The island platform at Newport station requires further work, a year after completion of the station’s £22 million upgrade.

The former Great Western Railway canopy’s glazing was removed for cleaning or replacement during the upgrade, which also provided a new footbridge combined with two new entrance halls. Several panes of glass have slipped out of position, enabling rain to enter through rectangular holes. Many other panes are secured with self-adhesive tape. Network Rail will install an improved clip to keep the glass panes in place. A spokeswoman said inspections had revealed no evidence that the glazing was at risk of falling to the ground.

‘To improve the structure further, we have designed an improved type of fastening clip to replace the old ones,’ she said. ‘The glazing tape is a temporary safety measure until work to install the permanent solution begins.’ The new station building – which employs a space-age material called Ethylene- TetraFluoroEthylene – continues to admit rainwater. A plethora of yellow signs appears on the footbridge and island platform during rain, to warn passengers of wet floors. In early November, a poster also advised passengers to take care because the island platform’s surface was awaiting repair.

Plans for wider platforms, better access to trains, and step-free access to a new ticket hall at London Underground’s Bank station have been on show as part of a consultation programme.

A new southbound Northern Line running tunnel would create extra space to reduce crowding on the platforms, in the same way as London Bridge’s Northern Line station was improved in 1996. A wider circulation area would use the existing southbound platform and tunnel space.

There would also be additional interchange passageways and escalators to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and Central Line. Lifts would serve a new ticket hall in King William Street to provide step-free access between street level, the Northern Line and DLR.

LU’s application for a Transport & Works Act Order is to be submitted in late 2012 and, if granted, construction would begin in 2015 with completion scheduled for 2021.

Around 96,000 customers use Bank station during the morning peak period. Around 40,000 of them are changing between lines. There has been a 43% rise in passengers interchanging at the station since 2003, and the number entering and leaving the station is up by about a third.

To facilitate the first-ever 12-coach trains on the Bedford-Brighton Thameslink route, infrastructure work carried out has included station work in central London, platform lengthening work north of the capital, and power upgrades.

A key component in the overall upgrade is a new 12-coach siding facility at Bedford, which has been formally named as ‘Jowett Sidings’ after Rodney Jowett, a muchrespected and greatly missed Bedford railwayman who passed away in 2003. Mr Jowett’s widow unveiled a plaque on 4 November to mark the opening of the lengthened sidings

Deutsche Bahn-owned Arriva plc has acquired open access operator Grand Central Railway, for an undisclosed amount. Grand Central’s trains between Sunderland and London, and between Bradford/Halifax and London, carry approximately 700,000 passenger journeys a year.

The Managing Director of Grand Central, Tom Clift, said: ‘I will continue to lead Grand Central and will report directly into Bob Holland, MD of Arriva’s UK Trains division.

‘Meanwhile Grand Central will remain a self-contained business with its own unique brand and identity. Our headquarters will continue to be based in York.’

Arriva is also the backer of Alliance Rail Holdings which is bidding to run open access services on both the East and West Coast main lines.

A new control room at Euston station has opened as part of a collaborative effort between Network Rail, London Midland and Virgin Trains.

Said to be the first joint control room built from scratch, both train operators and Network Rail contributed to the design so that the control room delivers what each party needs. It is designed to assist and encourage collaborative working between the three companies’ staff, to improve management of station personnel and dissemination of information. This will help to reduce dwell time for trains, improving train performance and reducing delays for passengers.

Euston was chosen as the site for the first joint control room due to the high number of passengers that use it and the potential for overcrowding during times of service disruption.

Northern Ireland Transport Minister, Danny Kennedy, has announced £27million of funding for the relaying of track on the Coleraine to Derry/Londonderry line. This will enable the first stage of works to be brought forward by two years to July 2012. The relaying and essential bridge works will mean complete closure of the route for nine months but should be completed by April 2013 to coincide with Londonderry’s ‘Capital of Culture’ year.

Re-signalling works will be carried out in 2013/14, and the final phase will provide a new passing loop and remaining bridge works, the total upgrade costing £75million.

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has published a consultation document seeking views on the potential for more ‘on-rail competition’ — direct competition between train operators for passengers.

The document considers whether more on-rail competition would be desirable, taking account of potential benefit for passengers, but also explores how to ensure that competition does not lead to significant additional costs for the taxpayer. The consultation closes on 4 December.

Network Rail has selected the Buchanan Partnership as its partner for the redevelopment of Glasgow Queen Street station.

The multi-million-pound redevelopment project will transform the appearance and facilities of the station and incorporate both the current station area and airspace above the station car park. Designed to complement a wider expansion of the Buchanan Galleries shopping complex, the station concourse will be extended and redesigned to improve passenger circulation and enhance ticketing, waiting and retail facilities.

The current 1960s front entrance will give way to a modern glass frontage. The Dundas Street and North Hanover Street entrances will be redesigned and benefit from significant streetscape improvements. New entrances from Cathedral Street and the Buchanan Galleries shopping centre will be created.

The Borders Railway between Edinburgh and Tweedbank is to be delivered by Network Rail. The announcement comes after Transport Scotland cancelled the original procurement competition, following the withdrawal of two of the three bidders to design, build, finance and maintain the line.

Transport Scotland will now work together with Network Rail to deliver the project, and Network Rail is expected to put construction out to tender, with the line added to Network Rail’s regulatory asset base (RAB).

Scotland’s Transport Minister Keith Brown said: ‘We continue to be steadfastly committed to this vital scheme and we are actively managing and making prudent decisions to ensure efficient delivery as quickly as possible.

‘Despite early enthusiasm from bidders, it is disappointing that two consortia dropped out for their own commercial reasons. Following the withdrawal of IMCD from the procurement in the summer, we said we would consider our options to find the right way forward to deliver the project for the best value in the shortest possible time.

Stadler Rail has won a contract from Transport for London to supply six Variobahn trams – based on vehicles currently in use in Bergen, Norway. They will increase capacity on the London Tramlink light rail system, providing more frequent services between Therapia Lane, central Croydon and Elmers End to relieve the busiest parts of the network.

At 32 metres, the Variobahn trams – to be assembled at Hohenschonhausen, Berlin – are 2.5 metres longer than the existing Bombardier CR4000 vehicles. The air-conditioned, low-floor tram design is made up of five sections with wide gangways.

The contract is worth £16.3million to the supplier, a sum which includes spare parts and special equipment to run the vehicles, said TfL. To accommodate the new trams and additional services, modifications to tram stops and the depot will be required.

The first of the new trams will be delivered this winter and will enter service in spring 2012 following a rigorous testing and commissioning period, said TfL. The remaining five trams will be delivered during the first few months of 2012.

While Tramlink service levels have remained relatively static (between 2.4 and 2.7million km per year) since 2000, passenger journeys have increased by 45% in 10 years. The 18.6million journeys made in 2001/02 increased to 27.8million per year by the end of March 2011, with ridership continuing to grow since then.

The London Borough of Croydon is contributing £3million to the purchase cost.