:''This article is part of a series on the History of rail transport in Great Britain''. GBR rail passengers by year 1830-2015

The period from 1995 covers the history of rail transport in Great Britain following the

privatisation of British Rail The privatisation of British Rail was the process by which ownership and operation of the railways of Great Britain passed from government control into private hands. Begun in 1994, it had been completed by 1997. The deregulation of the indust ...

. During this period, passenger volumes have grown rapidly, safety has improved, and subsidies per journey have fallen. However, there is debate as to whether this is due to privatisation or to better government regulation. During this period,

High Speed 1 High Speed 1 (HS1), legally the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), is a high-speed railway linking London with the Channel Tunnel. It is part of a line carrying international passenger traffic between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe ...

and the West Coast Main Line upgrade were completed and more construction projects are currently under way. In this period the

Coronavirus disease 2019 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

(COVID-19) pandemic occurred which caused a precipitous fall off in rail travel demand. Rail subsidies in the UK from 1985-2016

Overall

rail subsidies Many countries offer subsidies to their railways because of the social and economic benefits that it brings. The economic benefits can greatly assist in funding the rail network. Those countries usually also fund or subsidize road construction, an ...

have risen, as shown in the graph, although spend per journey has decreased. Rail subsidies have increased from £bn in 1992–93 to £bn in 2015–16 (in current prices), although subsidy per journey has fallen from £ to £. 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." 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. However quickly increasing passenger numbers have meant many trains (as many as 1 in 6 in some places) are very crowded at peak times. Peak-time fares have increased by over 200% (since privatisation) to deter people from travelling at these times,Have train fares gone up or down since British Rail?
,

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...

, 22 January 2013 whereas the price of advance tickets has halved in the same period. The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

however, caused a massive drop in passenger numbers even though freight transport held up fairly well.

Government policy

Reform under the Labour government (1997–2010)

The Labour 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 the

Strategic Rail Authority The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom set up under the Transport Act 2000 to provide strategic direction for the railway industry. Its motto was 'Britain's railway, properly delivered'. I ...

(SRA), initially in shadow form until the Transport Act 2000 received

Royal Assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in oth ...

, as well as the appointment of Tom Winsor as

Rail Regulator The Rail Regulator was a statutory office, created with effect from 1 December 1993 by section 1 of the Railways Act 1993, for the independent economic regulation of the British railway industry. The office was abolished from 4 July 2004, using ...

, who took a much harder line with the rail industry, and

Railtrack Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from 1994 until 2002. It was created as part of the privatisation of ...

in particular. In the wake of the Hatfield 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 Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's len ...

emerged to replace Railtrack in 2002. Since September 2014, Network Rail has been classified as a "government body". The Strategic Rail Authority lasted just five years. Following the passing of the Railways Act 2005, its business was wound up and its functions transferred to the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The ...

Rail Group and the Office for Rail Regulation. Further changes followed, which saw the government take back a greater degree of control. Another important development occurred in the aftermath of the Potters Bar accident in May 2002 when a commuter train derailed (coincidentally on the same stretch of the East 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 a Virgin Trains West Coast Class 390 ''Pendolino'' derailed near

Grayrigg Grayrigg is a small village and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 223, increasing at the 2011 census to 242. It lies on undulated and partly mountainous land, n ...

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 2007, the government's preferred option was to use diesel trains running on

biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat ( tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oi ...

, its

White Paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white paper ...

''Delivering a Sustainable Railway'', ruling out large-scale Railway electrification in Great Britain for the following five years. Following

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony ...

's appointment as Prime Minister in 2007,

Andrew Adonis Andrew Adonis, Baron Adonis, (born Andreas Adonis; 22 February 1963) is a British Labour Party politician and journalist who served in HM Government for five years in the Blair ministry and the Brown ministry. He served as Secretary of State ...

was appointed Transport Secretary. He immediately began work on plans for a new high-speed route between London and Birmingham (later known as

High Speed 2 High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...

), which would augment the West Coast Main Line. Adonis also announced plans to electrify the Great Western Main Line from London as far as

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the C ...

