NETWORK Rail has announced plans to invest more than £40 million to build a new rail freight link in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Known as the Nuneaton North Chord, the new line – approximately one mile long – will allow freight to cross from Eastern England, via Peterborough and Leicester, to the West Coast Main Line without disrupting passenger services.

THE Department for Transport has reached agreement with Alstom for the construction of extra and longer tilting Pendolino trains for West Coast Main Line inter-city services. And GoVia and Virgin have been short-listed as bidders to manage their introduction.

NETWORK Rail has been given the go-ahead by the Office of Rail Regulation to complete work on the £8.6 billion West Coast main line modernisation by December this year.

THE New Zealand government—whose railway privatisation in 1993 influenced the Conservative plans in Britain for selling off rail operations—is re-nationalising its TranzRail train and ferry services.

HALF of Virgin West Coast’s fleet of 52 Pendolino trains have now been converted to provide better mobile phone reception — and broadband wi-fi will be available by the end of this year.

EWS Energy has won a new contract from ScottishPower for the delivery of coal by rail to two major power stations in Scotland.

A CONSORTIUM including Britain’s Balfour Beatty has won a £790 million contract for the design, installation and commissioning of rail infrastructure in the world’s longest rail tunnel.

GERMANY'S state railway operator Deutsche Bahn is to be partially privatised after the country’s coalition government worked out a compromise deal. Just under a quarter of passenger and freight operations could be sold by the end of this year.

THE number of people travelling on Britain’s railways has leapt to the highest ever in peacetime.

Building passenger and revenue growth on the longest distance trains in Britain is concentrating the mind of CrossCountry managing director Andy Cooper. He talked to Paul Whiting about Arriva's plans for more and better trains and making technology work harder.

ELECTRIFICATION is back on the industry’s agenda. There has been a rapid growth in interest since last summer. Cross-industry groups are meeting; there are signs that the business case may be significantly stronger than had been thought; the environmental issues are becoming more prominent all the time; Government is sounding more interested.

Taking a moment away from the challenge of establishing our new company, East Midlands Trains, has given me the opportunity to think about how the business we’re building will look and feel in seven years time, and indeed, what changes we may see.

TIM BELL has a railway pedigree that stretches back three generations. But the Arriva Trains Wales chief will be the first to launch rail into the future when his drivers help to trial ERTMS on the Cambrian line. PAUL WHITING asked him how it feels to pave the way for the whole network.

When I was a youth I knew all about brands – there was Cadbury’s chocolate, Fry’s chocolate and Nestles Milky Bars. Then came Galaxy and various assorted Mars, Milky Ways, Crunchies, Picnics, Curly Wurlys etc. Oh yes, I knew about brands all right.