Across the Pennines, the TRU has quietly evolved into one of the UK’s largest infrastructure projects. In industry terms, it rivals the Elizabeth Line in scope, while offering more immediate delivery certainty than High Speed 2. Its steady progress and its expanding freight dimension have led to it being described as Britain’s best-kept civil engineering secret.

Intensive West Yorkshire phase

Throughout this coming May and June, engineering teams will focus on the Huddersfield to Leeds corridor, deploying more than 120 engineering trains across multiple work phases. The activity includes renewing over eleven kilometres of track, installing thousands of sleepers, and laying close to 50,000 tonnes of ballast, alongside preparatory works for electrification.

From early May, 56 engineering trains will support 6.2 kilometres of track renewal and the installation of more than 21,000 tonnes of ballast. A further phase, extending into late June, will see an additional 66 engineering trains deliver more than five kilometres of track upgrades, alongside drainage works and the installation of 67 overhead line masts. The programme remains on schedule, despite a recent tunnel fire setback.

Freight plays a growing role in delivery

The scale of material movement highlights the central role of rail freight in delivering the programme. Moving tens of thousands of tonnes of ballast and construction materials by rail has reduced reliance on road haulage, while enabling continuous, high-volume supply directly to work sites across the route.

Measured mile for mile, the level of freight activity compares with that seen on High Speed 2, albeit with far less public attention. The use of engineering trains as a primary logistics tool has allowed the project to maintain momentum, demonstrating how freight can underpin major infrastructure delivery without the need for extensive parallel logistics networks.

Long-term freight benefits becoming clearer

While the TRU programme was initially presented as a passenger-focused upgrade, the benefits for freight are becoming more evident as designs are delivered. Electrification, longer platforms, and enhanced capacity between key centres will support more flexible pathing and improved network resilience.

Capacity enhancements, backed by significant investment, are also strengthening freight capability across the Pennines. The eventual outcome is still years away, but the provision being made for more consistent journey times and greater route availability, particularly during engineering works or disruption on core corridors, is a benefit that helps answer the government-promoted desire to increase rail freight traffic by 75% by 2050.

Wider social benefits

Alongside track and systems upgrades, the rail freight sector is facilitating station upgrades, including long-overlooked centres such as Batley and Dewsbury. Longer platforms and improved accessibility are the capital works, but a programme of ancillary works is built in too. Huddersfield station is undergoing extensive remodelling, including structural and passenger facility improvements, as part of a wider transformation due for completion in 2027.

“Significant progress has been made between Huddersfield and Leeds in recent months, and this next series of upgrades will allow us to take another step forward in what is a key stretch of the route and an important enabler for wider TRU plans across the North,” said Sophie Leishman, TRU sponsor. “Our teams will be working around the clock during these two months. I’d like to thank them as well as our local communities as we deliver these huge improvements to the railway.”

On Wednesday (25 March) and into Thursday, core routes were blocked by fallen trees and damage to overhead wires. In some cases, the support masts were destroyed. High winds caused significant disruption across the North West rail network, with fallen trees damaging overhead line equipment on routes between Manchester and Preston. Other incidents further south knocked out services to Wolverhampton.

Fraught freight flows

The incident near Lostock, outside Bolton, blocked a key artery used by both passenger and freight services. That forced cancellations and halted traffic while repairs were carried out. Lostock is midway between Manchester and Preston, and the line feeds into the West Coast Main Line. Further south, damage on the West Coast Main Line itself compounded the problem. That was a real headache for all traffic, and restricted capacity on the UK’s most important freight corridor.

Images of stranded passenger trains have illustrated the immediate impact of the storm. However, the consequences extended well beyond the passenger timetable. Freight services operating through the region — including flows linking Trafford Park, the Port of Liverpool, and inland terminals — were also affected by the loss of available paths. In a network with limited diversionary capability, even short sections of blocked line can have disproportionate consequences.

Capacity constraints ripple across the system

On Wednesday, most of the UK woke up to a sunny – albeit cold and moderately windy day. It was a different story for those on the West Coast. “The disruption has been caused by severe winds overnight,” said Darren Miller, infrastructure director for Network Rail’s North West route, delivering a statement on the day. “Trees [have knocked] down overhead power lines, severing connections, knocking down masts entirely, which causes major disruption.”

