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The vast majority of the rail network will be open for business over the August bank holiday, so passengers can make the most of the long summer weekend to visit friends and family and travel to the hundreds of events taking place across Britain.

Network Rail has today announced the appointment of Jeremy Westlake as its next Chief Executive, replacing Sir Andrew Haines who will be retiring. Jeremy, who is currently Chief Financial Officer, will formally take up the role in October following a transition period alongside Sir Andrew. In this role, Jeremy will oversee the amalgamation of Network Rail with Great British Railways to bring together track and train to deliver benefits for passengers and communities across the country.

A striking portrait of a Network Rail employee was unveiled at London Euston station on Tuesday 15 July. Manny Kang was captured on canvas for the exceptional care and commitment he brings to his role as a community safety manager on the Central route, connecting the West Midlands and London.

• Public urged to stay safe as accidental deaths on rail network rise by 26% compared to last year
• New hard-hitting safety films feature first responders sharing the devastating physical and emotional impacts of railway accidents
•  Network Rail and British Transport Police campaign targets unsafe behaviour around tracks and level crossings as the summer holidays approach

• Ground-breaking partnership to upgrade Britain’s telecoms infrastructure agreed between Network Rail, Neos Networks and Freshwave
• Scheme will boost 4G/5G connectivity on trains and in stations, tackle signal blackspots in tunnels and pave the way for train performance improvements across Britain
• Private investment into the project expected to save the taxpayer around £300m

Network Rail has today concluded its new rail supply contracts for the provision of almost 450,000 tonnes of rail for the five years to 2030. The contracts have been awarded to British Steel, Saarstahl Rail and Voestalpine, with Arcelor Mittal also able to supply on an ad-hoc basis.

Two Network Rail employees have been recognised for their outstanding contributions in HM The King’s Birthday Honours list announced today. In addition, Steve Scrimshaw, who joined Network Rail as a Non-Executive Director last year, received a CBE.