UK passenger train operator news – Page 3
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Rail Business UKSerco’s Caledonian Sleeper contract to end in June 2023
UK: Serco’s contract to operate Caledonian Sleeper night train services between London and Scotland is to end in June 2023, after its proposal for a financial rebase of the agreement was rejected by the Scottish government as ’not representing value for money to the public’. In ...
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Rail Business UK
Southeastern scraps first class in timetable revision to meet changed demand
UK: Southeastern has announced that it is to abolish first class travel with effect from December 11 2022, as part of timetable changes which aim to provide a ‘simpler, more reliable’ service and reflect the way people now travel following the pandemic. First class seating is ...
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Rail Business UK
Avanti West Coast starts to restore timetable
UK: Having slashed its timetable to a basic four trains an hour in August as a result of driver unavailability, Avanti West Coast confirmed in late September that it will begin increasing its services again.
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Rail Business UK
Merseyrail Class 777 battery IPEMU on show at InnoTrans
INNOTRANS: On show in Berlin is one of the seven battery-equipped independently powered electric multiple-units which Stadler is supplying as part of an order for a total of 53 custom-designed Class 777 EMUs for use on the Merseyrail network around Liverpool. The 53 ...
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Rail Business UK
Welsh tri-mode multiple-unit on show in Berlin
INNOTRANS: One of the tri-mode Flirt UK multiple-units capable of operation on diesel, 25 kV 50 Hz electric and battery power which Stadler is supplying to Transport for Wales is on show at the InnoTrans trade fair, ahead of entry into service later this year. ...
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Rail Business UK
Controlled Axle Steering on show following Grand Central tests
INNOTRANS: On show in Berlin is the Liebherr Controlled Axle Steering active wheelset control system, which aims to significantly reduce wear on rails and wheels. LiCAS has been developed by Liebherr-Transportation Systems and was successfully field tested in co-operation with Arriva’s UK open access operator Grand ...
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Rail Business UK
Cardiff Valleys Class 398 tram-train unveiled at InnoTrans
INNOTRANS: One of the Citylink Class 398 electric-battery tram-trains which Stadler is building for South Wales Metro services on the branch lines around Cardiff has been unveiled at the InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin. Stadler’s Citylink is a family of modular light rail vehicles designed to ...
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Rail Business UK
Avanti West Coast hires train to boost capacity during period of mourning
UK: With its drivers continuing to decline to work on their rest days, Avanti West Coast has worked with charter operator Locomotive Services Ltd to provided additional capacity into London Euston to support the large number of people wishing to visit the capital to pay their ...
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Rail Business UK
TransPennine Express amends West Coast Main Line services
UK: TransPennine Express is to temporarily amend its West Coast Main Line services from September 12 ‘to provide greater stability and certainty to our customers’. This follows repeated disruption this year, with passengers facing regular full or part cancellations announced the previous evening or on the ...
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Rail Business UK
Avanti West Coast Managing Director to leave
UK: Phil Whittingham is to step down as Managing Director of Avanti West Coast with effect from September 15 ‘in order to pursue other executive leadership opportunities’, the West Coast Main Line inter-city passenger operator’s parent company First Trenitalia announced on September 2. Whittingham joined Virgin ...
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Rail Business UK
‘On Track to Better’ Transpennine Route Upgrade awareness campaign launched
UK: The ‘On Track to Better’ marketing campaign has been launched to communicate the benefits of the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme between York, Leeds, Huddersfield and Manchester.
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Rail Business UK
Abellio UK management buy-out as NS exits British market
UK: Dutch state passenger operator NS has announced a management buy-out of its Abellio UK rail and bus business.
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Rail Business UK
Strong reaction to rejection of Skelmersdale rail link plan
UK: There has been a strong local reaction to the Department for Transport’s rejection of the proposed extension of the Merseyrail network from the future Headbolt Lane station to Skelmersdale. In 2021 Lancashire County Council submitted a Strategic Outline Business Case for the project which had ...
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Rail Business UK
Liverpool City Region to take control of Merseyrail network
UK: Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram and the Department for Transport have reached an agreement in principle on a memorandum of understanding for the devolution of the infrastructure of the Merseyrail network. Whilst discussions are at a relatively early stage, it is understood that a ...
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Rail Business UK
Bristol area smart card to launch in early September
UK: Great Western Railway is to launch its Touch pay-as-you-go smart card for the Bristol area at the beginning of September. The Touch cards will be valid on GWR, CrossCountry and Transport for Wales services within the designated area, which radiates from Bristol to Ashchurch for ...
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Rail Business UK
Revised Cardiff Bay branch plans confirmed
UK: Transport for Wales has confirmed revised plans for electrification of the Cardiff Bay branch as part of the the Core Valleys Lines upgrading programme. Plans for a short extension of the branch from the current terminus to The Flourish have been dropped. Instead the existing ...
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Rail Business UK
Recommendations 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.
