On this day in 1879, the first Tay Rail Bridge collapsed during a violent storm as a passenger train made its way across the Firth of Tay towards Dundee. The disaster occurred on the evening of 28 December, when the central section of the bridge suddenly gave way, sending the locomotive, its...
Train services were severely disrupted earlier after a person was struck by a train on the railway between Streatham Common and Selhurst. Lines have since reopened and service recovery is now in progress.Emergency services were called to the scene, leading to the closure of all lines through the...
On this day in 1995, a fatal accident occurred at Mishima Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail line in Shizuoka, Japan. At around 18:30 local time on 27 December, 17-year-old student Yusuke Kawarazaki was attempting to board a westbound Kodama service when his hand became trapped in the...
A special farewell tour marking the withdrawal of long-serving commuter trains has generated more than £45,000 for charity, following overwhelming public interest.South Western Railway’s red Class 455 units, which have been operating on the network for more than four decades, are in the process...
A major milestone has been reached in the redevelopment of a key site in Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, after a newly built railway bridge was successfully slid into place.The project, led by Network Rail, has been under way since the summer, beginning with the removal of more than 80,000 tonnes of...
When you think of Britain’s long-distance trains, you might picture services radiating out from London. CrossCountry is different. Its trains deliberately avoid the capital, forming a vast mesh of routes that link northwest to southwest and Scotland to the English midlands. From Aberdeen and...
In mid‑2023, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) rolled out a major change in how it sells tickets on its long‑distance routes. Having first trialled single‑leg pricing on services between London King’s Cross and Leeds, Newcastle, and Edinburgh from 2020, the operator expanded the scheme...
Boxing Day has long occupied a special place in the football calendar across much of Britain, and for many decades the railways were central to how supporters reached matches. From the late 19th century onwards, the combination of public holidays and scheduled fixtures created distinctive travel...
On this day in 1962, the Coppenhall Junction railway accident occurred on the West Coast Main Line near Crewe in Cheshire, claiming 18 lives and injuring dozens more. The collision took place on the evening of 26 December, during a period of severe winter weather that had disrupted railway...
On December 25, 2005, the Inaho No. 14 limited express train operated by JR East derailed on the Uetsu Line in Shonai, Yamagata Prefecture. The train was running from Akita to Niigata when it left the rails on a stretch of track between Sagoshi and Kita‑Amarume stations. The derailment occurred...
For most passengers, Christmas Day is the one day of the year when Britain’s railways appear to fall completely silent. With no scheduled passenger services across almost the entire network, stations are closed, timetables are suspended and trains are absent from the tracks. It is a scene unlike...
Police in Runcorn are seeking the public’s help in locating a 17-year-old girl who has gone missing.Isla Davies was last seen at approximately 5.30pm on Monday, 22 December, at Warrington Bank Quay Railway Station. Authorities say she may be in the company of friends or travelling alone.Isla is...
Reported sexual offences on the London Underground have risen to their highest level in five years, according to newly released figures. In 2024-25, a total of 595 sexual offences were recorded across all Tube lines, up from previous years, though still below the peak of 776 reports in 2019-20.Data...
A man died after being struck by a train near the village of Burlescombe, close to Wellington, in early December, a coroner has heard.During an inquest, Devon coroner Philip Spinney was told that David Mark Richards, 45, from Wakefield and a senior lecturer in Devon, had been standing in the centre...
ScotRail has been criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) over claims on its website suggesting passengers could secure the “cheapest tickets” by booking directly with the operator. The ASA ruled that the adverts, which described fares as “unbeatable on price” and encouraged...
On this day, December 24, 1910, one of the most serious railway accidents in early twentieth‑century Britain occurred near Hawes Junction on the Midland Railway’s Settle and Carlisle line. In the pre‑dawn darkness, at approximately 5:49 am, a northbound Scotch express from St Pancras to...
On this day in 1874, Christmas Eve turned tragic near the village of Shipton‑on‑Cherwell in Oxfordshire. A heavily laden Great Western Railway passenger train, running from Oxford to Birmingham, was making its journey north when disaster struck. Just after passing the canal and river bridges...
On this day in 1841, a tragic railway accident occurred at Sonning Cutting, near Reading in Berkshire. A Great Western Railway train travelling from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads struck a landslip in the cutting, which had been weakened by recent heavy rain. The broad-gauge locomotive...
A young train enthusiast from Suffolk was treated to a unique behind-the-scenes experience at Leeds station thanks to LNER. Eight-year-old Austin, who travels the country with his father Ashley documenting their railspotting adventures on social media through ‘Austin’s Rail Adventures’, was...
Officers are appealing for help to identify a man following an alleged assault involving two young children at a west London Underground station.The incident took place at around 4pm on Thursday 11 December at White City station. Police say a woman was with two young children when a man entered the...