DB CARGO has signed a long-term agreement with Maritime Transport Ltd to run Maritime Intermodal, a new rail freight operation.  The 10-year deal (from April 1) sees Maritime take over the day-to-day running of the DB’s freight terminals at Trafford Park (Manchester), Birmingham Intermodal Freight Terminal (Birch Coppice) and Wakefield

WEST Midlands Railway Class 323 No. 323217 ran on the Chase Line from Walsall to Rugeley Trent Valley for overhead line tests and gauging checks on April 7.  The set is seen at Rugeley Town with train 2T95 16.45 Birmingham New Street-Rugeley Trent Valley.  Electric service will begin on

GB RAILFREIGHT Class 50 duo Nos. 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance are booked to head north to Carlisle on August 26.  This follows the success of their recent outing to Cornwall. Recalling the days of Class 50s and blue/grey stock on the northern part of the West Coast Main Line, No. 50007

NO FEWER than four rarely visited freight installations in Yorkshire will be explored by the Branch Line Society (BLS) on July 20.  The ‘Luca Pezzulo Express’ is operated by West Coast Railways, and powered in top-and-tail formation by WCRC and Colas Rail Class 37s. March 24 saw a rare outing

UK: Rail Industry Association Chief Executive Darren Caplan sees good opportunities for UK firms in both the home and export markets, despite a period of uncertainty. Speaking to Railway Gazette at the Railtex exhibition in Birmingham on May 15, Caplan stressed that the record £48bn settlement for Network Rail’s Control

 THAILAND: Proposals to develop a fast passenger line between three airports in the south of the country under a PPP model were approved by the government on May 28.Covering a total distance of approximately 220 km, the 1 435 mm gauge railway would make use of the existing airport rail link between

TWO city mayors have called on the Department for Transport to scrap its contract with Arriva to run Northern, a year since the timetable changes of May 2018 were followed by major disruption.Northern said many of its problems were due to late-running electrification work by Network Rail, while it was

The mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool have called for Northern Rail to be stripped of its franchise, accusing it of “consistently failing”. Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham said Transport Secretary Chris Grayling should terminate the franchise as soon as possible. In a joint statement, they said Northern had “consistently

SIEMENS: Speaking to Railway Gazette at the Railtex show in Birmingham on May 15, Siemens Mobility’s Director of Control Systems Mike Lewis said that he expects the company to start commissioning its dynamic route setting system at its Derby site next month. This would be followed by the plan/re-plan traffic

THE Bombardier works in Derby has won its first foreign order for almost a decade.The company has been named as preferred bidder to supply the trains for two new monorail lines in Egypt. The lines will connect East Cairo with the New Administrative City and Sixth of October City with Gaza, The