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Southern have announced a reduced Arun Valley service due to having to impose a speed restriction between Horsham and Arundel due to track issues. The fast portion Horsham to Porstmouth Harbour is withdrawn with the train running as the stopping service only to Bognor. They will also run the...

Services been at a stand for nearly three hours Liverpool St - Ilford due to a lineside fire in the triangle of Stratford Central Jcn / Carpenters Rd Jcn / Carpenters Rd Sth Jcn. The isolation is affecting the North London Lines as well Elizabeth Line so disruption widespread across East London...

The launch of the Defence Investment Plan today has a useful explainer about where the money is coming from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-defence-investment-plan/the-defence-investment-plan-funding-explainer The DfT is being asked to provide additional funding from its...

Whilst there are many issues arising from hot weather one system wide one is that blanket speed restrictions get imposed to reduce the risk of track buckles. Currently track is stressed at a stress free temperature (SFT) of 27 deg C which gives it latitude for a working rail temperature upto 50...

Todays Kings Speech has two areas of interest for us https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a04533f2a6137e93226bae8/The_King_s_Speech_2026_-_background_briefing_notes.pdf Firstly is the trailed Crewe-Manchester nill now to be known as the Northern Powerhouse Rail Bill which will Dont...

BBC have a report that Leeds tram network is being subjected to more government review and will now be delayed until late 2030's https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78vrzpzle2o Seems a perfectly sensible approach to have taken given the wide political support for this scheme but yet again...

Dft has appointed Alex Hynes as the new CEO of DfTO which is a good move to bring an experienced operator into the role. Hopefully they will also now remove Alex's role from the DfT so we start to see the balance swinging from DfT to GBR...

The Guardian has a piece this morning on the move of DfT civil servants to be to state-owned rail operator Directly Operated Railways https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jul/27/hundreds-of-dft-civil-servants-to-be-moved-to-state-owned-rail-operator This would seem to be perpetuating the...

Hidden amongst the DfTs 2024-25 annual report and accounts of 386 pages in note 27 is the payments made to TOC across this financial year. I've translated these into the table below. The report provides no interpretation of the data and its difficult to reconcile some of the operator...

South Eastern are implementing some alterations to their time table on certain to allow daytime inspections https://newsroom.southeasternrailway.co.uk/news/daytime-inspections-for-improved-maintenance They are planning reductions in daytime frequencies on the following routes on weekdays on a...

Moderator note - split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/mml-electrification-progress-updates.110445/ Your not going to see any white smoke here until we have the spending review next month but after Heidi Alexanders appearance at the Transport Select Committee im feeling nervous that...

mods note - split from this thread https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/%C2%A311-5m-track-upgrade-will-mean-three-week-closure-for-rail-line-north-of-dingwall.283885/unread You do have to wonder whether in these straightened times whether lines like this should be shut to release support for...

Its reported in City AM that Bernadette Kelly is stepping down as permanent secretary at the DfT. Says shes retiring but its good timing given the big reset that GBR creates to get a new broom in to drive that change forward in accordance with govt policy...

Observer running a piece in advance of Heidi Alexander doing a big speech tomorrow reporting that she will say Doesn't explain how they will do this other than saying they will have to take on the unions and quote Mick Lynch saying The best bit was this At least its setting out a vision for...

Its being reported in Railfreight.com that the intermodal arm is being looked over by potential acquirers https://www.railfreight.com/intermodal/2025/01/16/uk-freightliner-intermodal-for-sale/ A sale isn't yet on the blocks but by disclosing it to staff suggest they are prepared to sell it...

DfT released data for their financial support to English operators for 2023/24 and all years since covid So despite all the criticism levelled at Avanti they actually make a tidy contribution to DfT (technically the Treasury) unlike the DfT operated LNER who still need a subsidy. East Anglia...

DfT have finally released the latest update to project progress as well as on overview of what Labour are now doing to bring the project under control. https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/hs2-6-monthly-report-to-parliament-december-2024 Saying opening still 2029-2033 range so still can't...

The chancellors speech did mention rail but it was largely a reheat of existing announcements telling us about TRU, Bolton-Wigan electrification and East West Rail although confirmed that getting to Cambridge still the goal but in short term through working to Bedford by 2030 is stated which is...

ORR has raised concerns about deteriorating performance across Eastern Region in a letter to NR citing So pointing the figure at infrastructure issues and then further says Then request rather politely that NR update its performance improvement plan. You would expect by now surely that NR...

Independent are running this as their front page tomorrow Revealed: The 36 rail projects at risk of being scrapped to plug Labour’s £22bn black hole Main casualty potentially is Portishead but its all largely the reopening your railway projects which she had already kicked into the long grass...