A look behind the new livery for NS by Studio Dumbar
Since 1994, Nederlandse Spoorwegen’s ‘VIRM’ trains have been ubiquitous in every corner of the Netherlands. Built between 1994 and 2009, the iconic VIRM double decker EMUs (originally designated as ‘DD-IRM’ units) are a familiar sight as they speed across the Netherland’s famously flat countryside in their equally famous yellow and blue Intercity livery. Well, there […]
EMR and Porterbrook salute iconic HSTs with this retro repaint
East Midlands Railway and Porterbrook are paying tribute to the iconic HSTs by painting power car 43302 into Intercity Swallow livery and reinstating its original number, 43102. Operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR) and owned by Porterbrook, these much-loved trains will be retiring after 39 years of service on the Midland Mainline, making way for […]
A magical new dawn for the Caledonian Sleeper
You’d be hard pressed to find a more magical experience than the Caledonian Sleeper. Caledonian Sleeper’s new Mk5 trains have now hit the rails, and to wave goodbye to the outgoing fleet of trains, they’ve commissioned a new series of rail posters to commemorate the exciting transition. The series of exquisite posters, produced by Kevin […]
LNER partners with Anomaly on their latest ad campaign
LNER’s first fully-integrated campaign launched on Saturday 2 March, courtesy of a partnership with global advertising agency, Anomaly. The campaign, This is our LNER, looks to firmly position the operator as the one for ‘the people’ – with a group of gloriously eccentric characters all sharing the same train home. It’s a heartwarming production, courtesy […]
Happy first birthday, Brightline!
Brightline, with their cheerful, bold and distinctive multicoloured trains, are turning 1 year old. Brightline are the only privately-owned intercity passenger rail service in the US, and they’ve become something of a sensation, having carried 600,00 customers in their first year. That, we’re reliably informed, is enough people to fill nine SuperBowl stadiums! Designed by […]
How easy is it to rebrand a Transpennine Express train?
Ever wondered how they manage to rebrand a train so quickly? Transpennine Express recently shared this awesome timelapse footage of one of their Class 185s undergoing a makeover. The train is stripped to reveal its original deep blue ‘as delivered’ paintwork, before the new, silver metallic vinyl featuring Transpennine’s new ‘North Star’ design is added. […]
Hydrogen-powered train for the UK unveiled
French train manufacturer Alstom has teamed up with leasing company Eversholt to unveil a new train powered by hydrogen. Well, technically, it’s not an entirely new train – codenamed ‘Breeze’, the hydrogen-powered unit will be a conversion of existing Class 321 trains, reengineering some of the UK’s ‘most reliable rolling stock, to create a clean train […]
What’s getting Virgin Trains into a whole world of poop?
Christmas turkey? Wet wipes? Hopes and dreams? Something is getting Virgin Trains – and their onboard facilities – into a whole load of bother at the moment. A BRA – yes, you read that right – is just one of the latest strange items being flushed down the bogs onboard their Pendolino trains. It takes […]
Pimp My Metro: 13 additional DT5s are on the way for Hochbahn
French train builder Alstom will team up with Bombardier to supply 13 more DT5 units to HOCHBAHN. HOCHBAHN’s insanely-charismatic DT5 first hit the rails on the Hamburg Metro system in 2012, replacing the earlier DT2 and DT-3E models primarily on U-Bahn lines U3 and U4. The three-car sets are Hamburg’s first ever air-conditioned ‘walkthrough’ metro trains, […]
Transdev orders 64 Stadler FLIRT EMUs for newly-awarded S-Bahn contract
Transdev Group has announced an order for 64 Stadler FLIRT electric trains as it wins Germany’s biggest ever private rail contract. Transdev, Germany’s largest private operator of rail and bus services, will begin in December 2021 the operation of the entire 385 km-long regional rail network in Hannover (Lower Saxony, Germany) for 12 and a half […]