Britain’s passenger-intensive network has meant freight trains are held at terminals or looped en route, paths were lost or rescheduled at short notice. Congestion built up on alternative routes, where available. Fortunately, a diversion does exist at Lostock and on routes westward out of Manchester, which connect with the West Coast Main Line. Ironically, another blockage, further south on the WCML near Wolverhampton, left some capacity available for diverted workings.

The infrastructure agency Network Rail and the official passenger information service, National Rail Enquiries, warned of disruption until at least the end of Wednesday. That was still the case by early Thursday morning.

Network Rail is said to be in discussions with several organisations that have already expressed interest in becoming the international rail freight operator at the transformed Barking Eurohub site.

The return of rail freight to the Channel Tunnel would be a big development for the industry. There have not been any regular services between the UK and the rest of Europe since 2023. Two flows defined the market for many years before that: a connection between the Grember hub near Cologne and Wembley near London (abandoned since 2009), and one between Valencia and Dagenham (discontinued in 2023).

More UK-EU trade

With regular freight services through the tunnel in place, UK businesses could directly trade with the European mainland via rail, the British Transport Department highlights. The Department adds that a revival of Channel Tunnel rail freight could reduce road congestion and lead to less pollution and fewer potholes.

“Growing rail freight is a key part of the Government’s ambitions to reform the rail network. Once Great British Railways is established, it will have a statutory duty to promote rail freight’s use, and the Transport Secretary will set growth targets”, the transport department writes.

Currently, only a very small proportion of rail freight passes through the Channel Tunnel, and this is limited to bulk, single customer orders. This means most freight between the UK and Europe travels via sea, with goods then moving onwards through Britain via roads.

“This deal is a huge opportunity to reinvigorate rail freight by paving the way for the return of regular services through the Channel Tunnel”, said the UK’s rail minister Lord Hendy. “It will boost British businesses by opening new trade links to Europe by delivering a faster and more sustainable way to transport goods to the continent and back. This is all part of our plan to use our railways to support economic growth and jobs.”

A modern railway should be reliable, resilient and predictable. The network in Britain is none of those things consistently. Instead, it remains a thread, stitched together from Victorian ambition, post-war compromise and modern desperation. Engineers do extraordinary work to keep it functioning, but they are fighting history as much as gravity.

Victorian marvels with Victorian limits

We like to talk reverently about Britain’s railway heritage. The great main lines, the tunnels through mountains, the sea walls clinging to cliffs. But endurance is not the same as suitability. Much of the network was never designed for the intensity, frequency and weight of modern operations. It was built for slower trains, lighter loads and far more generous recovery margins. Today’s railway runs hotter, harder and closer to capacity, with capacity systematically stripped out. When something goes wrong, there is precious little slack.

This week’s announcement of a further £400 million €464m) upgrade to the West Coast Main Line, already Europe’s busiest mixed traffic route, is welcome, but it is also revealing. The WCML is not a single coherent piece of infrastructure — it is a patchwork of Victorian routes, built for profit (often to the lowest cost), progressively electrified, widened, remodelled and digitised over more than a century. Each intervention improves matters, but none changes the fundamental truth. This is an old railway being asked to behave like a new one. It is no accident that the line runs, for long stretches, within sight of the M6 motorway, built almost a hundred years later, designed for modern demand, lavished with improvements, and a direct competitor for freight.

When resilience fails, freight pays

Dramatic waves crashing through Devonian breakwaters make dramatic headlines. Inconvenienced passengers provide the narrative. The media narrative focuses almost exclusively on their plight. “Understandably so,” said a shipping container – never. Freight feels the disruption just as sharply, and often more painfully, and never does a voice piece to camera.

A delayed or diverted freight train does not generate angry tweets. It generates late deliveries, broken production schedules, idle factories and contractual penalties. Yet the reputational damage often lands not with the infrastructure owner, but with the freight operator, the only visible link in the chain. Landslips, washouts and fires do not discriminate between passenger and freight routes. The difference is that when freight is delayed, the economic impact is largely unseen. Absorbed quietly by industry and passed on through supply chains, and making the logistics manager wary of rail for the next time.

The cost of losing redundancy

Britain has spent decades stripping redundancy out of its railway. The consequences are now unavoidable. The repeated vulnerability of the coastal route at Dawlish exposes the folly of leaving Devon and Cornwall dependent on a single, fragile artery, when an inland Dartmoor route once offered resilience. In Scotland, the loss of the Waverley Route removed an inland alternative to both the East and West Coast main lines.

