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Network Rail is to invest more than £2m to provide additional capacity on the line between Brighton and Lewes and lengthen platforms at Falmer station.

Passengers using Horton-in-Ribblesdale station on the Settle and Carlisle line can now enjoy better access between the platform and the train following the completion of a project to install an easier access area on the southbound platform.

More than 180 apprentices have joined up with railway maintenance teams across Britain for on-the-job training after successfully completing the first year of Network Rail’s advanced apprenticeship scheme.

Network Rail’s Stafford Area Improvements Programme (SAIP) is helping set the sustainability standard on major projects, recording one of the highest ever scores in the prestigious CEEQUAL scheme.

Network Rail is exploring options to improve the railway around Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations as part of the Northern Hub – a programme of investment to deliver faster, more frequent services across the North of England and stimulate economic growth by better connecting towns and cities. The plans were unveiled to city-wide stakeholders this week ahead of public consultation.

The closure of Moors Gorse level crossing in Cannock Chase, Staffordshire means Network Rail has now closed 700 level crossings across Britain – around 10 per cent of the total – since 2009 as part of its £130m national level crossing investment programme.

The Chancellor visited a railway site on Friday, 12 July, to welcome the progress made on the £45m Swindon to Kemble investment scheme. He saw the improvement work entering a vital stage as new sets of switches and crossings were being assembled for installation this summer.

Work is start this month to provide passengers at Leighton Buzzard, Berkhamsted and Hemel Hempstead with step-free access between the station entrance and platforms, making the railway more accessible for everyone.