
A landmark UK Biobank study reveals that not all additives are equal: while sugars, sweeteners, and flavorings drive higher mortality, gelling agents may offer protection, reshaping how we view the risks of ultra-processed foods. Study: Association of 37 markers of ultra-processing with all-cause mortality: a prospective cohort study in the UK Biobank. Image Credit: photka…

Listen to this article There are approximately 6,000 level crossings in Britain, of which 2,059 are User-Worked Crossings (UWCs), meaning that they are manually operated by drivers and pedestrians with no signalman or crossing keeper involved. These UWCs crossings include ‘occupation’ crossings, typically for vehicles, plus footpath crossings. UWCs are usually found on private roads…

Listen to this article Rail Live, the UK’s largest outdoor rail event, returned to Porterbrook’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre (LMIRC) on 19-20 June. With almost 300 exhibitors on site, more than 7,000 visitors attended the two-day exhibition, eager to cast their eyes on the most up-to-date equipment and hear the latest from industry experts.…

Listen to this article Rail Live was founded as a showcase for rail plant and equipment – and that’s exactly what Rail Engineer set out to explore. True to form, the exhibition site was a sea of machinery, with equipment of every shape and size on display, ready to be examined, admired, and discussed in…

Listen to this article Back in December 2024, the Smarter Information, Smarter Journeys Programme (SISJ), jointly led by Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and Network Rail announced the launch of a new range of videos which will make it easier for passengers to plan their journeys. The newly launched Visual Disruption Maps are short videos which…

Listen to this article In July, the first European Train Control System (ETCS) Business Readiness Congress took place over two days in London. This included topics such as driver and operator training, overcoming operational challenges, adopting new standards, new ways of testing, retro fitting ETCS to trains, and managing transition risks with implementing and operating…

Listen to this article On 11 June, the Chartered Institution of Railway Operators (CIRO) held a special Jubilee Lunch for over 200 guests from across the rail industry to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Speaking at this event Lord Peter Hendy commented on the valuable work that CIRO was doing to promote this highest of standards…

Listen to this article Rail Engineer has covered the upgrade of the so-called Core Valley Lines (CVL) extensively. In Issue 197 (July/August 2022) we reported on construction progress including aerial shots of site clearance for Taff’s Well depot. By November 2024, we were able to travel on one of the new trains and visit the…

Listen to this article It would be easy to think our railways are getting safer. The latest ORR statistics show the year ending March 2024 was the first with no workforce fatalities since 2016. However, those same statistics show injuries are increasing and it would seem one particular area remains a concern – depots. If…

Listen to this article This time last year, Rail Engineer reported on West Midlands Trains’ (WMT) rolling stock and depots programme (Issue 209, July-August 2024). WMT is the operator of suburban services radiating from Euston as well as operating inter-urban services from Euston to Crewe and Birmingham New Street to Liverpool Lime Street under the…