This week’s Transpennine disruption through Standedge Tunnel, following a fire, has thrown a harsh light on another strategic folly. The closure of the Woodhead Route, a line purposely electrified for freight, and engineered for heavy industry. It would today provide exactly the sort of diversionary capacity the network lacks. Instead, when a key route fails, the system seizes up. Will the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade make up for that, or will it be a manifestation of the ‘eggs in one basket’ network with which we live.

Human cost cannot be ignored

Infrastructure failure is not just inconvenient — it can be fatal. The memories of Greyrigg (now 19 years ago) and the 2020 Carmont crash are not historical footnotes. They are warnings. Carmont, in particular, exposed the deadly interaction between extreme weather, inadequate drainage, ageing earthworks and faulty workmanship (for which Network Rail paid a huge fine). That tragedy, currently the subject of a fatal accident enquiry, underlines the human cost of a network pushed beyond its limits.

As if we needed reminding, even the modern network requires close attention and strict discipline. The disasters in Spain this month serve to awaken us to the dangers of damage to the infrastructure, old and new. In Britain, similar lessons have been mercifully fewer, but in an industry that rightly expects everyone to be safe at all times – whether worker or passenger or bystander – the onus is often placed on a network that was not built, but has been repeatedly adapted to adhere to such modern standards. Threats, and they are often climate related, are not future concerns. They are clear and present dangers, and much of Britain’s railway was not built for it.

A freight network we pretend we no longer need

There is an unspoken assumption behind much transport policy. It believes that Britain is no longer an industrial nation, and therefore no longer needs a freight-capable railway on the scale it once had. That assumption is wrong. Modern Britain still manufactures, still imports raw materials, still exports finished goods. The difference is that much of that movement now happens by road — not because it is better, but because rail is too often unreliable. This is perverse. Rail freight aligns perfectly with environmental ambitions, congestion reduction and energy efficiency. Yet every infrastructure failure pushes customers back to the motorway.

Programmes like the Transpennine Route Upgrade, the East Coast Digital Programme, and continued investment on the West Coast are essential. They will deliver capacity, safety and performance improvements. They are not enough on their own.

A modern, resilient, freight-capable railway requires strategic thinking, not just heroic engineering. It needs capacity and route availability. It needs climate resilience, and, above all, an honest reckoning with the limits of Victorian infrastructure. A week is a long time on Britain’s railway. Long enough to see progress, and long enough to see failure. Solving the deeper problem will take far longer than seven days. Until it does, Britain will continue to run a twenty-first-century economy on nineteenth-century foundations, and wonder why it is not up to the challenge.

The new bridge was carefully manoeuvred into place this weekend using specialist machines with more than 600 wheels. Despite sub-zero temperatures and challenging weather, the M6 reopened 13 hours ahead of schedule, allowing diversionary routes to be lifted earlier than planned. Once final checks are complete, railway teams will reconnect overhead power lines, signalling and track to reopen the West Coast Main Line fully by Thursday.

Engineering feat completed with millimetre precision

Network Rail and principal contractor Skanska removed the old bridge in early January after a full closure of the M6 between junctions 39 and 40. A fleet of the country’s largest excavators chipped away at the concrete structure over 60 hours, demonstrating the scale and complexity of the operation. The new bridge, pre-built and waiting offsite, was installed in a single three-hour lift on Saturday morning using self-propelled modular transporters.

Christian Irwin OBE, Network Rail North West and Central region Capital Delivery director, said: “It’s a testament to the hard work of hundreds of people that we’ve been able to install this huge new structure both successfully and speedily. We’ve been in close contact with National Highways throughout so we could capitalise on that and get the M6 reopened over half a day ahead of schedule to alleviate pressure on local roads.”

Motorists and communities are thanked for their patience

Steve Mason, National Highways programme delivery manager, said: “We’d like to once again thank motorists, and particularly local residents, for their patience and support while these works have been ongoing. Reopening the M6 13 hours early is a tremendous achievement. Despite severe weather conditions, the teams involved worked tirelessly to deliver this vital, one-in-a-lifetime project to future-proof one of the most important railway lines in the country.”

Rosario Barcena, Skanska UK rail programme director, added: “It’s been achieved thanks to our whole team, including our amazing supply chain partners. They’ve worked tirelessly across the weekend to successfully install the new Clifton railway bridge, a hugely complex and precise operation, and now re-open the motorway.”

Final checks underway ahead of rail reopening

With the bridge now installed, final inspections are taking place today before track, overhead power lines and signalling are reinstated. The West Coast Main Line will fully reopen by 5am on Thursday, 15 January, allowing normal services between Oxenholme and Carlisle.

