UK passenger train operator news – Page 26

  • gb Gatwick Express Class 387
    Rail Business UK

    GTR to restore Gatwick Express from April

    2022-03-18T05:00:00Z

    UK: After being suspended at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and briefly revived late last year just before the Omicron wave, Govia Thameslink Railway’s Gatwick Express will resume regular service on April 3 with twice hourly trains running non-stop between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria. ...

  • Northern train at Manchester Oxford Road (Tony Miles)
    Rail Business UK

    Government allocates £84m to enhance reliability as Manchester Rail Blueprint emerges

    2022-03-15T10:20:00Z

    UK: An £84m package of work to improve performance and capacity in Greater Manchester and neighbouring regions was announced by Rail Minister Wendy Morton during a visit to Manchester on March 11. The interventions include platform extensions, infrastructure enhancements and depot capacity improvements in what the ...

  • Norwich station VR tour aerial view
    Rail Business UK

    Great Anglia launches virtual tour of Norwich station

    2022-03-15T04:00:00Z

    UK: Greater Anglia and Virtual Tour Experts have created an online interactive virtual tour of Norwich station to help people with reduced mobility check how accessible their journey would be. The virtual tour consists of a series of 360° photographs linked by clickable markers, with a ...

  • gb-TPE 185s at East Didsbury 190421
    Rail Business UK

    TransPennine Express explores further fleet and capacity expansion options

    2022-03-14T09:52:00Z

    UK: First TransPennine Express is hopeful that it will be able to issue a call for expressions of interest in the provision of additional bi-mode trains before the end of March.

  • Accident site at Carmont
    Rail Business UK

    Rail Accident Investigation Branch publishes Carmont derailment report

    2022-03-10T00:02:00Z

    UK: Network Rail and its contractors come in for criticism in the Rail Accident Investigation Branch’s report into the fatal derailment at Carmont near Stonehaven. In its report published on March 10, RAIB focuses on the processes put in place to manage drainage at the site. ...

  • West Midlands Railway Birmingham Moor Street DMU (Photo Tony Miles)
    Rail Business UK

    West Midlands Trains appoints next Managing Director

    2022-03-09T13:32:00Z

    UK: ScotRail Chief Operating Officer Ian McConnell is to become Managing Director of West Midlands Trains in April, once ScotRail has been transferred from Abellio to public body Scottish Rail Holdings. McConnell was previously Franchise & Programmes Director at Greater Anglia, and ...

  • Thornton junction looking north
    Rail Business UK

    Levenmouth Rail Link reopening works get underway

    2022-03-07T10:47:00Z

    UK: Network Rail has begun construction works for the Levenmouth Rail Link scheme to reopen the 6·5 km branch from Thornton Junction to Leven which has been out of use since 2001.

  • Perpetuum sensor
    Rail Business UK

    Onboard track condition monitoring sensors on trial in Scotland

    2022-03-01T14:19:00Z

    UK: Hitachi Rail’s Perpetuum subsidiary is working with Network Rail, Porterbrook and ScotRail to test the use of onboard digital sensors to automate the detection of track faults. The self-contained and self-powered sensors mounted in trains running in passenger service use a combination of gyroscopes and ...

  • Rob Mullen
    Rail Business UK

    Mullen named as next c2c Managing Director

    2022-03-01T09:40:00Z

    UK: Rob Mullen has been appointed as the next Managing Director of Trenitalia’s Essex commuter train operator c2c, with effect from mid-May.

  • Open access operations Hull Trains and Lumo are both ‘marginally ahead’ of  FirstGroup’s expectations
    Rail Business UK

    First Rail’s management fee operations meet expectations and open access is ahead

    2022-02-28T09:49:00Z

    UK: Performance at First Rail’s four management fee-based train operating companies is in line with expectations for the second half of the financial year, while open access operators Hull Trains and Lumo are marginally ahead of expectations, FirstGroup said in a trading update on February 25. ...