, as well as infill electrification schemes in the North West of England to remove diesel traction from certain key routes. Late in 2009, the

InterCity East Coast InterCity East Coast is a railway franchise for passenger trains on the East Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom from London King's Cross to Hull, Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen. It wa ...

franchise collapsed for the second time in three years when incumbent operator

National Express East Coast National Express East Coast (NXEC) was a train operating company in the United Kingdom, owned by National Express, that operated the InterCity East Coast franchise on the East Coast Main Line between London, Yorkshire, North East England and ...

(NXEC) proved unable to meet its financial obligations. Adonis transferred the franchise to the state-owned Directly Operated Railways to operate the route under its East Coast subsidiary. In February 2009, the Department for Transport setup a company called Diesel Trains Ltd with the intention of funding and managing the procurement of up to 200

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

vehicles as part of the

British Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

's planned purchase of as many as 1300 new rail vehicles. It was incorporated following the announcement of the first 200 vehicles in late 2008 as part of the

Pre-Budget Report The Spring Statement of the British Government, also known as the "mini-budget", is one of the two statements HM Treasury makes each year to Parliament upon publication of economic forecasts, the second taking place the previous year as the Autum ...

- 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. Diesel Trains Ltd was to have responsibility for the purchase and distribution of 202 DMU vehicles to three TOCs - First Great Western, First TransPennine Express and Northern Rail. The order itself was to encompass a total of 61 trains, with 19 four-car and 42 three-car. Following the announcement in August 2009 that the Great 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.

Reform under the Coalition government (2010–2015)

After the 2010 General Election, the new Conservative led

Coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

continued Labour's rail policies largely unaltered after a pause to review the finances. There was continuing support for the

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. Plans were also mooted to electrify the remainder of the Midland Main Line. In 2012, the franchising system again came under criticism after

FirstGroup FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland.InterCity West Coast franchise. Incumbent Virgin 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 Secretary Patrick 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 Conservative government (2015–present)

The Government has moved towards allowing more competition on the intercity network through open access operators. In 2015 it approved a service run by Alliance Rail Holdings to operate between London Euston and

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...

, and in 2016 it allowed FirstGroup to run open access services on the East Coast Main Line from October 2021 under the operating name Lumo.

Fare increases

Much debate continues over annual fare increases, although the government has now pledged to keep regulated rail fare increases at Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation for the remainder of this Parliament. 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.

Rail strikes

Since April 2016, the British railway network has been severely disrupted on many occasions by wide-reaching rail strikes, affecting rail franchises across the country. The industrial action began on

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

services as a dispute over the planned introduction of driver-only operation, and has since expanded to cover many different issues affecting the rail industry; as of February 2018, the majority of the industrial action remains unresolved, with further strikes planned. The scale, impact and bitterness of the nationwide rail strikes have been compared to the 1984–85 miners' strike by the media.

Infrastructure projects

In March 2016, the National Infrastructure Commission said that Crossrail 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. Crossrail 2 is a north–south railway through London, similar to the east–west railway Crossrail 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 including

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...

, the Midland Main Line from

Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

via

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

and

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

and

Oxenholme Oxenholme is a village in England just south of the town of Kendal, with which it has begun to merge. It is best known for Oxenholme Lake District railway station on the West Coast Main Line. Because Oxenholme does not have its own church it ...

Windermere Windermere (sometimes tautologically called Windermere Lake to distinguish it from the nearby town of Windermere) is the largest natural lake in England. More than 11 miles (18 km) in length, and almost 1 mile (1.5 km) at its wides ...

in the Lake District. 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. In March 2019 the Railway Industry Association published a paper entitled Electrification Cost Challenge. 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. On 24 July 2019,

Grant Shapps Grant Shapps (born 14 September 1968) is a British politician who is serving as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy since October 2022. He previously served as Secretary of State for Transport in the Johnson governm ...

was appointed Secretary of State for Transport under the new Prime Minister

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as ...

. 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 under

Lilian Greenwood Lilian Rachel Greenwood (born 26 March 1966) is a British Labour Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nottingham South since 2010, and the Opposition Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Commons since 2021. A former u ...