Passenger traffic, particularly the Avanti West Coast long-distance timetable, is being replaced by buses or diverted via the parallel Settle-Carlisle route. Freight traffic is mainly going via the East Coast Main Line, which has been used as a diversionary route in the past. The £60m project forms part of a £400m, four-year investment programme along the London-to-Cumbria corridor.

The sense of lateness reflects the now-vanished Great British Railways Transition Team, which already involved Network Rail. The sense of premature engagement comes from the small print. Consultation in 2027 implies that GBR itself remains several years from becoming a legal reality. Freight operators must continue making investment decisions under today’s rules, while being told tomorrow’s framework is already taking shape.

Freight will pay – and perform

The Railways Bill, which will nationalise Britain’s rail network, entered Parliament on 5 November 2025 and has now received its second reading. When enacted, it will create Great British Railways as the single guiding mind for infrastructure and publicly funded passenger services. Despite last week’s livery launch, this remains unfinished legislation.

Once in force, GBR will set track access charges and performance schemes. These will not be limited to passenger operators. They will apply to open access services, devolved authorities, charter operators, and freight. For freight, this is the sharp end of reform: the price of access, the treatment of delay, and the balance between passenger priority and commercial flexibility.

Same settlement, new label

As part of the transition, the UK government’s Department for Transport has asked Network Rail to begin developing the “Great British Railways Charges and Performance Schemes for Funding Period 1 (2029–2034)”. The long horizon will not be lost on freight operators planning terminals, wagons and contracts that extend well beyond the current control period.

Observers have already noted the scale of change. The existing regime of rigid five-year cash settlements, known as Control Periods, is being replaced by rigid five-year cash settlements known as Funding Periods. A profound shift — subject, of course, to consultation.

Engagement before incorporation

The DfT directive also requires a review of the existing charging and performance frameworks to ensure they align with the new legislation and industry structure. Network Rail says reviews “of this scale take time”, drawing on its experience of previous nationalisation exercises — the last of which concluded in 1948, just 54 years before Network Rail itself was incorporated.

In 2026, Network Rail will run a programme of “Early Industry Engagement”, billed as open and collaborative. Freight operators are invited to help shape a system that does not yet exist, for an organisation that has not yet been created.

Workshops and waiting

A series of workshops will follow, allowing stakeholders to test ideas and share perspectives before formal GBR consultation in 2027. Freight companies may also discover what the new order of Funding Periods means for their access bills.

The stated aim is to ensure proposals are practical, transparent and proportionate. Stakeholders can look forward to a workshop near them in 2026 — or perhaps 2027. If GBR is still some way off, there is at least time to redesign the livery. Freight, meanwhile, waits — sceptical, premature, or both — and prepares to tick the appropriate box when consultation finally arrives.

Train number 450056, a Desiro multiple unit running in normal passenger service, has been fitted with thermal and underbody cameras capable of monitoring overhead and third-rail components continuously. The project is a collaboration between infrastructure agency Network Rail, passenger operator South Western Railway, and partners including lease holders Angel Trains, and technology collaborators One Big Circle, Siemens, and dg8 Design. It marks the first permanent deployment of this technology on the SWR network.

Real-time monitoring of critical assets

Hotshot carries a front-mounted thermal imaging camera that detects overheating or electrical anomalies. Two underbody cameras focus on the train’s shoe gear and third rail, essential elements for train power supply.

Although a passenger unit, the Desiro’s continuous monitoring directly supports freight reliability, because detecting faults early prevents infrastructure failures that would otherwise disrupt both passenger and goods services. Maintenance teams receive alerts immediately if any irregularities are detected, enabling proactive interventions before operations are affected.

Preventing delays and maintaining freight schedules

The system is designed to identify overheating components, faulty connections, and signs of wear or deterioration. Data from Hotshot allows teams to respond swiftly, preventing breakdowns that could disrupt freight schedules and logistics chains, as well as passenger schedules.

For freight operators, this proactive monitoring offers a more predictable network. Early identification of issues ensures cargo can move on time, reduces the risk of unexpected delays, and improves the reliability of rail freight as an alternative to road transport. With notable freight terminals on the coast, and the huge yards at Eastleigh, among other traffic-generating locations in the region, keeping the busy tracks clear is vital.

Turning monitoring data into actionable insights

Data captured by Hotshot supports targeted maintenance planning. Repairs can be prioritised effectively, emergency interventions minimised, and resources deployed efficiently. Over time, the insights will help build a comprehensive picture of network health, enhancing operational resilience for all users.

