UK Department for Transport news – Page 4
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Rail Business UKTransport Committee sets out criteria for regulations on minimum service levels during rail strikes
UK: The House of Commons Transport Committee has published a report outlining what it says the government should include in future regulations requiring railway companies to provide minimum service levels during strikes. The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act became law earlier this year, but details of ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment publishes Mobility-as-a-Service code of practice
UK: The Department for Transport has published a code of practice to help organisations involved in Mobility-as-a-Service schemes navigate the technical, commercial and regulatory challenges, including ensuring that accessibility is taken into account. The guidance published on August 30 is aimed at technology companies, transport operators ...
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Rail Business UKDfT ‘does not know what it is trying to achieve’ with ‘floundering’ London Euston redevelopment
UK: The Department for Transport ‘still does not know what it is trying to achieve’ with the High Speed 2 station at London Euston ‘despite spending over eight years planning and designing it’, according to a highly critical report from the House of Commons Public Accounts ...
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Rail Business UKRail industry insiders stress importance of ticket office closure consultation
UK: Public consultation has begun over plans to close the majority of station ticket offices in England, with industry insiders stressing the importance of passengers giving feedback as part of the process.
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Rail Business UKRecommendations to improve on-train air quality
UK: The Department for Transport’s Science Advisory Council has made a number of recommendations in response to a Rail Safety & Standards Board analysis of air quality onboard trains. The council notes that the methodology makes it difficult to compared on-train air quality with outdoor observations, ...
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Rail Business UKHS2 Ltd joins 2023 First of a Kind railway technology funding competition
UK: The seventh annual First of a Kind railway technology development competition has opened, with £5·3m of Department for Transport funding available plus, for the first time, a further £1m from HS2 Ltd. DfT is seeking proposals for innovations that could offer a better customer experience ...
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Metro Report InternationalDfT agrees more funding to support Greater Manchester transport
UK: The government has announced an £18m extraordinary funding settlement running until the end of March 2024 to enable Transport for Greater Manchester to maintain services during the ongoing recovery from the pandemic. On June 8 the Department for Transport said TfGM ’faces a very distinct ...
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Rail Business UKRail Minister commits to trans-Pennine electrification ‘in full’ and HS2 to Manchester
UK: Suggestions that the Transpennine Route Upgrade may be scaled back in response to funding constraints were rejected by Transport Minister Huw Merriman when questioned by Rail Business UK.
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Rail Business UK‘A victory for union hard-liners’ as TransPennine Express transfer risks causing more disruption
Rail Business UK can reveal that the short-notice decision by Transport Secretary Mark Harper to bring TransPennine Express into the government’s Operator of Last Resort has stoked serious concerns about unintended consequences within the industry.
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Rail Business UKInterview: ‘You can’t innovate as a monopolist’
UK: Avanti West Coast and c2c parent Trenitalia is ready to make significant investment in Britain’s railways, mirroring its recent expansion in Spain. But this is contingent on the government relaxing its grip on the industry, the company’s UK Managing Director Ernesto Sicilia explains to Nick Kingsley and Sophie Burton.
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In depthUK: East Coast collaboration is delivering
Almost uniquely among UK train operators, LNER is seeing ridership on its inter-city services well above pre-pandemic levels, while a collaborative approach between operator and infrastructure manager is driving up performance. Tony Miles investigates.
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In depthUK: Quality crumbles as rail reform programme inches forward
While preparations continue for the establishment of Great British Railways as a ‘guiding mind’ for the national rail network, cost cutting across both operations and infrastructure is starting to impact on the quality of service and rail’s ability to contribute to meeting ambitious decarbonisation targets.
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast contract extended and Managing Director appointed
UK: Avanti West Coast must continue to regain the confidence of passengers before decisions on its future are made, the Department for Transport said when it announced a six-month extension of the inter-city operator’s contract. The West Coast Partnership contract covers the operation of inter-city services ...
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Rail Business UKRail needs to get out of a pickle, says Minister in Gherkin
UK: ‘The perception that passengers cannot rely on rail is too close to the truth’, Rail Minister Huw Merriman told representatives of the passenger industry.
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Rail Business UKRail reform will enhance the role of the private sector, says Harper
UK: Private sector train operators will have a key role to play in the reformed rail structure, Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper told industry leaders on February 7. Presenting the annual George Bradshaw Address hosted by industry association Rail Partners, Harper sought to set ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment ‘committed to delivering HS2 to Manchester’
UK: The government is committed to building High Speed 2 through to London Euston rather than terminating it short at Old Oak Common, according to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. ‘I don’t see any conceivable circumstance in which that would not end up at Euston’, he told the ...
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Rail Business UKPenalty fares increase substantially
UK: Penalty fares in England and Wales have been increased to a £100 surcharge plus the price of a full single fare for the passenger’s journey on that train. The penalty is reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days. People who fail to pay the ...
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Rail Business UKGWR fleet to shrink further as it abandons Class 769 introduction
UK: Great Western Railway is to hand back all 19 of the Class 769/9 multi-system ‘Flex’ multiple-units to leasing company Porterbrook in April 2023.
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Rail Business UKRail leaders frustrated as DfT tightens grip and cuts loom
UK: Rail Business UK has taken soundings from across the train operating companies, Network Rail and from sources close to the Department for Transport, finding a bleak outlook. Industry leaders fear having to implement stark cuts to rail provision, even if the industrial relations issues plaguing the sector can be resolved.
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Rail Business UKInterview: c2c focuses on climate and community
Sometimes misrepresented as a recently modernised operation, the c2c suburban business which runs trains between London and Essex is in need of investment. Managing Director Rob Mullen sets out his priorities to Nick Kingsley.