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• Rail passengers are being warned strike action will impact the first weekend of Birmingham's Christmas markets
• West Midlands Trains services will be significantly reduced on Friday 4 November due to action by the TSSA
• An RMT walkout on Saturday 5 November means only nine departures per hour from Birmingham New Street
• On Saturday many routes have no trains at all - those which do run will start later from 7:30am and finish by 6.30pm
• Passengers should only travel if absolutely necessary and regularly check National Rail Enquiries

Passengers are being advised of essential upgrades to platforms 13 and 14 at Manchester Piccadilly station this Christmas and New Year.

Major work on the Trent Valley line to replace track and upgrade the railway signalling system to improve future rail journeys for passengers is now complete.

Work to build an inclusive and accessible Assisted Travel Lounge at Manchester Piccadilly station for disabled passengers has begun.

Engineers are continuing a complex operation to recover several freight wagons which derailed a week ago in Carlisle.

Space-age technology using lasers and plasma jets are being trialled as a more sustainable way to vaporise autumn leaves from railway lines and minimise passenger delays in the future.

Railway engineers have been inspecting the damage caused after a freight train carrying cement derailed in Carlisle.

Rail passengers are being warned of major disruption between Carlisle and Newcastle after an incident involving a freight train.