Media centre

The vast majority of Britain’s rail network will be open for passengers travelling this late May bank holiday – despite planned engineering work.

• 42,000 extra seats per week on London Northwestern Railway services, including more than 14,000 between Birmingham New Street and London Euston, boosting capacity on one of the country’s busiest corridors.
• The return of the ‘Flying Scotsman’ as LNER restores London to Edinburgh departure times that closely reflect the historic mid‑morning timetable of the iconic service.
• New ‘through the night’ services to Manchester Airport by TransPennine Express, providing hourly overnight trains to support early‑morning and late‑night flights.

• Big-screen special effects experts lend their cutting-edge skills to help teach school children about rail safety
• Each week, 77 children put themselves at risk of harm on Britain’s railway
• Schools are getting innovative new hard-hitting films ahead of rail safety becoming a compulsory part of the national curriculum later this year.

Britain’s railway is set to further harness artificial intelligence to improve reliability, efficiency and passenger experience, as the sector launches its first-ever joint AI action plan.

The vast majority of Britain’s rail network will be open for passengers travelling this May, with both bank holidays largely unaffected by engineering work.  However, this early May Bank Holiday, Saturday-Monday, 2-4 May, does feature work in some busy locations.  

• Seven out of ten 18-34 year olds believe they could get out of the way if a train approached
• 98% of these young adults are unaware how long trains take to stop in an emergency
• Survey marks start of No Second Chances campaign - featuring a series of hard‑hitting films - which focuses on the deadly risks of distraction when approaching the railway

The vast majority of Britain’s rail network will be business as usual for passengers travelling during the May bank holidays, despite planned engineering work.

Two sites in Derby have made the final shortlist for a new Great British Railways (GBR) HQ.

Becketwell, a city centre brownfield site set for redevelopment, and Midland House, an existing railway building opposite Derby station, have now been deemed the most viable of the five-strong long-list.