A new railway link built to transport material excavated from Crossrail’s western tunnels has been completed.Aggregates supplier Lafarge has overseen the construction of new track at the old Northfleet cement works site beside the River Thames. The £13.5m project provides a 2.25km link between the National Rail network and the deep water wharf where trains [...]

On 10 January, Justine Greening, the Transport Secretary, announced that the Government intends to press on with construction of High Speed 2 from London to the North. The Government has agreed to the full ‘Y’ route layout, with the intention of reaching Birmingham in 2026 and Manchester / Leeds in 2033.
Read the full announcement here:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/news/statements/greening-20120110

London commuters are to benefit from longer peak-time trains and extra services as part of an investment announced by the Department for Transport (DfT) and South West Trains on 23 December 2011.
An additional 60 carriages are being added to the South West Trains fleet, which operates on one of the busiest commuter networks in Europe.
Around [...]

The transformation of London Bridge station has taken a major step forward after design proposals were given the go ahead by Southwark Council.
A key part of the £6billion Thameslink programme, plans to redevelop London Bridge include a completely new platform layout, which will allow a metro-frequency of trains on the Thameslink route and the creation [...]

Network Rail put out the following press release in the wake of the Autumn Statement.
‘The Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered his Autumn Statement on 29 November in the House of Commons. In it, he clearly showed the value the Government believes that transport infrastructure, and rail in particular, brings to the economic wellbeing of the [...]

Arriva plc has acquired UK open access operator Grand Central Railway which runs passenger train services between Sunderland and London, and between Bradford/Halifax and London.
The acquisition, for an undisclosed amount, adds to Arriva’s UK Trains portfolio of the CrossCountry, Arriva Trains Wales and Chiltern Railways franchises, and concessions to operate the Tyne and Wear Metro [...]

Network Rail has awarded the final two major contracts for the redevelopment of London Bridge area as part of the congestion-busting Thameslink programme. Costain Ltd. will carry out the station redevelopment and Balfour Beatty Rail Ltd. will deliver the track remodelling.
The station redevelopment will include a new concourse at street level, with entrances on Tooley [...]