'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. 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 of UK railways. In September 2020, the Government permanently got rid of the rail franchising system. On 20 May 2021, the Government announced and published a white paper that detailed how it would transform the operation of the railways. 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. On 18 November 2021, the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) was published. 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 the Transpennine 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 Minister

. It was stated that Sir Peter Hendy would chair the review. The terms of reference were published 3 October 2020. An interim report was published March 2021. The final report was published on 25 November 2021. In December 2021 The Telegraph newspaper reported in an apparent leak that the treasury had decided not to provide fund further electrification and thus help to decarbonise the railways. The official announcement and confirmation that the Midland Main Line 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.

COVID-19 pandemic effect on railways in Great Britain

The COVID-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. How this will affect the long-term health of the rail industry remains to be seen. Despite the pandemic the Traction Decarbonisation Strategy Interim Business case was published dated 31 July 2020. In addition, Network Rail also published its Environmental sustainability strategy. In direct response to falling passenger numbers and revenues, the Wales & Borders operator Transport for Wales Rail was put into public ownership by the

Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...

on 7 February 2021.

Infrastructure projects

Completed projects

The British railway system continues to be developed. Contemporary projects include: * The West Coast Main Line upgrade (

West Coast Main Line route modernisation The West Coast Main Line is a key strategic railway line in the United Kingdom. It links the cities of London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Preston. Virgin Trains took on the franchise to run train services on the routes in 1 ...

) 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 in

tilting train A tilting train is a train that has a mechanism enabling increased speed on regular rail tracks. As a train (or other vehicle) rounds a curve at speed, objects inside the train experience centrifugal force. This can cause packages to slide ab ...

s 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 require

moving block signalling In railway signalling, a moving block is a signalling block system where the blocks are defined in real time by computers as safe zones around each train. This requires both knowledge of the exact location and speed of all trains at any given ti ...

) and poor project management by the defunct

England

, a project to construct a high-speed rail line from London to the British end of the

Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel (french: Tunnel sous la Manche), also known as the Chunnel, is a railway tunnel that connects Folkestone (Kent, England, UK) with Coquelles ( Hauts-de-France, France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover ...

, and involving a great deal of complex

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

ing including a bridge over the

River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a total distance ...

, a tunnel under the Thames near Dartford, a 2-mile tunnel through the North Downs, twin tunnels running into central London, a major new railway station extension to London St Pancras, and a complex redesign and rebuild of the

King's Cross St Pancras tube station King's Cross St Pancras (also known as King's Cross & St Pancras International) is a London Underground station on Euston Road in the Borough of Camden, Central London. It serves King's Cross and main line stations in fare zone 1, and is ...

. The southern phase 1 of the project opened in September 2003, and northern phase 2 opened in November 2007. * The electrification of both the

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...

line and Liverpool to

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington ...

lines were completed in 2015 and electric Class 319 trains (on the Liverpool to Manchester Airport service) and Class 350s (on the Manchester Airport to Scotland services) have replaced diesel units. The lines between Preston and Blackpool North and also Preston - Manchester have been electrified with completion in 2018. * Electrification of the

Cross-City Line The Cross-City Line is a commuter rail line in the West Midlands region of England. It runs for from Redditch and Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, its two southern termini, to Lichfield, Staffordshire, its northern terminus, via Birmingham New ...

to Bromsgrove has been completed, which allowed electric trains to run from summer 2018. * Trains from the north east to

Manchester Airport Manchester Airport is an international airport in Ringway, Manchester, England, south-west of Manchester city centre. In 2019, it was the third busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger numbers and the busiest of those ...

now use a new section of railway, the £85 million Ordsall Chord, between Manchester Victoria and

Manchester Oxford Road Manchester Oxford Road railway station is a railway station in Manchester, England, at the junction of Whitworth Street West and Oxford Street. It opened in 1849 and was rebuilt in 1960. It is the second busiest of the four stations in Manch ...

to access Manchester Piccadilly and continue to the airport without the need to reverse at Piccadilly and without conflicting movements at the station throat. This has been completed.

