Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Monday, 18th May 2026.
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Monday 18th May 2026
The HS2 rail line failed due in part to a focus on achieving the highest possible speeds and political pressure, a review is expected to find.
An article on the BBC website says the scheme has been undergoing a “reset”, and in March Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander asked HS2 bosses to look at lowering top speeds to save money.
This latest report into HS2, expected to be published this week, is authored by former National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove and has considered the implications for the civil service and public sector.
Its findings are expected to agree with a previous review, that HS2’s so-called “original sins” included changing political priorities and ballooning costs.
The review is also expected to highlight the “gold-plating” of the high-speed concept, “resulting in [a] bespoke and highly engineered design”.
Londoners are bracing themselves for another round of Tube strikes this week, with many still reeling from last month’s disruption.
An article on The Metro says the strike comes after an ongoing dispute between the RMT union and London Underground bosses over Tube drivers’ condensed working hours.
Talks between the two groups have failed again, meaning strikes are set to commence this week.
A busy rail crossing is set to be closed over two weekends to allow for improvement works related to the Sizewell C project.
An article on the BBC website says the level crossing in Melton, Suffolk, is due to be shut overnight this Saturday and Sunday, and 30 and 31 May.
Network Rail said “train detection technology” would be installed to make the crossing safer, with the number of freight trains expected to increase, to supply the construction of the new nuclear power station at Sizewell.
Direct train services linking Oxford, Swindon and Bristol have started again for the first time in more than 20 years.
An article on the ITV website says Great Western Railway (GWR) services will run Monday to Saturday, calling at Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Chippenham, Swindon and Oxford.
The last direct services between Oxford and Bristol had previously run in 2003.
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