Great British Railways news
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Rail Business UKRail reform could create ‘sweeping powers to deprioritise freight’
UK: The Rail Freight Group has called on parliament to address its concerns that current proposals for rail reform could give Great British Railways or the government ‘sweeping powers to deprioritise freight’.
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Rail Business UKGreat British Railways branding, train livery and logo unveiled
UK: The Department for Transport has unveiled the branding, train livery and logo of the future Great British Railways, which is to be established as a ‘guiding mind’ for the national network.
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Rail Business UKAlex Hynes named next CEO of DfT Operator Ltd
UK: Alex Hynes has been named as the next Chief Executive of Department for Transport Operator Ltd, the state-owned holding company for passenger train operators which have passed into the public sector.
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Rail Business UKIndependent train ticket retailers welcome commitment to a competitive market
UK: Independent train ticket retailers have welcomed confirmation in the government’s rail reform bill that there will remain a role for the private sector under the future Great British Railways, which will set fares, collect revenue and have its own retailing platforms.
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Rail Business UKRail freight sector raises concerns about Great British Railways plans
UK: The rail freight sector has expressed concern that the future Great British Railways might focus on its own nationalised passenger services at the expense of freight operations, which will remain in the private sector.
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Rail Business UKRailways Bill to create Great British Railways and ‘open the door to reform’ laid before parliament
UK: Rail Business UK looks at what the government’s Railways Bill will do, how Great British Railways will be established and what the legislation means for the wider rail sector including freight operators, the supply chain and passengers.
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Rail Business UKRail sector stakeholders respond to the government’s Railways Bill
UK: Rail Business UK provides a round-up of rail industry stakeholders’ comments on the government’s Railway Bill.
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Rail Business UKTravel companies call for clear separation of Great British Railways’ ticket sales activities
UK: The Online Travel UK trade association has called for clear separation of operational and retail functions at the future Great British Railways, including legislative safeguards to ensure that third-party retailers have equal access to all ticketing products and services.
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Rail Business UKIntegrated rail leadership shows early promise
UK: Integrated leadership teams are being set up across publicly owned passenger train operators and Network Rail routes to increase collaboration and accountability.
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Rail Business UKNationalised Greater Anglia to be a benchmark for other train operators
UK: The operation of Greater Anglia passenger services transferred from Transport UK to the public sector on October 12.
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Rail Business UKLocal Railways devolution model paves the way for Great British Railways
UK: A Somerset & Gloucestershire Local Railway team has been formed as the latest step in an initiative to provide single management teams for regional infrastructure and local train operations in defined areas of southwest England and Wales.
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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 UKNetwork Rail announces Jeremy Westlake as next Chief Executive
UK: Network Rail has announced the appointment of Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Westlake as its next Chief Executive, who will oversee the amalgamation with Great British Railways.
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Rail Business UKCommuter train operator Trenitalia c2c transfers to the public sector
UK: The operation of c2c passenger services transferred from Trenitalia to the state-owned Department for Transport Operator Ltd in the early hours of July 20, marking the latest step in the government’s nationalisation programme.
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NewsDon’t tinker with rail freight’s rights, says operator
UK: Private freight operator GB Railfreight has urged the government not to tinker with performance, capacity and charging regimes during the process of setting up Great British Railways.
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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 UK‘The rail industry needs to sell travel and not just tickets’
UK: Rail reform offers an opportunity to boost industry revenues by leveraging private sector marketing expertise and innovation to fill empty train seats, Anthony Smith, CEO of the Independent Rail Retailers association, tells Rail Business UK.
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Rail Business UKRail ticket retailers call for a level playing field
UK: Robust regulatory safeguards are needed to ensure that the ticket retailing market remains open, fair and attractive to investors, the Independent Rail Retailers trade association says in its response to the government’s consultation on rail reform. IRR says competition has ‘transformed’ retailing, helping to ...
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Rail Business UKCIRO says the reformed railway must be insulated from short-term politics
UK: The Chartered Institution of Railway Operators has called for a clearer and more coherent approach to rail reform, with strong leadership, operational autonomy and long-term whole-system thinking insulated from short-term politics. CIRO’s formal response to the government’s A Railway Fit for Britain’s Future consultation draws ...
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In depthComment: The devil is in the detail of reform
In May the first passenger services are set to transfer from the private to the public sector as part of the UK government’s rail reform plans. But as our Head of News Andrew Grantham explains, operators that are not to be nationalised are worried that without a stronger regulatory structure than is proposed, the private players will not have the confidence needed to invest and grow.