This year is set to be an exciting time for train travel – with new stations, trains contributing to renewable energy, and upgraded carriages.
During a time when air travel has never been more uncertain, rail passengers planning trips around the country have much to look forward to.
From wind turbines next to tracks to a brand new £250million train station, major changes are coming.
Read on to discover all the train upgrades we’re set to see across the UK this year.
Train-powered wind turbines
LNER has teamed up with clean energy experts Treeva to install three wind turbines next to a train track
By capturing energy generated by passing trains, the wind turbines then transform the energy to be used to power a range of devices
LNER has partnered with clean energy experts Treeva to introduce wind turbines next to rail tracks in a bid to generate energy using turbulent airflow created by trains.
Three turbines have been installed alongside the East Coast Main Line at Hitachi Rail’s Craigentinny depot – the first of their kind to be installed next to a UK railway track.
By capturing energy generated by passing trains, the wind turbines then transform the energy to be used to power a range of devices.
One turbine alone is capable of powering a third of a small station’s lighting needs, four CCTV cameras, or two passenger information screens.
Anjali Devadasan, CEO and co?founder of Treeva, explained how the company aimed to ‘transform the way transport infrastructure is powered’.
Devadasan added: ‘By capturing the airflow of passing trains to generate energy, we can turn unused land into a meaningful source of clean power and enable sustainable systems that pay for themselves within months.
‘We’re excited and optimistic about this next step in our work with LNER and the wider rail industry, and we look forward to seeing the turbine results and exploring future opportunities.’
New £250million train station
Cambridge South is a new station back by £250million of government funding, set to open on June 28
A brand new train station is scheduled to open in Cambridge on June 28 and is backed by £250million of government funding.
Called Cambridge South, it will become the first Great British Railways-branded station in the country.
The station is set to be busy too, with 1.8million passengers expected a year and nine trains running every hour to Cambridge city centre.
Offering direct links to the city’s Biomedical Campus, trains will also run to London, Birmingham, Stansted Airport, and an international rail service via St Pancras.
Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy, said: ‘Backed by £250 million government investment, Cambridge South will open up access to jobs, homes and world-class facilities for people across the region, boosting the growth of the Biomedical Campus as one of the most important engines of growth in the country.
‘As the first new Great British Railways-branded station, the opening is an important milestone for our railways and a sign of the real change public ownership will deliver.
‘Faster connections supporting economic growth, thousands more jobs and homes and a railway that works for the communities it serves.’
Another new train station
Okehampton Interchange is a new station being built on the Dartmoor Line, between Okehampton and Exeter
It’s expected to open over the summer and will be Great Western Railway’s 200th station
Okehampton Interchange is a new station expected to open over the summer on the Dartmoor Line.
Located just two minutes from the A30, between Okehampton and Exeter, it marks Great Western Railway’s 200th station and will complement Okehampton station, which is set to remain open.
It’s hoped the hub will reduce traffic on the roads in the area and help promote more sustainable travel.
There will be cycle parking and electric car charging points for passengers to utilise, too. Buses will also be calling at the station.
More budget train journeys
Lumo is launching a new service along the West Coast Main Line
A new service with bargain ticket prices is set to launch by budget train provider Lumo along the West Coast Main Line.
Tickets for routes between Stirling and London Euston start from just £29.90.
Travelling from London to Preston will set you back just £23.90, and Preston to Stirling is priced from an astonishing £14.90.
The service will also call at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert.
New £400million fleet of trains
The Aurora train fleet will continued to be rolled out by East Midlands Railway
East Midlands Railway’s new Aurora train was introduced in December and will continue to be rolled out throughout 2026.
It will operate on journeys between Sheffield, Nottingham and London, on the EMR Intercity route.
The train uses more efficient technology, cutting carbon emissions by up to 66 per cent when in electric mode.
The new £400million fleet of 33 trains will provide 24 per cent more seats and 19 per cent more legroom, in comparison to the Meridian trains it is replacing.
New Tube carriages
The Piccadilly Line’s new trains are set to launch between December this year and June 2027
London’s Piccadilly Line has been going through a £3.4billion investment programme since 2024.
The renovations include a new 94-strong fleet of state-of-the-art trains, and the very first was brought to London in October 2024.
Now, Transport for London plans to launch the fleet between December 2026 and June 2027.
The carriages will include air conditioning for the first time on a deep Tube train as well as wider all-double doorways.