UK passenger train operator news – Page 10
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast submits revised recovery plan
UK: Inter-City West Coast operator Avanti West Coast has submitted a revised timetable production recovery plan to the Office of Rail & Road. The regulator had sought changes after the operator’s initial improvements had stalled with weekend timetables being finalised just a few days in advance. ...
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Rail Business UKSouth Western Railway operating contract extended
UK: The Department for Transport has exercised an option to extend South Western Railway’s National Rail Contract for a further two years. Directly-awarded NRCs are intended as an interim step between the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements which were put in place during the pandemic, and the ...
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Rail Business UKMorgan Sindall awarded Surrey Quays station works contract
UK: Transport for London has appointed Morgan Sindall Infrastructure as main works contractor for the construction of a second entrance at London Overground’s Surrey Quays station. This will provide more direct access to nearby developments and the existing shopping centre, with a ‘spacious’ ticket hall and ...
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Rail Business UKInverness Airport station opens
UK: Inverness Airport station opened to passengers on February 3, after being inaugurated by Scottish Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth the previous day. The station 12 km northeast of the city on the line to Aberdeen is intended to improve transport links to the airport, business park ...
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Rail Business UKBeaulieu Park station initial works contract awarded
UK: J Murphy & Sons Ltd has been awarded the first of two contracts for construction of the future Beaulieu Park station on the Great Eastern Main Line near Chelmsford. The £37·8m enabling works contract announced on January 24 has been awarded by Network Rail on ...
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Rail Business UKMerseyrail’s custom-designed Class 777 EMUs enter service
UK: Rail Business UK travels on the first passenger service operated by Merseyrail’s custom-built Stadler Class 777 electric multiple-units to see a revised method of operation and hear about Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s plans for ‘putting the public back into public transport’.
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast required to produce improved timetable recovery plan
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has told Avanti West Coast to submit an improved timetable production recovery plan by February 2. The regulator said Avanti had initially made reasonable progress against its September 2022 recovery plan, but the position had deteriorated in 2023 with ...
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Rail Business UKNorthern unveils Intelligent Train for in-service infrastructure monitoring
UK: Rail Business UK joins a demonstration run of a diesel multiple-unit which has been equipped to undertake infrastructure monitoring while in passenger service.
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Rail Business UKIntroduction of Merseyrail Class 777 EMUs ‘just days away’
UK: ‘The time has finally arrived — our new trains are now just days away’, said Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram when he announced that Merseyrail’s Stadler Class 777 EMUs are expected to enter service on January 23. Rotheram’s announcement on January 18 came after ...
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Rail Business UKNorthern works with supplier to highlight train-friendly scooters
UK: Northern is working with wheelchair and scooter supplier TGA Mobility to highlight those mobility scooters which can be taken on its trains. All powerchairs and wheelchairs can be taken on accessible rail services, but only smaller mobility scooters are allowed on trains. Passengers can apply ...
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Rail Business UKLumo appoints Service Delivery Director
UK: Jen Clare has been appointed as Service Delivery Director at FirstGroup’s London to Edinburgh open access operator Lumo. Clare has almost 20 years of railway operations experience, having started her career as a signalling apprentice. Before joining Lumo, she was Head ...
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Rail Business UKAsking passengers what they want from train interiors
UK: A report into what passengers want from train interiors has been produced to help inform the proposed refurbishment of Turbostar diesel multiple-units. Built by Bombardier Transportation from the late 1990s, the units are widely deployed by various train operators on regional services across the British ...
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Rail Business UKTrain driver sentenced for Bromsgrove collision
UK: A train driver who was distracted by a using mobile phone leading to a collision between a DB Cargo locomotive and a passenger train has been sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months. He must also undertake 120 h of unpaid work and ...
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Rail Business UKManchester International depot modernised to house EMUs
UK: Spencer Group has completed a £1·8m refurbishment of Manchester International depot to enable it to be used to service and stable Northern’s Class 323 electric multiple-units. The depot was built in the early 1990s as part of the abortive plan to operate Eurostar services from ...
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Rail Business UKEversholt awards Class 334 overhaul contract
UK: Eversholt Rail has awarded Alstom a £12m contract for the mileage-based overhaul 40 three-car Class 334 electric multiple-units which are leased by ScotRail. The contract announced on January 5 covers the overhaul of pneumatic and electrical components on the Alstom-built 25 kV 50 Hz EMUs, ...
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Rail Business UKCrossCountry direct award planned
UK: The Department for Transport has published a prior information notice which gives it the ability to directly award a contract for the operation of CrossCountry passenger services. The services have been operated by Arriva subsidiary XC Trains Ltd since 2007. The franchise was originally due ...
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Rail Business UKGibb to leave Scottish Rail Holdings citing political interference
UK: Transport Scotland has confirmed that the current CEO of Scottish Rail Holdings, Chris Gibb, will leave his post when his fixed term contract comes to an end on March 31.
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Rail Business UKGWR fleet to shrink further as it abandons Class 769 introduction
UK: Great Western Railway is to hand back all 19 of the Class 769/9 multi-system ‘Flex’ multiple-units to leasing company Porterbrook in April 2023.
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Rail Business UKRail leaders frustrated as DfT tightens grip and cuts loom
UK: Rail Business UK has taken soundings from across the train operating companies, Network Rail and from sources close to the Department for Transport, finding a bleak outlook. Industry leaders fear having to implement stark cuts to rail provision, even if the industrial relations issues plaguing the sector can be resolved.
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.