Overall
rail subsidies have risen, as shown in the graph, although spend per journey has decreased. Rail subsidies have increased from £3.4billion in 1992–93 to £4.5billion in 2015–16 (in current prices), although subsidy per journey has fallen from £4.57 to £2.61.[5][6] However, this masks great regional variation: for instance, in 2014–15 funding varied from "£1.41 per passenger journey in England to £6.51 per journey in Scotland and £8.34 per journey in Wales."[6]
Due to the increase in passenger numbers and the prospect of high speed rail both within Great Britain and connecting to Europe, this period has been called the start of a new Golden Age of rail travel.[7][8] However quickly increasing passenger numbers have meant many trains (as many as 1 in 6 in some places) are very crowded at peak times.[9][10] Peak-time fares have increased by over 200% (since privatisation) to deter people from travelling at these times,[5] whereas the price of advance tickets has halved in the same period.[11] The
COVID-19 pandemic caused a massive drop in passenger numbers,[12][13][14] even though freight transport held up fairly well.
Government policy
Reform under the Labour government (1997–2010)
The
Labour government (elected in 1997 after the majority of the privatisation process had been completed) did not completely reverse the railway privatisation of the previous administration. Initially it left the new structure largely in place, however its main innovation in the early years was the creation of the
Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), initially in shadow form until the
Transport Act 2000 received
Royal Assent, as well as the appointment of
Tom Winsor as
Rail Regulator, who took a
much harder line with the rail industry, and
Railtrack in particular.[16]
In the wake of the
Hatfield rail crash in 2000, Railtrack entered into financial meltdown and the industry was in deep crisis. Labour refused to continue to bail out Railtrack and the company was put into Railway Administration in 2001 and a new company,
Network Rail emerged to replace Railtrack in 2002. Since September 2014, Network Rail has been classified as a "government body".[17][18]
The Strategic Rail Authority lasted just five years. Following the passing of the
Railways Act 2005, its business was wound up and its functions transferred to the
Department for Transport Rail Group and the
Office of Rail Regulation.[19] Further changes followed, which saw the government take back a greater degree of control.
Another important development occurred in the aftermath of the
Potters Bar accident in May 2002 when a commuter train derailed (coincidentally on the same stretch of the
East Coast Main Line as Hatfield) due to poorly maintained points. This resulted in Network Rail taking all track maintenance back in-house and the industry went on to enjoy the longest period in modern times without a fatal accident due to industry error. This came to an end in February 2007 when a
Virgin Trains West CoastClass 390 Pendolinoderailed near Grayrigg in Cumbria, killing one person. The cause of the accident was identical to that in Potters Bar nearly five years earlier – once again calling into question Network Rail's maintenance procedures.
In 2006, the government launched the Access for All programme to improve accessibility at railway stations in Great Britain.[20] The £390million main programme (extended in 2014 with a further £163million) has delivered accessibility projects at more than 150 stations.[20]
Following
Gordon Brown's appointment as prime minister in 2007,
Andrew Adonis was appointed Transport Secretary. He immediately began work on plans for a new
high-speed route between London and Birmingham (later known as
High Speed 2), which would augment the West Coast Main Line. Adonis also announced plans to electrify the
Great Western Main Line from London as far as
Swansea, as well as infill electrification schemes in the North West of England to remove diesel traction from certain key routes. Late in 2009, the
InterCity East Coast franchise collapsed for the second time in three years when incumbent operator
National Express East Coast (NXEC) proved unable to meet its financial obligations. Adonis transferred the franchise to the state-owned
Directly Operated Railways to operate the route under its
East Coast subsidiary.
