All articles by Liam Stoker

Liam Stoker

Station feasibility: too empty to open?

The revelation that Teeside Airport Rail Station received just 14 passengers in a calendar year has sparked new debate over the feasibility of keeping some stations open. Sixty years after the Beeching Axe, could another cull help the Department for Transport cut costs?

Your train has been cancelled due to flooded tracks

Freak weather events have brought flooding and caused chaos on rail services in recent months, with Australia, the UK and the US all suffering at the hands of floodwaters. With such events on the rise, just how can a nation’s rail network be protected?

Eurostar e320s near service entry

Eurostar has provided a further glimpse of its new fleet of Siemens-built e320 trains, boasting multiple improvements over the current Class 373 model. Liam Stoker looks at Eurostar’s fleet investment programme and compares the two models.

Could court challenges derail HS2 for good?

Justine Greening’s approval of HS2 has sparked a number of legal challenges, threatening a judicial review. Following January’s decision to green-light the project, railway-technology.com examines the subsequent legal challenges that have arisen and uncovers issues that could potentially throw a spanner in the works of the UK’s second high-speed rail network.

High-speed, expansions and extensions: Rail infrastructure for the seven billion

Faced with ever-expanding populations, many countries are now seeing rail as an answer to logistical challenges. As the global population hits seven billion, Railway-technology.com examines how the world’s most populous countries are improving rail infrastructure to cater for public transport requirements.

UK HS2 plans approved

UK transport secretary Justine Greening has approved controversial plans for a new high-speed rail network (HS2) linking London to Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester.

Trials, tribulations and tunnels: Decision time for HS2

Further delays to a decision on the future of England’s proposed HS2 line have seen various debates erupt. Now that a tunnel could ease opposition in the southeast, could transport secretary Justine Greening approve the highly contentious project in early 2012?

Tension and strain on overheated trains

Soaring temperatures this summer forced London-bound trains to grind to a halt as old overhead cables were crippled. Following a weight of criticism aimed at rail operators, railway-technology examines the problem of sagging cables and what can be done to fix them.