UK Department for Transport news – Page 2
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Rail Business UK‘See it. Say it. Sorted’ gets a refresh
UK: The ‘See it. Say it. Sorted’ security campaign which has become wearily familiar to rail travellers since being launched almost a decade ago has had its first major refresh.
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Rail Business UKReport sets out effective measures to prevent railway suicides
UK: The Department for Transport has published what it says is ‘landmark’ research into the most effective measures to prevent railway suicides.
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Rail Business UKFirst of a Kind funding awarded for 26 rail innovation projects
UK: The Department for Transport and Innovate UK have selected 26 rail projects to share £5m of government first-of-a-kind funding to support trials of innovative technology for the rail industry.
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Rail Business UKEast Midlands Railway begins digital pay-as-you-go ticketing trial
UK: The first of four Department for Transport sponsored trials of GPS-based digital pay-as-you-go ticketing using smart phones rather than dedicated smartcards or contactless bank cards is now underway.
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NewsTransport Secretary accepts recommendations of revenue protection review
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander has written to train operators saying that she has accepted in full the recommendations of the Office of Rail & Road’s review of revenue protection practices.
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Rail Business UKPlatform4 formed to develop brownfield railway land
UK: London & Continental Railways and Network Rail’s property development team have been merged to create Platform4, which will seek to develop unused railway land and reinvest the profits generated in the railways.
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Rail Business UKWest Midlands Trains nationalisation date confirmed
UK: West Midlands Trains is to transfer to the public sector on February 1 2026, the Department for Transport has confirmed.
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Rail Business UKNext stage of Midland Main Line electrification ‘paused’
UK: The next phase of electrification of the Midland Main Line has been ‘paused’, the government has announced.
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Rail Business UKBristol – Portishead railway reopening funding in place
UK: The government has confirmed it will provide the remaining funding needed to enable the reinstatement of passenger services between Bristol and Portishead.
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Rail Business UKGovernment backs Midlands Rail Hub
UK: The government is to provide capital funding for the Midlands Rail Hub programme, which the Department for Transport said would be the region’s ‘biggest and most ambitious rail improvement scheme to date’.
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Rail Business UKThree stations get the go-ahead
UK: Government funding has been confirmed for planned stations at Wellington and Cullompton in the southwest and at Haxby near York.
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NewsRegulator rejects West Coast Main Line open access train service plans
UK: Would-be operators have responded with disappointment to the rail regulator’s decision that there is insufficient capacity to launch three open access passenger train services on the West Coast Main Line.
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Rail Business UKOpen access must genuinely add value, says DfT
UK: The Department for Transport has written to the Office of Rail & Road to stress the ‘critical importance’ of considering the cumulative financial and performance impact when deciding whether to approve applications to run open access passenger services.
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Rail Business UKGovernment sets out plans to sort out ‘appalling mess’ at High Speed 2
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander has told the House of Commons that she plans to address a ‘litany of failure’ around the High Speed 2 programme.
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Rail Business UKRegulator says reform of rail fare enforcement is urgently needed
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has called for urgent reforms to make the handling of train ticketing irregularities more consistent, fairer and effective.
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Rail Business UKFirst operator transfers to public sector under UK rail nationalisation programme
UK: South Western Railway becomes the first contracted passenger train operator to pass to the public sector under the government’s nationalisation programme in the early hours of May 26.
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Rail Business UKGreater Anglia nationalisation date confirmed
UK: The Secretary of State for Transport has issued an contract expiry notice confirming the date when train operator Greater Anglia is to be nationalised.
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Rail Business UKMinimum age to be a train driver to be lowered
UK: The legal minimum age at which people can become train drivers to be lowered, with the Department for Transport saying thousands of jobs and apprenticeships are to be made available as early as December. The current minimum legal age to become a train driver is ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment dampens rail investment hopes as suppliers turn to exports
UK: The Department for Transport has told the Transport Select Committee that service optimisation will be prioritised over infrastructure investment, but equivocation over future projects is already pushing rail suppliers to embrace export opportunities instead.
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Rail Business UKLevel boarding included in rail innovation funding competition
UK: Innovate UK has opened the latest calls for grant funding proposals under the First of a Kind programme, which supports the demonstration of innovative technologies to give them a better chance at being deployed by railway companies. Organisations have until May 28 to submit proposals, ...