All Northern articles – Page 2
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Rail Business UKRail regulator identifies how assistance for disabled passengers needs to improve
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has identified ways in which the provision of assistance for disabled passengers needs to be improved, following audits of how five operators are meeting regulatory requirements. ORR chose East Midlands Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway, Greater Anglia, LNER and Northern ...
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Rail Business UKNorthern uses AI to trial British Sign Language announcements
UK: Train operator Northern is working with InfoTec and Signapse to test the use of AI to provide onboard announcements in British Sign Language. The software combines individual words signed by a BSL interpreter to display complete sentences on the information screens. The initial trials involve ...
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Rail Business UKBradford Forster Square station remodelling funded
UK: The Department for Transport has announced £24m of funding for the delivery of works to increase capacity at Bradford Forster Square station. A further £4m has previously been spent on design work for the project, which includes a new platform, relocating a crossover and associated ...
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Rail Business UKAccessible station toilet programme underway
UK: A toilet designed by Seed Architects has opened at Northern’s Broadbottom station as part of an accessibility programme funded by Transport for Greater Manchester.
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Rail Business UKLatest tranche of Transpennine Route Upgrade funding confirmed
UK: The release of a further £3·9bn tranche of funding for the ongoing £11·5bn Transpennine Route Upgrade was confirmed by Rail Minister Huw Merriman on December 4. The Department for Transport indicated that work on TRU would be accelerated through the cash injection and noted that ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.
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Rail Business UKNorthern to trial British Sign Language announcements
UK: Train operator Northern is looking for charities, organisations or specialists who could help it to provide British Sign Language interpretation of its onboard announcements. A trial is planned on services between Manchester Victoria and Leeds by the end of the year. ‘We know that rail ...
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Rail Business UKNorthern names next Managing Director
UK: Northern has announced the appointment of Chief Operating Officer Tricia Williams as its next Managing Director. Williams will succeed Nick Donovan, who is to step down in spring 2024 after four years leading the state-owned operator. ‘I want to thank Nick for the incredible work ...
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Rail Business UKNorthern orders SIM Factor motion platform train driver training simulators
UK: Polish company SIM Factor is to supply Northern with six motion platform cab simulators including 600 km of real footage of the operator’s routes. These will provide a full-immersion environment for training drivers, conductors and other apprentices. There will also be a passenger saloon simulator ...
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Rail Business UKModelling tool to optimise DMU fuel consumption
UK: A modelling tool is being developed to help Northern Trains optimise speeds and braking patterns to minimise the fuel consumed by its fleet of 276 diesel multiple-units. The tool will use the specific topography of Northern’s routes, combined with real consumption data. It is being ...
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Rail Business UKNorthern Trains plans framework contract for 450 multiple-units
UK: Northern Trains has invited expressions of interest in a framework contract covering the supply of up to 450 multiple-units to replace ‘significant quantities of its ageing fleet’. Firm orders would be placed in phases. The initial order would be for ‘multi-mode’ multiple-units, with Northern having ...
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Rail Business UKNorthern sets the pace in cyber resilience
Over the past seven years, Northern has worked with supplier RazorSecure to develop an ambitious programme of cybersecurity risk management, the operator’s Onboard Systems Manager Marc Silverwood tells Tony Miles.
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Rail Business UKNorthern deploys train fleet maintenance management software
UK: Northern Trains has begun the roll-out of Danburykline’s SOROS maintenance management software across its fleet of 345 trainsets. The SOROS cloud-hosted mobile-first web application provides information on when and where each train will need its next service; the maintenance history and upcoming required safety checks ...
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Rail Business UKManchester rail plans rethought as ‘ambition wasn’t able to be delivered’
UK: Network Rail has withdrawn a planning application for rail infrastructure works in Manchester, Rail Minister Huw Merriman confirmed during a visit to the city on May 25.
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Rail Business UKLocally guided £72m rail plan aims to unblock northern rail capacity
UK: Rail Minister Huw Merriman announced a £72m programme of investment for the network in Greater Manchester during a visit to Manchester Victoria station.
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Rail Business UKSix projects awarded rail accessibility innovation funding
UK: Independent pan-disability body the Northern Accessibility User Group has selected six projects to share funding from Northern’s £250 000 Accessibility Innovation Fund. South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority will create an Accessibility Hub at the Meadowhall transport interchange in Sheffield. Working with TransPennine Express, this ...
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Rail Business UKCollaborative approach completes depot upgrade
UK: RTS Infrastructure Services has installed a new fuelling and servicing facility at Northern’s Barrow-in-Furness light maintenance depot, as part of a project which the contractor’s Managing Director Chris Reid said was a ‘masterclass in teamwork and flexibility’. The depot enhancements enable Northern to operate six-car ...
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Rail Business UKCrowns, chocolates, a named train and planning ahead as rail industry prepares for the coronation
UK: Additional services, longer trains and queuing systems are planned to handle the crowds who are expected to travel to events marking the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on May 6 and the concert to be held in Windsor the following day.
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Rail Business UKNorthern uses Growth Flag data intelligence tool to identify opportunities
UK: Train operator Northern is using the Growth Flag data intelligence platform from social enterprise Growth Company to gain a better understanding of the transport needs of businesses in the area it serves. The tool is used by organisations including public sector entities, local authorities and ...
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Rail Business UKSupersonic-cryogenic leaf removal technology tested
UK: The University of Sheffield and train operator Northern have demonstrated a passenger-train mounted rail head treatment system which fires dry ice pellets in a stream of air at supersonic speed to freeze any leaves on the line. The leaves are then blasted away as the ...













