Industry publication for railway transport specialists
London Underground facial recognition pilot expands to selected stations, with temporary deployments and human review of alerts.

12.08.2026

BTP Expands Facial Recognition Pilot to London Underground

UK: British Transport Police has expanded its Live Facial Recognition pilot to selected London Underground stations, extending a trial that began at London rail hubs in February and is now due to run until November.
Network Rail civils framework has £113M estimated spend for tunnel, bridge and coastal examinations across Wales & Western.

11.08.2026

Network Rail awards civils framework with £113M estimate

UK: Network Rail has awarded an eight-year civils examinations framework with an estimated £113 million spend to inspect critical structures across its Wales and Great Western routes.
£3.5m Upgrade for Four Merseyrail Tunnels

11.08.2026

Network Rail to Upgrade Four Merseyrail Tunnels for £3.5m

UK: Network Rail will waterproof and strengthen four Victorian-built Merseyrail tunnels during a 26-day closure this autumn, targeting water ingress that can disrupt the network’s third-rail electricity supply.
Northern Class 195 train 195003 at Leeds station

10.08.2026

Northern Opens GPS Pay As You Go Trial to All Passengers

UK: Northern’s GPS-based Digital Pay As You Go trial is now open to all passengers on the Leeds–Harrogate and Sheffield–Doncaster routes after its participant cap was removed.
Lumo Class 222 Meridian train at London Euston

10.08.2026

Lumo Toilet Faults Force Extra Stops on Long Journeys

UK: Lumo toilet faults have forced extended station stops on some London–Stirling services after passengers faced journeys exceeding five hours without working onboard toilets, with extra time provided for access to platform facilities.
Bakerloo line 1972 Tube Stock train at Stonebridge Park

09.08.2026

TfL Advances Plans to Replace 1972 Bakerloo Line Trains

UK: Transport for London has appointed AECOM to assess depot and siding changes needed for a future Bakerloo Line fleet, advancing preparations to replace trains that entered service in 1972.
Class 99 Commercial Service Begins for GBRf

09.08.2026

GBRf Class 99 Begins Commercial Freight Service in UK

UK: GB Railfreight has put its first Class 99 hybrid locomotive into commercial freight operation, with 99001 running an intermodal service from London Gateway to Hams Hall in the West Midlands.
Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000 high-speed train at Paris Gare de Lyon

09.08.2026

Trenitalia’s 19-Train Order Backs Paris–London 2029

FRANCE–UK: FS Group has ordered 19 Hitachi high-speed trains in an approximately €2 billion programme that will support Trenitalia France’s planned Paris–London service, which the company says will launch in 2029.
Merseyrail Contractor Strike Over 20p Pay Gap

09.08.2026

Merseyrail Contractor Faces Strike Over 20p Pay Gap

UK: Around 40 station cleaners employed by Churchill Services have begun a 24-hour strike across Merseyrail after rejecting a 10p-an-hour offer and seeking a 20p hourly pay differential.
£4.1M Network Rail civils inspection contracts

09.08.2026

Network Rail awards £4.1M civils inspection contracts

UK: Network Rail has awarded more than £4. 1M of civils examination work to Ground Control and Inspire (Structures), covering railway structures in Wales and tunnel inspections across Wales, South West England and London.
Security cameras mounted above a platform at Temple Underground station in London.

07.08.2026

TfL Security Contract Adds Intelligence-Led Operations

UK: Mitie has retained the TfL security contract for five more years, combining more than 480 frontline staff with a dedicated Crime and Intelligence Taskforce and 24/7 monitoring.
Greater Anglia Class 745/1 train at London Liverpool Street station

07.08.2026

UK Railway News Weekly Review for August 1–7, 2026

UK: This concise weekly review presents a selection of UK railway news published from August 1 to August 7, 2026: passenger services, infrastructure delivery, rail technology and industrial action.