UK Department for Transport news – Page 7
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Rail Business UKRail industry voluntary severance scheme set for rapid roll-out
UK: The first details of the Special Voluntary Severance Scheme that will be offered to railway employees have been outlined as the Department for Transport pushes forward with a widespread reduction in staff numbers across all parts of the rail sector.
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Rail Business UKBetter Value Rail Toolkit launched to assist project sponsors
UK: An online Better Value Rail Toolkit has been launched to help organisations sponsoring rail projects make the right decisions at the early stages, ensure that rail is the best option and save time and money during the process. The website has been jointly developed by ...
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Rail Business UKIndustry welcomes electrification and modal shift commitments in transport decarbonisation plan
UK: Commitments to electrification, network expansion and modal shift are included in the Decarbonising transport: a better, greener Britain plan published by the government on July 14, along with the selective deployment of hydrogen and battery trains. ‘Transport decarbonisation is a dull way of describing something ...
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Rail Business UKDfT needs to set out how it will implement rail reform, says Public Accounts Committee
UK: The Department for Transport faces ‘an extremely challenging and uncertain environment’ in which to implement the proposed Williams-Shapps rail reforms, but ‘has neither the necessary urgency nor appreciates the scale of the challenge ahead’ the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee warns in its Overview ...
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Rail Business UKFirst of a Kind funding announced for 30 rail innovation projects
UK: The Department for Transport and Innovate UK have awarded £9m of First of a Kind funding to support 30 rail innovation projects. This year’s funding round is focused on making railways ‘cleaner, greener and more passenger-friendly’. ‘The competition always throws up surprises and the ideas ...
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Metro Report InternationalDriverless train study required under latest Transport for London support deal
UK: The Department for Transport has agreed a further funding package for Transport for London, with government conditions including studies for the possible conversion of two Underground lines to driverless operation. The deal reached on June 1 covers the period from May 29 to December 11. ...
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Rail Business UKFlexible season ticket details announced
UK: The Department for Transport has announced details of the new flexible season tickets aimed at commuters travelling two or three days a week. The smartcard or mobile phone based tickets will be offered by all DfT-franchised train operating companies across England, and are to go ...
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Rail Business UKFirstGroup agrees £6m termination fee for TransPennine Express
UK: FirstGroup plc announced on May 11 that it had reached agreement with the Department for Transport on the fee payable for termination of the TransPennine Express franchise. The move is part of the process agreed with DfT as the Covid-19 pandemic saw operators moving into ...
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Rail Business UKRail industry responds to reform and HS2 plans in the Queen’s Speech
UK: Rail industry bodies have responded to the Queen’s Speech at the state opening of parliament on May 11, in which the Queen set out the government’s plans to invest in infrastructure, ‘transform connectivity by rail and bus’, and ‘invest in new green industries to create ...
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Rail Business UKMass cancellations as Hitachi trains grounded by cracks
UK: A significant number of train services were cancelled over the weekend of May 8-9 after cracks were discovered in electric and electro-diesel trains constructed by Hitachi Rail for several operators.
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Rail Business UKPenalty Fare changes under consideration
UK: The Department for Transport has begin consultation on changes to penalty fares in England and Wales, saying they are currently set too low to act as a deterrent to fare dodging. Under the Penalty Fares regulations, passengers who have had the opportunity to buy a ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment agrees ERMA extensions with three operators
UK: The Department for Transport has exercised its option to extend the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements with c2c, South Western Railway and TransPennine Express, as discussions continue over the ending of franchise agreements and a move to directly-awarded National Rail Contracts. FirstGroup, which operates the South ...
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Rail Business UKNorthumberland Line and East West Rail awarded funding
UK: The government has announced £794m of funding for the projects to develop an Oxford – Cambridge railway corridor and reintroduce passenger services between Newcastle and Ashington. East – West Rail The funding confirmed by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on January 23 includes £760m for the ...
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Rail Business UKDfT consults on options to decongest Manchester’s railways
UK: A public consultation on options for a recast of services around Manchester to improve performance and reliability was announced by the Department for Transport and Transport for the North on January 14.
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Rail Business UKCash refunds to be offered for Christmas rail tickets
UK: Cash refunds will be provided for people who had booked tickets for rail or coach journeys in England during the December 23-27 ‘Christmas travel window’ but who are now unable to travel as a result of the latest changes to the government’s coronavirus restrictions. ...
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Rail Business UKJanuary rail fare increase delayed to March 1
UK: The annual change in rail fares will be delayed from January until March 1 2021, the Department for Transport announced on December 16. Regulated fares will then increase by RPI+1, a 2·6% rise. Passengers renewing season tickets will be able to do so at current rates ...
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Rail Business UKSouth Western and West Coast franchise termination payments agreed
UK: FirstGroup and the Department for Transport have reached agreement on payments for the termination of the South Western Railway and West Coast Partnership franchise agreements, which were signed before the pandemic, and are negotiating new directly-awarded management contracts which would come into effect when the current ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment agrees £825m loan to support Crossrail
UK: An £825m loan to ensure the continuation of work on completing and commissioning the delayed Crossrail project has been agreed by the Mayor of London, Transport for London, the Department for Transport and the Treasury. Project promoter Crossrail Ltd announced in August that it would require ...
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Rail Business UKFunding for 15 railway or station reopening proposals
UK: The Department for Transport has awarded 15 rail schemes up to £50 000 each from the Restoring Your Railway fund to support the development of proposals for the reopening of lines and stations A total of 51 bids for funding under the second round of the ...
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Rail Business UK‘Resilience not cuts’ says Heaton-Harris as Treasury seeks cost recovery
UK: Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris struck a defiant tone when addressing the Transport Select Committee on November 18, insisting that the government was seeking ‘resilience, not cuts’ from the railway during the coronavirus pandemic.