Scotland

* The Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway, a extension to the network, to the north of the Firth of Forth in Scotland. A

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pla ...

for the railway was passed by the

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba ; sco, Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyr ...

and received

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 to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

, and freight links between the site of Kincardine power station, now used as a loading point for coal from open-cast sites, to avoid heavy traffic through Kincardine, and

Longannet power station Longannet power station was a large coal-fired power station in Fife, and the last coal-fired power station in Scotland. It was capable of co-firing biomass, natural gas and sludge. The station stood on the north bank of the Firth of Forth, ...

, and the coal terminals at Hunterston Deep Water Port. Longannet power station closed in 2016. The passenger part of the scheme, from Stirling to Alloa was in any case secure, and the Scottish Parliament appear to be in favour of passenger services being extended to Rosyth. This could possibly result in passenger stations serving the communities of Clackmannan, Kincardine, and Culross or Valleyfield, and through trains once more from Stirling to

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Acco ...

. * A short extension of the

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lana ...

, which once again links Larkhall 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 to Larkhall railway station resumed on 12 December 2005. The new section of route is electrified and is served with trains from Dalmuir, via Glasgow Central Low Level, with connections from other northern suburbs of

such as

Milngavie Milngavie ( ; gd, Muileann-Ghaidh) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland and a suburb of Glasgow. It is on the Allander Water, at the northwestern edge of Greater Glasgow, and about from Glasgow city centre. It neighbours Bearsden. Mi ...

. * The Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link was completed in December 2010. The Airdrie-Bathgate project was quite extensive insofar as it included double track electrification, the present remnant of the line from just outside Edinburgh to Bathgate having been largely singled some time ago. * The Glasgow 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 spur was to be built onto the existing

Inverclyde Inverclyde ( sco, Inerclyde, gd, Inbhir Chluaidh, , "mouth of the Clyde") is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the hi ...

route. An element of the project that did go ahead was upgrading the Glasgow Central - Paisley line to triple track to increase capacity on the Ayrshire and Inverclyde routes. This work was completed in 2012. * A section of the Waverley Route from

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

Tweedbank Tweedbank is a large village south-east of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It is part of the county of Roxburghshire. It is an outer suburb or satellite development of Galashiels, on the other (eastern) side of the River Tweed. Th ...

in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lot ...

has been rebuilt after approval by the Scottish Parliament, which reopened on 6 September 2015. This project, also known as the Borders Railway, restored rail services to communities which have lacked access to the National Rail network since the Beeching cuts. ** The Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme or "EGIP" was an initiative started by the Scottish Government to upgrade the main railway line between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Falkirk High. The route via Shotts was then to follow. It was expected to cost around £650 million. In May 2017, a further delay was announced due to a safety critical component on the via Falkirk High route needing to be replaced. * The line between Glasgow Queen Street railway station and

Edinburgh Waverley railway station Edinburgh Waverley railway station (also known simply as Waverley; gd, Waverley Dhùn Èideann) is the principal railway station serving Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the second busiest station in Scotland, after Glasgow Central. It is the nort ...

via

Falkirk High railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = 2017 at Falkirk High - platform 1.JPG , borough = Falkirk, Falkirk , country = Scotland , coordinates = , grid_name = Grid reference , grid_position = , manager = ScotRail , platfor ...

was electrified and electric trains started running in December 2017. * The rolling programme of electrification in Scotland saw lines from Edinburgh and Glasgow electrified to Stirling, Dunblane and Alloa. * The Edinburgh to Glasgow Central line via Shotts was completed on time and on budget.

Wales

* The Welsh Assembly Government re-opened the Vale of Glamorgan Line between Barry and Bridgend in 2005 and the Ebbw Valley Railway between Ebbw Vale Parkway and Cardiff Central in 2008. An extension of the line to Ebbw Vale Town opened in 2015.

Current developments

(HS2) is a planned

high-speed railway High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...

which will initially link the cities of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...

, followed by further extension to North West England and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. Construction of the first phase of HS2 began in 2017 with a planned opening date of 2026, while completion of the entire network is expected in 2033. Phase One of HS2 will run between London Euston and the proposed new Birmingham Curzon Street station. Phase two will create two branches: a western leg to Manchester Piccadilly, and an eastern leg to the proposed Leeds New Lane station via the East Midlands Hub (serving

and

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

) and Meadowhall Interchange (serving

). Phase 2A from

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west o ...

