BRITAIN's franchised passenger operators continued to defy the stagnant economic conditions during the third quarter of the 2012-13 financial year according to the latest figures from the Office of Rail Regulation, which reveal record ridership for the period between October 1 and December 31.

BIDS have been invited by Transport for London (TfL) for a concessionaire to operate the new 118km east-west Crossrail line, the first phase of which is due to open in May 2015. The deadline for expressions of interest is April 30 with a view to appointing an operator in late 2014.

ARRIVA, FirstGroup, National Express and Stagecoach, which were bidding for the cancelled Great Western franchise, have filed papers with the High Court in an attempt to get Britain's Department for Transport (DfT) to refund their costs.

TRANSPORT for London is inviting its own staff as well as suppliers and individuals from the industry and academia to contribute ideas and innovative thinking about how it might improve its service and operations in a new online interactive portal.

THE British parliament's Public Accounts Committee has published a scathing report on last year's cancellation of West Coast franchise by the Department for Transport (DfT).

FOLLOWING a difficult winter on Britain's railway network where flooding and more recently snow and ice have had a major impact on service punctuality, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) says that infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR) must improve the resilience of Britain's railways.

HS2 Ltd, the company developing the high-speed line between London, Birmingham and northern England, has awarded the first contracts for planning services for the second phase of the route.

BRITAIN's rolling stock fleet could grow by between 53% and 99% over the next 30 years according to a new report from Network Rail (NR), which reveals up to 19,000 new electric vehicles will be needed by 2042.

MANCHESTER Metrolink launched full commercial services on the East Manchester line on February 11 with the opening of the initial 6.3km section between Piccadilly and Droylsden.

TRANSPORT for London (TfL) has announced plans for a £320m project to lengthen trains on the London Overground network from four to five cars with the aim of accommodating rapidly-increasing ridership.