Rail subsidies from 1985/86 to 2016/17, including funding forCrossrail andHS2[4]
Overallrail subsidies have risen, as shown in the graph, although spend per journey has decreased. Rail subsidies have increased from £3.4billion in 1992–93 to £4.5billion in 2015–16 (in current prices), although subsidy per journey has fallen from £4.57 to £2.61.[5][6] However, this masks great regional variation: for instance, in 2014–15 funding varied from "£1.41 per passenger journey in England to £6.51 per journey in Scotland and £8.34 per journey in Wales."[6]
Due to the increase in passenger numbers and the prospect of high speed rail both within Great Britain and connecting to Europe, this period has been called the start of a new Golden Age of rail travel.[7][8] However quickly increasing passenger numbers have meant many trains (as many as 1 in 6 in some places) are very crowded at peak times.[9][10] Peak-time fares have increased by over 200% (since privatisation) to deter people from travelling at these times,[5] whereas the price of advance tickets has halved in the same period.[11] TheCOVID-19 pandemic caused a massive drop in passenger numbers,[12][13][14] even though freight transport held up fairly well.
TheLabour government (elected in 1997 after the majority of the privatisation process had been completed) did not completely reverse the railway privatisation of the previous administration. Initially it left the new structure largely in place, however its main innovation in the early years was the creation of theStrategic Rail Authority (SRA), initially in shadow form until theTransport Act 2000 receivedRoyal Assent, as well as the appointment ofTom Winsor asRail Regulator, who took amuch harder line with the rail industry, andRailtrack in particular.[16]
In the wake of theHatfield rail crash in 2000, Railtrack entered into financial meltdown and the industry was in deep crisis. Labour refused to continue to bail out Railtrack and the company was put into Railway Administration in 2001 and a new company,Network Rail emerged to replace Railtrack in 2002. Since September 2014, Network Rail has been classified as a "government body".[17][18]
The Strategic Rail Authority lasted just five years. Following the passing of theRailways Act 2005, its business was wound up and its functions transferred to theDepartment for Transport Rail Group and theOffice of Rail Regulation.[19] Further changes followed, which saw the government take back a greater degree of control.
Another important development occurred in the aftermath of thePotters Bar accident in May 2002 when a commuter train derailed (coincidentally on the same stretch of theEast Coast Main Line as Hatfield) due to poorly maintained points. This resulted in Network Rail taking all track maintenance back in-house and the industry went on to enjoy the longest period in modern times without a fatal accident due to industry error. This came to an end in February 2007 when aVirgin Trains West CoastClass 390Pendolinoderailed near Grayrigg in Cumbria, killing one person. The cause of the accident was identical to that in Potters Bar nearly five years earlier – once again calling into question Network Rail's maintenance procedures.
In 2006, the government launched theAccess for All programme to improve accessibility at railway stations in Great Britain.[20] The £390million main programme (extended in 2014 with a further £163million) has delivered accessibility projects at more than 150 stations.[20]
FollowingGordon Brown's appointment as prime minister in 2007,Andrew Adonis was appointed Transport Secretary. He immediately began work on plans for a newhigh-speed route between London and Birmingham (later known asHigh Speed 2), which would augment the West Coast Main Line. Adonis also announced plans to electrify theGreat Western Main Line from London as far asSwansea, as well as infill electrification schemes in the North West of England to remove diesel traction from certain key routes. Late in 2009, theInterCity East Coast franchise collapsed for the second time in three years when incumbent operatorNational Express East Coast (NXEC) proved unable to meet its financial obligations. Adonis transferred the franchise to the state-ownedDirectly Operated Railways to operate the route under itsEast Coast subsidiary.
