Budget boost for railway projects
Several major railway schemes have been given the green light by Chancellor John Healey, but critics say more attention needs to be paid to rail freight. The Chancellor’s list included the Bakerloo Line extension from Elephant & Castle into south east London, which was recognised as a ‘key infrastructure project’. Also mentioned was Stratford International, which may see international trains at last, along with a further 200 million pounds to upgrade Leeds station as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade and Northern Powerhouse Rail, while West Midlands Metro is also to be extended.
New station twice as popular as predictedThe new station at Beaulieu Park in Chelmsford has attracted twice as many passengers as expected in its first year. Over 800,000 passengers have been recorded since the station opened on 26 October 2025, although the initial first-year projections were between 290,000 and 390,000.
c2c trains disrupted after freight train derailmentThere will be no trains at Dagenham Dock, Rainham or Purfleet until further notice, after a GB Railfreight container train was derailed at Barking. The accident, on Friday afternoon, damaged about 1.2km of track, and engineers have been working over the weekend to remove the train and then assess the repairs which will be needed.
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