UK passenger train operator news – Page 3
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Rail Business UKBattery traction trial ahead as TransPennine Express fortunes improve
UK: Overcrowding and short-notice cancellations at state-owned TransPennine Express have declined since the December timetable change, prompting Managing Director Chris Jackson to suggest the operator is in a ‘better place’.
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Rail Business UKProject aims to automate DMU inspections
UK: East Midlands Railway is working with Bristol-based technology firm One Big Circle on a project to remove the need for manual trackside inspections of diesel multiple-units. The DepotMATE project will use One Big Circle’s Automated Intelligent Video Review cloud-based platform along with high-resolution line scanning, ...
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Rail Business UKAccessible station toilet programme underway
UK: A toilet designed by Seed Architects has opened at Northern’s Broadbottom station as part of an accessibility programme funded by Transport for Greater Manchester.
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Rail Business UKHeritage features restored at London Overground station
UK: London Overground operator Arriva Rail London has completed a heritage restoration project at Bruce Grove station, funded by Transport for London. TfL initially asked ARL to repair and replace deteriorating assets. As the work progressed, the project team identified the opportunity to revive historic features. ...
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Rail Business UKInterim Managing Director for South Western Railway named
UK: Chief Operating Officer Stuart Meek has been appointed Interim Managing Director at South Western Railway with effect from March 19. He takes over from Claire Mann, who is leaving to become Chief Operating Officer at Transport for London. The process to recruit a permanent Managing ...
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Rail Business UKImproving mobile connectivity in King’s Cross tunnels
UK: Rail connectivity company Linbrooke is installing bespoke antennas to eliminate mobile phone coverage ‘not-spots’ in the Gasworks and Copenhagen tunnels on the approach to London King’s Cross station. The project is being funded by LNER and undertaken in collaboration with Network Rail and mobile network ...
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Rail Business UKCapacity increase future-proofs Birmingham’s University station
UK: A three-year project to increase passenger capacity at University station on Birmingham’s Cross City Line was completed with the opening of two buildings on January 28. The station was designed for 500 000 passengers/year when it opened in 1978, but expansion of the university and ...
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Rail Business UKInterview: Avanti West Coast navigates complex path to recovery
UK: Avanti West Coast Managing Director Andy Mellors sets out how the operator intends to restore resilient operations and develop services further, explaining that there will be no return to the pre-Covid operating plan on Europe’s busiest mixed-use railway.
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Rail Business UKCracks found on Caledonian Sleeper vehicles
UK: A National Incident Report issued on January 10 confirmed that hairline cracks have been found in the T slots of eight of 75 MkV coaches in the Caledonian Sleeper fleet at points where the yaw damper bracket joins the body of the vehicle. Industry sources ...
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Rail Business UKLNER scraps off-peak fares with 70min Flex ticket pilot scheme
UK: East Coast Main Line inter-city operator LNER has launched a pilot scheme which scraps Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak fares but introduces a semi-flexible ticket which can be used up to 70 min before or after a passenger’s booked train. The trial covers travel on LNER ...
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Rail Business UKInformation and journey planning screens installed
UK: East Midlands Railway is undertaking a £1m project with Infotec and Thales to install 166 customer information screens across its network. These will show arrival, departure, live journey, station and local information, details of local events and safety notices. Passengers will also be able to ...
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Rail Business UKSouth Western Railway’s Class 701 Arterio EMU carries passengers at last
UK: A revenue passenger service was operated by one of South Western Railway’s Alstom Class 701 electric multiple-units for the first time on January 9. The 750 V DC third-rail EMU is scheduled to operate one return passenger service a day on the London Waterloo – ...
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Rail Business UKFirstGroup plans London – Sheffield open access train service
UK: FirstGroup has announced plans to launch an open access passenger train service between London and Sheffield. The first phase of an application was submitted to industry regulator the Office of Rail & Road on January 5. Consultation will follow, along with discussions with Network Rail ...
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Rail Business UKConverting passenger information into sign language
UK: Signapse is aiming to improve access to real-time passenger information by using AI to translate messages at stations and on trains into British Sign Language. The specialist technology company is working with Network Rail, South Western Railway and Whoosh Media on the project, which has ...
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Rail Business UKSoutheastern introduces digital season tickets
UK: Southeastern has introduce digital season tickets, branded sTickets, which passengers can buy through its website and app and store on their smartphone. Weekly, monthly, annual, flexi, custom period and child tickets are available for Southeastern routes, except where the ticket allows travel on Transport for ...
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Rail Business UKCalls for Avanti West Coast review and first class declassification
UK: Transport for the North has written to the Secretary of State for Transport calling for a ‘critical review’ of the ‘deteriorating service being endured by passengers’ on Avanti West Coast, and also asking for first and standard premium accommodation to be declassified until performance reaches ...
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Rail Business UKElectro-diesels switch modes on the move
UK: Greater Anglia’s 38 Stadler Class 755 regional electro-diesel multiple-units can now switch traction modes on the move, a design feature which they have not been able to exploit since their entry to traffic in mid-2019. The operator worked closely with Network Rail and industry partners ...
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Rail Business UKEast Linton station opens
UK: East Linton station on the East Coast Main Line opened on December 13. ScotRail and TransPennine Express will provide 22 services each weekday with an average journey time to Edinburgh of 22 min. The £15m station was built by contractor BAM Nuttall with AECOM providsing ...
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Rail Business UKGreater Anglia to test barcode paper tickets
UK: Greater Anglia is to test the use of barcodes printed on paper tickets, which can then be scanned at barriers instead of being inserted into a magnetic stripe reader. The trial will determine whether tickets bought from vending machines could be brought into line with ...
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Rail Business UKLatest tranche of Transpennine Route Upgrade funding confirmed
UK: The release of a further £3·9bn tranche of funding for the ongoing £11·5bn Transpennine Route Upgrade was confirmed by Rail Minister Huw Merriman on December 4. The Department for Transport indicated that work on TRU would be accelerated through the cash injection and noted that ...