In February 2009, the Department for Transport set up a company called Diesel Trains Ltd with the intention of funding and managing the procurement of up to 200diesel multiple unit vehicles as part of theBritish Government's planned purchase of as many as 1300 new rail vehicles.[22][23][24] It was incorporated following the announcement of the first 200 vehicles in late 2008 as part of thePre-Budget Report – the speed of this announcement (the final contract to be signed in April 2009) led the government to take the lead in financing the procurement, through a public company. However, the DfT stated that it did not intend to serve in the long-term as a lessor of rolling stock. As a consequence, the DfT planned to sell Diesel Trains Ltd once the procurement process was completed, either as a whole, or by selling its assets and contracts.[25]
Diesel Trains Ltd was to have responsibility for the purchase and distribution of 202 DMU vehicles to threeTOCs –First Great Western,First TransPennine Express andNorthern Rail. The order itself was to encompass a total of 61 trains, with 19 four-car and 42 three-car.[26]
Following the announcement in August 2009 that theGreat Western Main Line was to be electrified, the order for 202 DMUs was cancelled. After lying dormant for three years, Diesel Trains Ltd was dissolved in July 2012.[27]
After the2010 General Election, the newConservative ledCoalition continued Labour's rail policies largely unaltered after a pause to review the finances. There was continuing support for theHigh Speed 2 scheme and further developing plans for the route, although great debate still rages over the scheme's benefits and costs. Whilst initially showing scepticism towards the electrification schemes of the Great Western route, they later gave the project its backing and work began formally in 2012.[28]
In 2012, the franchising system again came under criticism afterFirstGroup was awarded theInterCity West Coast franchise. IncumbentVirgin Rail Group initiated a judicial review against the decision, citing the fact that First's bid was even more ambitious than the one which had scuttled National Express East Coast less than three years earlier. Before the review took place however, newly installed Transport SecretaryPatrick McLoughlin scrapped the entire bidding process for the franchise and granted Virgin an extension to its contract when "severe technical flaws" were discovered in the original bidding competition.
The government moved towards allowing more competition on the intercity network through open access operators. In 2015 it approved a service run byAlliance Rail Holdings to operate betweenLondon Euston andBlackpool, and in 2016 it allowed FirstGroup to run open access services on theEast Coast Main Line from October 2021 under the operating nameLumo.[33][34]
Much debate continues over annual fare increases, although the government pledged in August 2015 to keep regulated rail fare increases at Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation for the remainder of the2015 Parliament.[35] In addition much debate has continued over the financing of various rail schemes driven primarily by the huge cost and time overrun on the GWML route modernisation and electrification scheme. In connection with this, and to coincide with the Chancellor's Autumn statement in November 2015, the Bowe and Hendy reports were produced.[36][37]
Since April 2016, the British railway network has been severely disrupted on many occasions bywide-reaching rail strikes, affecting rail franchises across the country.[38] The industrial action began onSouthern services as a dispute over the planned introduction of driver-only operation,[39] and has since expanded to cover many different issues affecting the rail industry;[38] as of February 2018, the majority of the industrial action remains unresolved, with further strikes planned.[40] The scale, impact and bitterness of the nationwide rail strikes have been compared to the1984–85 miners' strike by the media.
Cost of living crisis and the 2022–2023 rail strikes
Due to thecost-of-living crisis,RMT union members atNetwork Rail and 13 train operating companies voted in favour of strike action on 24 May 2022.[41] It was the first national strike atNetwork Rail since 1994.[41] On 11 July 2022,ASLEF union members at 8 train operating companies andTSSA members atSoutheastern also voted in favour of strike action.[42] RMT members voted to accept a pay deal withNetwork Rail in March 2023 and the industrial action in Scotland and Wales ended in May 2023, while the RMT dispute with theRail Delivery Group is ongoing as of September 2023.[43][44][45]
As a response to the cost-of-living crisis, the government approved a 5.9% rise in rail fares from 5 March 2023, which was 6.4 percentage points below theRPI inflation rate in July 2022 which is normally used to calculate fare increases.[46]
In July 2023, the government announced plans to close the majority of ticket offices. The plan was abandoned in October 2023.[47][48]
In March 2016, the National Infrastructure Commission said thatCrossrail 2 should be taken forward "as a priority" and recommended that a bill should pass through Parliament by 2019 and the line should be open by 2033.[49] Crossrail 2 is a north–south railway through London, similar to the east–west railwayCrossrail which is currently under construction.
