UK passenger train operator news – Page 24
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Rail Business UKGrand Central to restart services
UK: Grand Central is to restart services on December 3 as the lockdown restrictions in England change, but the open access operator warned that it would only be offering a reduced and reservation-only timetable and no onboard catering. ‘While it’s great to be back, we can’t emphasise ...
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Rail Business UKORR demands action on lack of wheelchair access at Liphook station
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has issued a formal Improvement Notice instructing South Western Railway to comply with its legal duty to ensure that people using wheelchairs can board and alight from trains at Liphook station. This action was taken after the regulator identified that ...
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Rail Business UKAlstom awarded Class 334 EMU overhaul contract
UK: Leasing company Eversholt Rail has awarded supplier Alstom Transport UK a £12∙4m contract to undertake the mileage-based overhaul of its fleet of 40 three-car Class 334 Juniper electric multiple-units which are operated by ScotRail. The programme will commence in October 2021 with the work on the ...
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Rail Business UKFirst Class 484 arrives on the Isle of Wight
UK: The first of five Class 484 electric multiple-units for the Isle of Wight was delivered to the island on a Wightlink ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne on November 19. The Class 484 EMUs are being produced by Vivarail using D78 vehicles formerly used on London ...
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Rail Business UKLeasing company takes on DMU heavy maintenance
UK: Responsibility for heavy maintenance, future maintenance optimisation and the enhancement of West Midlands Trains’ Bombardier Transportation Class 172 diesel multiple-units has been transferred from the operator to Porterbrook. The leasing company said this ‘new, more collaborative’ way of working would build on the quality and performance ...
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Rail Business UKLondon Overground completes introduction of Class 710 EMUs
UK: The last two of 54 Class 710 Aventra electric multiple-units have entered service with London Overground, the operator has announced. Bombardier Transportation’s Derby plant supplied 45 of the 120 km/h Class 710 EMUs under a contract awarded in mid-2015 and further a nine ordered in December ...
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Rail Business UKTurbostar reshuffle conundrum
UK: East Midlands Railway has begun using the first of the Class 170 Turbostar diesel multiple-units which are due to be transferred from other operators, marking the start of its programme to modernise its regional fleet. Intended to replace Class 15x units, the Turbostars will initially ...
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Rail Business UKHull Trains and Grand Central to suspend services again
UK: Open access operators Hull Trains and Grand Central are to suspend services again as England enters a second period of coronavirus lockdown running for four weeks from November 5. The open access companies operate on a purely commercial basis, and were not entitled to the government ...
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Rail Business UKAberdeen – Dundee line to reopen on November 3
UK: The line between Aberdeen and Dundee will reopen on November 3, after the completion of work to repair the railway following the derailment at Carmont near Stonehaven on August 12. Three people died in the derailment, and there was extensive damage to the track, bridge, ...
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Rail Business UKAurora brand for East Midlands Railway Class 810 inter-city fleet
UK: East Midlands Railway has selected Aurora as the brand name for the fleet of Class 810 electro-diesel inter-city trainsets which Hitachi Rail is to supply for use on the Midland Main Line between London, Nottingham and Sheffield from 2023. The name was announced on October 27 ...
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Rail Business UKWales & Borders rail operations to transfer to public control with new role for KeolisAmey
UK: Plans to bring Wales & Borders passenger services under public management have been announced by the Welsh Government, along with a new partnership which would see Transport for Wales continue to work with Keolis and Amey.
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Rail Business UKScotRail’s active travel coach offers space for skis, tandems and e-bikes
UK: ScotRail has unveiled the interior of the first of the five ‘active travel’ coaches which are being produced by modifying Class 153 single-car diesel multiple-units to carry up to 20 bicycles, bulky luggage and sporting equipment such as skis. The vehicles also ...
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Rail Business UKNext Caledonian Sleeper Managing Director appointed
UK: Serco has named Kathryn Darbandi as the next Managing Director of Scotland to London overnight train operator Caledonian Sleeper. Darbandi is currently Executive Consultant, Transformation & Strategy, at Travel Leaders Group. Her previous roles have included Director of Retail & Customer Experience at Thomas Cook, and ...
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Rail Business UKTendering underway for new Black Country stations
UK: Invitations to tender for the construction of stations at Darlaston and Willenhall on the freight-only Walsall to Wolverhampton line have been issued, after planning permission was granted by Walsall Council. Opening is planned for 2023, with the two stations to be served by an hourly service ...
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Rail Business UKNew CrossCountry contract includes capacity, accessibility and environmental improvements
UK: The Department for Transport has directly awarded incumbent Arriva a new contract to operate CrossCountry services for a further three years. CrossCountry Managing Director Tom Joyner tells Rail Business UK about the operator’s plans, saying ’the good thing is the longevity, which CrossCountry really needs as it gives us a real chance to do some serious planning for the future.’
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Rail Business UKKintore station opens
UK: A new station at Kintore, northwest of Aberdeen on the line to Inverness, was opened for revenue service on October 15, reinstating a rail service to the town 56 years after closure of the original station on different site. Facilitated by re-doubling of the Aberdeen – ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail begins Class 380 EMU refurbishment
UK: ScotRail has begun a programme to refurbish its fleet of 22 three-car and 16 four-car Siemens Class 380 electric multiple-units as they approach 10 years old. Funded by leasing company Eversholt Rail, the work is being undertaken at the operator’s Shields Road depot in Glasgow. It ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail Emergency Measures Agreement extended
UK: The Scottish government has extended its funding for the ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper franchises, following on from the six-month Emergency Measures Agreement introduced in April 2020, which was due to expire on September 20. Announcing on September 18 an extension to January 10 2021, the Scottish ...
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Rail Business UKUK government announces the end of rail franchising
UK:·The government has announced the end of rail franchising, with Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps saying ‘the model of privatisation adopted 25 years ago has seen significant rises in passenger numbers, but this pandemic has proven that it is no longer working’.
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Rail Business UKRose Hill Marple service cut back as Northern faces training backlog
Northern Managing Director Nick Donovan explains to Rail Business UK why the service from Manchester to Rose Hill Marple has been reduced to just three trains per day.