This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.
The Severn Valley Railway made heritage Class 50 locomotive 50049 ‘Defiance’ available to Network Rail to help clear snow and debris from Storm Garetti from lines in the West Midlands on the night of on January 8. ’Some of our heritage diesels still have clearance to operate on the main line’, said SVR managing director Gus Dunster. ‘The Class 50 Alliance-owned 50049 was an ideal candidate for the task, and thanks to a very quick response from their volunteers to get the locomotive ready, it was out on the main line by 23.00, under the control of a crew from operators Hanson & Hall. The SVR has a full-on partnership and collaboration agreement with Network Rail, and this is a classic example of that partnership agreement working actively.’
Aglaja Schneider became Joint CEO & Managing Director for Rolling Stock & Customer Services for Siemens Mobility in the UK & Ireland on January 1 2026, succeeding Sambit Banerjee who has retired. She was the company’s Project Director for the Piccadilly Line and Head of the London Deep Tube Upgrade Programme. Siemens Mobility CEO & Managing Director Michael Peter said ‘Aglaja’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the UK and Irish rail industries, as we look to deliver Britain’s first battery bi-mode trains from Goole, digitalise signalling from Chippenham, and train the next generation of rail engineers in Northampton. The UK and Ireland are amongst our key markets.’
Tees Valley Combined Authority has directly awarded Network Rail a £390 512 contract for early contractor involvement and design works at South Bank station.
Resonate Group has appointed Gurvir Henderson as Head of Propositions & Bids. She brings more than two decades of experience from PA Consulting, Network Rail and London Underground, where she headed technology and digital transformation initiatives ranging from mobile app development to digital twins.
Following nine months of planning, TransPennine Express is introducing its own dedicated Police Community Support Officers in partnership with British Transport Police. The eight PCSOs based in Hull, York, Manchester, Preston and Sheffield will provide a visible and approachable presence on trains and at stations, supporting staff in managing low-level incidents, providing high-visibility patrols and acting as a direct link to BTP.
On January 14 DfT announced that plans had now been approved to lengthen platforms to add more capacity at Manchester Airport station to accommodate longer and more frequent trains, backed by £115m of funding.
Mosdorfer Rail supplied its Tensorex C+ automatic tensioning system fo installation by Keltbray Infrastructure Services at an overhead line training facility which forms part of the Rail School of Excellence located within Highpoint Prison. The first facility is the first of its kind in the UK prison system aims to equip offenders with industry-recognised technical qualifications, significantly enhancing their employability upon release and reducing rates of re-offending. Although based at Highpoint in Suffolk, this facility will serve as a national hub with prisoners from across the country being transferred to participate in the programme.
