South Western Railway performance nosedives after nationalisation October 2, 2025 Performance at South Western Railway has plummeted in the months since it became the first network to be brought under state ownership, piling fresh scrutiny on the government’s nationalisation drive just days after it announced the lines that will be taken public next. Delays and cancellations both rose sharply over the three months after it [...]
The only way to make HS2 cheaper? Build HS3 September 18, 2025 It’s a basic fact of economics that the more efficiently you make something, the easier it is to bring down the price. Among the best-known examples is the Ford Model T, one of the top-selling cars in the 20th century with more than 15 million produced. The manufacturing process became so efficient, and each car’s [...]
LNER passenger data accessed in cyber attack September 10, 2025 Train operator LNER has revealed passenger contact details and some information about past journeys have been accessed in a cyber attack. The government-owned firm, which operates services on the East Coast main line between London and Scotland, said the breach involved files managed by a third-party supplier. In a statement, LNER said that “no bank, [...]
Costain shares tumble after HS2 delays spark revenue slump August 20, 2025 Shares in Costain tumbled 13 per cent in the opening minutes of trade in London after the construction firm was hit by further delays to HS2. The Bishopsgate-based business said its overall revenue fell 17.8 per cent to £525m for the first six months of the year, of which revenue for its rail infrastructure services [...]
LNER revenue passes £1bn as cancellations cut July 28, 2025 LNER, which operates most services on the East Coast Main Line, saw its revenue pass the £1bn mark as it cut the number of trains it cancelled during its latest financial year. The business, which is owned by the Department for Transport, has seen its revenue increase from £866.5m in the year to 31 March, [...]
Northern: Cancellations rise as train company’s profit grows July 28, 2025 Government-owned train company Northern cancelled more services as its profit rose during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The number of trains cancelled by the business increased from 7.2 per cent to eight per cent in the 12 months to 31 March, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The rise in [...]
HS2: Transport secretary confirms two-year delay after ‘shambolic mess’ June 18, 2025 Transport secretary Heidi Alexander has confirmed that HS2 will be delayed by at least two years, slamming previous handling of the project as an “appalling” and “shambolic mess”. The embattled high-speed rail link will be pushed back beyond 2033 following a “litany of failures” outlined in two reports by HS2 boss Mark Wild and KPMG’s [...]
Spending Review: Whitehall faces axe to fund Reeves’ spending spree June 11, 2025 Dramatic real terms cuts to departments such as the Home Office and the Department for Transport are to fund Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ multi-billion pound spending packages on the NHS and AI technology. Reeves told MPs on Wednesday afternoon that the government would spend taxpayers’ money with “care” as she said the government had been “relentless” [...]
ONS blames government figures after revealing April inflation error June 5, 2025 There was renewed scrutiny over the credibility of figures produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) after the government body admitted an error in its inflation calculations for April. According to the ONS, the issue arose after the government overstated the number of vehicles subject to the vehicle excise duty. The UK stats body [...]
HS2 regrets failure to protect key whistleblower who raised cost concerns May 27, 2025 HS2 has said it regrets the treatment of a key whistleblower who was pushed out of the project after raising concerns that staff had artificially kept cost estimates low. Stephen Cresswell, a former senior HS2 cost analyst, will receive a substantial compensation payout after HS2 admitted partial liability following a case for unfair dismissal at [...]