UK urban rail industry news
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Rail Business UKDocklands Light Railway escalators delivered to site by rail
UK: Quattro Plant has transported replacement escalators to the Docklands Light Railway’s Cutty Sark station using a Doosan Ultimate 250 road-rail vehicle.
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Rail Business UKPersonnel protection system installed at Glasgow Subway depot
UK: A Zonegreen Depot Personnel Protection System has been installed on five tracks at the Glasgow Subway’s Broomloan maintenance facility as part of a wider upgrade undertaken by Story Contracting.
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Rail Business UKFirstGroup wins next London Overground operating contract
UK: Transport for London has selected FirstGroup for the next concession to operate London Overground inner-suburban passenger services.
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Rail Business UKLeamside Line reopening studies commissioned
UK: Infrastructure consultancy Aecom has been appointed to undertake studies for the proposed reopening of the Leamside Line, including identifying opportunities to increase jobs and housing along the corridor.
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Rail Business UKHeywood and Denton on the map as Manchester’s tram-train ambitions inch forward
UK: Transport for Greater Manchester is working with Stockport Council to develop a business case to bring trams from East Didsbury to Stockport.
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Rail Business UKDocklands Light Railway extension funding arrangements still to be finalised
UK: Negotiations between the Greater London Authority, Transport for London and the government are to be held over the next three months to finalise the funding arrangements for the planned Thamesmead extension of the Docklands Light Railway.
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NewsNew Docklands Light Railway trains temporarily withdrawn from service over braking issue
UK: The CAF automated light metro trainsets which recently entered service on the Docklands Light Railway have been temporarily withdrawn from traffic as a precautionary measure following what Transport for London described as ‘an issue with braking performance during wet weather on one train’.
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Rail Business UKModelling seeks to optimise energy use on Manchester Metrolink’s Bury line
UK: Manchester light rail operator Keolis Amey Metrolink has worked with University of Birmingham spin-out EneRail to optimise energy consumption on the section of the network linking Manchester Victoria with Bury Interchange.
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Rail Business UKDocklands Light Railway’s first CAF trainset enters service
UK: The first of the 54 Class B23 trainsets which CAF is supplying for the Docklands Light Railway has entered passenger service on the automated light metro in east London.
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NewsSouth Yorkshire seeks the ‘best of the industry’ to inform Supertram fleet replacement
UK: South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority has launched an early market engagement exercise to inform its plans for the future procurement of 25 trams to replace the original Sheffield Supertram fleet.
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Rail Business UKLondon Trams to trial VibeSafe alert system
UK: London Trams is to trial technology which uses track vibrations to alert pedestrians when trams are approaching crossings.
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Rail Business UKBee Network pipeline confirms Manchester’s tram-train and underground rail ambitions
UK: Transport for Greater Manchester has approved £6m to develop plans for significant expansion of the Metrolink network, including new tram-train services and potential underground routes in the city centre.
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Metro Report InternationalEdinburgh council launches consultation on tramway expansion plans
UK: City of Edinburgh Council has begun public consultation on plans to expand the tram network, seeking views on two proposed routes from Granton in the north to the BioQuarter and Royal Infirmary in the south.
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Metro Report InternationalTfGM seeks supplier feedback on light rail asset renewal plan
UK: Transport for Greater Manchester has begun the procurement process for a multi-year light rail asset renewals contract worth up to £1·6bn.
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Metro Report InternationalTransport for London taps into start-ups’ emerging technologies
UK: Transport for London has appointed Plexal as Innovation Operation Supplier under a multi-year partnership which aims to equip its innovation team with insights and resources to drive the development and adoption of new technologies from start-ups.
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Metro Report InternationalCroydon tram bogie and brake overhaul contract awarded
UK: Yellow Rail has been awarded a contract to undertake a turnkey overhaul of the bogies and brake systems on London Trams’ 12 Stadler Variotram vehicles.
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Metro Report International‘Technically challenging’ London Underground signalling upgrade completed
UK: Hitachi Rail has completed what it says is ‘the most technically challenging milestone to date’ under Transport for London’s ongoing Four Lines Modernisation project to upgrade the signalling on London Underground’s Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines.
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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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Metro Report InternationalRIDDOR access incorporated into light rail safety reporting system
UK: The processes for statutory incident reporting in the light rail sector are to be streamlined into a single access point.
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Metro Report InternationalLondon Underground’s new Piccadilly Line trains delayed until 2026
UK: The air-conditioned trains which Siemens Mobility is supplying for London Underground’s Piccadilly Line are now expected to enter service from the second half of 2026, Transport for London has confirmed.