A programme to upgrade the entire UK East Coast Main Line is reaching deep into the southern terminus of the line. Rail freight is playing a significant part in the project. It will also be …
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Heathrow passenger trains converted for fast logistics (RailFreight)
Specialist carrier Rail Operations Group has moved much closer to the launch of its Orion-branded fast freight operation. What used to be called parcels, and is now better described as light logistics, needs a fleet …
Continue readingIconic Ribblehead Viaduct repaired for vital freight route (RailFreight)
An icon of the British landscape is under repair. Ribblehead Viaduct, in a remote part of North West England, is the subject of 2.1 million pound repair programme (2.5 million euro), to ensure the smooth …
Continue readingApril launch for Orion light goods fast freight (RailFreight)
Rail Operations (UK) have revealed their latest ambitions for a Britain-wide, high-speed light goods service. Of all the current plans and existing operations, RO (UK) has the most extensive intentions. The specialist freight and rail …
Continue readingFriday Reads – 29 January 2021
• Eurostar bailout & the effects on Channel Tunnel freight (RailTech) • All the (UK) Funiculars (JosephBrennan) • Travel restrictions one of most effective pandemic responses – if they’re strict (NYTimes) • President Biden will …
Continue readingRail Operations Group orders 30 Class 93 tri-mode locos (RailEngineer)
Rail Operations (UK) Limited has signed a framework agreement with Stadler for the supply of 30 Class 93 tri-mode locomotives, of which an initial batch of 10 locomotives will be due for delivery in early …
Continue readingGB Railfreight Class 69 project explained (RailMag)
GB Railfreight has announced that testing of the first Class 69s should begin on the Severn Valley Railway in January, with the locomotives entering traffic later in the year. Ten Class 56s are being converted …
Continue readingIs Ely the biggest cost overshoot in UK? (RailFreight)
Headlines of spiralling costs and massive overruns on a project to upgrade lines around Ely, in the east of England, fail to grasp the scope of the works planned. Minor improvements to the existing infrastructure …
Continue readingDB Cargo UK tests vegetable oil loco (RailwayGazette)
DB Cargo UK has successfully tested the use of 100% renewable hydrotreated vegetable oil to fuel a Class 67 diesel locomotive, and on-track trials are to follow with Class 67 and Class 66 locomotives, as …
Continue readingRebuild route alternate to Manchester Castlefield congestion (RailFreight)
An alternative proposal has been tabled to relieve congestion in Manchester’s notorious Castlefield Corridor. The short section of twin-track across the south side of the city centre is running at over capacity, and it is …
Continue reading‘On passenger train’ operator expands same day delivery network (RailFreight)
UK ‘on passenger train’ logistics operator Intercity Railfreight [ICRF] has announced expansion of its same-day delivery network. In response to the anticipated need for rapid medical supplies deployment, the company has secured agreements with long …
Continue readingHS2’s additional capacity will expand UK rail freight (GlobalRail)
The new high-speed line will enable more freight to travel by rail, reducing carbon emissions from transport as each freight train removes up to 76 lorries from the roads. HS2 Ltd has released a new …
Continue readingEnhanced Scotland rail services proposed (RailTech)
Transform Scotland, the Edinburgh-based association for promoting sustainable transport, has published its proposals to improve the inter-city rail connections in the constituent part of the United Kingdom. The recommendations are focused on the development of …
Continue readingUK pax franchising is dead: What about freight? (RailFreight)
The UK government has announced this morning that it will support the passenger network for at least the next 18 months. This means that it is officially renationalising the railways, doing away with the franchising …
Continue readingMake old railheads serve future freight needs (RailFreight)
Passenger terminals and former smoke-stack sidings provide the clean, green alternative to city-wide congestion. An economical way to answer the needs of modern freight operations might be to dual-purpose passenger assets and recycle former facilities, …
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