Monday, 18 November 2024 saw the official introduction of the Class 756 with Transport for Wales, following their first revenue earning outing on 15 November. Transport for Wales ordered 24 of these new tri-mode multiple units and plans for 14 to be in service by Spring 2025. Being tri-modal means
The Class 221 Super Voyager is a diesel-electric multiple unit (DEMU). It is operated primarily by Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry, but Grand Central has also leased two units for its services between London and Bradford. The Super Voyagers were constructed by Bombardier Transportation between 2001 and 2002, and the
CrossCountry introduces a new seven-hour-long service between Edinburgh and Cardiff. Plus, Avanti West Coast launches its Class 807 fleet, Eurostar celebrates its 30th anniversary, and ETCS is fully operational between Moorgate and Finsbury Park
Avanti West Coast have officially introduced their Class 807 electric multiple units (EMUs) into passenger service between Liverpool and London, with train 807001 departing Liverpool Lime Street station today at 9:01 am. The Class 807 is the second, electric-operation-only member of Avanti's 'Evero' family of
Plus, the Rail Accident and Investigation Branch share their preliminary examination findings of the Powys collision, and a Northern train conductor saves a passenger's life
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
Meanwhile, signalling on the East Coast Main Line gets an upgrade, GWR unveils a special Paddington-themed livery, and new electrification projects are confirmed
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
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
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
The fare cap for bus travel in England will increase by 50% from £2 to £3, starting January 2025. The news was confirmed by Starmer at an event in Birmingham today (Monday, 28 October 2024), ahead of his Government's Autumn Budget on Wednesday. This is the first increase
Eurostar has reintroduced their 'Snap' ticketing scheme, which offers passengers up to a 50% discount on their international travels. The catch? Flexibility is a must — you'll only find out which train you're on 48 hours before departure. The high-speed rail operator hopes to fill
Simulation
For returning players, the upgrade is merely incremental, but with solid simulation fundamentals and one of the best route line-ups in the series, Train Sim World 5 is an excellent entry point for new players.
News
Members of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), known otherwise as the trade union representing train drivers, have accepted a pay proposal from the Department for Transport. After Labour returned to Government in July 2024, ASLEF's negotiating team had their first formal meeting with the
Simulation
From today, players who pre-ordered the deluxe or special editions of Train Sim World 5 will be able to get started with early access. Effectively, it offers a five days' head start with the game compared to standard edition owners. TSW5's full release is scheduled for 17
News
A closer look at train fares with a Railcard discount for 14 and 15 September 2024 reveals a subtle but important change. On Saturday, they're one price, but on Sunday they're another price — slightly more expensive, in fact. And no, this is not to do with
News
Twenty months after first taking to the rails between Brussels and Berlin, European Sleeper have announced a new night train service to add to their portfolio from 2025. The new route — Brussels to Venice, via the Alps — will take passengers from the North Sea to the Mediterranean, stopping at a
Simulation
Train Sim World developer Dovetail Games yesterday announced the fifth instalment of their train simulation series, with routes, locomotives, and a new conductor mode, amongst other minor changes. The game is now available for pre-order, and will release on PC (Epic Games, Steam, Xbox App), PlayStation (PS4, PS5), and Xbox
News
Island Line, which operates services between Ryde Pier Head and Shanklin stations on the Isle of Wight, is set to undergo a series of closures for vital maintenance in the latter half of this year and into spring 2025. The work will take place in two stages. The whole line
Network Rail
If you're interested in the railways across the UK, there's a good chance you'll have heard of the term AWS before. AWS stands for Automatic Warning System, and it is a train safety system used to indicate the status of the next signal using
News
Yesterday (2 June 2024), new timetables were rolled out across the network by train operating companies. For Avanti West Coast, this also meant the introduction of their new class 805 'Evero' bi-mode multiple units (BMUs). These train sets will be replacing the ageing class 221 'Super Voyagers&
Features
Published author John Barden Davies takes us on a journey across North Wales, with an account of the grand 'Land Cruise' that was operated by British Railways between 1951 and 1961.
News
In 2021, Avanti West Coast (the train operating company running intercity services along the West Coast Main Line) took a new approach to train tickets, introducing a new tier between standard and first class: standard premium. Fast-forward back to 2024, that was three years ago, and over 2.5 million
News
On Saturday 13 April, (and through the night) Network Rail engineers installed lifts and a new footbridge at Dumfries railway station in the south of Scotland. This followed the removal of the old footbridge on 16 December 2023. The work is part of a £3.6 million investment in the