By integrating monitoring directly into a train, Network Rail demonstrates how technology can increase capacity and reliability without adding extra locomotives or staff. Given that budgets are getting ever tighter, it’s an economical step forward.

Benefits for freight operators

For the freight sector, fewer service disruptions and faster fault response are critical. Hotshot’s monitoring helps maintain timetable integrity and protects supply chains from avoidable delays, making rail a more dependable option for moving goods.

The trial of Hotshot is ongoing across the SWR network. If successful, Network Rail could expand the system to other routes, delivering a smarter, data-driven railway that improves both passenger and freight operations, and supports the sector’s growth ambitions.

More than 160 million pounds (190 million euros) will be invested during the shutdowns as crews replace ageing track and bridges, install modern signalling, and refurbish stations. Network Rail says these works will reduce faults, improve reliability and safety, and make the railway fit for the long term. Passengers are the emphasis, but works will help maintain essential freight connections across the country.

Thousands of rail colleagues on the network

Services will be particularly busy in the run-up to Christmas, but many passenger routes will close early on Christmas Eve. National Rail services stop entirely on Christmas Day, while only a handful of passenger services run on Boxing Day. Despite this, freight trains continue to move, keeping key supply chains open, including flows to and from ports, distribution centres, and industrial sites.

Anit Chandarana, System Operator Group Director at Network Rail, said the industry had worked closely with train operators to organise diversions and replacement services where possible. Daniel Mann, Director of Industry Operations at Rail Delivery Group, reminded travellers and freight customers to allow extra time and be considerate of colleagues working on the network.

West Highland freight and Transpennine upgrades

Scotland sees major engineering works, including the installation of a new bridge at Bowling in West Dunbartonshire, near Glasgow, from 24 December to 2 January. The route carries a busy commuter service, and also less frequent services into the rural and isolated West Highlands. The line remains important for freight, continuing to serve the aluminium works at Fort William and offering potential for timber and other bulk flows. Sidings at locations such as Crianlarich can support freight operations even while passenger services are suspended.

On the national freight network, the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade continues around Church Fenton, Yorkshire. Works include signalling, track, and power supply improvements, and the route will be closed to passenger trains between Leeds and York until 3 January. Freight, however, continues to benefit from the upgrades, with the corridor serving as a vital connection between East and West Coast ports, linking the North Sea container and bulk terminals with Liverpool, Manchester, and the Midlands.

Bridging the gap on Europe’s busiest mixed-traffic route

The West Coast Main Line, the busiest mixed-traffic railway in Europe, faces some of the most disruptive projects. From Christmas Day until 4 January, a junction replacement at Hanslope shuts the line between Milton Keynes and Rugby. That will affect both passenger and freight movements. Further north, a 1960s bridge replacement over the M6 motorway between Preston and Carlisle from 31 December to 15 January will again impact flows on this key Anglo-Scottish artery. Diversions and temporary restrictions will be in place for both rail and road. Additional signalling work at Kingmoor, just north of Carlisle, from 1 to 7 January will further constrain services.

Network Rail stresses that the concentration of works over the festive period allows major upgrades to be delivered when passenger volumes are lower. Freight operators, meanwhile, continue to run services wherever possible, keeping essential goods moving despite the scale of the engineering programme.

Jeremy Westlake also stressed the crucial role rail freight will play in the reformed railway under Great British Railways (GBR). His words gave some solace to industry stakeholders, who may have concerns over the concurrent Network Rail announcement. The infrastructure management agency is launching a government-mandated consultation on access charges, which will be levied on freight operations, to be implemented by the forthcoming Great British Railways.

Access charge policy

“Freight isn’t just for Christmas – it operates 24/7, 365 days a year,” said Jeremy Westlake to the audience at the RFG charity-supporting annual luncheon. “It plays a critical role in keeping Britain supplied, from gifts and food to fuel. Freight delivers economic and environmental value. It contributes 2.5 billion pounds annually, with 90% of benefits outside London and the South East. When freight thrives, the country thrives.”

Jeremy welcomed the provisions in the Railways Bill, which give GBR a statutory duty to promote freight and establish new access and charging frameworks designed to give operators greater certainty and fairness, supporting the UK Government’s commitment to 75% growth by 2050. In contrast to the cautious note sounded by his organisation, Jeremy Westlake noted that 17 applications have been approved under the Access Charges Discount Policy, unlocking around 108 new freight flows each week.

