have circulated a personal message, in which they said: ‘We’re so proud of what’s been achieved, from launching the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre and hosting the UK VLR Conference and a royal visit, to delivering the Clean Futures Accelerator and engaging with thousands of stakeholders, partners, schools and members of the public. Plus, of course, our most recent Family Day which was a tremendous success.’ Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here to send an email to Platform at Railnews.

Work to modernise the Liverpool to Wrexham line is going ahead. Upgrades on the line at Padeswood have been confirmed as the first major step to run more trains. Transport and North Wales secretary Ken Skates and Welsh secretary Jo Stevens visited the site yesterday. The Westminster government promised to support the work at Padeswood as part of last month’s Comprehensive Spending Review with investment in Welsh railways which will be worth at least £445 million, and allow a start to be made on creating Network North Wales. There should be two trains an hour between Liverpool and Wrexham within three years. Padeswood also serves the Heidelberg Materials’ cement works, and the upgrade will make it easier for freight trains to use the site. Ken Skates said: ’Delivering the upgrade at Padeswood will bring real economic benefits, helping the cement works and improving connectivity between Wrexham and Liverpool, increasing services to two trains per hour.  ‘Network North Wales is about an integrated, high-frequency public transport network. While Padeswood is predicted in the next three years, more immediate changes include 50 per cent more trains on the North Wales main line, more trains between Chester and Wrexham and the start of Pay as You Go.’ Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here to send an email to Platform at Railnews.