UK passenger train operator news – Page 15
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Rail Business UKBedford - Bletchley train services to resume
UK: A limited train service on the Marston Vale Line between Bedford and Bletchley is to resume on November 20, London Northwestern Railway has announced. The route has been served by rail-replacement buses since December 2022, when Vivarail which maintained the Class 230 DMUs used on ...
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Rail Business UKLive broadcast: Britain’s railways in a state of flux
UK: Britain’s rail sector is in a state of flux. In Railway Gazette Group’s forthcoming interactive live broadcast on November 22, a panel of industry leaders will assess the outlook in the wake of the scrapping of the remaining legs of High Speed 2, ongoing pressure ...
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Rail Business UKLiverpool Mayor seeks compensation for poor Class 777 performance
UK: Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram is seeking compensation from train manufacturer Stadler following poor performance of Merseyrail’s fleet of Class 777 electric multiple-units.
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Rail Business UKClass 730 EMUs enter service with London Northwestern Railway
UK: West Midlands Trains has put its first Alstom Class 730 Aventra electric multiple-units into service on London Northwestern Railway-branded services on the West Coast Main Line. The first passenger service was the 06.04 from Bletchley to London Euston on November 13. Class 730s will initially ...
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Rail Business UKLNER orders CAF tri-mode inter-city trains
UK: London North Eastern Railway has awarded CAF a contract to supply a fleet of 10 tri-mode 200 km/h inter-city trainsets for use on East Coast Main Line passenger services. The trainsets will be financed and owned by leasing company Porterbrook. CAF said the order announced ...
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Rail Business UKNext London Overground Managing Director appointed
UK: London Overground concessionaire Arriva Rail London has appointed Finance & Commercial Director Steve Best as Managing Director with effect from January 1 2024. He will succeed Paul Hutchings, who is moving to a role at parent company Arriva UK Trains. In 2013 Best became Finance ...
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Rail Business UKCrossCountry train services agreement extended
UK: Alstom is to continue to service and maintain the CrossCountry Voyager and Super Voyager trainsets until 2031 under a €950m eight-year extension to its existing train services agreement. The extension announced on November 2 covers 34 Class 220 Voyager and 24 Class 221 Super Voyager ...
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Rail Business UKAccessibility focus for station virtual tour
UK: The Virtual Tour Experts has worked with Greater Anglia and Network Rail to create an online representation of London Liverpool Street station, which Managing Director Neil Henderson says is the first to incorporate an accessibility widget, guided tours and subtitled scene guides. ‘The user-first attitude ...
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Rail Business UKAI technology aims to help prevent railway suicides
UK: Innovate UK has awarded funding to the Suicide Avoidance via Intelligent Video Examination project, which is being undertaken by Purple Transform, Govia Thameslink Railway and Lancaster University. The project uses three AI technologies. The first uses smart cameras at stations and along the track that ...
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Rail Business UKCost and revenue focus as TPE sets out improvement plan
UK: State-run operator TransPennine Express has set out plans to address many of the problems that have caused significant disruption for passengers across northern England over recent years.
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Rail Business UKCambridge South station main construction contract awarded
UK: Network Rail has awarded J Murphy & Sons Ltd the £93·4m main works contract for the construction of Cambridge South station to serve Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Biomedical Campus. The contract announced on October 23 covers construction of a two-storey four platform station on the ...
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Rail Business UKInterview: Rethinking ‘unusual and special’ CrossCountry
UK: CrossCountry’s National Rail Contract came into force on October 15, giving the business some medium-term certainty and Managing Director Tom Joyner a chance to reflect with Rail Business UK on its evolving role as a truly national train operator.
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NewsDeutsche Bahn to sell Arriva Group to I Squared
EUROPE: German national railway Deutsche Bahn has signed an agreement to sell the whole of Arriva Group to infrastructure investment manager I Squared Capital. The transaction announced on October 19 is expected to complete in 2024, subject to customary closing conditions including the approval of the ...
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Rail Business UKFive stations proposed in southeast Wales
UK: Transport for Wales has begun public consultation on plans for five new stations between Cardiff Central and Severn Tunnel Junction. These would be at Cardiff East, Newport West, Somerton, Llanwern and Magor & Undy. Comments are also invited on train services between Cardiff, Bristol and ...
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Rail Business UKHow to refurbish a Pendolino in 10 days
UK: The £120m refurbishment of Avanti West Coast’s 56 Class 390 Pendolino trainsets is on course for completion by next June year, in what Alstom says is the largest programme of its kind in the UK. Nick Kingsley reports from Widnes.
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Rail Business UKBattery trains could take Merseyrail to places it couldn’t previously reach
UK: Speaking to Rail Business UK at the opening of Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby, Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram expressed enthusiasm for extending Merseyrail services to more destinations by using battery power to avoid the need for electrification. Merseyrail trains reach Headbolt Lane using ...
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Rail Business UKHeadbolt Lane station opens with battery train service
UK: Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby opened on October 5, with services operated by Merseyrail and Northern terminating from opposite directions. Services run by the two operators previously terminated end-on at Kirkby, where the 750 V DC third rail electrification on the Merseyrail network ends. Merseyrail’s ...
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Rail Business UKPortrush branch platforms lengthened
UK: Work to extend the platforms and install improved lighting and CCTV at Dhu Varren and University stations on NI Railways’ Portrush branch has been completed ready for the start of the new term at Ulster University. The enhancements have been funded by the Department for ...
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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 UKLNER has improved access for disabled passengers, says equalities watchdog
UK: The Equality & Human Rights Commission says LNER has taken steps to improve access for disabled passengers, following a legal challenge from a visually impaired customer who received inadequate support and assistance while travelling. EHRC and LNER entered into an Equality Act 2010 Section 23 ...