UK passenger train operator news – Page 19
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Rail Business UKTransport for Wales Flirts on test in Switzerland
UK: Testing has begun in Switzerland of the first of the Flirt multiple-units which Stadler is building for Transport for Wales, ahead of delivery for further testing on the Wales & Borders network and entry into passenger service from the end of 2022. Stadler is supplying ...
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Rail Business UKWorldline and Evoke self-service ticket kiosk tested
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway is to trial a ticket machine which has been developed by Worldline and Evoke Creative, drawing on experience supplying self-service machines to customers including McDonald’s, Vue Cinema and JD Sports. ‘The key to a great customer experience on a kiosk is making ...
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Rail Business UKWelsh Affairs Committee calls for a Wales Rail Board, Swansea Bay Metro and electrification
UK: Cardiff – Swansea electrification, a Swansea Bay Metro and the creation of a Wales Rail Board tasked with prioritising proposals for investment have been recommended by the House of Commons’ Welsh Affairs Committee. Published on July 14, the Railway Infrastructure in Wales report recommends the ...
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Rail Business UKHull Trains Managing Director Louise Cheeseman leaves for TfL
UK: Louise Cheeseman stepped down as Managing Director of FirstGroup’s open access operator Hull Trains on July 12, ahead of joining Transport for London as Director of Buses on August 2. Andy Mellors, Managing Director of Non-Franchised Businesses for the parent company’s First Rail business unit, ...
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Rail Business UKTrans-Pennine electrification hopes rise
UK: Industry sources report that there is now ‘every chance’ of the entire trans-Pennine route between Manchester and Leeds being electrified, rather than only the western portion as far as Stalybridge and then east from Huddersfield to Leeds. Passenger and freight operators are understood to be ...
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Rail Business UKGreater Anglia trainee programme develops skills
UK: Greater Anglia is providing work experience placements on its Customer Service Traineeship course for 10 young people currently out of mainstream education or employment. The eight-week programme organised in partnership with Central Training Group combines classroom learning and work shadowing to support young people who ...
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Rail Business UKPassenger information lessons learned from the cracking crisis
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has released a review into the impact on passengers from the emergency withdrawal of all Class 80x Hitachi trains and the way the crisis was subsequently handled by operators Great Western Railway, LNER, TransPennine Express and Hull Trains. The investigation ...
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Rail Business UKSustainability focus at the 24th Rail Business Awards
UK: The 24th Rail Business Awards is looking to recognise and celebrate excellence in sustainability and environmental initiatives across the UK rail sector.
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Rail Business UKLong-term plans to address Hitachi train cracks under development
UK: Instrumented trainsets are providing data to help plan the work needed to repair cracking on Hitachi-built trainsets, as operators consider longer term strategies to address the issue over the life of the fleets.
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Rail Business UKGrand Central launches at seat information and catering service
UK: Grand Central is introducing an integrated digital portal for onboard entertainment, real-time journey information and at-seat catering. Journey Central has been developed with transport technology company Whoosh and contactless ordering specialist Ordamo. It is accessed through a passenger’s smart phone, tablet or laptop without the ...
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Rail Business UKTransPennine Express mulls fleet strategy as final CAF trainset accepted
UK: TransPennine Express held a ceremony at the Manchester International Depot in Longsight on June 16 to celebrate acceptance of the final train under its fleet renewal programme. The last train to arrive is one of the 13 CAF MkVa push-pull inter-city trainsets, branded Nova 3 by the operator.
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Rail Business UKStadler unveils independently-powered electric multiple-unit
UK: Stadler has unveiled a Class 777 electric multiple-unit which has been fitted with a prototype battery energy storage system to enable operation on non-electrified tracks. The independently-powered electric multiple-unit is being supplied to Liverpool area transport authority Merseytravel in addition to ...
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Rail Business UKGWR to test battery train on branch line
UK: Great Western Railway has invited expressions of interest in trialling a battery powered train on the 4 km non-electrified branch line from West Ealing to Greenford in west London. The operator notes that the trial ‘will support the objectives of the Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy ...
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Rail Business UKLondon to Glasgow record narrowly missed
UK: Despite some very impressive work by driver Neil Barker, an attempt by Avanti West Coast to set a new record for the London – Glasgow route on June 17 narrowly missed beating the record established by a pre-series Advanced Passenger Train in December 1984.
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Rail Business UKGovia Thameslink Railway contract extended to March 2022
UK: The Department for Transport has extended Govia Thameslink Railway’s Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement from September 20 2021 until March 31 2022 on the existing terms, and laid the ground for a directly-awarded contract which could run up to a further six years. Govia Thameslink Railway ...
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Rail Business UKEast Coast Main Line changes in planned May 2022 timetable
UK: LNER and TransPennine Express have begun public consultation over plans to change timetables and service patterns on the East Coast Main Line from the May 2022 timetable. LNER says its proposed new timetable ‘builds on over a decade of planning and investment’ in Azuma trains ...
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Rail Business UKWelsh rolling stock strategy evolves as three-phase post-pandemic recovery envisaged
UK: TfW Rail has again revised its fleet strategy as it seeks to ensure passenger services can be improved despite the financial constraints caused by Covid-19, Managing Director Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde tells Rail Business UK.
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Rail Business UK‘Lessons learned’ review of Hitachi train crack issue
UK: The Office of Rail & Road is undertaking a review to understand the lessons the industry can learn from the discovery of cracks on Hitachi Rail AT200 (Class 385) and AT300 (classes 800, 801 and 802) trainsets during May. ORR said it would work with ...
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Rail Business UKNorthern’s CAF multiple-units return to service
UK: All but two of Northern’s CAF Class 195 diesel and Class 331 electric multiple-units are now back in service, after analysis of the causes of the cracks discovered in April and the development of a modification that is being rolled out across the Class 195 fleet.
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Rail Business UKLondon King’s Cross station remodelling completed
UK: Network Rail has completed its remodelling of the approaches to London King’s Cross station as part of its £1·2bn East Coast Main Line upgrading programme. Wholesale replacement of the track layout installed in the early 1970s has allowed the station platforms to be extended for ...