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.

Greater Anglia Class 745/1 train at London Liverpool Street station
Greater Anglia Class 745/1 train at London Liverpool Street on a Stansted Airport service. Illustrative photo. Photo: Hugh Llewelyn, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Infrastructure and rail systems

HS2 sets a 2029 civils milestone for systems expansion

HS2 has set 2029 as the point when the bulk of civil engineering between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street should be complete, allowing rail-systems installation to expand in phases. An initial roughly 50-mile test section from Washwood Heath to the north portal of Wendover Green Tunnel will receive track, power, signalling and communications first, with static and then dynamic testing. The wider programme reset is due by April 2027, while HS2 says it aims to open the route in 2037 or earlier.

HS2 resets contract incentives across 104 km

HS2 Ltd has signed revised contracts with EKFB and Align covering 104 km of the London–West Midlands route, replacing a payment model that HS2 said failed to incentivise cost and schedule performance. EKFB is responsible for 80 km and Align for 24 km; the value of the renegotiated deals was not disclosed. Talks with the two remaining main civil engineering joint ventures are continuing, with a new programme baseline expected in spring 2027.

Heart of Wales U-Cross moves from trial to full rollout

Network Rail has secured funding for a full U-Cross rollout across the 96-mile Heart of Wales line between Swansea and Shrewsbury. The system uses track beacons and onboard equipment to give signallers train positions to within 20 metres, supporting 126 user-worked level crossings. Installation is expected to start in December; no in-service date has been set, and further signal-box and fleet testing is still required.

Okehampton Interchange starts passenger service

Okehampton Interchange began passenger service on 1 August as a new access point on the Dartmoor Line, around 2.2 km east of the existing Okehampton station. The £18 million project includes step-free access, a 200-space car park, cycle storage and a covered bus interchange, while hourly trains continue to serve both Okehampton stations. UK government funding contributed £13.5 million, with local authorities providing match funding.

Passenger services and disruption

Stansted overnight trial passes 1,000 additional journeys

Greater Anglia’s summer overnight Stansted Express trial passed 1,000 additional journeys during its first four weeks. Friday-night services run at roughly 30-minute intervals between about 23:50 and 05:00, mainly linking Stansted Airport with Tottenham Hale for Night Tube connections, with some trains serving Liverpool Street. The trial continues through the night of 25–26 September, after which passenger data will inform any decision on a future overnight service.

EMR strike timetable reduces London services

East Midlands Railway is using a reduced timetable on 1, 8 and 15 August because of RMT strike action, with Intercity and Connect services running after 07:00 and finishing before 19:00. Nottingham–London, Sheffield–London and Corby–London are each limited to one train per hour, while Regional services remain unaffected. Action short of strike is also scheduled between the strike dates and from 16 August until further notice, so EMR has warned of possible short-notice changes.

Rolling stock, manufacturing and heritage

Sunderland battery expansion supports Grand Central fleet

Turntide Technologies is expanding high-voltage LFP battery manufacturing at Sunderland after securing production work for Grand Central’s new Hitachi-built fleet. Hitachi Rail will build nine five-car trains for Arriva, with deliveries planned for 2028; Arriva expects the fleet to add 20% more seats and around 400,000 additional seats annually. Turntide has not disclosed the expansion’s investment, added capacity, job numbers or completion date.

GWR marks Greatest Gathering anniversary with Class 800 dedication

Great Western Railway unveiled a special dedication on Class 800 No. 800012 at London Paddington on 31 July to mark the first anniversary of Alstom’s The Greatest Gathering. The 2025 Derby festival brought together more than 140 historic and modern railway vehicles and drew over 40,000 visitors as part of Railway 200. The dedication carries the event’s name onto GWR’s Intercity Express Train fleet one year after the original three-day gathering.

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