£2.4m Station Improvements Completed Ashford International was today officially unveiled by Damian Green, MP for Ashford, to the public following a six month refurbishment project to create a better station environment for passengers. The refurbishment cost £2.4 million, with £1.2 million provided by the National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP) and a further £1.2 million given by Ashford’s Future from central government...

Welcoming the Government’s announcement on High Speed Rail, Jeremy Candfield, Director General of the Railway Industry Association, said: “The Government’s decision to consult on detailed proposals for HS2 is very welcome. So  too, however, is the commitment to work with industry to ensure that firms in the UK have the skills and capability to compete successfully for contracts and to offer...

Work is progressing well on two Network Rail schemes at Preston station worth over £1m that will make the station much more pleasant for passengers using the lifts and subways. The station has two subways. One is linked to the platforms by ramps; the other is served by lifts. Both subways are being completely refurbished as part of the Department for Transport's...

HSR\\UK, a campaign coalition of Britain’s 11 leading cities has said the publication today of the HS2 Report and the Government’s High Speed Rail Command Paper was a welcome start to developing a high speed rail (HSR) network in the country. The cross-party campaign, which is building political and community support for a high speed rail network across Britain welcomed the...

RAIL UNION RMT confirmed today that members on Network Rail maintenance have voted by 77% for strike action and by 89% for action short of a strike over plans by the company to axe up to 1500 safety-critical jobs and to rip up national agreements on working practices. The RMT executive will now discuss the next steps in the dispute at...

Network Rail yesterday reiterated its support for high-speed rail as the government published its command paper. Chief executive, Iain Coucher said: "There is now a broad political consensus that Britain must have a high-speed rail future. High-speed is a vital part of a modern, dynamic economy. By slashing journey times, high-speed rail can drive economic growth and boost jobs. It would...

Ahead of the expected publication of the government’s paper on high speed rail today (Thursday 11th March), Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said that passenger rail operators were looking forward to its publication. He said: “The commitment that all three parties have shown to high speed rail is a vote of confidence in the industry,...

British Transport Police has been working alongside Network Rail to tackle level crossing misuse. Over the last four months BTP has run initiatives across Britain as part of Operation Galley.  Dozens of motorists have been warned, given fixed penalties or prosecuted and local publicity has meant that many others have been made aware of the importance of not misusing crossings. Welcoming today’s...

Network Rail chief executive Iain Coucher has today called on the government to do more to curb unsafe driving by motorists at level crossings, which puts thousands of lives at risk every year. Network Rail wants the driving theory test to include compulsory questions on level crossings to enforce learner drivers’ understanding of the Highway Code and stamp out crazy driving...

Scotland’s biggest new railway project in half a century began making tracks today (Monday 8 March), with the installation of the first length of rail completed on the new 15-mile Airdrie and Bathgate link by Network Rail director, Scotland, Ron McAulay along with MSPs Fiona Hyslop, Karen Whitefield and Mary Mulligan. The tracks, laid just to the west of Bathgate station,...