In July 2017,Chris Grayling, the secretary of state for transport announced a number of electrification schemes were to be suspended indefinitely citing the disruptive nature of electrification works and the availability of bi-mode technology. The schemes included aspects of the GWML includingCardiff toSwansea, theMidland Main Line fromKettering toSheffield viaDerby andNottingham andOxenholme toWindermere in the Lake District.[31]
In February 2018, the five-year plan was published by Network Rail with significant investment though much of this was for renewals and smaller projects rather than major projects.[50][51] In March 2019 theRailway Industry Association published a paper entitled Electrification Cost Challenge.[52]
In July 2019, the Urban Transport Group released a report that showed regional rail travel had experienced a 29% growth in the ten years to 2017/18.[53]
On 24 July 2019,Grant Shapps was appointed Secretary of State for Transport under the new Prime MinisterBoris Johnson.[54]
The Transport Select Committee have met on a number of occasions since early 2020 and considered the "Trains Fit for the Future" ongoing enquiry which was started under the previous session underLilian Greenwood's chairship. The report, published in March 2021, recommended a rolling programme of electrification and for the DfT to quickly publish a list of “no regret” electrification schemes. It was stated that Network Rail had already supplied a list to the DfT.[55][56][57]
The TDNS (Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy) Interim Business case was published in September 2020. The main theme was electrification of 13,000 single track kilometres (8,100miles) of UK railways.[58]
In September 2020, the government abolished the rail franchising system.[59] On 20 May 2021, the government announced and published a white paper that detailed how it would transform the operation of the railways.[60] The rail network will be partly renationalised, with infrastructure and operations brought together under a new company Great British Railways. Operations will be managed on a concessions model. According to the BBC, this represents the largest shake-up in the UK's railways since privatisation.[59]
On 18 November 2021, theIntegrated Rail Plan (IRP) was published.[61] This affected parts of the HS2 programme including curtailing much of the eastern leg but did include full Midland Main Line electrification and upgrades. Also included was a commitment to theTranspennine north railway upgrade to include full electrification.
On the back of the IRP, the Union Connectivity Review was also published in November 2021. The Union Connectivity Review was announced on 30 June 2020 by the Prime MinisterBoris Johnson. It was stated thatSir Peter Hendy would chair the review. The terms of reference were published 3 October 2020.[62] An interim report was published March 2021.[63][64][65]
The final report was published on 25 November 2021.[66][67] In December 2021 The Telegraph newspaper reported in an apparent leak, that the treasury had decided not to provide funds for further electrification and thus help to decarbonise the railways.[68][69][70]
The official announcement and confirmation that theMidland Main Line[71] between Kettering and Market Harborough was being electrified and spades would be in the ground starting 24 December 2021 was made on 21 December 2021.[72][73]
COVID-19 pandemic effect on railways in Great Britain
National Rail usage March 2020 to October 2024 as a percentage of pre-COVID usage, rolling 10-day average[74]
TheCOVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom occurred in this period and caused a catastrophic fall off in the number of passengers using the rail network although freight held up reasonably well.[75][76][77] While passenger numbers had recovered to over 80% of their pre-Covid levels by July-September 2022, how this will affect the long-term health of the rail industry remains to be seen.[78] Despite thepandemic the Traction Decarbonisation Strategy Interim Business case was published in July 2020.[79] In addition, Network Rail also published its Environmental sustainability strategy.[80]
On 25 May 2025, Labour's renationalisation of the UK's railways began as the train operatorSouth Western Railway was taken into public ownership.[82]
Passenger train operators continue to be renationalised, with services to be managed at some future time byGreat British Railways, withc2c having been taken back into public ownership on 20 July 2025.[83] andGreater Anglia being nationalised on 12 October 2025.
The British railway system continues to be developed. Contemporary projects include:
TheWest Coast Main Line upgrade (West Coast Main Line route modernisation) was a long-term project covering a series of technical aspects. Improvements included the four-tracking (from three) of the Trent Valley (a bypass of the West Midlands), redesigning the layout of several junction/stations e.g. Rugby and other associated work to increase line speed. This culminated intilting trains at 125 mph being extended to Glasgow in 2005. The cost overruns of the programme are infamous – attributed to the wide scope of the programme (the promise to Virgin to build a 140 mph railway which would requiremoving block signalling) and poor project management by the defunctRailtrack.[84]
High Speed 1, a project to construct a 67-mile (108 km) high-speed rail line from London to the British end of theChannel Tunnel, and involving a great deal of complexcivil engineering including a 1,404-yard (1,284 m) bridge over theRiver Medway, a 2-mile (3.2 km) tunnel under the Thames near Dartford, a 2-mile tunnel through the North Downs, 12-mile (19 km) twin tunnels running into central London, a major new railway station extension toLondon St Pancras, and a complex redesign and rebuild of theKing's Cross St Pancras tube station. The southern phase 1 of the project opened in September 2003, and northern phase 2 opened in November 2007.
