This Week on the Railway

Overcrowding, strikes, and rising costs of travelling

Meanwhile, signalling on the East Coast Main Line gets an upgrade, GWR unveils a special Paddington-themed livery, and new electrification projects are confirmed

Sebastien Jensen

Nov 3, 2024 — 3 min read

A look back at the 44th week of 2024 on the railway. Photo: To The Trains

Today marks the end of another week, but the start of a new newsletter from To The Trains — This Week on the Railway — exclusively for Inside Track subscribers.

There's a good chance the format will be adjusted over the coming weeks, but the basic premise will remain largely unchanged. The goal is to provide you with a rapid-fire snapshot of what's happened on Britain's railways over the past week.

Shall we begin?

Three passengers carrying tote bags board a Southeastern train with a navy and sky blue livery.

Southeastern announces station improvement programme

Southeastern has announced a sweeping, £2 million station improvement and deep clean programme involving over 100 of their stations. The work is due to take place over a six month period, starting now and wrapping up no later than March 2025. The planned improvements are fairly minor, with public areas

Three LNER Azuma trains in their white and red liveries wait at adjacent platforms at King's Cross station in London.

Regulated rail fares to increase by 4.6% in March 2025

Something kept quiet in the Autumn 2024 Budget statement was regulated rail fares, but it has since been confirmed that they will rise across England by up to 4.6%, starting 2 March 2025. This marks a return to the Department for Transport's formula of retail prices index

A long exposure photo of the Palace of Westminster's exterior. Streaks of vehicles' lights illuminate Westminster Bridge.

What was said about transport in the Autumn 2024 Budget?

Today (30 October 2024), Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer, set out her Autumn 2024 Budget. It is the first time in over 14 years that a Labour budget has been presented to Parliament. Among a lot of talk on tax and spending was a short segment dedicated to transport

London Euston exterior: a wide, black building with shops along the front, passengers watching the departure board.

Early boarding introduced at London Euston

Passengers departing from London Euston will now be able to board their trains sooner, in hopes of reducing instances of the so-called 'Euston rush'. The move is one in a series of interventions to tackle overcrowding at the London terminus after concerns were raised by London TravelWatch. Earlier

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Southeastern announces station improvement programme

Regulated rail fares to increase by 4.6% in March 2025

What was said about transport in the Autumn 2024 Budget?

Early boarding introduced at London Euston