In February 2009, the Department for Transport set up a company called Diesel Trains Ltd with the intention of funding and managing the procurement of up to 200
diesel multiple unit vehicles as part of the
British Government's planned purchase of as many as 1300 new rail vehicles.[22][23][24] It was incorporated following the announcement of the first 200 vehicles in late 2008 as part of the
Pre-Budget Report – the speed of this announcement (the final contract to be signed in April 2009) led the government to take the lead in financing the procurement, through a public company. However, the DfT stated that it did not intend to serve in the long-term as a lessor of rolling stock. As a consequence, the DfT planned to sell Diesel Trains Ltd once the procurement process was completed, either as a whole, or by selling its assets and contracts.[25]
Diesel Trains Ltd was to have responsibility for the purchase and distribution of 202 DMU vehicles to three
TOCs –
First Great Western,
First TransPennine Express and
Northern Rail. The order itself was to encompass a total of 61 trains, with 19 four-car and 42 three-car.[26]
Following the announcement in August 2009 that the
Great Western Main Line was to be electrified, the order for 202 DMUs was cancelled. After lying dormant for three years, Diesel Trains Ltd was dissolved in July 2012.[27]
Reform under the Coalition government (2010–2015)
After the
2010 General Election, the new
Conservative led
Coalition continued Labour's rail policies largely unaltered after a pause to review the finances. There was continuing support for the
High Speed 2 scheme and further developing plans for the route, although great debate still rages over the scheme's benefits and costs. Whilst initially showing scepticism towards the electrification schemes of the Great Western route, they later gave the project its backing and work began formally in 2012.[28]
In 2012, the franchising system again came under criticism after
FirstGroup was awarded the
InterCity West Coast franchise. Incumbent
Virgin Rail Group initiated a judicial review against the decision, citing the fact that First's bid was even more ambitious than the one which had scuttled National Express East Coast less than three years earlier. Before the review took place however, newly installed Transport Secretary
Patrick McLoughlin scrapped the entire bidding process for the franchise and granted Virgin an extension to its contract when "severe technical flaws" were discovered in the original bidding competition.
The Conservative government (2015–present)
The government has moved towards allowing more competition on the intercity network through open access operators. In 2015 it approved a service run by
Alliance Rail Holdings to operate between
London Euston and
Blackpool, and in 2016 it allowed FirstGroup to run open access services on the
East Coast Main Line from October 2021 under the operating name
Lumo.[33][34]
Fare increases
Much debate continues over annual fare increases, although the government pledged in August 2015 to keep regulated rail fare increases at Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation for the remainder of the
56th Parliament.[35] In addition much debate has continued over the financing of various rail schemes driven primarily by the huge cost and time overrun on the GWML route modernisation and electrification scheme. In connection with this, and to coincide with the Chancellor's Autumn statement in November 2015, the Bowe and Hendy reports were produced.[36][37]
Since April 2016, the British railway network has been severely disrupted on many occasions by
wide-reaching rail strikes, affecting rail franchises across the country.[38] The industrial action began on
Southern services as a dispute over the planned introduction of driver-only operation,[39] and has since expanded to cover many different issues affecting the rail industry;[38] as of February 2018, the majority of the industrial action remains unresolved, with further strikes planned.[40] The scale, impact and bitterness of the nationwide rail strikes have been compared to the
1984–85 miners' strike by the media.
Cost of living crisis and the 2022–2023 rail strikes
Due to the
cost-of-living crisis,
RMT union members at
Network Rail and 13 train operating companies voted in favour of strike action on 24 May 2022.[41] It was the first national strike at
Network Rail since 1994.[41] On 11 July 2022,
ASLEF union members at 8 train operating companies and
TSSA members at
Southeastern also voted in favour of strike action.[42] RMT members voted to accept a pay deal with
Network Rail in March 2023 and the industrial action in Scotland and Wales ended in May 2023, while the RMT dispute with the
Rail Delivery Group is ongoing as of September 2023.[43][44][45]
As a response to the cost-of-living crisis, the government approved a 5.9% rise in rail fares from 5 March 2023, which was 6.4 percentage points below the
RPI inflation rate in July 2022 which is normally used to calculate fare increases.[46]
In July 2023, the government announced plans to close the majority of ticket offices. The plan was abandoned in October 2023.[47][48]
Infrastructure projects
In March 2016, the National Infrastructure Commission said that
Crossrail 2 should be taken forward "as a priority" and recommended that a bill should pass through Parliament by 2019 and the line should be open by 2033.[49] Crossrail 2 is a north–south railway through London, similar to the east–west railway
Crossrail which is currently under construction.
