All articles by Rail Business UK – Page 155
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Rail Business UKLewisham disruption report recommends incident management improvements
UK: An ‘action plan’ to revise procedures when trains are stranded between stations for extended periods was announced by Southeastern and Network Rail on August 23, following the publication of an independent report into an incident on March 2 when nine trains became stranded during bad weather and passengers evacuated ...
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Rail Business UKPublic sector can bid for Scottish franchises
UK: A public sector body would be able to bid for future Scottish passenger franchises should it wish to do so, Scottish government Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure & Connectivity Michael Matheson confirmed on August 23. Publicly-owned ferry and port operator David MacBrayne Ltd has confirmed its interest in exploring ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
On August 20 GWR put into service the first of the 22 five-car and 14 nine-car Hitachi AT300 Class 802 electro-diesel trainsets ordered through Eversholt Rail in July 2015 and August 2016 for use on services from London to Devon and Cornwall. 'These new trains will, with an improved timetable, ...
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Rail Business UKMarston Vale D-Train contract signed
UK: The contract for the supply of three two-car Class 230 D-Train diesel-multiple-units for the Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley has been formally signed, manufacturer Vivarail announced on August 22. Testing is expected to begin in the next few weeks, and entry into service is planned for December. ...
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Rail Business UKAccessibility advisers help improve Flirt UK trains
UK: Greater Anglia recently took a wheelchair-using passenger, a blind person and a visually impaired person plus his guide dog to Stadler’s factory at Bussnang in Switzerland to test prototype ramps for the future Flirt UK multiple-unit fleet. During a previous visit, the group had suggested a number of ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
On August 3 the Secretary of State for Transport approved a Transport & Works Act Order granting legal powers for the construction of a dive-under at Werrington Junction north of Peterborough. This would link the line to Stamford with the GN/GE Joint Line route, removing the need for slow-moving freight ...
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Rail Business UKWales & Borders electric train order confirmed
UK: Stadler Rail has been confirmed as preferred bidder to supply a total of 71 trainsets for use on the next Wales & Borders franchise from 2022. The Swiss company is to supply 36 three-car Citylink tram-train vehicles for use on South Wales Metro services from Cardiff to Treherbert, ...
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Rail Business UKWorld rail freight news round-up
Nurminen Logistics plans to launch a regular container train service from the port of Helsinki to China via Russia and Kazakhstan in the final quarter of this year. The company reports that demand for Finnish railway transport services grew considerably in H1 2018, boosted by container transport from Finland to ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
The Department for Transport has awarded 23 projects a total of £700 000 in Transport Technology Research Innovation Grants under the December 2017 call for proposals. In the rail sector this includes £30 000 for a Heriot-Watt University project to develop a prototype flat panel antenna to provide reliable broadband ...
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Rail Business UKRailway Customs Areas proposed to handle Brexit border requirements
UK: The relative reliability and security of rail freight and the availability of spare capacity through the Channel Tunnel could provide shippers with an attractive alternative to road haulage if the introduction of customs requirements causes increasing delays at the UK’s ports of entry following Brexit, according to a report ...
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Rail Business UKRail data action plan aims to help tech companies
UK: A Joint Rail Data Action Plan was published by the Department for Transport and the Rail Delivery Group on August 8, setting out proposals for train operators to provide more real-time information which would help technology companies develop intelligent travel apps. ‘This will speed the development of travel apps ...
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Rail Business UKArtificial intelligence to analyse rolling stock data
UK: Leasing company Porterbrook has announced a partnership with data science and cloud architecture consultancy Elastacloud, saying the two companies had identified ‘at least 30’ key performance indicators across the rolling stock sector that might be improved through AI. ‘Our industry produces large volumes of data that we all too ...
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Rail Business UKKnorr-Bremse to sell UK rail services businesses
UK: Knorr-Bremse has signed an agreement to sell its Knorr-Bremse RailServices (UK) Ltd rolling stock maintenance and overhaul businesses and consultancy and project management company Kiepe Electric Ltd (UK) to Mutares. The transaction is expected to close by autumn 2018. The sale announced on August 6 will be the first ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
Electric services began running to Bromsgrove on July 29, when West Midlands Railway’s Cross City services were extended to the station. This follows a £100m project to upgrade track and signalling and install 25 kV 50 Hz electrification between Barnt Green and Bromsgrove. In a ruling issued on August 1, ...
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Rail Business UKSouthampton – London open access proposal rejected
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has rejected Alliance Rail Holdings’ application for track access rights which would enable it to launch an open access passenger service between London Waterloo and Southampton Central. Arriva subsidiary Alliance had applied to operate nine trains each way per day under the Grand ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail announces mobile ticketing pilot
UK: ScotRail is to launch a mobile ticketing pilot scheme which will enable passengers to buy, store and use tickets directly from a smartphone app, removing the need for paper tickets or smart cards. Developed by the Nevis Technologies joint venture of transport authority Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and payment ...
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Rail Business UKORR requires four actions following Network Rail timetabling failures
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has required that Network Rail immediately take four actions to improve its timetable planning, after an investigation by the regulator found systemic failings. There are two annual timetable changes, in May and December. The May 2018 change included the biggest service revisions in ...
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Rail Business UKEast West Rail Phase 2 legal powers sought
UK: Network Rail has submitted an application for the legal powers which would enable it to go ahead with the second phase of the East West Rail project to reinstate a rail corridor between Oxford, Bicester, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. Phase 1 between Oxford and Bicester was completed in ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
ScotRail’s 70 Hitachi Class 385 EMUs began entering passenger service on July 24, initially being deployed on the route from Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley via Falkirk High. Sir Mark Worthington has been appointed as independent HS2 Construction Commissioner, responsible for mediating in unresolved disputes, monitoring complaints and providing ...
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Rail Business UKFliteTrak expands onboard monitoring capabilities
MONITORING: FliteTrak has launched the next generation of its ViatorRail intelligent remote monitoring system, which is being used by a UK passenger operator to assess engine temperatures and performance and see train movements in real time. The latest upgrade adds the capability to monitor vibration, shock, voltage, current and pressure. ...