As the UK heads towards a general election, the Railway Industry Association (RIA) has launched its RAIL 2050 Manifesto, setting out the industry’s key asks. The Manifesto, which looks at how the...

Back in January 2018 (issue 159), Rail Engineer reported on a plan to increase the capacity of rail operations in Cornwall by upgrading and modernising the existing signalling. At that time, the...

Over the last few years, Rail Engineer has written a number of articles about the Dawlish sea wall. There have been many pictures showing this vulnerable piece of infrastructure with lengths of wall being...

It is easy to sympathise with teachers who take groups of schoolchildren on educational visits, as they work hard to keep their charges together. Consider, then, the task of Felix Schmid and...

Part 3, Operational TrialsIn November 2017 (issue 157), Rail Engineer reported on trials undertaken at the Rail Innovation and Development Centre, Melton of multiple variable rate sanders fitted to...

Guest writer: Keith FenderRail Engineer has previously looked at several innovative forms of traction for new passenger trains; from the Hitachi built bi-mode...

The UK’s railway is eliminating carbon. You must have noticed. The government has pledged to get all diesels off the railway by 2040 and have it “Zero Carbon” by 2050. Scotland, trying to get...

The Department for Transport (DfT) has published a list of rail enhancement projects in its updated Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP).When it announced...

How many times have we looked at clever innovation and wondered why on earth no one thought of doing it before? Often the simplest of ideas seem to lead to the most elegant of...

Now, what are the similarities between Cyrano de Bergerac, the central character in the 1897 play of the same name by Edmond Rostand and a modern Japanese high-speed train?Perhaps...

Guest writer: Keith FenderOn 31 May, Danish Crown Prince Frederik officially opened the first section of 250km/h high-speed line in Denmark between the...

Guest writer: Simon Meades, Ecolite product manager at Taylor Construction Plant.With the announcement this year that the UK has become the first major...

London Underground’s Northern line extension, which is being built from Kennington to Battersea with a new intermediate station at Nine Elms, uses Building Information Modelling (BIM) as the basis of its design and documentation. This...

When Abellio secured the ScotRail franchise in 2015, it soon commenced an exciting transformation programme to improve passenger services across Scotland’s network. Plans included a £475 million investment in new and better...

Chairman’s address to the IMechE Railway Division 2019Graham Neil, chairman, IMechE Railway Division.Graham Neil CEng FIMechE FIET is the 51st chairman of the IMechE...

It is always a pleasure to report on the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Railway Challenge, as Rail Engineer has done since the first competition in 2012. Experiencing the enthusiasm, energy and ingenuity of the teams...

Each year, the UK hosts numerous railway industry events. Most of these concern domestic issues and few have complex technical content throughout. In contrast, more than half the 150 or so participants at the biennial...

The biennial international fair of Russian-gauge railway equipment that is PRO//Motion.EXPO took place over four days at the end of August. This year was the seventh such show, which offers static and...

Network Rail has released an interim report into the fatalities that occurred at Margam, near Port Talbot in South Wales, on 3 July 2019.It looks into what happened on...

Headspans were necessary but now improved resilience is neededGenerally, the railway electrification schemes that first emerged in Britain, before the introduction of more recent AC designs, relied on fairly heavy...

Thickley Wood footbridge at Shildon, County Durham, is unusual but reflects the growth and decline of the local coalfields. Spanning the historic Stockton & Darlington Railway, this bridge dates from 1857, at...

Signal engineers tend to have a measure of distrust when new ideas and concepts are put forward. This is understandable, given that any radical change to signalling practices can have catastrophic consequences if it all...

MegaTech celebrates ten years of platforms with a differenceNext time you are standing on a station, waiting for a train, look down. Not at your feet - past those....