TheThameslink Programme started in 2009 and was completed in September 2020. The project includes the lengthening of platforms, station remodelling, new railway infrastructure (e.g. viaducts) andnew rolling stock, which has allowedGovia Thameslink Railway to expand their Thameslink services to more destinations on the north and south.
Crossrail was a railway construction project in London and its environs. Its aim is to provide a high-frequency hybridcommuter rail/rapid transit passenger service that links parts ofBerkshire andBuckinghamshire, via central London, toEssex andSouth East London. Work began in 2009 on the central section of the line—a new tunnel throughcentral London—and connections to theGreat Western Main Line andGreat Eastern Main Line that would become part of Crossrail.[85] The central section fromPaddington toAbbey Wood opened as theElizabeth line on 24 May 2022.[86] The introduction of the full peak timetable with 24 trains per hour and direct services between Heathrow Airport and Essex on 21 May 2023 marked the practical completion of the project.[87]
TheNorthern Hub was a rail project acrossNorthern England aimed at stimulating economic growth by increasing train services, reducing journey times and electrifying lines between the major cities and towns in the north.[88] The project was announced as the Manchester Hub, entailing a series of upgrades to increase capacity and cut journey times between cities in Northern England by resolving rail bottlenecks aroundManchester city centre.[89][90]Manchester Piccadilly was planned to have two new through platforms constructed to increase the frequency of trains from 10 per hour to 14, but the plan was withdrawn in 2023.[91]Manchester Victoria station was modernised (including electrification, a newMetrolink station and a new roof) to become the east–west rail interchange in northern England.[92][93] Services fromLiverpool toLeeds and beyond will be diverted from the Cheshire Lines route viaWarrington Central andManchester Piccadilly to the electrified line via Newton-le-Willows and Manchester Victoria. Trains from the north east toManchester Airport now use a new section of railway, the £85millionOrdsall Chord, between Manchester Victoria andManchester Oxford Road to access Manchester Piccadilly and continue to the airport without the need to reverse at Piccadilly and without conflicting movements at the station throat. The chord opened on 10 December 2017.[94]
TheStirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway, a 13-mile (21 km) extension to the network, to the north of theFirth of Forth in Scotland. ABill for the railway was passed by theScottish Parliament and receivedRoyal Assent in August 2004. Work commenced in September 2005, with services running by early 2008. The line re-establishes a railway decommissioned in 1983; the new line provided passenger connections toGlasgow, and freight links between the site ofKincardine power station, now used as a loading point for coal from open-cast sites, to avoid heavy traffic through Kincardine, andLongannet power station, and the coal terminals atHunterston Deep Water Port. Longannet power station closed in 2016. The passenger part of the scheme, fromStirling toAlloa was in any case secure, and the Scottish Parliament appear to be in favour of passenger services being extended toRosyth. This could possibly result in passenger stations serving the communities ofClackmannan,Kincardine, andCulross orValleyfield, and through trains once more from Stirling toDunfermline.
A short extension of theGlasgow-Hamilton-Motherwell, which once again linksLarkhall to the railway network after 40 years. Larkhall has for some time been the largest town in Scotland without a railway station. The new £35million line follows an existing formation, and services toLarkhall railway station resumed on 12 December 2005.[99] The new section of route is electrified and is served with trains fromDalmuir, viaGlasgow Central Low Level, with connections from other northern suburbs ofGlasgow such asMilngavie.
TheAirdrie–Bathgate rail link was a project to upgrade the railway betweenAirdrie andBathgate. The route, originally part of theBathgate and Coatbridge Railway, was completely closed in 1982 and reopened as a single track railway in 1986.[100] The project included double tracking, electrification, new stations atBlackridge andArmadale, and the relocation ofDrumgelloch andBathgate station.[101] Passenger services on the upgraded line began on 12 December 2010, but the opening of three new stations was delayed to March 2011 due to severe weather.[100] The project cost £300million.[101]
TheGlasgow Airport Rail Link was given the go-ahead by the Scottish Parliament in December 2006 but the project was scrapped by the new SNP minority government in September 2009. A new 1.5-mile (2.4 km) spur was to be built onto the existingInverclyde route. An element of the project that did go ahead was upgrading theGlasgow Central – Paisley line to triple track to increase capacity on theAyrshire and Inverclyde routes. This work was completed in 2012.
