All DfT articles – Page 6
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Rail Business UKNew CrossCountry contract includes capacity, accessibility and environmental improvements
UK: The Department for Transport has directly awarded incumbent Arriva a new contract to operate CrossCountry services for a further three years. CrossCountry Managing Director Tom Joyner tells Rail Business UK about the operator’s plans, saying ’the good thing is the longevity, which CrossCountry really needs as it gives us a real chance to do some serious planning for the future.’
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Rail Business UKERMAs underpin transformation from franchises to concessions
UK: With Emergency Measures Agreements or Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements now in place with its franchised passenger operators, the Department for Transport has begun work to create the future concession model which is expected to replace franchising once the Covid-19 pandemic is over.
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Rail Business UKDfT clarifies ERMA end dates as next steps negotiated
UK: The Department for Transport has confirmed the timescales for the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements which were signed with franchised train operating companies earlier this month. Industry insiders note that the staggered end dates reflect a sensible approach to the situation, and create a ‘manageable pipeline’ for ...
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Rail Business UKInterim report sets out earthwork management plans following Stonehaven derailment
UK: Network Rail’s interim report into improving the resilience of its earthworks to extreme weather was published by the government on September 10. The report was commissioned by Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps following the fatal derailment of a ScotRail train at Carmont near Stonehaven ...
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Rail Business UKEast Midlands collaboration aims to give a greater voice for local stakeholders
UK: The government and Transport for the East Midlands have reached a multi-year collaboration agreement which is designed to give councils and local stakeholders a more influential role in deciding how rail services can support development in the region. Announced on September 3, the agreement will give ...
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Rail Business UKTreasury concerns over ticketing changes
UK: Department for Transport sources have confirmed to Rail Business UK that a key focus within the department is now on the development of part-time season tickets or carnets to encourage commuters to return to train services. However, pressure from the Treasury to manage any lost ...
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Rail Business UKGWR Emergency Measures Agreement extended
UK: On September 1 the Department for Transport exercised its option to extend the Emergency Measures Agreement covering FirstGroup’s Great Western franchise until at least June 26 2021. FirstGroup Chief Executive Matthew Gregory said this ‘provides important clarity and continuity for our customers, employees and wider stakeholders’. ...
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Rail Business UKTrain operators resist proposed Emergency Remedial Measures Agreements
UK: With the current Emergency Measures Agreements with franchised passenger train operating companies set to expire on September 20, industry sources report that some TOCs have been ‘resistant’ to the terms of the successor Emergency Remedial Measures Agreements proposed by the Department for Transport. Rail Business ...
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Metro Report InternationalEnglish light rail support extended
UK: The government has allocated further financial support for five tram and light rail networks in England as part of a commitment to provide £256m for bus and tram services for between eight and 12 weeks. The funding announced on August 8 aims to enable operators ‘to ...
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Rail Business UKEmergency Recovery Measures Agreements announcement delayed
UK: Despite industry expectations, details of the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements which are due replace the current Emergency Measures Agreements with passenger train operators from September were not released before the end of the Parliamentary session on July 22. Rail Business UK understands that discussions with operators ...
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Rail Business UKOperators unable to meet DfT ambition for full timetable from September 7
UK: Industry sources confirm that the Department for Transport has asked passenger operators to work towards a ‘near-full timetable’ from September 7 as part of the government’s plan to encourage people to start using public transport and to return to working normally. At the moment no advice ...
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Rail Business UK£589m to ‘kickstart’ Transpennine Route Upgrade
UK: The allocation of £589m to ‘kickstart’ the enhancement of the trans-Pennine main line between Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester was announced by Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps on July 23, along with details of a Northern Transport Acceleration Council which is to be formed ...
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Metro Report InternationalGovernment sets out details of Transport for London financial review
UK: Cost efficiencies, workforce modernisation, alternative potential operating models and ‘exploring the feasibility of extending driverless operation from the Docklands Light Railway to other lines which are already automatic’ are to be considered by a government review into the financial structure of Transport for London. TfL ...
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Rail Business UKRenationalisation mooted as government exerts greater control over TOCs
UK: The Department for Transport is looking to ‘reset’ its approach to railway operations and funding with the introduction of 18-month Emergency Remedial Measures Agreements in September to replace the current Emergency Measures Agreements, according to senior rail sector insiders.
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Rail Business UKMessaging rethink urged as rail faces slow recovery
UK: Rail industry insiders are urging a rethink of government messaging to avoid using public transport, amid suggestions that a recovery of rail traffic to pre-Covid levels may not be achieved within two years.
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Rail Business UKFranchise support to be extended by 18 months
UK: The government is preparing for a further 18 months of financial support for passenger train operators once the existing Emergency Measures Agreements expire on September 20, industry insiders have confirmed. A formal decision is expected to be announced by Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps ...
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Rail Business UKRestoring pre-Covid service ‘could take two years’ as TOCs face logistical hurdles
UK: Government aspirations for a significant ramping up of passenger services towards pre-coronavirus levels are unlikely to be achieved, with train operating companies warning of staff shortages and a lack of clarity over capacity leading to an increasingly confusing situation.
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Rail Business UKTOC owning groups consider exit strategies as Shapps outlines reform thinking
UK: Several owning groups holding passenger franchises are understood to be considering their future in the light of emerging government thinking about future industry structures and concession models.
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Rail Business UKFirst of a Kind funding awarded for 25 rail innovation projects
UK: The Department for Transport and Innovate UK have announced the 25 projects which are to share £9·4m of funding under the 2020 round of the First of a Kind rail industry innovation programme.
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Rail Business UKNorthern review looks beyond Covid-19 recovery
UK: ‘Covid-19 has not changed our commitment to deliver a “new Northern” that will deliver real and tangible improvements for passengers’, said Managing Director Nick Donovan on June 8, as the operator published the results of the ‘100-day review’ commissioned when control of the franchise was transferred to the Department for Transport’s Operator of Last Resort on March 1.