UK passenger train operator news – Page 22
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Rail Business UKNorthern to use Payit for faster refunds
UK: In what the operator says is a first for the rail industry, Northern is to use the NatWest’s Payit payment system to issue refunds almost instantly to customers’ bank accounts. NatWest launched Payit in 2020 to enable instant refunds and customer service payments, as well ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central plans restart date and Hull Trains to monitor demand
UK: Following the government’s February 22 announcement of a proposed timeline for easing coronavirus lockdown restrictions in England, open access operators Grand Central and Hull Trains have confirmed that they are to remain in ‘hibernation’ for the time being. Unlike franchised operators, the open access operators ...
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Rail Business UKROUK buys Heathrow Connect Class 360 EMUs
UK: Rail Operations (UK) has purchased Heathrow Airport Ltd’s fleet of fleet of five Siemens Class 360/2 electric-multiple units, along with spare parts. The Class 360/2 EMUs were previously used to operate Heathrow Connect stopping services between Heathrow Airport and London Paddington station. The service was ...
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast introduces ITSO-compliant smartcard
UK: Following a trial, Avanti West Coast has launched its own smartcard scheme. The cards are intended to offer passengers another way to store tickets as part of an industry-wide move to reduce reliance on traditional paper media.
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Rail Business UKApp to support train crew caring for unwell passengers
UK: Northern is trialling the Unwell Passenger app developed by York-based Incremental Solutions to provide on-train staff with step-by-step instructions to help passengers who become ill or are injured. ‘When a customer is unwell on one of our trains, the onboard member of staff currently has ...
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Rail Business UKLockdown opening for Bow Street station
UK: Trains began calling at the new Bow Street station near Aberystwyth on February 14, without ceremony because of travel restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. The station was funded by the Welsh Government and the Department for Transport’s New Stations Fund, having intially been identified in ...
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Rail Business UKPendolinos rebranded as Avanti West Coast embarks on fleet refurbishment programme
UK: Avanti West Coast reports that Phase 1 of its Pendolino relivery programme has been completed, with 51 of the 56 sets now featuring the Avanti West Coast branding on their leading vehicles. Of the other five, trains 155 and 156 were fully wrapped in the ...
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Rail Business UKSouthern’s first refurbished Electrostar returns to service
UK: Unit 377 430 is the first Electrostar electric multiple-unit to return to service following refurbishment under Govia Thameslink Railway’s fleet modernisation programme. The £55m programme known as Project Aurora covers 214 Bombardier Transportation Class 377 Electrostar trainsets operated on Southern services, and 56 similar Class ...
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Rail Business UKWales & Borders rail franchise taken into public ownership
UK: The Welsh Government took Wales & Borders passenger services into public ownership on February 7, insisting that the move which had been announced in October would provide longer-term financial stability to ‘protect services, safeguard jobs and deliver infrastructure improvements in light of the ongoing challenges of coronavirus.’
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Rail Business UKGWR to make extra stops to serve vaccination centre
UK: Great Western Railway is to stop 17 extra London Paddington – Bedwyn trains a day at Newbury Racecourse from February 8, to help people access a coronavirus vaccination centre there. This will be in addition to the current hourly timetabled service between Newbury and Reading. ‘Rail ...
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Rail Business UKSmart kiosk brings the online ticketing experience to the station
UK: A ticket vending machine which offers a full range of ticketing products though an interface similar to a website or app has been developed by operator East Midlands Railway, software supplier SilverRail and vending machine maker Cammax. Smart Kiosk uses the ...
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Rail Business UKStourbridge shuttle peoplemovers to be modified
UK: Services on the short branch from Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town will be replaced by buses for two weeks from February 8, with West Midlands Railway and Pre Metro Operations taking advantage of current low ridership to make improvements to the route’s two Parry People ...
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Rail Business UKTransport for Greater Manchester takes over Horwich Parkway station as a step to more local control
UK: Transport for Greater Manchester replaced Northern Trains Ltd as the operator of Horwich Parkway with effect from February 1, in a move which the authority sees as a first step towards the local management of more stations. TfGM is now responsible for ticket sales, customer service, ...
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Rail Business UKWelsh Government backs plans for southeast Wales rail enhancements
UK: The Welsh Government has endorsed the recommendations of the South East Wales Transport Commission, which published a report in November proposing a ‘comprehensive and co-ordinated’ programme of rail enhancements, rapid bus routes and active travel measures to reduce congestion on the M4 motorway without building ...
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Rail Business UKTransport for Wales to reintroduce lockdown timetable
UK: Transport for Wales is to reintroduce a reduced timetable from January 25, following the latest imposition of tighter restrictions on travel during the coronavirus pandemic. TfW said the aim was to balance the safety of people who do need to travel, the safety of staff and ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail makes changes to reflect reduced demand
UK: ScotRail is to reduce the length of some trains from January 18, reflecting the significant reduction in demand as a result of coronavirus travel restrictions as well as staffing shortages caused by the pandemic. Further changes may be implemented following a more thorough review of demand, ...
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Rail Business UKDfT consults on options to decongest Manchester’s railways
UK: A public consultation on options for a recast of services around Manchester to improve performance and reliability was announced by the Department for Transport and Transport for the North on January 14.
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Rail Business UKDesign changes make EMR’s Aurora a new Hitachi product
UK: East Midlands Railway has released final details of the interiors of its future Hitachi Class 810 Aurora inter-city trainsets, which although derived from existing Class 80x designs are now being seen as a new product.
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Rail Business UKIt’s right to change timetables in ‘a challenging environment’, says GWR MD Hopwood
UK: The need to adapt timetables to cope with reduced demand as well as increased staff absences as a result of the coronavirus pandemic is creating a ‘very challenging environment’, Great Western Railway Managing Director Mark Hopwood has told Rail Business UK. ‘Normally as an industry ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central suspends services until March 1
UK: Following the government’s announcement of a third national lockdown in England, London to West Yorkshire and Sunderland open access operator Grand Central said it would be suspending all its services from January 9 until March 1. ‘It is hugely disappointing for us to be starting 2021 ...