In July 2017,
Chris Grayling, the secretary of state for transport announced a number of electrification schemes were to be suspended indefinitely citing the disruptive nature of electrification works and the availability of bi-mode technology. The schemes included aspects of the GWML including
Cardiff to
Swansea, the
Midland Main Line from
Kettering to
Sheffield via
Derby and
Nottingham and
Oxenholme to
Windermere in the Lake District.[31]
In February 2018, the five-year plan was published by Network Rail with significant investment though much of this was for renewals and smaller projects rather than major projects.[50][51] In March 2019 the
Railway Industry Association published a paper entitled Electrification Cost Challenge.[52]
In July 2019, the Urban Transport Group released a report that showed regional rail travel had experienced a 29% growth in the ten years to 2017/18.[53]
On 24 July 2019,
Grant Shapps was appointed Secretary of State for Transport under the new Prime Minister
Boris Johnson.[54]
The Transport Select Committee have met on a number of occasions since early 2020 and considered the 'Trains Fit for the Future" ongoing enquiry which was started under the previous session under
Lilian Greenwood's chairship. The report, published in March 2021, recommended a rolling programme of electrification and for the DfT to quickly publish a list of “no regret” electrification schemes. It was stated that Network Rail had already supplied a list to the DfT.[55][56][57]
The TDNS (Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy) Interim Business case was published in September 2020. The main theme was electrification of 13,000 single track kilometres (8,100miles) of UK railways.[58]
In September 2020, the government abolished the rail franchising system.[59] On 20 May 2021, the government announced and published a white paper that detailed how it would transform the operation of the railways.[60] The rail network will be partly renationalised, with infrastructure and operations brought together under a new company Great British Railways. Operations will be managed on a concessions model. According to the BBC, this represents the largest shake-up in the UK's railways since privatisation.[59]
On 18 November 2021, the
Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) was published.[61] This affected parts of the HS2 programme including curtailing much of the eastern leg but did include full Midland Main Line electrification and upgrades. Also included was a commitment to the
Transpennine north railway upgrade to include full electrification.
On the back of the IRP, the Union Connectivity Review was also published in November 2021. The Union Connectivity Review was announced on 30 June 2020 by the Prime Minister
Boris Johnson. It was stated that
Sir Peter Hendy would chair the review. The terms of reference were published 3 October 2020.[62] An interim report was published March 2021.[63][64][65]
The final report was published on 25 November 2021.[66][67] In December 2021 The Telegraph newspaper reported in an apparent leak that the treasury had decided not to provide fund further electrification and thus help to decarbonise the railways.[68][69][70]
The official announcement and confirmation that the
Midland Main Line[71] between Kettering and Market Harborough was being electrified and spades would be in the ground starting 24 December 2021 was made on 21 December 2021.[72][73]
COVID-19 pandemic effect on railways in Great Britain
The
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom occurred in this period and caused a catastrophic fall off in the number of passengers using the rail network although freight held up reasonably well.[75][76][77] While passenger numbers had recovered to over 80% of their pre-Covid levels by July-September 2022, how this will affect the long-term health of the rail industry remains to be seen.[78] Despite the
pandemic the Traction Decarbonisation Strategy Interim Business case was published in July 2020.[79] In addition, Network Rail also published its Environmental sustainability strategy.[80]
The British railway system continues to be developed. Contemporary projects include:
The
West Coast Main Line upgrade (
West Coast Main Line route modernisation) was a long-term project covering a series of technical aspects. Improvements included the four-tracking (from three) of the Trent Valley (a bypass of the West Midlands), redesigning the layout of several junction/stations e.g. Rugby and other associated work to increase line speed. This culminated in
tilting trains at 125 mph being extended to Glasgow in 2005. The cost overruns of the programme are infamous – attributed to the wide scope of the programme (the promise to Virgin to build a 140 mph railway which would require
moving block signalling) and poor project management by the defunct
Railtrack.[82]
England
High Speed 1, a project to construct a 67-mile (108 km) high-speed rail line from London to the British end of the
Channel Tunnel, and involving a great deal of complex
civil engineering including a 1,404-yard (1,284 m) bridge over the
River Medway, a 2-mile (3.2 km) tunnel under the Thames near Dartford, a 2-mile tunnel through the North Downs, 12-mile (19 km) twin tunnels running into central London, a major new railway station extension to
London St Pancras, and a complex redesign and rebuild of the
King's Cross St Pancras tube station. The southern phase 1 of the project opened in September 2003, and northern phase 2 opened in November 2007.
The
Thameslink Programme started in 2009 and was completed in September 2020. The project includes the lengthening of platforms, station remodelling, new railway infrastructure (e.g. viaducts) and
new rolling stock, which has allowed
Govia Thameslink Railway to expand their Thameslink services to more destinations on the north and south.