  • Belfast Transport Hub contractor site visit
    Rail Business UK

    Belfast Transport Hub main works get underway

    2022-02-21T05:00:00Z

    UK: A joint venture of Farrans and Sacyr is set to begin main works on the Belfast Transport Hub as enabling works by Graham near completion and railway works by Babcock are underway. The Transport Hub will replace the existing Great Victoria Street railway station and ...

  • ScotRail request stops
    Rail Business UK

    Technology replaces hand signals at Scottish request stops

    2022-02-16T04:00:00Z

    UK: Eight lightly-used stations on the Far North line in Scotland are being provided with ‘request to stop’ kiosks, removing the need for waiting passengers to give hand signals to the driver of an approaching train. The kiosks supplied by Unipart Technologies Group’s Comms Design will ...

  • Vivarail Class 230
    Rail Business UK

    Battery train and fast charger to be tested in London

    2022-02-15T15:12:00Z

    UK: Great Western Railway has signed an agreement to test Vivarail’s Class 230 battery multiple-unit and fast charging technology under real-word conditions on the 4 km non-electrified branch between West Ealing and Greenford in west London. Part of Vivarail’s family of multiple-units produced from London Underground ...

  • Barrow Haven station
    Rail Business UK

    Barton-on-Humber line stations to be improved

    2022-02-09T05:00:00Z

    UK: East Midlands Railway has announced a £400 000 programme of improvements covering the 12 small stations it manages on the route from Cleethorpes to Barton-on-Humber; Cleethorpes and Grimsby Town are managed by TransPennine Express. The works to improve the overall station ...

  • RoomMate
    Rail Business UK

    Audio description devices installed in station toilets

    2022-01-28T06:00:00Z

    UK: ‘Talking toilet’ devices which provide visually impaired users with bespoke audio descriptions of the facilities are being installed in the accessible toilets at 44 stations served by Northern.

  • TPE 68024 crossing the Pennines (Photo: Tony Miles)
    Rail Business UK

    Bi-mode locomotives sought by TransPennine Express and GWR

    2022-01-24T13:53:00Z

    UK: TransPennine Express is seeking expressions of interest in the provision of between 15 and 30 bi-mode locomotives, with an option for a further five for use on Great Western Railway’s Night Riviera sleeper service. In its detailed specification TPE states that the 160 km/h locomotives ...

  • TfW Class 769 at Cardiff Queen Street (Photo  TfW)
    Rail Business UK

    Local shops to sell local train tickets

    2022-01-21T04:00:00Z

    UK: Tickets for local rail journeys wholly within in the South Wales Metro area will be made available for purchase from 90 convenience shops from January 24. Transport for Wales says it is the first train operating company to offer ticket sales through Payzone’s instore devices, ...

  • Northern 195125 at East Didsbury (Photo: Tony Miles)
    Rail Business UK

    Northern seeks battery-hybrid Class 195 variant

    2022-01-12T15:01:00Z

    UK: Northern Trains is seeking to introduce a battery-diesel hybrid version of its CAF Class 195 diesel multiple-units. The hybrid DMUs would be used on lines being modernised under the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme, primarily the Leeds –Brighouse – Manchester Victoria – Wigan and Huddersfield – ...

  • Aberdeen ticket office (Photo: Tony Miles)
    Rail Business UK

    ScotRail consults on changes to ticket office opening hours

    2022-01-12T14:55:00Z

    UK: ScotRail has launched a review of all customer-facing functions, proposing changes to ticket office opening hours which it said would ‘better match customer purchasing and travelling habits in 2022 rather than 1991’ to provide ‘a financially and environmentally sustainable railway that will deliver value for ...

  • SWR Class 707 EMU
    Rail Business UK

    Arterio EMU delays lead South Western Railway to retain Class 707s

    2022-01-12T10:18:00Z

    UK: South Western Railway has extended its lease on 12 Class 707 electric multiple-units until August, following delays to the introduction of its Arterio Class 701 EMU fleet and the decision to bring forward the end of its lease on the two-car Class 456 units from February to January 17.