It seems Her Majesties Government has had enough of Northern by Arriva and has chosen to strip the operator of its railway franchise - thus nationalising the operator. Northern Railways Pacer at Manchester Airport - Image, Economy Class and Beyond The move comes after Northern Rail was fiscally unstable to the point where it could only operate sustainably for a "few … [Read more...]

It wouldn't be Christmas without some rail engineering works affecting Heathrow Airport - with engineering works affecting access to the airport by rail over the Christmas period. Heathrow Express train at London Heathrow Terminal 5 station - Image, Economy Class and Beyond There will be no Heathrow Express/TfL Rail services between London Paddington and Heathrow … [Read more...]

It seems the Hitachi order book continues to fill up with Avanti West Coast (the new franchise holder of the West Coast Main Line route) ordering new trains from them The order covers 23 new trains - or 135 carriages if you work to that metric. Avanti West Coast new Hitachi trains - Image, Hitachi Rail It covers 10 seven-carriage units and 13 five-carriage bi-modal units. … [Read more...]

On Sunday, Avanti West Coast will take over the West Coast Main Line route between London Euston to Glasgow (and Intercity points in-between). Here is a quick Q and A of the information and changes we know will happen on Sunday/Monday onwards. Wait. Virgin Trains won't be a thing? After 22 years in the industry, Virgin Trains West Coast (own by Virgin Group and … [Read more...]

EDITORS NOTE: I've published an FAQ into some of the changes here In around 10 days time, Virgin Trains (West Coast Railway)who have operated the West Coast Rail Franchise for 22 years will be no more. Enter Avanti West Coast. Avanti West Coast is the result of the FirstGroup and Trenitalia partnership which won the recent franchising round. Initially, Avanti … [Read more...]

Lufthansa is expanding its Air-Rail connectivity through it’s Express Rail Brand, adding through rail ticketing and protection if something goes amiss. ICE Trains at Frankfurt Haptbhanhof - Image, Economy Class and Beyond. Frankfurt Airport will gain connections to Aachen, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Stuttgart and Ulm. This is in addition to Dortmund, … [Read more...]

If you're planning to take either Heathrow Express or TfL Rail (ex Heathrow Connect) services between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport this Saturday, you might have to make new plans - as the line between Hayes and Harlington and Heathrow Airport will be closed on Saturday 19th October. As such: Heathrow Express services will be suspended completely TfL … [Read more...]

One of the odditities of train travel in the UK are return rail fares. A perfect example of this is one of the routes I use - London Marylebone to Brimingham. If I brought a single ticket - it would cost £31.30. However, if I brought a return ticket, it costs a £31.40 - a grand total of 10p extra. 10p extra for a return ticket is a bargain. Not … [Read more...]

It's coming up to the Bank Holiday Weekend in England and Wales. And that's the "go" signal for engineering works on the UK Rail network. Network Rail continues to insist that the railways are quieter than normal during bank holidays - and the perfect time to conduct engineering work. Here are some of the big things that will hit you over the Bank Holiday … [Read more...]