News archive

15 March 2024 09:15

West Midlands Railway: ‘Travel either side’ advice for West Coast Main Line passengers this Easter bank holiday

West Coast Main Line passengers are urged to travel either side of the Easter bank holiday weekend with London Euston closed to all main line services during major track upgrades.
£13.4 million is being invested across Network Rail's North West & Central region including £7m to upgrade over a kilometre of track between Camden, Bourne End and Colwich Junction which will mean more reliable jo

11 March 2024 13:56

Rail passengers urged to check before travelling after landslip closes line between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury

The railway between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury is likely to remain closed for at least two weeks while Network Rail carries out emergency repairs following a landslip near Oakengates station in Telford.
On Friday morning (8 March) engineers closed the line between Wellington and Oakengates stations in both directions to assess a failed railway embankment.
Approximately 5,000 tonnes of mate

26 February 2024 10:00

London Northwestern Railway: Competition open to name train on Marston Vale Line

A competition to name a Class 150 train on the Marston Vale Line to celebrate the reintroduction of the full rail timetable is now open.
Operator London Northwestern Railway (LNR) is looking for suggestions of names which celebrate people and places along the line between Bedford and Bletchley. LNR has also put a major ticket offer in place which represents a discount of up to 90% on the usual

23 February 2024 10:00

New lease of life for Henley-in-Arden station as Network Rail’s chair Lord Peter Hendy opens new community space

Yesterday (Thursday 22 February), representatives from the Railway Heritage Trust, Henley-in-Arden Parish Council, West Midlands Railway, Friends of the Shakespeare Line and Friends of Henley Railway Station joined Network Rail’s Lord Peter Hendy to open Henley-in-Arden’s newly refurbished station building.
The original station building, which dates back to 1908, has been repurposed into a styl

19 February 2024 11:30

London Northwestern Railway: Full timetable resumes on Marston Vale Line

A full rail timetable has resumed on the Marston Vale Line between Bletchley and Bedford today (Monday 19 February).
A partial service has been running on the line since November 2023 when operator London Northwestern Railway (LNR) introduced a replacement train fleet. Prior to that, rail replacement had been in operation on the line since December 2022 after the company which maintained the Cl

13 February 2024 15:45

Passengers thanked after West Coast main line reopens following emergency landslip repairs

Network Rail has thanked passengers after completing major repairs to stabilise a railway embankment on the West Coast main line after storms and heavy rain caused a landslip between Coventry and Rugby on Sunday 11 February.
The railway between London Euston and Birmingham reopened this afternoon (Tuesday 13 February) after rail engineers closed the line to secure the embankment allowing trai

13 February 2024 11:00

London Northwestern Railway: Full timetable to resume on Marston Vale Line as £1 tickets launched

A full timetable will resume on the Marston Vale Line between Bedford and Bletchley next week, operator London Northwestern Railway (LNR) has announced today.
A partial timetable has been in operation on the route since November 2023, with four services per day in each direction during weekday morning and afternoon peaks. Prior to this the line had been served by rail replacement buses since De

13 February 2024 09:30

West Midlands Railway: Class 730 fleet enters service between Wolverhampton and Walsall

A brand new West Midlands Railway (WMR) electric train fleet has carried its first passengers this week, marking the start of a new era of rail travel in the region.

The first Class 730 to carry passengers in the region was Monday's 10.41pm departure from Birmingham New Street to Wolverhampton. From today, the trains are operating services on the Wolverhampton-Walsall (via Birmingham) route

12 February 2024 06:30

Passengers urged to check before travelling as landslip causes travel disruption between Birmingham and London

Passengers travelling on the West Coast Main Line between Birmingham and London are being urged to check their journeys on Monday due to disruption following a landslip near Rugby.
Through Monday (12 February), one of the two tracks which connect Coventry and Rugby will remain closed while engineers cut back and clear vegetation from the railway embankment. This critical clearance work will hel

8 February 2024 12:30

New era of rail travel to begin as West Midlands Railway unveils electric train fleet

A new era is set to begin for rail passengers in the West Midlands after West Midlands Railway unveiled its brand new fleet of electric trains.
The Class 730 fleet will enter service in the region for the first time next week, carrying passengers between Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Walsall. Later this year, in spring, the fleet will also enter service on the busy Cross City Line, connecting L

26 January 2024 10:07

New University Station buildings to open their doors this Sunday

University Railway Station’s impressive new buildings open their doors to passengers for the first time this Sunday.
With new wider entrances, stairways and exits serving the neighbouring University of Birmingham and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, more open space to circulate and wait, lifts to the platforms, a larger ticket office and better customer facilities it will offer a vastly improved exper

22 January 2024 10:00

West Midlands Railway issues warning to fare evaders after thousands fined

Bosses at West Midlands Railway (WMR) have issued a warning to fare evaders after new figures released today revealed the company issued thousands of fines for non-payment last year.
The warning comes one year after the national Penalty Fare for ticketless travel increased to a minimum of £100 in a bid to cut fare evasion.
In 2023, WMR and sister company London Northwestern Railway issued a