To support the reactivation of 30 Class 379 EMUs for use on Great Northern services from February 10, Alstom has signed a £24·5m variation on the £256m Electrostar Technical Support & Spares Supply Agreement signed with Govia Thameslink Railway in 2022. The Class 379s were acquired by Porterbrook from Akiem in March 2024 and will be the first GTR fleet to utilise Alstom’s HealthHub web-based data analysis platform.
Core Valley Lines infrastructure maintainer Amey Infrastructure Wales is using geofencing technology developed by Tended to enhance safety and optimise efficiency at worksites. This provides real-time alerts if workers leave predefined safe working boundaries. AIW will also introduce geotagging to enhance onsite operations through the real time tracking of plant, machinery and equipment locations.
Transport research organisation Enroute and campaign group Bring Back Euro Trains have published a report making a case for reinstating international rail services at Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International stations which were suspended in 2020. Interim Chair of BBET Alexander Bienfait said ‘restoring services would boost Kent’s connectivity, support local businesses, and contribute to achieving carbon reduction goals. People should not have to endure expensive, inefficient journeys through London when faster, direct links to Europe are already within reach.’
LPA Group has won a £1·3m contract to supply inter-car jumpers and connectors for a new build project ‘with a major UK-based train builder’. CEO Philo Daniel-Tran said the contract ’is a significant boost to our manufacturing site in Saffron Walden, Essex and further endorses our role in the UK rail supply chain’.
Network Rail has appointed AtkinsRéalis to lead design integration for the 29 km Stalybridge to Huddersfield section of the Transpennine Route Upgrade. Under the eight-year Lead Design Organisation framework, AtkinsRéalis will provide critical integration and design services including engineering management, design integration, schedule integration, BIM and survey management.
The University of Huddersfield’s Institute of Railway Research has appointed Andy Doherty, Chief Technology Officer at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence, and Mark Burstow, Principal Vehicle Track Dynamics Engineer at Network Rail, as Visiting Professors.
All TransPennine Express accessible station toilets now have shelves, hooks to hang belongings on, mirrors, and disposal facilities to meet Colostomy UK requirements to be stoma-friendly.
The Virtual Tour Experts has been certified by B Lab as meeting B Corp social and environmental standards. The company has now produced nearly 60 virtual tours of stations to provided accessibility information.
Imabi has launched Travel Guardian, expanding to other modes of transport the core functionality of its Railway Guardian app which passengers can use to report safety concerns and incidents in real-time. ‘British Transport Police has done an excellent job with Railway Guardian, and we are committed to building on that success’, said founder Mark Balaam.