A 35-mile (56 km) section of theWaverley Route fromEdinburgh toTweedbank in theScottish Borders has been rebuilt after approval by the Scottish Parliament, which reopened on 6 September 2015. This project, also known as theBorders Railway, restored rail services to communities which have lacked access to the National Rail network since theBeeching cuts.
On theGreat Western Main Line, Network Rail plans to spend £5billion[117] on modernising the GWML and itsSouth Wales branch plus other associated lines like theNorth Cotswolds[118] which was completed in 2011. The modernisation plans were announced at separate times but their development time-scales overlap each other to represent a comprehensive modernisation plan for the Great Western and its associated lines in the 2010s. The modernisation includeselectrification,resignalling, newrolling stock and station upgrades. According to Network Rail, the modernisation started in June 2010 and was projected to end in 2017.[119] On 8 November 2016 the government announced that several elements of the Great Western Main Line electrification programme would be indefinitely deferred due to cost overruns and delays.[120][121] Subsequently, in July 2017,Cardiff–Swansea electrification was cancelled.[31] Electric services began running between London and Cardiff on 5 January 2020.[122]
TheNorthumberland Line is a project to reintroduce passenger services to the currently freight-only line betweenNewcastle andAshington. Originally built by theBlyth and Tyne Railway, passenger services on the line were withdrawn as part of theBeeching cuts. The project involves track replacement, signalling upgrades, closure of level crossings and the construction of six new stations. Following the granting of aTransport and Works Act Order, main works began in early 2022.[130][131] As of March 2023, the line was expected to open in summer 2024.[132]
The £145millionHope Valley Line upgrade involves reinstating the second line and platform atDore and Totley station, a newpassing loop betweenBamford andHathersage to allow passenger trains to overtake slower freight trains and platform extensions to accommodate six-car trains.[133] The construction of the second platform at Dore & Totley began on 15 July 2023.[134] As of January 2023, the project was expected to be completed in spring 2024.[135]
The railway betweenBolton andWigan, which was first built as part of theLiverpool and Bury Railway, has been electrified. The £78million electrification project was approved by the government on 1 September 2021.[136] As part of the project, the platforms atHindley,Westhoughton andInce will be extended.[136] The completion date will be 2025.[137]
Scotland has committed to a rolling programme of electrification to decarbonise the network by 2045 but with an even more aggressive target for decarbonisation of the passenger network by 2035.[138] The first announced project is the electrification of the route toBarrhead andEast Kilbride.[139] As well as electrification, double tracking from Busby to East Kilbride is planned as well as lengthening platforms at existing stations. Part of the project scope includes relocatingHairmyres station and a complete rebuild of East Kilbride station.[140][141][142]
Scotland has also published a plan and split it into components identified as: in delivery, in development or under active consideration. As of 2021 projects in delivery include improvements toAberdeen Station and other renewals in theCarstairs area and alsoMotherwell. The electrification to East Kilbride is also included in this category. In 2021 projects considered in development are mainly those that support the decarbonisation agenda. New electrification will require new 25kV Grid Feeders and upgrading existing ones to handle the increased electrical load. Partial electrification of theBorders Railway are included here along withBarrhead andHaymarket toDalmeny andLeven. Projects classed as under active consideration again are almost exclusively those supporting the decarbonisation agenda and include most if not all future phases of decarbonisation plan. All of Scotland's seven cities are included and thus include improvements and electrification the routes out ofAberdeen including to theCentral Belt andInverness. TheHighland Main Line fromPerth toInverness is also included in the plan. This obviously requires continuation of the previous scheme fromStirling toDunblane andAlloa. So Dunblane to Hilton junction andPerth along with all the other necessary infrastructure improvements such as route clearance are part of the infrastructure upgrade plan. TheFife Circle line and extensions toLongannet andDundee andPerth are all part of this. Electrification in Ayrshire and south west ofGlasgow are under active consideration too.[143]
TheLevenmouth rail link was opened to passenger service on 2 June 2024 following a £116million project to reopen the 8 kilometres (5 mi) of railway line inFife connectingLeven withThornton Junction. The project required reinstating 19km of double track, constructing two new stations (Leven andCameron Bridge) and electrification. Following project approval byTransport Scotland, construction started on 4 March 2022.[144] The construction of Cameron Bridge station began on 24 January 2023, while that of Leven station began on 1 March 2023. The stations were opened ceremonially on 29 May 2024 byJohn Swinney, the First Minister of Scotland, and the route entered service on 2 June 2024, served by a half-hourlyScotRail service toEdinburgh viaDunfermline orKirkcaldy (alternating).[145][146]
The Welsh Assembly Government proposes to extend theEbbw Valley line between Ebbw Vale and Cardiff into Newport in the future. The Assembly Government is also looking into opening theHirwaun toAberdare route in the Cynon Valley. In addition to further progress on theSouth Wales Metro, andNorth Wales Metro.