Effects of Gemini

New initiatives such as Digital Freight Load Books – an online update of the traditionally paper-recorded weight and length limits for freight journeys across the network – were highlighted by the chief executive. He said they are improving safety and efficiency. Growth boards and additional capacity on corridors such as Essex Thameside demonstrate proactive planning for future demand, he said. Westlake called for action for continued collaboration between industry, government and customers.

Supporting those sentiments, Maggie Simpson OBE, RFG director general, paid tribute to the way the industry has worked together through another demanding year. She highlighted the sector’s rapid and coordinated response to major shipping line changes in the spring – the collateral effects of the Gemini cooperation between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd (see reporting on WorldCargoNews.com), which saw around a dozen rail freight services re-timetabled to follow container shipping port calls that were moved from Felixstowe to London Gateway.

Generosity shows no bounds

Maggie Simpson also noted the concerted effort the national representative body has made to address the government on its rail reform agenda. “The draft Railways Bill now sets a strong framework for freight within Great British Railways, and that is down to your actions,” she said to the assembled members. “There is still plenty more yet to do to ensure reform is fit for purpose.” She pointed to encouraging developments in low-carbon fuels and new markets, including test trains conveying hydrogen in containers from Doncaster and the imminent arrival of the UK’s first hydrogen-powered shunting locomotive.

Thanks to the generosity of attendees, the lunch raised over 7,000 pounds for the Railway Benefit Fund, which helps railway people and their families in times of need. RFG also thanked its sponsors, VTG Rail UK and Associated British Ports, for their support of the event.

Hydrogen transportation could represent a significant new market for rail freight. Network Rail has conducted a test (Wednesday 3 December) at Network Rail’s Test Tracks site in Tuxford, Nottinghamshire, England. Freight operator Freightliner hauled a train of gas containers from Doncaster to High Marnham, marking Britain’s first shipment of hydrogen by rail.

Showcasing zero-carbon innovation

The trial run was part of a rail and energy industry innovation event showcasing several hydrogen initiatives. This included the first re-engineered hydrogen-powered shunting locomotive (switcher). Hydrogen is seen as a step towards replacing diesel fuel. It is a move towards the rail industry’s goal of becoming net zero. The event also demonstrated HPU (Hydrogen Power Unit), lighting towers and support vehicles.

Network Rail’s test track site at Tuxford runs east to High Marnham (about ten miles – 16km). It runs adjacent to HyMarnham Power, the UK’s largest green hydrogen production facility operated by GeoPura and JG Pears. The facility is built on the site of a former coal-fired power station. HyMarnham Power is one of the world’s first rail-connected hydrogen production facilities, and Network Rail’s Tuxford site will be the world’s first net-zero railway testing facility.

Building a hydrogen supply chain by rail

Similar developments in Europe have seen intermodal units developed to carry hydrogen by rail. A German company introduced their product just last week (see WorldCargoNews.com). For now, though, hydrogen is transported by road. The Network Rail tests are designed to prepare the network to become a ready-made hydrogen distribution system.

Network Rail has called it a rolling pipeline, with connections to all major industrial and urban centres across Britain. The trials will test the practical capability of rail to transport hydrogen at scale. Hydrogen will also be utilised to decarbonise wider rail operations, from construction to ongoing maintenance and off-grid operations.

Strategic role for rail in clean energy distribution

“Rail is the greenest form of long-distance transport,” said Leevan Finney, Network Rail’s engineering services director. “For 200 years, the railway has connected communities and major industry across Britain. Today, the railway has the potential to be a strategic hydrogen distribution network in the future, as it has been for energy for many years.

“By bringing together rail and energy innovators here at Test Tracks in Tuxford, we’re accelerating Britain’s journey to net zero and showing how rail and energy sectors can work together to deliver sustainable transport and energy distribution.”

Industry partnership for a net-zero future

“By supplying locally produced green hydrogen from HyMarnham Power to this first-of-its-kind rail application,” explained Finney, “we’re showing that clean fuel, proven technology and existing rail infrastructure work together right now to cut carbon and improve air quality across the network. GeoPura is delighted to support Network Rail and its partners as they show what the future of a net-zero railway looks like in practice.”

The event at the Test Tracks site in Tuxford was held in partnership with organisations across the rail and energy sectors, including Freightliner, HyMarnham Power, GeoPura, Vanguard Sustainable Transport Solutions, Enspired Consulting, Rail Operations Group, Toyota UK and JCB.