This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.
Siemens Mobility has donated a former Heathrow Express Class 332 EMU car to Humberside Fire & Rescue Service, which will use it for major incidents and civil emergency training in Immingham.
Rail Business UK understands that the DfT target date for nationalisation of GWR is November 2026; the core term of the contract expired on June 22 2025, and the full term expires on June 25 2028.
Quattro Plant supported the installation of a heritage footbridge at Ravenglass on the Cumbrian Coast Line. The works involved the use of our Neotec 400 RR MEWP and the Doosan 270 Long Reach Monster Crane.
Network Rail is conducting preliminary market engagement seeking organisations are able to provide a national undertaking service for dealing with fatalities on the railway. The supplier would provide a round-the-clock rapid response, arriving within a 2 h to collect the deceased from an agreed position of safety (not trackside), and care for and deliver the deceased and their personal effects which are not retained by the police to the mortuary, recognising the requirement of a police escort.
Unipart has officially opened its Trax Park facility in Doncaster which will support component supply chains in multiple sectors, with ‘a crucial role’ in the rail industry.
South Gloucestershire Council’s Strategic Sites Delivery Committee has granted planning approval for the proposed Henbury station, which is expected to be funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority with contributions from South Gloucestershire Council and Bristol City Council.
The Office of Rail & Road has authorised the new Beaulieu Park station on the Great Eastern Main Line north of Chelmsford, clearing the way for it to open to passengers on October 26.
Govia Thameslink Railway has launched its Social Impact Report for January 2024 to March 2025, detailing GTR’s impact across five focus areas: cohesive communities, education and employability, diversity and inclusion, environmental sustainability, and positive mental health. Plans for 2025-26 include commitments to scale up environmental sustainability projects, expand career returner programmes and strengthen partnerships with communities.
Chiltern Railways is to directly award original supplier Flowbird a £3·5m contract to maintain 80 ticket vending machines for six years with an option for a further two years.
