UK passenger train operator news – Page 5
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Rail Business UKRecommendations in Kirkby buffer stop collision report
UK: The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has published its report into a Merseyrail train comprising a pair of Class 507 EMUs hitting the buffer stop at Kirkby at around 47 km/h on March 13 2021. RAIB found that the driver of the train did not apply ...
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Rail Business UK
LNER seeks smarter and more accessible ticket machines
UK: LNER is exploring the potential to deploy multi-functional ticket machines that could meet a wider range of user needs, including the provision of real-time information, improved accessibility, and alignment with the operator’s smart ticketing ambitions. The operator’s in-station ticket vending machine contract is coming up ...
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Rail Business UK
ScotRail aims to eliminate diesel trains in three-stage fleet renewal plan
UK: ScotRail is developing plans to withdraw all of its diesel trains as part of a programme to replace 65% of its fleet in 2027-35. The fleet renewal plans involves replacing around 675 vehicles of various types as their leases expire and it becomes uneconomical to ...
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Rail Business UK
Controversy as Avanti West Coast announces timetable cuts
UK: Avanti West Coast has triggered considerable anger amongst trade unions with its use of the phrase ‘unofficial strike action’ to describe the refusal of staff to work on their rest days.
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Rail Business UK
Rail staff trained to intervene with vulnerable passengers
UK: The Railway Children charity is training Northern’s conductors, customer service and station staff to spot vulnerable people on the railway and to have the confidence to intervene with help. The work focuses on identifying individuals at risk of to abuse, addiction and intimidation, and helping ...
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Rail Business UK
CrossCountry deploys ITAL Revenue Protection platform
UK: CrossCountry has rolled out ITAL’s Revenue Protection platform, following trials with a prototype and testing by selected ticket inspectors. A digital daily duty monitor captures activities throughout a inspector’s shift and automatically produces a detailed report, removing the need for manual data entry and analysis. ...
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Rail Business UK
SWR to agree fresh milestones for Class 701 EMU introduction
UK: New milestones for the significantly delayed roll-out of South Western Railway’s Class 701 Arterio electric multiple-unit fleet are to be agreed with the Department for Transport as part of the operator’s Business Plan for 2022-23. No firm dates are given, but the Business Plan says ...
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Rail Business UK
Eight themes in South Western Railway’s 2022-23 Business Plan
UK: South Western Railway has agreed its 2022-23 Business Plan with the Department for Transport, setting out what it plans in the second year of its National Rail Contract and how much it will cost. Under the National Rail Contract all revenue is paid to the ...
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Rail Business UK
South Western Railway defers December 2022 service increase
UK: South Western Railway has agreed with Network Rail and the Department for Transport to defer the timetable changes which were planned for December this year, citing the lack of commuter demand following the pandemic and ‘the ongoing cost challenge facing the rail industry’. During last ...
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Metro Report International
Barking Riverside extension opens
UK: The 4·5 km Barking Riverside extension of the London Overground network opened on July 18. London Overground concessionaire Arriva Rail London is now operating four trains per hour as an extension of its Gospel Oak – Barking route, offering a 7 min journey time between ...
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Rail Business UK
Stirling station modernisation works to begin
UK: Luddon Construction is to begin work on a £5m modernisation of Stirling station on July 18. ScotRail will manage the project, which is scheduled to be completed by spring 2023. Funding is being provided by the Scottish government through Sustrans and by Stirling Council, Network ...
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Rail Business UK
GWR seeks input to decarbonisation plan
UK: Great Western Railway is to undertake a market engagement exercise to support its development of a decarbonisation plan including a move away from diesel traction. The operator is seeking industry input to inform the creation of a Future Fleet & Depot Proposal, setting out ‘affordable’ ...
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Rail Business UK
GWR to trial PAYG smart card ticketing around Bristol this year
UK: Great Western Railway is begin trials of pay-as-you-go smart card ticketing in the Bristol area later this year, using iBlocks’ SmartTIS technology. This is intended as the first step in delivering a wider scheme to other areas of the GWR network. Future plans could also ...
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Rail Business UK
Be in, be out rail ticketing trial planned in Scotland
UK: Discussions are underway for a ‘be in be out’ rail ticketing scheme in Scotland. A pilot could be launched by ScotRail this autumn, with public use from early 2023. Geofences would be installed at stations, with passengers entering the station receiving a message on their ...
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Rail Business UK
Government confirms further funding for ECML ETCS rollout
UK: The government has confirmed a £950·5m tranche of funding for the East Coast Digital Programme to deploy ETCS Level 2 on the section of the East Coast Main Line between London’s King’s Cross and Stoke Tunnel, south of Grantham. The funding announced by Secretary of ...
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Rail Business UK
Ridership doubles year-on-year but still down on pre-pandemic levels
UK: The Office of Rail & Road reports that 990 million rail journeys were made in Great Britain between April 1 2021 and March 31 2022, more than double the 388 million journeys in 2020-21 when the pandemic caused figures to fall to the lowest levels ...
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Rail Business UK
MTMS awarded Hitachi Rail depot support contract
UK: Hitachi Rail has awarded depot maintenance specialist MTMS a three-year contract to provide ‘comprehensive and round-the-clock’ maintenance equipment support at its six facilities maintaining Class 80x trainsets for GWR and LNER. MTMS will support infrastructure including train washing facilities, servicing spines and fuel arms, with ...
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Rail Business UK
‘Revolutionary’ footbridge to be built at Stowmarket
UK: The existing concrete footbridge at Greater Anglia’s Stowmarket station is to be replaced using the first modular ‘flat pack’ bridge to a design developed by the AVA consortium. The concept for the stainless-steel framed design was developed by Network Rail, Expedition Engineering (design), Hawkins\Brown (architect), ...
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Rail Business UK
National Rail Contract for Great Western Railway services aims to meet changing needs
UK: FirstGroup’s three-year National Rail Contract to operate Great Western Railway services is designed to accommodate changing needs following the pandemic, with a return to a growth-led approach, progress with MetroWest and a diesel rolling stock review.
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Rail Business UK
Train instead of plane as Welsh government ends Anglesey – Cardiff flights
UK: Publicly-supported flights between Cardiff and Anglesey will not resume, the Welsh government has announced, with rail offering a viable alternative and the funding to be used to improve public transport in North Wales. The twice-daily flights operated by Eastern Airways under a Public Service Obligation ...