TheSouth Wales Metro is a project to improve services on theValleys & Cardiff Local Routes. It involves electrification, double tracking, newClass 398,756 and231 rolling stock, new stations such asCrwys Road and a new depot and signalling centre atTaffs Well.[147] The project aims to enable four trains per hour to run on each line.[148] The first Class 398s arrived at the Taffs Well depot in March 2023.[149]
July: The £10million structural upgrade ofArnside Viaduct was completed, increasing the speed of theFurness line through the viaduct from 30 mph (48 km/h) to 60 mph (97 km/h).[152]
May: After a £8million upgrade,Loughborough station reopened with platforms 1 and 2 extended to accommodate 10-car trains, a new footbridge and lifts.[161]
December: The £4million passing loop atBeccles was opened and the second platform at the station was brought back to use, enabling an hourly service on theEast Suffolk line.[168]
June: The £47millionHitchin Flyover opened to passenger services, removing the need for trains fromKing's Cross switching to theCambridge line to cross three lines of theECML and thus reducing delays and creating capacity for more services.[174]
October: The £6million newWokingham station building opened with a new footbridge and lifts.[176]
October: Following a £12million upgrade,Salford Crescent had platforms extended to accommodate six-car trains, a new street-level ticket office and a lift to make the station fully accessible.[177]
December: After a three-day closure over Christmas,Peterborough station reopened with longer platforms, a new platform on the west of the station and a new signalling system.[183][184]
January: After a £19million upgrade over the Christmas period,Gravesend station reopened with existing platforms lengthened to accommodate 12-car trains and a new third platform.[185]
April: As part of the £250million Stafford Area Improvements Programme, the speed of theWCML slow line betweenCrewe andStafford was increased from 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).[189]
September: The £20million replacement bridge forPont Briwet opened toCambrian Coast Line services, allowing the line speed to be raised from 30 km/h (19 mph) to 65 km/h (40 mph).[193][194]
November: An £8million strengthening and restoration programme ofHawarden Bridge was completed, removing all the operational restrictions that had been in place.[195]
November: The redevelopedNottingham station was officially opened with an extra platform, line speed increases, resignalling, and a new fully accessible southern concourse.[196]
May: TheTodmorden Curve reopened, allowing direct trains to operate betweenManchester and east Lancashire. The Curve had been closed in 1965 with the tracks lifted in 1972.[199]
December:Apperley Bridge station reopened, after being closed in 1965. It is the first of two stations betweenLeeds andShipley in West Yorkshire to be reopened.[203]
December: The £26million newRochester station opened, replacing the original 1892 station. The new station is closer to the town centre and has longer platforms that can accommodate 12-car trains.[204]
December: The westernmost segment of the western section ofEast West Rail opened, extending the line fromOxford Parkway to Oxford,[210] and thus establishing a new Oxford-Marylebone service viaBicester Village.
July: A series of upgrades totalling £12million atPutney was completed, providing longer platforms that can accommodate 10-car trains, step-free access and a new ticket hall.[217]
May: Resignalling on theHalton Curve that allows trains to travel in both directions (previously trains could only travel on the line in a northbound direction) fromChester toLiverpool Lime Street (via Runcorn) was completed, allowing trains to run from May 2019.[231][232][233]
July:Class 385 electric trains started running on the Edinburgh to Glasgow route.[236]
August:Class 802 trains entered service withGreat Western Railway on certain GWR routes, mainly from London Paddington via Newbury/Exeter St. David's to Plymouth/Penzance.[237]
Services due to start running on the western section of theEast West Rail from Oxford to Bletchley.[307] These were originally planned to start by the end of 2025, but due to a dispute overdriver-only operation, as of November 2025[update], no start date has been announced.[308]
Wolmar, Christian (2005).On the Wrong Line: How Ideology and Incompetence Wrecked Britain's Railways (rev. ed.). London: Aurum Press.ISBN1-85410-998-7.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
