News

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the rail regulator, has authorised two new stations at Willenhall and Darlaston in the West Midlands, the first two of five new stations to open in the West Midlands.

Upgraded help point units, more frequent inspections, and improvements to connectivity at unstaffed and remote stations are among the changes being delivered following the Office of Rail and Road’s 2024 report, which identified weaknesses in reliability and inconsistent monitoring of service quality across the network.

Passengers who rely on assistance when travelling with Northern Trains should see improvements to the service over time, after the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) secured commitments from the operator to ensure staff receive disability awareness training and to provide a £550,000 additional package of measures.

The train, from Newcastle to London King’s Cross, derailed into the path of an oncoming freight train. Ten people lost their lives that day, including the drivers of both trains, and 82 were seriously injured.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the rail regulator, has authorised Northumberland Park Station in North Tyneside, the fifth of six stations to open as part of the Northumberland Line project. Northumberland Park is set to open on Sunday 22 February. Bedlington Station, the final station on the line, is expected to be authorised and open in March 2026.

ORR spokesperson: “ORR has a good track record of getting the balance right in granting permission to new services and ensuring there is enough room on the rail network to recover when things go wrong.

We have published updated Guidance on Rail Retailing, following a public consultation in autumn 2025.