This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.
GB Railfreight has operated the first Belmond Britannic Explorer luxury cruise train service, which ran to Cornwall.
Southeastern has adopted Sonder’s platform to provide its workforce with 24/7 access to physical, mental health and safety support, purpose-built to specifically address the needs of shift-based and frontline workers. The operator said its previous employee assistance programme had limited engagement and wasn’t fully aligned with the needs of a diverse and shift-based workforce.
TransPennine Express has appointed Fiona Roberts as Finance Director.
Network Rail has issued a pipeline notice giving advance notification of plans to establish a national framework for the fitment of equipment to locomotives to support ETCS Level 2. The estimated date of publication of the tender notice is June 30 2026, and the framework would run for 15½ years from June 2028.
HS2 contractor EKFB is to host its third annual schools’ event in Buckinghamshire, welcoming up to 2 000 pupils to its construction site near Bicester from September 16-20. There will be 25 exhibits hosted by HS2’s supply chain partners, including Flannery, GAP and Ferrovial Construction, with experts from a range of job roles, including geology and safety, on hand to speak about careers and pathways into construction.
Southeastern is working with local charity Refocus to support low-income families in Dartford and Gravesend with on-the-job training, mentoring and holiday clubs. The project is backed by a £49 930 grant from the operator’s Customer & Community Improvement.
Transport for Wales and InPost have installed parcel lockers at seven stations in South Wales. ‘Our partnership with InPost is just another way we’re harnessing our network to continually improve our customer offering, enticing potential customers onto our network’, said TfW Chief Commercial Officer Alexia Course.
Network Rail has confirmed that all services operated by Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink and CrossCountry will call at Cambridge South station when it opens in early 2026. The station is forecast to serve around 1·8 million passengers/year.
The Purpose Coalition has launched a Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity Impact Report, outlining how Northern is creating jobs, building skills, and improving access to travel and opportunity.
Thameslink managers worked with Autism Bedfordshire to help young adults from Luton and Bedford travel independently. This included a tour of the two stations, explaining how to find the right train, buy tickets and seek advice from staff. They also discussed safety on the platform and how to text the transport police. ‘A big part of what we do with our 18-25-year-olds is travel training to help with their transition to adulthood’, said Autism Bedfordshire leader Angela Amitrano. ‘Some struggle with communication and being in a busy area such as a station where it is very noisy can be quite a stressful experience. This was about helping them gain confidence.’