All Rail Business UK articles – Page 3

  • GWR Class 150 DMU on St Ives Branch (Photo: Tony Miles)
    Rail Business UK

    Mid Cornwall Metro to be taken to detailed design stage

    2024-03-20T04:00:00Z

    UK: Consultancy AECOM is to take the Mid Cornwall Metro project to improve the rail links between Newquay, St Austell, Truro and Falmouth/Penryn through to the detailed design stage. AECOM has completed the outline design and business plan, and Cornwall Council has provisionally accepted an offer ...

  • Rail Partners freight reception 2024
    Rail Business UK

    Rail freight sector needs more certainty to enable long-term growth

    2024-03-19T11:00:00Z

    UK: Train operator owning group association Rail Partners has published Freight Britain: An Engine for Green Growth, outlining five policies it would like to see to support the long-term growth of rail freight beyond the general election. These are: to address the widening gap between ...

  • Passenger information system
    Rail Business UK

    ‘Rosetta Stone’ of train data to boost performance honesty

    2024-03-19T04:00:00Z

    UK: The ‘closet renationalisation’ of the passenger rail sector provides an opportunity for the industry to be more honest with passengers about real-world performance, according to Jonathan Raper, founder and CEO of TransportAPI.

  • Alex Hynes (Photo Network Rail)
    Rail Business UK

    Alex Hynes appointed DfT Director General Rail Services

    2024-03-18T16:47:00Z

    UK: The Department for Transport has appointed Alex Hynes as Director General Rail Services. He is due to join on a two-year secondment from his current position as Managing Director of Scotland’s Railway on April 15. Interim Director General Anit Chandarana will return to Network Rail ...

  • Transport for Wales pay as you go card reader (Photo TfW)
    Rail Business UK

    Ticketing Hub launched to simplify ‘London-style’ integration

    2024-03-18T04:00:00Z

    UK: Following an initial deployment on Transport for Wales Rail services, Unicard has announced the nationwide launch of its ticketing Hub platform which aims to simplify the implementation of contactless ticketing across modes and operators. The supplier-agnostic platform is designed to provide a ‘London-style experience’ across ...

  • GB Railfreight JNA X box wagon (Photo Porterbrook)_
    Rail Business UK

    GB Railfreight orders wagons to increase capacity

    2024-03-15T11:00:00Z

    UK: Leasing company Porterbrook is to supply GB Railfreight with 50 JNA-X box wagons for transporting bulk construction materials including ballast and stone. To be built by Greenbrier, the wagons are expected to arrive in the third quarter of 2024. They are intended to replace older ...

  • Cllr Martin Gannon
    Rail Business UK

    Leamside South rail reopening business case to be developed

    2024-03-15T04:00:00Z

    UK: The government has awarded Transport North East £350 000 to support the development of a strategic outline case for reopening the Washington to Ferryhill southern section of the Leamside Line for passenger and freight trains. The studies will be undertaken alongside the ongoing development of ...

  • WSMR Route Map
    Rail Business UK

    Alstom and SLC plan to enter the open access passenger market

    2024-03-14T09:15:00Z

    UK: Alstom and SLC Rail have spoken exclusively to Rail Business UK about their plans to launch an open access train service between London Euston and Wrexham which would make use of the latest technology, seek to exploit new business opportunities and benefit from changes in the passenger market.

  • EWR final track (Photo Netwpork Rail)
    Rail Business UK

    UK railway news round-up

    2024-03-14T04:00:00Z

    This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.

  • tickets
    Rail Business UK

    Regulator secures fee transparency from third-party rail ticket retailers

    2024-03-13T11:00:00Z

    UK: The Office of Rail & Road says third-party ticket retailers have responded positively to its December 2023 report which said some were not sufficiently transparent about the additional fees they charge. ORR said it has had constructive engagement from MyTrainTicket, Omio, Raileasy, Rail Europe, Trainhugger, ...

  • Glasgow Central station entrance
    Rail Business UK

    ScotRail trials Smart Kiosk ticket machine

    2024-03-13T04:00:00Z

    TICKETING: ScotRail is trialling a Smart Kiosk ticket vending machine supplied by Cammax which is designed to provide passengers in Scotland with a wider range of ticket options and information. As well as purchasing tickets on the day of travel, passengers can obtain live travel information, including ...

  • Lumo at London King's Cross (Photo Lumo)
    Rail Business UK

    FirstGroup’s open access performing ahead of expectations

    2024-03-12T11:00:00Z

    UK: Trading in FirstGroup’s First Rail division has been slightly ahead of expectations due to strong performance at the open access businesses, the company said in a pre-close trading update. The announcement on March 12 covers the period since the half year results were published on ...

  • London Waterloo station - artist's impression of a potential future station undercroft (Image Network Rail)
    Rail Business UK

    New concourse in London Waterloo station vision

    2024-03-11T14:19:00Z

    UK: Network Rail and Lambeth Council have unveiled ‘an ambitious long-term plan’ for the redevelopment of London Waterloo station and its surroundings. This sets out aspirations to make the station easier to navigate, reduce platform congestion and interchange times, and enable easier movement. The proposals include: ...

  • Palace of Westminster (Photo Steve Bidmead, Pixabay)
    Rail Business UK

    Rail reform makes limited progress with unclear plans

    2024-03-11T11:00:00Z

    UK: The government’s rail reforms are facing delays and there are long-standing issues that need to be addressed including financial sustainability, according to a National Audit Office report published on March 8. After the white paper on rail reform was published in May 2021, the Department ...

  • Scheidt & Bachmann rethinks the ticket machine
    Rail Business UK

    Scheidt & Bachmann rethinks the ticket machine

    2024-03-11T04:00:00Z

    TICKETING: Scheidt & Bachmann is testing a prototype ticket vending machine it has developed for the UK market as the result of its first ‘total rethink’ in more than 20 years. At the Transport Ticketing Global exhibition, Scheidt & Bachmann told Rail Business UK that the ...

  • Social Mobility Action Plan launch event (Photo Southeastern)
    Rail Business UK

    Southeastern launches Social Mobility Action Plan

    2024-03-08T11:00:00Z

    UK: Southeastern says it is the first UK rail operator to publish a Social Mobility Action Plan. Southeastern worked with The Purpose Coalition on the plan, which is based a framework of ‘Purpose Goals’ mapping out 14 barriers to opportunity. These include various life stages alongside ...

  • gb-gbrf-iport-doncaster-first-train
    Rail Business UK

    RailX freight booking app targets growth

    2024-03-08T04:00:00Z

    UK: RailX has secured a £150 000 loan from NPIF Mercia Debt Finance to enable it to further develop its rail freight booking app and target new customers. RailX was launched after Steve Freeman, the former Managing Director of Doncaster’s rail terminal iPort Rail, and rail ...

  • Stirling station (Photo ScotRail)
    Rail Business UK

    London – Stirling open access train service approved

    2024-03-07T12:06:00Z

    UK: The Office of Rail & Road has given the go-ahead for Grand Union Trains to launch an open access passenger service between London and Stirling. Access rights have been approved from June 2025 to June 2030. ORR said the services would use existing off-lease diesel ...

  • Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre_Jack Boskett
    Rail Business UK

    Porterbrook purchases Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre

    2024-03-07T11:00:00Z

    UK: Porterbrook has purchased the freehold of the Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre from St Modwen. ‘This deal provides absolute clarity for our business, our shareholders and the wider rail industry over the long-term future of Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre’ said Poterbrook CEO Mary Grant ...

  • Thornton Abbey station (Photo EMR)
    Rail Business UK

    UK railway news round-up

    2024-03-07T04:00:00Z

    This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.