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The rail industry has today announced the five-year Million Hour Challenge, which aims to encourage staff to donate their time, energy and skills to help the Samaritans in their work supporting people in emotional crisis.

Network Rail has announced the final preferred bidder for delivery of track upgrade works for the next decade in Central England. It includes track, points, and associated overhead lines and signalling, and is worth an estimated £1.5bn over 10 years.

• More than £100m to be invested in Britain’s rail network this Easter
• Railway open for ‘business as usual’ as majority of the network is unaffected by upgrade work with the quietest engineering programme for many years

• To encourage investment from the private sector and other organisations, Network Rail has implemented new initiatives to make it easier and more commercially attractive
• Sweeping reforms investors and builders will benefit from include; new service level commitments, customer satisfaction surveys, clarity about the risks involved, and revised standards to reduce both complexity and cost, and to encourage innovation
• Other changes include publishing a list of opportunities for third parties to invest in, recruiting business development teams, allowing other organisations to compete for work Network Rail would traditionally deliver, and implementing a national framework providing consistency for teams working by the railway

Network Rail has launched a public exhibition at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) showcasing the best footbridge designs that were submitted as entries to an international competition last year.

Network Rail and Innovate UK are pleased to announce Costain Limited, Graffica Limited, PEAN Technologies Limited and Plume Rail Limited are the winners of their collaborative research and development competition grant.

A 10-year-old boy whose submission to a footbridge design competition wowed judges has been recognised by Network Rail and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) at an event in London.

Network Rail has given the ‘green-light’ to the funding package and spending plan for Britain’s railway infrastructure for the five years to 2024 (known as Control Period 6, or CP6 – 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2024).