Crossrail was a railway construction project in London and its environs. Its aim is to provide a high-frequency hybrid
commuter rail/
rapid transit passenger service that links parts of
Berkshire and
Buckinghamshire, via central London, to
Essex and
South East London. Work began in 2009 on the central section of the line—a new tunnel through
central London—and connections to the
Great Western Main Line and
Great Eastern Main Line that would become part of Crossrail.[83] The central section from
Paddington to
Abbey Wood opened as the
Elizabeth line on 24 May 2022.[84] The introduction of the full peak timetable with 24 trains per hour and direct services between Heathrow Airport and Essex on 21 May 2023 marked the practical completion of the project.[85]
The
Northern Hub was a rail project across
Northern England aimed at stimulating economic growth by increasing train services, reducing journey times and electrifying lines between the major cities and towns in the north.[86] The project was announced as the Manchester Hub, entailing a series of upgrades to increase capacity and cut journey times between cities in Northern England by resolving rail bottlenecks around
Manchester city centre.[87][88]Manchester Piccadilly was planned to have two new through platforms constructed to increase the frequency of trains from 10 per hour to 14, but the plan was withdrawn in 2023.[89]Manchester Victoria station was modernised (including electrification, a new
Metrolink station and a new roof) to become the east–west rail interchange in northern England.[90][91] Services from
Liverpool to
Leeds and beyond will be diverted from the Cheshire Lines route via
Warrington Central and
Manchester Piccadilly to the electrified line via Newton-le-Willows and Manchester Victoria. Trains from the north east to
Manchester Airport now use a new section of railway, the £85million
Ordsall Chord, between Manchester Victoria and
Manchester Oxford Road to access Manchester Piccadilly and continue to the airport without the need to reverse at Piccadilly and without conflicting movements at the station throat. The chord opened on 10 December 2017.[92]
Electrification of the
Cross-City Line to
Bromsgrove has been completed, which allowed electric trains to run from summer 2018.[95][96]
Scotland
The
Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway, a 13-mile (21 km) extension to the network, to the north of the
Firth of Forth in Scotland. A
Bill for the railway was passed by the
Scottish Parliament and received
Royal Assent in August 2004. Work commenced in September 2005, with services running by early 2008. The line re-establishes a railway decommissioned in 1983; the new line provided passenger connections to
Glasgow, and freight links between the site of
Kincardine power station, now used as a loading point for coal from open-cast sites, to avoid heavy traffic through Kincardine, and
Longannet power station, and the coal terminals at
Hunterston Deep Water Port. Longannet power station closed in 2016. The passenger part of the scheme, from
Stirling to
Alloa was in any case secure, and the Scottish Parliament appear to be in favour of passenger services being extended to
Rosyth. This could possibly result in passenger stations serving the communities of
Clackmannan,
Kincardine, and
Culross or
Valleyfield, and through trains once more from Stirling to
Dunfermline.
A short extension of the
Glasgow-
Hamilton-
Motherwell, which once again links
Larkhall to the railway network after 40 years. Larkhall has for some time been the largest town in Scotland without a railway station. The new £35million line follows an existing formation, and services to
Larkhall railway station resumed on 12 December 2005.[97] The new section of route is electrified and is served with trains from
Dalmuir, via
Glasgow Central Low Level, with connections from other northern suburbs of
Glasgow such as
Milngavie.
The
Airdrie–Bathgate rail link was a project to upgrade the railway between
Airdrie and
Bathgate. The route, originally part of the
Bathgate and Coatbridge Railway, was completely closed in 1982 and reopened as a single track railway in 1986.[98] The project included double tracking, electrification, new stations at
Blackridge and
Armadale, and the relocation of
Drumgelloch and
Bathgate station.[99] Passenger services on the upgraded line began on 12 December 2010, but the opening of three new stations was delayed to March 2011 due to severe weather.[98] The project cost £300million.[99]
The
Glasgow Airport Rail Link was given the go-ahead by the Scottish Parliament in December 2006 but the project was scrapped by the new SNP minority government in September 2009. A new 1.5-mile (2.4 km) spur was to be built onto the existing
Inverclyde route. An element of the project that did go ahead was upgrading the
Glasgow Central – Paisley line to triple track to increase capacity on the
Ayrshire and Inverclyde routes. This work was completed in 2012.
A 35-mile (56 km) section of the
Waverley Route from
Edinburgh to
Tweedbank in the
Scottish Borders has been rebuilt after approval by the Scottish Parliament, which reopened on 6 September 2015. This project, also known as the
Borders Railway, restored rail services to communities which have lacked access to the National Rail network since the
Beeching cuts.
