Global Railway Review Weekly News Roundup

Welcome to the Global Railway Review weekly news round-up. There were constant breaking news developments in the rail industry throughout the past week. HS2 reached a new milestone during the week, with the launch of a second tunnel boring machine (TBM). This TBM will journey for 5-miles towards Greenford in West London. GTR also had a busy week with the news that it sent its first Class 387/1 Great Northern train to be upgraded to ETCS in-cab signalling as part of the East Coast Digital Programme. Internationally, Leo Express celebrated the tenth anniversary of its first train connection, and Alstom announced the expansion of its presence in Saudi Arabia.

Check out more of the biggest stories from the past week below!

Laser and plasma train trials clear autumn leaves off UK lines

Network Rail engineers have been trialling space-age laser and plasma jet technology as a way to clear autumn leaves from railway lines and minimise passenger delays. View the pictures, videos, and the story here.

DB Cargo delivers hard coal by freight train

DB Cargo are modernising over 1,000 freight wagons to help transport coal to German power plants amidst the ongoing energy crisis. The federal government has stipulated in an ordinance that these freight trains are to be given priority in the rail network on clearly defined transport routes, nicknamed ‘priority corridors’, and with a specific public energy supply. Read the full story here.

TfW open new training facility

Transport for Wales (TfW) announced the opening of a brand-new training facility located in One City Place in Chester. The facility will play a key role in the training of 64 drivers and 56 conductors over the next few year and will also be a training hub for station and ticket office staff, dispatchers, and the depot workforce. Read the full story here.

Site set to be transformed for Global Centre of Rail Excellence

The Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) reached a major milestone with the formal acquisition of the former Nant Helen opencast site and Onllwyn Washery in South Wales. This site will now be transformed into a new UK hub for railway innovation. Read the full story here.

Thank you for your continued support of Global Railway Review! Remember to keep coming back to the site to get the latest breaking news in the industry, feature articles and exciting interviews, with new content added every day!