Crewe Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The Crewe built-up area had a total population of 75,556 in 2011, which also covers parts of the adjacent civil parishes of Willaston ...

received Royal Assent on 11 February 2021. * The Thameslink Programme started in 2009 and is expected to be completed in December 2019. The project includes the lengthening of platforms, station remodelling, new railway infrastructure (e.g. viaducts) and additional rolling stock, which will allow Govia Thameslink Railway to expand their Thameslink services further north and south. *The Northern Hub is a rail project across

Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angles, Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Scandinavian York, K ...

aimed at stimulating economic growth by increasing train services, reducing journey times and electrifying lines between the major cities and towns in the north. The project was announced as the Manchester Hub, entailing a series of upgrades to cut journey times between cities in Northern England by alleviating rail bottlenecks around Manchester. Central to the project is the resolution of rail bottlenecks around Manchester city centre allowing more capacity and faster journey times between the northern cities. The construction of two through platforms at Piccadilly will allow an increase to 14 trains per hour from 10. Manchester Victoria station is being modernised to become the east–west rail interchange in northern England. Services from

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...

and beyond will be diverted from the Cheshire Lines route via Warrington Central and Manchester Piccadilly to the electrified line via Newton-le-Willows and Manchester Victoria. *On the Great Western Main Line, Network Rail plans to spend £5 billion on modernising the GWML and its

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

branch plus other associated lines like the North Cotswolds 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 during the second decade of the 21st century. The modernisation includes:

electrification Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. The broad meaning of the term, such as in the history of technology, economic histo ...

, resignalling, new

rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles ca ...

and station upgrades. According to Network Rail, the modernisation started in June 2010 and will end in 2017. 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. This was confirmed by Chris Grayling in July 2017 stating specifically Cardiff -Swansea electrification was cancelled and bi-mode availability made this possible without disruptive electrification works. * Crossrail is a railway line under construction in London and its environs. It is expected to begin full operation in 2021 with a new east–west route across

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness Greatness is a concept of a state of superiority affecting a person or object in a particular place or area. Greatness can also be attributed to individuals who possess a natural ability to be better than al ...

. Work began in 2009 on the central section of the line—a new tunnel through

central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...

—and connections to existing lines that will become part of Crossrail. Crossrail's aim is to provide a high-frequency commuter/suburban passenger service that will link parts of Berkshire and

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...

, via central London, to

Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...

and South East London. * Scotland ** 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. The first announced project is the electrification of the route to

Barrhead Barrhead ( sco, Baurheid, gd, Ceann a' Bharra) is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, southwest of Glasgow city centre on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. At the 2011 census its population was 17,268. History Barrhead was formed wh ...

and

East Kilbride East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a rais ...

. 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 relocating Hairmyres station and a complete rebuild of East Kilbride station. ** 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 to

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...

Station and other renewals in the Carstairs area and also

. The electrification to East Kilbride is also included in this category. The branch line to Levenmouth is being reopened but the electrification work is to enable Battery electric multiple unit operation rather than full electrification. 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 the Borders Railway are included here along with

and Haymarket to Dalmeny and

Leven Leven may refer to: People * Leven (name), list of people with the name Nobility * Earl of Leven a title in the Peerage of Scotland Placenames * Leven, Fife, a town in Scotland * Leven, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England * Leven st ...

. 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 of

including to the

Central Belt The Central Belt of Scotland is the area of highest population density within Scotland. Depending on the definition used, it has a population of between 2.4 and 4.2 million (the country's total was around 5.4 million in 2019), including Gre ...

and

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histor ...

