All articles by Rail Business UK – Page 157
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Rail Business UKInquiry into May timetable disruption launched
UK: On June 13 the Office of Rail & Road formally launched its independent inquiry into the 'recent and widespread' disruption which followed the introduction of the new timetable on May 20. The inquiry was announced by the Secretary of State for Transport on June 4, and is being held ...
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Rail Business UKCAF to supply Wales & Borders regional train fleet
UK: Incoming Wales & Borders franchisee KeolisAmey has selected CAF as preferred bidder for a contract to supply regional diesel multiple-units for the franchise’s rural and suburban services. CAF is in final negotiations to supply and maintain 44 two-car and 26 three-car Civity DMUs to be in service by ...
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Rail Business UKDraft determination calls for more Network Rail spending on reliability and safety
UK: On June 12 the Office of Rail & Road issued its draft determination setting out its initial opinions on Network Rail’s £34bn strategic business plan for Control Period 6, which the infrastructure manager had published in February. The draft determination is a key stage in the Periodic Review 2018 ...
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Rail Business UKDfT indemnifies GWR against Heathrow Express risks
UK: In a written statement to Parliament on June 11, Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling said the Department for Transport had agree to provide indemnities in relation to risks that airport owner Heathrow Airport Ltd, Heathrow Airport Operating Co and Great Western franchisee First Greater Western Ltd were ...
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Rail Business UKElectrostar ETCS contract awarded
UK: Siemens has been awarded a contract for the first-in-class design and installation of ETCS Level 2 equipment on a Bombardier Transportation Class 387 Electrostar electric multiple-unit operated by Great Western Railway. The first-in-class contract announced on June 11 has been let by Porterbrook as the lead rolling stock leasing ...
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Rail Business UKEast Midlands franchise tenders invited
UK: The invitation to tender for the next East Midlands passenger franchise was issued by the Department for Transport on June 7, with bids to be submitted by September 5. The franchise covers the operation of Midland Main Line inter-city services linking London St Pancras with Leicester, Nottingham, Derby and ...
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Rail Business UKVivarail D-Trains for Wales & Borders
UK: Incoming Wales & Borders franchisee KeolisAmey is to take delivery of five three-car Class 230 D-Train diesel-battery multiple-units from Vivarail, which is to produce them using the bogies and aluminium bodyshells of withdrawn London Underground D78 metro trains. Intended for use on the Wrexham – Bidston, Conwy Valley and ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
The House of Commons Transport Select Committee has announced an inquiry into the problems with the May timetable changes. ‘Passengers continue to suffer from terrible disruption to their train services, particularly on Northern and GTR services‘, said Chair Lilian Greenwood on June 5. ‘We will begin by questioning Northern, GTR ...
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Rail Business UKElectrification and train-trams in ambitious Wales franchise
UK: Investment of £1·8bn in three new train fleets, electrification of commuter routes radiating from Cardiff and station modernisation across the 1 623 route-km Wales & Borders network is envisaged under the 15-year Operations & Development Partner contract awarded to KeolisAmey by the Welsh government on June 4. Described by ...
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Rail Business UK
Timetable recast: too much, too quickly
Implementation of a national timetable recast has led to major disruption to some of Britain’s largest passenger operators, with routes in northern England especially acutely affected.
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
Galliford Try is building a subway at Newton-le-Willows station using a tube canopy method instead of pipe jacking, which would not provide the control of settlement necessary to enable trains to continue running during the works. 'It’s relatively unusual in the UK for a rail scheme to feature the tube ...
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Rail Business UKVirgin Trains and Uber announce 'last mile' partnership
UK: Virgin Trains has launched a service offering passengers the option to receive an SMS reminder with a link to book an Uber taxi trip to their departure station and from their arrival station. A two-week trial period began on May 30. It initially covers the outbound leg of journeys ...
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Rail Business UKCustom-designed road-rail drain cleaner
UK: AJH Plant Engineers has designed and built a road-rail drain cleaning machine based on a crop sprayer to meet the requirements of specialist railway contractor Complete Drain Clearance. GK&N Services supplied the jetting equipment which is suitable for tasks including cleaning out catch pits, drains and troughing. The vehicle ...
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Rail Business UKGoing ETCS-ready
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling says he wants ‘all signal renewals and upgrades – from next year – to be digital, or at least digital-ready’, in order to make the best use of the available funding. Speaking an event in York on May 10 to launch the ...
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Rail Business UKStadler sees servicing and bimodes as opportunities
UK: Stadler’s contract to supply 52 four-car electric multiple-units for Merseyrail services around Liverpool is a ‘flagship project in the UK market’, where the company is currently involved in six tenders, UK Programme Director Thomas Zweifel told Railway Gazette International on May 16. CEO of Stadler’s services business Jürg Gygax ...
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Rail Business UKBattery trial planned for new EMU fleet
UK: The sixth of the 52 four-car 750 V DC third rail electric multiple-units which Stadler is to supply for Merseyrail services around Liverpool is to be fitted with a 5 tonne battery to test the business case for energy storage. While all the EMUs will be equipped for regenerative ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
On May 23 the Department for Transport said that ‘tackling poor performance’ at the Northern franchise was its ‘top priority’. A combination of factors, stemming largely from delays to Network Rail electrification work in northwest England, has caused a surge in delays and cancellations as Northern struggled to train drivers ...
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Rail Business UKKeolisAmey selected as Operating & Development Partner in Wales
UK: In a written statement issued on May 23, the Welsh government’s Cabinet Secretary for Economy & Transport Ken Skates announced the award of a contract for KeolisAmey to ‘operate and develop the Wales & Borders rail service and the South Wales Metro’. The contract will begin on June 4 ...
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Rail Business UKA ride on TransPennine Express Nova 3 coaches
UK: Railway Gazette went to the Velim test circuit in the Czech Republic for a ride on a set of the Mark 5A locomotive-hauled coaches being built by Spanish company CAF for TransPennine Express inter-city services across the north of England. The push-pull trainsets financed by Beacon Rail will ...
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Rail Business UKUniversity alliance to promote high speed rail
INTERNATIONAL: The International Union of Railways has moved to strengthen its nascent network of academic institutions which are intended to work together to promote the development of high speed rail. UIC first announced plans for its alliance of universities at the World Congress on High Speed Rail in Tokyo in ...