BRITAIN’s secretary of state for Transport Mr Chris Grayling has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to rail enhancements and resilience measures in South West England amid heightening concern among politicians in the region over a lack of clear action on the issue.

BRITISH construction and facilities management company Carillion went into compulsory liquidation on January 15 following the failure of emergency talks with lenders and the government to avert the group’s collapse.

BRITISH infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR) completed electrification of the Great Western Main Line (GWML) between Maidenhead and Didcot on December 27, enabling the start of electric services on January 2.

BRITAIN’s infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR) has awarded a contract to Siemens Rail Automation to start the installation of European Train Control System (ETCS) cab signalling on Britain’s freight locomotive fleet.

THE £85m Ordsall Chord project, to provide Manchester with a cross-city mainline rail link, opened on December 10.

SCOTLAND’s Edinburgh - Glasgow Improvement Programme (Egip) celebrated a milestone on December 10 with the start of electric services from Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley via Falkirk High.

THE British government published a new strategic vision for the national rail network on November 29 which calls for closer integration between the state-owned infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR) and the passenger franchisees and private freight operators. The strategy will also look at reopening lines.

BRITAIN’s National Audit Office says that the £7bn Thameslink project to upgrade routes through London has a realistic prospect of delivering value for money, but the Department for Transport (DfT) and Network Rail (NR) now face a challenge to introduce the new expanded services, as they failed to start preparation early enough.

NETWORK Rail (NR), together with Virgin Trains, Abellio (the winner of the West Midlands franchise), and Chiltern Railways, have appointed Mr Geoff Inskip to chair two independent supervisory boards being set up to oversee business performance and help attract external investors covering two areas of NR’s London North Western route.