Media centre

Network Rail’s Orange Army worked throughout the festive period to deliver upgrades on the Great Western route and Crossrail, with 413,992 combined hours – over 47 years – contributed over 10 days of upgrade work to deliver a bigger, better railway for passengers.

Network Rail and Abellio have today announced that Phil Verster will be moving to become managing director of the East West rail project that was announced by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling last month.

• Birmingham New Street station was the best performing station in England, recording a 26% growth in sales on last Christmas
• Network Rail reports 9.5% sales growth across its managed stations over the festive period
• 32% of total station users – almost 34 million people across Britain - visited a station retailer between 19 November and 24 December

Passengers are reminded to plan their journeys as the next phase of the major work to upgrade the railway between Preston and Blackpool gets under way this weekend (21 January).

• Leeds station sales up 15% on last Christmas

• Network Rail reports 9.5% sales growth across its managed stations over the festive period

• 32% of total station users – almost 34 million people across Britain - visited a station retailer between 19 November and 24 December

Mardy Road Bridge in Cardiff will close to road traffic from 18 March 2017 until autumn 2018, as essential work to upgrade the railway continues in preparation for a new fleet of electric trains.

With days to go before major work starts to upgrade the railway between Preston and Bolton, passengers travelling between the two at weekends are being urged to check before they travel and plan their journeys.

Train passengers were today urged to plan their journeys and check before they travel ahead of essential railway improvements in London over four Sundays from the end of January.