UK Department for Transport news – Page 2
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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, ...
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Rail Business UKGPS ticketing trial planned for this year
UK: The Department for Transport is seeking suppliers to take part in trials of GPS-based pay-as-you-go ticketing in Yorkshire and the East Midlands later this year, The successful bidders would work alongside train operators Northern and East Midlands Railways to deliver the government-funded trials, which will ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment sets out its plan for how Great British Railways will work
Rail Business UK looks at the details of the government’s rail reform plans, which would restructure the industry and establish Great British Railways as a new body bringing together infrastructure and operations in the biggest shake-up of the sector since privatisation.
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Rail Business UKOpen access ‘at a crossroads’ as government sets out more stringent tests for approval
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander has set out her expectations for how applications to run open access services should be considered as the rail industry is restructured.
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Metro Report InternationalDriverless London Underground trains are not viable, study finds
UK: The previous government’s proposal for the possible conversion of London Underground lines to driverless operation will not be taken any further, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has confirmed. Conversion to driverless operation is regularly suggested by politicians and commentators, often in the belief that this ...
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Rail Business UKTrain operators’ revenue protection to be reviewed following ‘egregious’ prosecutions
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh has asked the Office of Rail & Road to undertake an independent review of the way train operators tackle suspected fare evasion.
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Rail Business UKRail Minister Hendy strikes conciliatory tone as he backs ‘fresh start’ for UK rail
UK: Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy struck an upbeat tone in his keynote address at the Railway Industry Association’s annual conference on November 6, promising ‘a new start for rail’ and confirming that High Speed 2 ‘will go to [London] Euston’. Hendy said it was a ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment announces measures to address ‘dire’ HS2 project delivery
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh has announced measures which aim to ensure the costs of the High Speed 2 programme ‘are brought under control’, including an independent review of governance. The incentives of the main HS2 contractors are also being reviewed, which the ...
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Rail Business UKFive-point plan to improve the passenger experience at London Euston station
UK: Network Rail and the Department for Transport have announced a five-point plan which aims to improve the passenger experience at London Euston station pending longer-term changes. Network Rail said a ‘major reconstruction’ of the ‘outdated’ station is required to meet current demands, and avoid ’very ...
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Rail Business UKDouble rail’s modal share in a decade, urges Labour transport review
UK: The Rail & Urban Transport Review led by former Siemens UK CEO Jürgen Maier has published a report into at how rail infrastructure could be delivered ‘better, faster and more cost effectively’.
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Rail Business UKCrossCountry ordered to produce improvement plan
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh has written to the two Interim Managing Directors of CrossCountry expressing ‘serious concern’ about the train operator’s performance. She expects the operator to agree a Remedial Plan, saying ‘I will not hesitate to take further action under the ...
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Rail Business UKDfT projects review commissioned and Restoring Your Railway Fund scrapped
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh has commissioned an internal review of the Department for Transport’s capital spend portfolio, following Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ July 29 statement in the House of Commons about unfunded public spending.
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Rail Business UKGovernment is not putting passengers and taxpayers first, says Public Accounts Committee
UK: The government has made little progress in implementing its plans for rail which are now largely on hold until the next parliament, the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee says in its report into rail reform which was published on May 27. In particular, PAC ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment proposes lowering the minimum age to be a train driver
UK: Industry bodies and drivers’ union ASLEF have welcomed the start of consultation on a government proposal to lower the minimum age to become a train driver in Great Britain from 20 to 18. The consultation runs from May 16 to June 13. If given the ...