. The Highland Main Line from

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

is also included in the plan. This obviously requires continuation of the previous scheme from Stirling to Dunblane and Alloa. So Dunblane to Hilton junction and

along with all the other necessary infrastructure improvements such as route clearance are part of the infrastructure upgrade plan. The

Fife Circle The Fife Circle Line is the local rail service north from Edinburgh. It links towns of south Fife and the coastal towns along the Firth of Forth before heading to Edinburgh. Operationally, the service is not strictly a circle route, but, rathe ...

line and extensions to Longannet and

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

and

are all part of this. Electrification in Ayrshire and south west of

are under active consideration too. * Wales ** The Welsh Assembly Government proposes to extend the Ebbw Valley line between Ebbw Vale and Cardiff into Newport in the future. The Assembly Government is also looking into opening the Hirwaun to Aberdare route in the Cynon Valley. In addition to further progress on the

South Wales Metro The South Wales Metro () is an integrated heavy rail, light rail and bus-based public transport services and systems network in South East Wales around the hub of . The first phase was approved for development in October 2013. Works are current ...

, and

North Wales Metro The North Wales Metro (; originally the North East Wales Metro; ) is a rail and bus transport improvement programme in north Wales. Styled as a "Metro", it is conceptually a multi-modal system with a combination of bus, heavy rail, and light rail ...

Timeline of improvements

2015

*May: The

Todmorden Curve The Calder Valley line (also previously known as the Caldervale line) is a railway route in Northern England between the cities of Leeds and Manchester as well as the seaside resort of Blackpool. It is the slower of the two main rail route ...

reopened, allowing direct trains to operate between

and east Lancashire. The Curve had been closed in 1965 with the tracks lifted in 1972. *December: Apperley Bridge station reopened, after being closed in 1965. It is the first of two stations between

and Shipley in West Yorkshire to be reopened.

2016

* February: The first of 27 Class 387/2 ''Electrostar'' units were introduced on the Gatwick Express route between London Victoria and

Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport (), also known as London Gatwick , is a major international airport near Crawley, West Sussex, England, south of Central London. In 2021, Gatwick was the third-busiest airport by total passenger traffic in the UK, after ...

, replacing the Class 442s. * March: The Norton Bridge flyover on the West Coast Main Line was brought into use. * June: The first of 115 Class 700 ''Desiro City'' units entered service on

Thameslink Thameslink is a 24-hour main-line route in the British railway system, running from , , , and via central London to Sutton, , , Rainham, , , , and . The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying ...

. * June: Kirkstall Forge station opened. * July: The new Bromsgrove station opened. * December: The westernmost segment of the western section of East West Rail opened, extending the line from Oxford Parkway to Oxford, and thus establishing a new Oxford-Marylebone service via .

2017

* April: Ilkeston station in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, served by trains between Nottingham and Leeds, opened and Low Moor station on the Caldervale line between Bradford and Halifax reopened after being closed in 1965. * April: Redoubling of track from Rossett to Chester on the Shrewsbury to Chester Line was completed. * May: Cambridge North station opened. * May: Electric 387 trains started running between London Paddington and Maidenhead following completion of electrification work. * June: The first of 66 Class 345 ''Aventra'' units entered service on Crossrail. These replaced the 44 TfL Rail Class 315 units that previously operated this service. * August: The first of 30 Class 707 ''Desiro City'' units entered service with South West Trains. * October: The first Class 800 ''Intercity Express'' trains were introduced on the Great Western Main Line. * December: The Ordsall Chord opened to passenger traffic. * December: As part of the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme, the first electric trains ran from Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk High.

2018

* January: The line from Preston to Blackpool South including Kirkham and Wesham reopened on time with completely new signaling. * January: Electric trains started running between Paddington and Didcot following completion of electrification work on this section of the Great Western Main Line. * January: Infrastructure work on the Thameslink project allows 20 trains per hour between Blackfriars and St Pancras. * January: The first passenger train ran on the completed Bermondsey dive-under. * April: Kenilworth station opened on the line between Leamington Spa and Coventry. * May: The first electric trains ran between Preston and Blackpool North. * May: Services between

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...

and Heathrow Terminal 4 as well as Heathrow Central and Heathrow Terminal 4 transferred from Heathrow Express to Crossrail. * May: Resignalling on the Halton Curve that allows trains to travel in both directions (previously trains could only travel on the line in a northbound direction) from

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

to Liverpool Lime Street (via Runcorn) was completed, allowing trains to run from May 2019. * May: Electrification of the

to Bromsgrove was completed, allowing electric trains to run in July 2018. * June: Maghull North station opened on

Merseyrail Merseyrail is a commuter rail network serving the Liverpool City Region and adjacent areas of Cheshire and Lancashire. Merseyrail operates 66 railway stations across two lines – the Northern Line and Wirral Line, which are dedicated el ...

