#west-midlands-trains

#west-midlands-trains

Aurora Utilities has announced the energisation of a further set of Stagecoach bus depots as part of the operator's ongoing fleet electrification programme, extending the partnership across multiple regions and adding new capacity for zero-emission operations.

The study concludes that the rail link could deliver strong economic returns under both two-runway and three-runway expansion scenarios at Heathrow Airport, indicating its potential impact on regional connectivity.

If the trial is successful, the plan will save 20m a year in lost revenue, while preventing confused passengers from being prosecuted for fare evasion, the Department for Transport says. A separate scheme will also make it easier for passengers who buy their tickets from third-party retailers such as Trainline to claim compensation for late or cancelled services under the Delay Repay scheme.

The framework covers vehicles powered by hydrogen, battery-electric and diesel technologies, as well as different bus formats including single-deck, double-deck, articulated and 6×2 models. Framework agreements are designed to streamline procurement processes by allowing public buyers to purchase vehicles without conducting a full open tender.

Sit down with Hannah Bowler and the Story Catchers and Network Rail team where they discuss their wins at The Drum Awards for Marketing EMEA for their 'You vs Train' campaign. Hear about the success of the campaign, how changing behavior was its ultimate goal, and how they reached difficult target audiences.

Take these gates at Polegate station. They are equipped with a barcode reader, a place to tap a card, and even a slot for inserting a ticket. However, it all appears to have come to naught, and the gates opened wide. Windows is slumped in the corner like someone on the last train home after a night out that involved drinking too much booze.

LNER has unveiled the name and interior design of a new fleet of long-distance trains, which will be the first to carry the new Great British Railways branding when it launches in a few years time. LNER says demand on its East Coast Mainline route has continued to grow since the pandemic, with more than 24 million passengers travelling in 2024-25.

Whether you're coordinating a corporate conference at the ICC, organising a school trip to Cadbury World, planning wedding guest transport, or arranging a sporting event visit to Villa Park or St Andrew's, the logistics of moving groups through Birmingham's busy streets can quickly become overwhelming. The solution lies in selecting professional coach services that understand the city's geography, traffic patterns, and venue requirements.

Three of London's mainline terminus stations have announced more dates for the Railway 200 themed heritage tours that they were running last year. The tours will run once a month from January to March next year at London Bridge, Victoria, and Waterloo stations and will be led by Network Rail and historian-author Rachel Kolksy. They will last around two hours and involve walking around each station and the surrounding areas. The tours will cost £25 per person and dates are below. London Bridge station Tickets

The UK government has not said when the money will be made available or over what period. It had already announced 445m for rail projects in Wales at last June's spending review, and has now explained that money will go towards building each of the seven stations. Initial work on five of the south east stations will begin later this year, with construction on two of them beginning in 2029. While no timescales have been announced, it is expected that Magor and Undy will be the first station to be completed.

The new trains are the first of a fleet of 94 new trains being built in Yorkshire at the moment, and will eventually replace the Piccadilly line's existing 50-year old rolling stock. However, before passengers can ride the new trains, they need hundreds of hours of testing and assurance that they will work as expected. And testing has been underway ever since the first train arrived in London last year.

Official evaluations from National Highways, some of which had been held back by the Department for Transport (DfT) since completion in 2023, showed that a slew of big projects to convert the hard shoulder on the M1, M4, M6 and M25 were rated as poor or very poor value. The AA said the long-awaited reports revealed smart motorways had been a catastrophic waste of time, money and effort, although the government said they showed the project could allow more vehicles to travel safely.