The financial performance of the national rail industry continues to improve, helped by ongoing growth in passenger volume, as shown by the crowds flooding off the first off-peak trains of the day at Waterloo.

David Cameron opened the new Hitachi train assembly plant at Newton Aycliffe in County Durham yesterday, saying the railways had returned home to the North East.

Former London Underground District line trains are being transformed at Vivarail’s Long Marston base in Warwickshire. A prototype green and yellow rebuilt coach, centre, is flanked by unrebuilt coaches, left and right. In the depot, more coaches are being transformed.

The class 700 at the new Three Bridges Siemens depot. Picture by Siemens

Railfuture representatives Keith Dyall and Norman Bradbury visited the Hitachi IEP mockup, which comprises the cab, part of a first class vehicle with universal toilet and part of a second class vehicle with standard toilet, at DCA Design, Warwick.

What matters to you?

British Transport Police is committed to getting you home safe, secure and on time. In setting their policing priorities for next year, they want to hear your views and find out about what matters to you while using the railway or the London Underground network.

Please answer the BTP survey by 31st October at www.btp.police.uk/survey.aspx.

London Overground train (operating as a concession granted by Transport for London) arriving at South Acton station.

It could be argued that the subsidy quoted by the Department for Transport for passengers on Northern Rail services is helping to pay for infrastructure development such as Reading station, recently opened by the Queen but shown here under construction.

The Department for Transport announced today that National Express has won the Essex Thameside franchise competition, retaining c2c and so avoiding an unseemly exit from the British rail industry.