The first franchise extension – announced in principle in late March – has been confirmed by the Department for Transport with just ten days to spare. The National Express contract to run c2c between London Fenchurch Street, Tilbury, Southend and Shoeburyness would have expired on 26 May, but will now run until September 2014 at least. The DfT said 'a long term partner is expected to take over' in September next year, but it has included a buffer zone of eight further railway periods, which could add up to another 32 weeks.

Eurostar chairman Richard Brown has announced that he will be stepping down at the end of June. He became chief executive in 2002 and then chairman in April 2010, when he was succeeded as chief executive by Nicolas Petrovic. He also recently advised the Department for Transport on its future franchising programme and is now the chairman of its Franchise Advisory Panel.

A new report from the National Audit Office published today has criticised the Department for Transport for failing to prepare an adequate business case for building HS2, but the transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said he did not accept the report's core conclusion and that the case for the project was clear.

A rail union is calling for the House of Commons Transport Committee to investigate Network Rail's level crossing safety policy, after several fatal accidents at crossings which had previously been reported to be dangerous. The general secretary of TSSA, Manuel Cortes, made the call at his union's conference after claiming that there had been warnings before a 13-year old girl was killed on a tramway crossing south of Hucknall near Nottingham, four years after a previous fatal accident on the adjacent National Rail track.

A consultation has been launched by Network Rail and Transport for London on the possible routes and destinations which could be served by Crossrail 2. Crossrail 2 is based on proposals for a new Underground line linking Chelsea and Hackney which were first aired more than 20 years ago. The draft route map now published includes Cheshunt in the north and several places in the south western suburbs including Hampton Court, Chessington South, Shepperton and Epsom.

A leading High Speed rail campaigning group has called for a greater national network of High Speed lines to be considered by the Department for Transport, after the Government confirmed its intention to go ahead with HS2 in the Queen's Speech. Jim Steer of Greengauge21 claimed there was a need for a 'genuinely national plan', which would add new routes – including some travelling broadly east-west – to the currently planned lines from London to Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has given a boost to the hopes of people who have been calling for the railway to be reopened between Uckfield and Lewes in East Sussex. On a visit to Lewes, he revealed that he has commissioned a study from Network Rail which will consider the future of rail services between London and the south coast, and re-examine the case for restoring the line. But one group has dismissed the idea as inadequate, arguing that a new main line is needed to London rather than the restoration of a local link.

FirstGroup has named the managing director who will take over at First Capital Connect later this month, when incumbent Neal Lawson moves to Network Rail. FirstGroup is currently shortlisted for the next Thameslink franchise, which is due to start in September 2014.

East Midlands Trains has confirmed that it will offer discounted tickets and compensation for passengers inconvenienced by the major resignalling work taking place in Nottingham during the summer. The operator said it will discount its fares by 15 per cent on the affected routes as well as increasing the number of cheaper tickets available. Annual season ticket-holders who travel on EMT and will be affected by the changes will receive two weeks' worth of free travel.

The Queen has given a green light to the next stages of HS2, by announcing the Government's intention to move ahead with two Acts of Parliament – one of which would provide legal powers to acquire land for the first phase between London and Birmingham. Speaking in Parliament, the Queen said: "My government will continue to invest in infrastructure to deliver jobs and growth for the economy. Legislation will be introduced to enable the building of the High Speed Two railway line, providing further opportunities for economic growth in many of Britain's cities." The two proposed Acts include a main Hybrid Bill authorising the line, plus a High Speed Rail (Preparation) Bill, which will be Parliament's opportunity to authorise further funds in the short term.

Labour has accused the Government of 'adding insult to injury' after the Department for Transport published a guidance note explaining its reasons for allowing some London Midland ticket offices to close. Four stations are to lose their offices, and the hours at some others will be shortened. Labour's shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle said ministers had 'again chosen to put the private train companies before passengers'.

A deal worth £88 million has been signed with Bombardier by Transport for London, which said earlier this year that it intended to increase the size of the Overground fleet in response to sharply rising demand.

Northern Rail staff are being balloted for industrial action, after a claim by their union the RMT that there has been a 'breakdown in industrial relations'. The call for a ballot, which could be followed by strikes, has been triggered by the use of freelance agency staff to carry out 'core railway work', which the RMT says should be restricted to its members.

The Department for Transport has been explaining why four London Midland stations are to lose their ticket offices. The DfT has turned down applications to close the offices at five others. It has also attempted to fend off its critics by saying that the changes are the result of applications from London Midland under the rules of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, and that the proposal 'only came to the Department to arbitrate because they could not reach agreement with the passenger representative bodies Passenger Focus and London TravelWatch'.

Work has begun on opening out a crucial Victorian tunnel in London Docklands to carry Crossrail trains. A dock had to be partly drained so that the Connaught Tunnel, which runs underneath, could be rebuilt.

Despite predictions to the contrary, plans to build the HS2 High Speed line seem to have had only a limited impact on the results of this month's county council elections, or in the surge of support for UKIP that became clear as the results were declared. UKIP did achieve a notable success in Buckinghamshire, where it gained six county council seats – five of them in the Aylesbury area – and opponents to the scheme are claiming a significant victory.

Cambridge station is to benefit from a £4.25 million improvement scheme after funds were released by Cambridge based developer Brookgate, the company behind the CB1 development, as part of a land purchase from Network Rail and an agreement with Network Rail and the city council.

Network Rail has begun deferring engineering work planned in the south Yorkshire area this summer because of the continuing disruption caused by the colliery landslip at Hatfield, east of Doncaster. Network Rail has admitted that 'the nature of the material involved continues to challenge engineers', and some bridge renewals are now being postponed so that diversionary routes can remain in use.

The 'space age' station at Newport in south Wales, which was opened three years ago using a high-tech material also adopted for the Eden Project in Cornwall, is being repaired after its roof developed leaks.

The first part of the enlarged station at Birmingham New Street has opened its doors to weekday commuters. An army of volunteers as well as Network Rail and Birmingham City Council staff are helping passengers find their way around a new concourse which has replaced the surface level station. This was opened at the end of the 1960s after the West Coast Main Line had been electrified, but became very overcrowded in recent years.