Industrial News

Listen to this article In February, Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy described how GBRX has been established to deliver one of the five priorities that Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander has set for the Shadow GBR (Great British Railways) organisation which are: Integration between operators and Network Rail to ‘rip out duplication’ and…

Listen to this article  Sir Andrew Haines, chief executive of Network Rail, has announced he will retire from the company in October 2025. “It has been a privilege to lead Network Rail through a time of such change and transformation for Britain’s railways, and I am proud of the progress that we have made on…

Listen to this article In 1841 Edward Alfred Cowper, a founder member of the IMechE, devised a warning signal for trains on foggy days. This had a detonating compound packed into a small circular container and was fastened to the rails by lead clips. By 1844 such fog signals were in widespread use and their…

Listen to this article The Initiate possession protection initiative is an excellent example of the need to consider an activity’s overall process to determine how it can best be managed both safely and efficiently. Prior to retiring in 2009, I was involved with various possession management initiatives when it became apparent that work in possessions…

Listen to this article Climate change and the increased risk of storm damage and high wind strength is just one of the challenging issues that Britain’s railways need to manage. Studies show a decline in days with minimal wind, indicating an increase in windy conditions. Research also suggests climate change will likely lead to more…

Listen to this article Artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities have rapidly accelerated in recent years. Historically, the rail industry has been slow to adopt new ways of working, but several railway companies have started to explore and implement AI for some activities. Today, all railway companies have the potential, and the opportunity, to harness the power…

Listen to this article Network Rail is responsible for maintaining and improving thousands of bridges and viaducts across the UK rail network. Its work ensures they remain safe, operational, and resilient against environmental conditions, aging, and increasing train loads. Rail Engineer takes a whistle-stop tour of the work that took place to maintain, refurbish, and…

Listen to this article In late January, the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE), the Signal and Electrical Engineers’ Technical Society (TechSoc London), and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) Greater London Region organised the ‘Signalling the Future’ conference in London. This was a very impressive event, with speakers and experts from around the world…