's Northern line. * July: Class 385 electric trains started running on the Edinburgh to Glasgow route. * August: Class 802 trains entered service with

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

on certain GWR routes, mainly from London Paddington via Newbury/Exeter St. David's to Plymouth/Penzance. * August: Mark 5A coaches hauled by Class 68 locomotives began testing on the mainline prior to their introduction with TransPennine Express. * September:

Great Northern Great Northern may refer to: Transport * One of a number of railways; see Great Northern Railway (disambiguation). * Great Northern Railway (U.S.), a defunct American transcontinental railroad and major predecessor of the BNSF Railway. * Great ...

started introducing Class 717 trains on services to and from Moorgate. * December: Electric trains started running on the Stirling-Dunblane-Alloa line. * December: Four-tracking of the Great Western Main Line at

Filton Bank Filton Bank is the name given to a section of the Bristol to Birmingham line in Bristol, England, roughly between and stations. Description The line runs from Dr Days Junction where the Great Western Main Line branches off from the Bristo ...

between Dr Days Junction and Filton Abbey Wood was completed. * December: Manchester to Preston electrification was completed and

Virgin Pendolino The British Rail Class 390 ''Pendolino'' is a type of electric high-speed passenger train operated by Avanti West Coast in the United Kingdom, leased from Angel Trains. They are electric multiple units using Fiat Ferroviaria's tilting train ...

test trains ran.

2019

* April: Electrification of the Shotts Line between Edinburgh and Glasgow was completed, allowing electric trains to run from May. * April: Vivarail Class 230 units started operating on the Marston Vale line for

West Midlands Railway West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trade names: West Midlands Railway (WMR) (within the ...

. * April: Mark 5 coaches entered service on the Caledonian Sleeper. * May: Electric trains started running on the

Chase Line The Chase Line is a suburban railway line in the West Midlands region of England. It runs from its southern terminus, Birmingham New Street, to Walsall, and then Rugeley in Staffordshire, where it joins the Trent Valley Line. The name of the ...

to Walsall. * May: Class 710 ''Aventra'' units entered service for London Overground on the Lea Valley Lines, Gospel Oak to Barking Line, Watford DC Line and the

Romford to Upminster Line Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romford ...

. * May: The first Class 800 ''Super Express'' trains were introduced on the East Coast Main Line. * June: Refurbished Class 442 units entered service with South Western Railway on London Waterloo to Portsmouth/Southampton services. * July: The first Class 195 ''Civity'' and Class 331 ''Civity'' units started running services on Arriva Rail North's network. * July: Greater Anglia started their complete fleet replacement by introducing their first Class 755 units. * September: Class 801 units made their debut for London North Eastern Railway on London to Leeds services. * November: The first of twelve 5-car

Class 397 The British Rail Class 397 '' Civity'' is a class of electric multiple unit built by Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF for lease to TransPennine Express by Eversholt Rail Group. A total of twelve five-car units were built to operate servi ...

''Civity'' trains entered service for TransPennine Express. * December: Services between Paddington and

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spell ...

transferred from

to Crossrail. *December: Robroyston and Warrington West stations open with the December timetable change. * December: All of the '' Pacer'' ( Class 142, Class 143 and

Class 144 The British Rail Class 144 ''Pacer'' was a diesel multiple unit (DMU) passenger train built at Derby between 1986 and 1987. BR, seeking to procure improved derivatives of the earlier Class 141, placed an order with the manufacturers British ...

) units were to be withdrawn from service by the end of December 2019 unless they receive modifications to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act of 2005. However, it has been confirmed that some will remain in service past the December 2019 deadline. * December: The Thameslink Programme is scheduled for completion, allowing for 24 trains per hour between Blackfriars and St Pancras. * December: Class 387s specially converted for use on the route will enter service for Heathrow Express.

