UK passenger train operator news – Page 20
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Rail Business UKArriva UK Trains appoints partner to develop ACE digital customer platform
UK: Arriva UK Trains has formed a strategic partnership with Nagarro to further develop its Arriva Customer Engine digital ticket retailing and real-time information platform. ACE launched at Arriva’s Chiltern Railways business five years ago and according to the company is now ‘a feature-rich, mature platform’ ...
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Rail Business UKCustom carpets keeps luggage out of train wheelchair spaces
UK: Wool from more than 30 000 sheep is being used by Axminster Carpets to produce over 20 000 m2 of floor coverings for the refurbishment of the Avanti West Coast Pendolino fleet. The two-year contract to supply carpets for the £117m refurbishment of the 56 ...
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Rail Business UKNorthumberland Line expected to reopen in summer 2024
UK: Northumberland Line services between Newcastle and Ashington are expected to begin in summer 2024, Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper has confirmed. The exact launch date will announced closer to the time. ‘Restoring lost railway connections will drive tourism, boost local business opportunities and ...
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Rail Business UKTfW Rail scales back Class 175 DMU operation following ‘thermal events’
UK: Following a series of underbody fires, TfW Rail has stood down a significant proportion of its Class 175 diesel multiple-unit fleet from March 2 until each set has undergone an intensive cleaning process. Chief Operations Officer Jan Chaudhry van der Velde and Engineering Director Ryan ...
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast launches instant accessibility help channel
UK: Avanti West Coast has launched a WhatsApp channel providing instant access to specialist support for passengers with disabilities. Travel Companion is staffed by members of the inter-city operator’s social media team who have ‘passion and empathy for accessibility’, as well as specialist knowledge. AWC said ...
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Rail Business UKScottish Rail Holdings to take over Caledonian Sleeper
UK: The operation of Caledonian Sleeper is to be taken over by Scottish Rail Holdings, an arm’s length company owned by the Scottish government, from June 25. In 2014 Transport Scotland awarded Serco a contract to operate the night train services between London and Scotland for ...
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Rail Business UKHelping people with non-visible disabilities to Travel with Confidence
UK: Information and training to help people with non-visible disabilities such as autism, anxiety or phobias use public transport is being provided by Hampshire Community Rail Partnership with the support of South Western Railway and Hampshire County Council. The first phase of the Travel with Confidence ...
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Rail Business UKETCS knowledge sharing in action
UK: DB Cargo UK recently took a Class 66 diesel locomotive to Govia Thameslink Railway’s Hornsey depot, so the freight operator could learn more about the passenger operator’s approach to rolling out ETCS. The companies have been working together for months to share their knowledge, as ...
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Rail Business UKRail needs to get out of a pickle, says Minister in Gherkin
UK: ‘The perception that passengers cannot rely on rail is too close to the truth’, Rail Minister Huw Merriman told representatives of the passenger industry.
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Rail Business UKGWR buys Vivarail battery train assets to secure Greenford trial
UK: Great Western Railway has agreed contracts to buy Vivarail’s battery train related assets, saying this will secure the future of planned trials of the technology in London. The deal announced on February 16 includes intellectual property, rolling stock and equipment relating to the development of ...
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Rail Business UKReliability headaches hinder Welsh train fleet renewal
UK: Transport for Wales updates Rail Business UK on progress with its rolling stock renewal programme.
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Rail Business UKScotRail to scrap Highland Explorer supplement
UK: ScotRail is to remove the £10 supplement for using its Highland Explorer diesel multiple-units from April 1, and the vehicles adapted to carry bicycles and sporting equipment will also be introduced on the Mallaig route. The Class 153 DMUs owned by leasing company Angel Trains ...
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Rail Business UKWest Coast Main Line electro-diesels on test
UK: The first two of 13 Hitachi Class 805 electro-diesel trainsets ordered for Avanti West Coast services are undergoing testing on the West Coast Main Line ahead of entry into service later this year. This follows two months of dynamic testing at Network Rail’s Rail Innovation ...
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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 ...