South Western Railway is to trial a Pluvo air-purifying totem to monitor and remove pollutants at Salisbury station.
As part of the East Coast Main Line timetable review, Lumo has submitted a proposal to operate an additional daily return journey between Newcastle and London from December 2024. This will now be subject to final timing refinements with Network Rail ahead of an application for approval from the Office of Rail & Road.
Great Western Railway has appointed Rachel Geliamassi to the new role of Customer Services Director from March. She has previously been Managing Director of Stagecoach’s bus operations across the west of England and Oxfordshire. Operations Director Richard Rowland will have a greater focus on operational delivery, particularly with regard to Old Oak Common and HS2, as well as on his role as Deputy Managing Director.
Network Rail is exploring options for the storage and distribution of rails of various lengths to achieve better value for money and to improve supply resilience. Short rails are currently stored at various locations in central England, with 90+ m long rail held at Eastleigh and Scunthorpe and 54 m lengths stored at Marchwood and Immingham.
Transport for Greater Manchester has launched a 16-member Business Transport Advisory Council which will meet once a quarter to discuss strategic transport issues that matter to the business community in the city region.
The Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation has 1 200 m2 of rail engineering space available from mid-February in its Engineering Hall at the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre in Dudley.
FirstGroup has launched First Connections, an advocate network to enable people who have taken part in its personal development programmes to connect and network as well as offer support and career development guidance to one another. This is intended to evolve into a forum where advocates host regular webinars, share experiences and knowledge, as well as promote opportunities such as job shadowing or mentoring.
On January 29 Network Rail will begin a £6·2m project funded by the DfT’s Access for All programme to provide step-free access at Leatherhead station by spring 2025. This will include installing two 16-person capacity lifts and a footbridge with staggered staircases, as well as lighting, CCTV, ramp and handrails works.
Greater Anglia is to undertake a £600 000 upgrade of the cycle parking area at Cambridge North station, with funding from Sustrans and Cambridgeshire County Council. Secure fencing will be installed to help deter thefts, with entry only available via a £25/year key fob. A freely accessible cycle parking area will also continue to be available.
Northern is to host a recruitment day on February 13 for vacancies in its train presentation team at Heaton Train Care Centre. Attendees will be able to hear more about the roles and tour the facility. There will then be group assessments and individual interviews for roles including train presentation operatives and train presentation leaders.