2020

* January: The first Class 745 trains began operating for Greater Anglia. * January: The first electric trains ran on the Great Western Main Line to Cardiff. * February: Worcestershire Parkway railway station opened. * November: Greater Anglia introduced the Class 720 into service.

2021

* January: Electrification of the Midland Main Line to Corby is completed. *May: Class 769 bi-mode units converted from electric Class 319 trains were introduced into service with Northern. *May: The final Pacer unit (a Class 143) ran its final service for

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; cy, Trafnidiaeth Cymru; cy, TrC, label=none) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) cons ...

. *October: Open access operator Lumo started running services on the ECML.VTEC and FirstGroup granted East Coast Main Line paths
''

Railway Gazette International ''Railway Gazette International'' is a monthly business magazine and news website covering the railway, metro, light rail and tram industries worldwide. Available by annual subscription, the magazine is read in over 140 countries by transport ...

'' 12 May 2016 * December: Kettering to Market Harborough electrification officially announced and starts. * December: Work starts on Bolton (Lostock) to Wigan upgrade and electrification. *December:

Soham railway station Soham railway station is a station on the Ipswich–Ely line, serving the town of Soham in Cambridgeshire. The original station operated between 1879 and 1965. It was reopened in 2021. History Soham station originally opened on 1 September 187 ...

reopened.

2022

* May: The central section of Crossrail (

to Abbey Wood) opened. * July: Barking Riverside station opened on the Gospel Oak to Barking line * October: West Midlands Trains started introducing their new fleet of Class 196 trains. * November: CAF Class 197 Civity DMUs began entering service with Transport for Wales Rail. * South Western Railway start introducing their new Class 701 trains. *

start introducing the first of 52 new four-car

Class 777 The British Rail Class 777 ''METRO'' is a class of electric multiple unit passenger trains currently under construction by Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail, to be used on the Merseyrail network in the Liverpool City Region and the ...

trains to replace the three-car Class 507 and Class 508 trains they currently operate. *

c2c Trenitalia c2c Limited,Companies House extract company no 789726 ...

start introducing their new fleet of six 10-car Bombardier Class 720 trains. * Stadler Class 398 Citylink tram-trains and Class 231 & Class 756 Flirt trains are due to begin operating with Transport for Wales Rail. * Brent Cross West station is due to open on the Thameslink route in North London.

2023

* Avanti West Coast will begin introducing their new fleet of Class 805 & Class 807 units. * Class 810 units will come into service for

East Midlands Railway Abellio East Midlands Limited, trading as East Midlands Railway (EMR), is a train operating company in England, owned by Abellio, and is the current operator of the East Midlands franchise. History In March 2017, the Department for Transport ...

. * New stations are planned to open at Willenhall and Darlaston * West Midlands Trains introduce the first Class 730 trains

2024

* Services due to start running on the western section of the East West Rail from Oxford to Bletchley. * ETCS signalling will be installed on the ECML between London and Peterborough. * Bolton (Lostock) to Wigan electrification scheduled for completion.

Present locomotives and rolling stock

Diesel locomotives

* BR Class 73 is an electro-diesel locomotive which allows electrified and non electrified route workings.

Electric locomotives

^a BR Class 73 and 88 are electro-diesel locomotives which allow both electrified and non electrified route workings.

Diesel multiple units

AC electric multiple units

Dual AC/DC electric multiple units

DC electric multiple units

Bi-mode diesel/electric multiple units

Coaches

'' Details of withdrawn locomotives and rolling stock: See article Withdrawn British Rail stock ''

Government policy

Reform under the Labour government (1997–2010)

Reform under the Coalition government (2010–2015)

The Conservative government (2015–present)

Fare increases

Rail strikes

Infrastructure projects

COVID-19 pandemic effect on railways in Great Britain

Infrastructure projects

Completed projects

England

Scotland

Wales

Current developments

Timeline of improvements

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Present locomotives and rolling stock

Diesel locomotives

Electric locomotives

Diesel multiple units

AC electric multiple units

Dual AC/DC electric multiple units

DC electric multiple units

Bi-mode diesel/electric multiple units

Coaches

Future rolling stock

See also

References

Further reading