Green light for British key rail upgradesJuly 14, 2025Britains Department for Transport (DfT) has announced investment for 5 key rail upgrade projects which will deliver quicker commuter journeys across the country.The projects include reinstating a passenger rail line between Bristol city centre and Portishead, which last ran over 60 years ago, delivering 3 brand new train stations, bringing thousands more people closer to a Railway and funding a Midlands rail Hub, creating brand new rail links for more than 50 locations.rail investment outside of London and the South East is long overdue, which is why the government is confirming additional funding right across England and Wales, which will improve access to jobs and leisure and stimulate housing growth in the regions.The government is investing a further GBP 27 million to reinstate passenger rail services between Portishead and Bristol city centre. The new hourly services will connect an additional 50,000 people to the rail network and support a significant new housing development.Two new stations, Wellington and Cullompton, have been given the green light in the south-west of England, and a new station at Haxby will now be delivered, bringing an additional 20,000 people within 3 km of the Railway, providing easy access to the regional centres of York and Leeds.The Midlands is also set to see a huge improvement to its rail services. The new Midlands rail Hub will be the regions biggest and most ambitious rail improvement scheme to date. Significant government funding will mean huge numbers of additional trains and extra seats can be added to the rail network in and out of Birmingham every single day.Investment will also benefit existing rail users. The East Coast Main Line, which runs the length of the country, is already benefiting from an increase in capacity and frequency and will also receive new, upgraded digital signalling, boosting capability and resilience of the line, and reducing delays by one third.This continued funding for rail schemes up and down the country will open up access to jobs, grow the economy and drive up quality of life as the Plan for Change is delivered.These key rail upgrade projects are backed by over GBP 92 billion from the Spending Review settlement to boost to Englands transport infrastructure in a generation, and unlocking schemes that deliver for the taxpayer and drive growth.Of the GBP 92.8 billion, the Chancellor has already announced GBP 10.2 billion for rail enhancements, improving connectivity and unlocking growth in key areas of the UK, which have for too long struggled with unreliable, infrequent services.Share on:RECOMMENDED EVENT: