UK railway electrification news
News about UK railway electrification plans, projects, technology and suppliers.
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Rail Business UKMuch-delayed Class 810 fleet enters service on the Midland Main Line
UK: After a heavily delayed production process, the first of 33 Hitachi Rail Class 810 bi-mode trains has entered service with East Midlands Railway. Tony Miles reports from Derby.
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Rail Business UKScottish government scales back electrification ambition to focus on fleet renewal
UK: The Scottish government has issued a revised rail decarbonisation plan that shifts the focus away from electrification to emphasise a reduction of rolling stock emissions.
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Rail Business UKMidland Main Line electrification to the north ‘not affordable’
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander says the government’s approach to rail investment ‘will be guided by securing value for taxpayers’ by ‘only supporting projects that are fully costed and affordable’.
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Rail Business UKChiltern Railways unveils MkVa push-pull trainset and looks to battery power
UK: Chiltern Railways has unveiled the first of its future MkVa push-pull trainsets as it prepares to bring them into service between London Marylebone and Birmingham in early 2026.
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Rail Business UKElectric trains now running daily on the Coryton and Penarth lines
UK: Services on Transport for Wales Rail’s Coryton and Penarth lines are now being worked by Stadler Class 756 tri-mode electric-diesel-battery multiple-units following the completion of work to install discontinuous electrification on the routes.
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Rail Business UKBattery train sets 320 km distance record as GWR explores alternatives to diesel traction
UK: Great Western Railway has set a world record for the furthest distance travelled by a battery-electric train on a single charge. The operator said this demonstrates the capability of battery trains as it looks to replace its ageing diesel fleets.
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Rail Business UKElectrification pause shows a lack of whole system thinking, rail industry groups say
UK: Rail industry groups have expressed disappointment at the decision to pause the Midland Main Line electrification programme.
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Rail Business UKNext stage of Midland Main Line electrification ‘paused’
UK: The next phase of electrification of the Midland Main Line has been ‘paused’, the government has announced.
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Rail Business UKMixed news for rail as government backs transport infrastucture projects
UK: The government has confirmed funding for a series of rail and projects following the Spending Review, but some major schemes have been paused.
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Metro Report InternationalSolar plant to power London Underground trains
UK: Transport for London has awarded EDF Renewables UK a 15-year power purchase agreement to provide solar energy to cover part of the London Underground’s electricity needs.
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Rail Business UKElectrification, local branding and through trains in ambitious Network North Wales vision
UK: The Welsh goverment has announced a multi-year vision to create a Network North Wales integrated public transport system with frequent rail services at its heart. This would include ‘metro style’ train services and a through service between Wrexham and Liverpool.
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Metro Report InternationalLondon Underground electrical upgrade works begin
UK: UK Power Networks Services has begun work on a £24m project to upgrade sections of London Underground’s high voltage power network to support the introduction of Siemens Mobility trains on the Piccadilly Line.
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Rail Business UKVoltage controlled clearance technology used on Midland Main Line
UK: Voltage controlled clearance technology has been used to avoid the need to rebuild seven bridges and four signal gantries on the 37 km Kettering to Wigston section of the Midland Main Line 25 kV 50 Hz electrification project. The electrification has now been approved for ...
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Rail Business UKGuidance on traction power changeover locations updated
UK: The Rail Safety & Standards Board has updated industry standards and the Rule Book to include requirements and guidance for locations where multi-mode trains switch between external electric power and internal sources such as diesel or battery.
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Rail Business UKSignalling and electrical control training hub opens
UK: Network Rail has opened what it says is its only facility able to offer training for all types of signalling as well as electrical control room operations.
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Rail Business UKElectrification underway at Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre
UK: Work is now underway to install 3·5 km of 25 kV 50 Hz electrified track at rolling stock leasing and management company Porterbrook’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre. The test loop will enable electric trains to be tested at up to 75 km/h. There will ...
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Rail Business UKEgis acquires Derby-based rail electrification business
UK: Egis has acquired railway electrification design and engineering consultancy Overhead Line Engineering Ltd, saying the Derby-based company’s deep technical knowledge and hands-on experience ‘in an industry where specialist expertise is scarce’ would be a valuable addition to the group. Egis said OLE has successfully delivered ...
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Rail Business UKCost-Reducing Dynamic Electrification System demonstrated
UK: A section of remotely movable 25 kV 50 Hz overhead that can be adjusted to test proposed electrification designs before installation has been demonstrated at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence site in South Wales.
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Rail Business UKScottish diesel operations to continue to 2045
UK: The deadline for removing diesel powered passenger trains from the Scottish rail network has been put back from 2035 to 2045. The Scottish government is undertaking an update of the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan which it published in July 2020 in collaboration with Network ...
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Rail Business UKSwiss rail electrification firm opens Nottingham hub to help ‘ditch dirty diesel’
UK: Swiss electrification firm Furrer+Frey has chosen Nottingham as the base for its expanding UK operations, saying it will bring highly skilled engineering jobs to the East Midlands. The office, warehousing and assembly hub in Beeston joins the family-owned company’s global sites including Bern, Berlin, Essen, ...
