Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Monday, 24th April 2023
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Monday, 24th April 2023
Direct weekday services between Glasgow and Carlisle will resume today following completion of the latest phase of the £164 million project to upgrade Carstairs junction on the West Coast mainline (WCML).
As part of the Scottish Government-funded investment, engineers have been working to simplify and upgrade the track layout – clearing bottlenecks and making the junction more reliable.
Overhead power infrastructure and signalling systems have also been replaced or renewed during the project.
Network Rail Infrastructure has opened tendering for its latest major regional framework to come to market which will be based on collaborative working.
An article on Construction Enquirer says the Eastern Region Partnership will run for five years including two months of mobilisation with the option to extend for a further five years. In total, the work programme could be worth up to £3.5 billion.
Works will include a mix of small schemes/reactive works, and alternative options for standalone multi-disciplinary enhancements or major projects.
A multi-million-pound consultation into the extension of the Borders Railway into Cumbria could start this year.
An article on the News & Star says the Government has allocated £10 million for a feasibility study into extending the Borders Railways to Carlisle.
Campaigners have long fought for the line, which reopened in 2015, to be extended from current terminus, Tweedbank down to Carlisle, via stations such as Longtown, Hawick and St Boswells.
The Railway Benefit Fund (RBF) is today kicking off its third annual ‘Railway Family Week’.
Founded in 2021, Railway Family Week has a simple aim; to bring together the entire industry to raise £50,000 for RBF.
Last year alone, more than 1,000 people benefitted from the charity’s financial services; this was all made possible thanks to the money raised from Railway Family Week.
Demand for RBF’s services has tripled over the past five years, with someone in rail reaching out for support every four minutes.
Photo credit: Network Rail
