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More than 7,000 children in the West Midlands and surrounding areas have been given railway safety lessons to keep them safe this summer.

Network Rail (Wales and Borders) is encouraging residents and businesses to join more than 16000 people already signed up to emails informing them of railway improvement work in their area.

Passengers and residents in Stone, Staffordshire, are being advised about a £7m+ package of railway upgrades to improve safety, performance and long-term reliability on the West Coast Main Line.

The completion of Alfreton station’s £6.75 million accessibility upgrade was celebrated with an official opening event today (Wednesday 23 July).

Network Rail has today announced the appointment of Jeremy Westlake as its next Chief Executive, replacing Sir Andrew Haines who will be retiring. Jeremy, who is currently Chief Financial Officer, will formally take up the role in October following a transition period alongside Sir Andrew. In this role, Jeremy will oversee the amalgamation of Network Rail with Great British Railways to bring together track and train to deliver benefits for passengers and communities across the country.

Special train showcasing the past, present and future of our railway attracts young people to careers on the network, with the Bluebell Railway the next stop on the tour.

• Network Rail engineers will carry out essential work from Saturday 14th to Sunday 22nd February 2026.
• Buses to replace trains at the stations between Gravesend and Dartford to Slade Green, Barnehurst and Crayford, over the February half-term 2026.
• South Eastern Railway and Thameslink are giving advance notice to passengers to help them plan ahead.

Ground is officially broken on the £18.3m Balgray station, marking the start of construction on a new rail link serving Barrhead and its growing communities.