On the
Great Western Main Line, Network Rail plans to spend £5billion[115] on modernising the GWML and its
South Wales branch plus other associated lines like the
North Cotswolds[116] which was completed in 2011. The modernisation plans were announced at separate times but their development time-scales overlap each other to represent a comprehensive modernisation plan for the Great Western and its associated lines in the 2010s. The modernisation includes
electrification,
resignalling, new
rolling stock and station upgrades. According to Network Rail, the modernisation started in June 2010 and was projected to end in 2017.[117] On 8 November 2016 the government announced that several elements of the Great Western Main Line electrification programme would be indefinitely deferred due to cost overruns and delays.[118][119] Subsequently, in July 2017,
Cardiff–
Swansea electrification was cancelled.[31] Electric services began running between London and Cardiff on 5 January 2020.[120]
The
Northumberland Line is a project to reintroduce passenger services to the currently freight-only line between
Newcastle and
Ashington. Originally built by the
Blyth and Tyne Railway, passenger services on the line were withdrawn as part of the
Beeching cuts. The project involves track replacement, signalling upgrades, closure of level crossings and the construction of six new stations. Following the granting of a
Transport and Works Act Order, main works began in early 2022.[128][129] As of March 2023, the line was expected to open in summer 2024.[130]
The £145million
Hope Valley line upgrade involves reinstating the second line and platform at
Dore and Totley station, a new
passing loop between
Bamford and
Hathersage to allow passenger trains to overtake slower freight trains and platform extensions to accommodate six-car trains.[131] The construction of the second platform at Dore & Totley began on 15 July 2023.[132] As of January 2023, the project was expected to be completed in spring 2024.[133]
The railway between
Bolton and
Wigan, which was first built as part of the
Liverpool and Bury Railway, is being electrified. The £78million electrification project was approved by the government on 1 September 2021.[134] As part of the project, the platforms at
Hindley,
Westhoughton and
Ince will be extended.[134] The completion date will be 2025.[135]
Scotland
Scotland has committed to a rolling programme of electrification to decarbonise the network by 2045 but with an even more aggressive target for decarbonisation of the passenger network by 2035.[136] The first announced project is the electrification of the route to
Barrhead and
East Kilbride.[137] As well as electrification, double tracking from Busby to East Kilbride is planned as well as lengthening platforms at existing stations. Part of the project scope includes relocating
Hairmyres station and a complete rebuild of East Kilbride station.[138][139][140]
Scotland has also published a plan and split it into components identified as: in delivery, in development or under active consideration. As of 2021 projects in delivery include improvements to
Aberdeen Station and other renewals in the
Carstairs area and also
Motherwell. The electrification to East Kilbride is also included in this category. In 2021 projects considered in development are mainly those that support the decarbonisation agenda. New electrification will require new 25kV Grid Feeders and upgrading existing ones to handle the increased electrical load. Partial electrification of the
Borders Railway are included here along with
Barrhead and
Haymarket to
Dalmeny and
Leven. Projects classed as under active consideration again are almost exclusively those supporting the decarbonisation agenda and include most if not all future phases of decarbonisation plan. All of Scotland's seven cities are included and thus include improvements and electrification the routes out of
Aberdeen including to the
Central Belt and
Inverness. The
Highland Main Line from
Perth to
Inverness is also included in the plan. This obviously requires continuation of the previous scheme from
Stirling to
Dunblane and
Alloa. So Dunblane to Hilton junction and
Perth along with all the other necessary infrastructure improvements such as route clearance are part of the infrastructure upgrade plan. The
Fife Circle line and extensions to
Longannet and
Dundee and
Perth are all part of this. Electrification in Ayrshire and south west of
Glasgow are under active consideration too.[141]
The
Levenmouth rail link is a £116million project to reopen 8 kilometres (5 mi) of railway line in
Fife connecting
Leven with
Thornton Junction. The project includes reinstating 19km of double track, constructing two new stations (
Leven and
Cameron Bridge) and electrification. Following project approval by
Transport Scotland, construction started on 4 March 2022.[142] The construction of Cameron Bridge station began on 24 January 2023, while that of Leven station began on 1 March 2023.[143][144]
Wales
The Welsh Assembly Government proposes to extend the
Ebbw Valley line between Ebbw Vale and Cardiff into Newport in the future. The Assembly Government is also looking into opening the
Hirwaun to
Aberdare route in the Cynon Valley. In addition to further progress on the
South Wales Metro, and
North Wales Metro.
The
South Wales Metro is a project to improve services on the
Valleys & Cardiff Local Routes. It involves electrification, double tracking, new
Class 398,
756 and
231 rolling stock, new stations such as
Crwys Road and a new depot and signalling centre at
Taffs Well.[145] The project aims to enable four trains per hour to run on each line.[146] The first Class 398s arrived at the Taffs Well depot in March 2023.[147]
Timeline of improvements
2010
May: As part of the Paisley Corridor Improvements project, the new platforms 12 and 13 at
Glasgow Central opened.[148]
July: The £10million structural upgrade of
Arnside Viaduct was completed, increasing the speed of the
Furness line through the viaduct from 30 mph (48 km/h) to 60 mph (97 km/h).[150]
May: After a £8million upgrade,
Loughborough station reopened with platforms 1 and 2 extended to accommodate 10-car trains, a new footbridge and lifts.[159]
December: The £4million passing loop at
Beccles was opened and the second platform at the station was brought back to use, enabling an hourly service on the
East Suffolk line.[166]
June: The £47million
Hitchin Flyover opened to passenger services, removing the need for trains from
King's Cross switching to the
Cambridge line to cross three lines of the
ECML and thus reducing delays and creating capacity for more services.[172]
October: The £6million new
Wokingham station building opened with a new footbridge and lifts.[174]
October: Following a £12million upgrade,
Salford Crescent had platforms extended to accommodate six-car trains, a new street-level ticket office and a lift to make the station fully accessible.[175]
December: After a three-day closure over Christmas,
Peterborough station reopened with longer platforms, a new platform on the west of the station and a new signalling system.[181][182]
2014
January: After a £19million upgrade over the Christmas period,
Gravesend station reopened with existing platforms lengthened to accommodate 12-car trains and a new third platform.[183]
March: The
Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway capacity upgrade, which included line speed increases, modernisation of level crossings, W12 gauge clearance and resignalling, was completed.[185]
April: As part of the £250million Stafford Area Improvements Programme, the speed of the
WCML slow line between
Crewe and
Stafford was increased from 75 miles per hour (121 km/h) to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).[187]
September: The £20million replacement bridge for
Pont Briwet opened to
Cambrian Coast Line services, allowing the line speed to be raised from 30 km/h (19 mph) to 65 km/h (40 mph).[191][192]
November: An £8million strengthening and restoration programme of
Hawarden Bridge was completed, removing all the operational restrictions that had been in place.[193]
November: The redeveloped
Nottingham station was officially opened with an extra platform, line speed increases, resignalling, and a new fully-accessible southern concourse.[194]
May: The
Todmorden Curve reopened, allowing direct trains to operate between
Manchester and east Lancashire. The Curve had been closed in 1965 with the tracks lifted in 1972.[197]
December:
Apperley Bridge station reopened, after being closed in 1965. It is the first of two stations between
Leeds and
Shipley in West Yorkshire to be reopened.[201]
December: The £26million new
Rochester station opened, replacing the original 1892 station. The new station is closer to the town centre and has longer platforms that can accommodate 12-car trains.[202]
December: The westernmost segment of the western section of
East West Rail opened, extending the line from
Oxford Parkway to Oxford,[208] and thus establishing a new Oxford-Marylebone service via
Bicester Village.
July: A series of upgrades totalling £12million at
Putney was completed, providing longer platforms that can accommodate 10-car trains, step-free access and a new ticket hall.[215]
May: Resignalling on the
Halton Curve that allows trains to travel in both directions (previously trains could only travel on the line in a northbound direction) from
Chester to
Liverpool Lime Street (via Runcorn) was completed, allowing trains to run from May 2019.[229][230][231]
July:
Class 385 electric trains started running on the Edinburgh to Glasgow route.[234]
August:
Class 802 trains entered service with
Great Western Railway on certain GWR routes, mainly from London Paddington via Newbury/Exeter St. David's to Plymouth/Penzance.[235]
December: All of the Pacer (
Class 142,
Class 143 and
Class 144) units were to be withdrawn from service by the end of December 2019 unless they receive modifications to comply with the
Disability Discrimination Act of 2005.[257] However, it has been confirmed that some will remain in service past the December 2019 deadline.[258][259]
December: The
Thameslink Programme is scheduled for completion, allowing for 24 trains per hour between Blackfriars and St Pancras.[260]
Wolmar, Christian (2005). On the Wrong Line: How Ideology and Incompetence Wrecked Britain's Railways (rev. ed.). London: Aurum Press.
ISBN1-85410-998-7.