UK passenger train operator news – Page 5
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Rail Business UKHow to refurbish a Pendolino in 10 days
UK: The £120m refurbishment of Avanti West Coast’s 56 Class 390 Pendolino trainsets is on course for completion by next June year, in what Alstom says is the largest programme of its kind in the UK. Nick Kingsley reports from Widnes.
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Rail Business UKBattery trains could take Merseyrail to places it couldn’t previously reach
UK: Speaking to Rail Business UK at the opening of Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby, Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram expressed enthusiasm for extending Merseyrail services to more destinations by using battery power to avoid the need for electrification. Merseyrail trains reach Headbolt Lane using ...
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Rail Business UKHeadbolt Lane station opens with battery train service
UK: Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby opened on October 5, with services operated by Merseyrail and Northern terminating from opposite directions. Services run by the two operators previously terminated end-on at Kirkby, where the 750 V DC third rail electrification on the Merseyrail network ends. Merseyrail’s ...
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Rail Business UKPortrush branch platforms lengthened
UK: Work to extend the platforms and install improved lighting and CCTV at Dhu Varren and University stations on NI Railways’ Portrush branch has been completed ready for the start of the new term at Ulster University. The enhancements have been funded by the Department for ...
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Rail Business UKNorthern to trial British Sign Language announcements
UK: Train operator Northern is looking for charities, organisations or specialists who could help it to provide British Sign Language interpretation of its onboard announcements. A trial is planned on services between Manchester Victoria and Leeds by the end of the year. ‘We know that rail ...
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Rail Business UKLNER has improved access for disabled passengers, says equalities watchdog
UK: The Equality & Human Rights Commission says LNER has taken steps to improve access for disabled passengers, following a legal challenge from a visually impaired customer who received inadequate support and assistance while travelling. EHRC and LNER entered into an Equality Act 2010 Section 23 ...
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Rail Business UKVoyager transfer anticipated as CrossCountry gets National Rail Contract
UK: The Department for Transport has directly awarded Arriva UK Trains a National Rail Contract to continue to operate CrossCountry long-distance passenger services. The contract announced on September 19 succeeds a unique Operating Cost Franchise Agreement which DfT entered into in October 2020 during the pandemic. ...
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Rail Business UKNational Rail Contract aims to enable Avanti West Coast to plan ahead
UK: The Department for Transport has awarded the Avanti West Coast joint venture of FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia UK (30%) a further National Rail Contract to continue to operate West Coast Main Line inter-city passenger services from the expiry of its current agreement on October 15. ...
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Rail Business UKChris Jackson confirmed as TransPennine Managing Director
UK: Chris Jackson was confirmed as Managing Director of TransPennine Express operating company TransPennine Trains with effect from September 14. He had been holding the role on an interim basis since TPE operations were transferred to the government’s public sector owning group DfT OLR Holdings Ltd ...
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Rail Business UKBeaulieu Park station main construction works contract awarded
UK: Network Rail has awarded J Murphy & Sons Ltd the second of two main contracts to build Beaulieu Park station on the Great Eastern Main Line near Chelmsford. The £124m contract announced by Network Rail on September 15 has been awarded on behalf of Essex ...
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Rail Business UKGo-Ahead appoints rail strategy leader and new head of Govia Thameslink Railway
UK: Patrick Verwer has been appointed Rail CEO at international rail and bus operator The Go-Ahead Group from the end of November. Angie Doll will succeed him as CEO of Govia Thameslink Railway, which Go-Ahead operates though a 65:35 joint venture with Keolis. Verwer will oversee ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail to trial all-day Off Peak fares
UK: Off Peak tickets on routes where fares are controlled by ScotRail will be valid all day under a six-month trial running from October 3 until March 29 2024. The Scottish government-funded project aims to encourage people to travel by rail instead of car. ScotRail said ...
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Rail Business UKVirtual train tour to help passengers ahead of travel
UK: Open access operator Lumo has worked with Ocean 3D to develop an interactive 360° walk-through tour of its trains to assist people who may be anxious ahead of entering unfamiliar environments.
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Rail Business UKEast London Line maintenance contract planned
UK: Transport for London has begun market engagement for the next contract to maintain London Overground’s East London Line. The Infrastructure Maintenance Contract 3 will cover the core route from north of Dalston Junction to New Cross, New Cross Gate and Old Kent Road Junction. It ...
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Rail Business UKNI Railways operations planning software contract awarded
UK: Translink has selected software company SISCOG to design, develop and maintain a platform for planning NI Railways timetables and managing rolling stock and staff deployment. This will include SISCOG’s cloud-hosted Ontime, Fleet and Crews products, which will be used to help to maximise the benefits ...
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NewsTransPennine Express to stop using loco-hauled push-pull trains in December
UK: TransPennine Express has confirmed that it will cease using its push-pull sets of Class 68 locomotives and MkVa coaches, previously designated ‘Nova 3’, from the December 2023 timetable change. The decision is the result of a review of operations after TPE was transferred to the ...
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Rail Business UKTactile maps to help TPE passengers navigate stations
UK: TransPennine Express has installed Map for All tactile maps developed and produced by the Royal National Institute of Blind People to help blind and partially sighted passengers navigate Hull Paragon, Dewsbury and Manchester Airport stations. The maps have a mixture of layers, visual contrasts, textures, ...
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NewsOn-train connectivity rolls out
EUROPE: Following successful trials on the UK’s Island Line, FirstGroup’s railway telecoms company Evo-rail has worked with Comsa to install its Rail-5G on-train connectivity technology on the Figueres - Perpignan high speed line between Spain and France. Evo-rail said the mmWave technology which uses trackside antenna ...
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Rail Business UKNorthern names next Managing Director
UK: Northern has announced the appointment of Chief Operating Officer Tricia Williams as its next Managing Director. Williams will succeed Nick Donovan, who is to step down in spring 2024 after four years leading the state-owned operator. ‘I want to thank Nick for the incredible work ...
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Rail Business UKStoma Friendly improvements at Southeastern station toilets
UK: Southeastern has upgraded the accessible toilets at 71 stations to Colostomy UK’s Stoma Friendly standards, which are designed to help people change their stoma bags without hassle or embarrassment. Features include a hook on the door to hang clothing, handbags and luggage; shelf space to ...