UK passenger train operator news – Page 8
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Rail Business UKEast Coast Azuma charter signed
UK: LNER, Agility Trains and Hitachi Rail have signed a ‘pioneering’ Relationship Charter covering collaboration during the remaining 23 years of the contract to provide rolling stock for use on the East Coast Main Line. In 2014 Department for Transport’s Intercity Express Programme awarded Agility Trains ...
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Rail Business UKSix projects awarded rail accessibility innovation funding
UK: Independent pan-disability body the Northern Accessibility User Group has selected six projects to share funding from Northern’s £250 000 Accessibility Innovation Fund. South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority will create an Accessibility Hub at the Meadowhall transport interchange in Sheffield. Working with TransPennine Express, this ...
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Rail Business UKCollaborative approach completes depot upgrade
UK: RTS Infrastructure Services has installed a new fuelling and servicing facility at Northern’s Barrow-in-Furness light maintenance depot, as part of a project which the contractor’s Managing Director Chris Reid said was a ‘masterclass in teamwork and flexibility’. The depot enhancements enable Northern to operate six-car ...
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Rail Business UKNo silver bullet promised as TransPennine Express to transfer to Operator of Last Resort
UK: FirstGroup’s National Rail Contract to operate TransPennine Express services will not be renewed when it expires on May 28, Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper announced on May 11. Operations will instead be transferred to the government’s Operator of Last Resort. Services will run ...
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Rail Business UKLNER to expand single-leg ticket pricing
UK: LNER has announced the roll-out of single-leg pricing across all journeys where it manages the pricing, with tickets going on sale from May 14 for travel from June 11. The operator said this would make ticketing ‘simpler and more flexible’. Anytime Single, Off-Peak/Super Off-Peak Single ...
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In depthTrain Control: En route to digital signalling
Final testing and commissioning of ETCS Level 2 is underway on the Northern City Line to London’s Moorgate terminus, which is due to go live later this year as a ‘pathfinder’ project for the East Coast Digital Programme. Chris Jackson reports.
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In depthUK: Lumo takes on the airlines
In the 18 months since its launch on the London – Edinburgh route, open access operator Lumo has driven up ridership and lifted rail’s market share significantly, as FirstGroup’s Commercial & Revenue Director Stuart Jones explains to Tony Miles.
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In depthUK: East Coast collaboration is delivering
Almost uniquely among UK train operators, LNER is seeing ridership on its inter-city services well above pre-pandemic levels, while a collaborative approach between operator and infrastructure manager is driving up performance. Tony Miles investigates.
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Rail Business UKCrowns, chocolates, a named train and planning ahead as rail industry prepares for the coronation
UK: Additional services, longer trains and queuing systems are planned to handle the crowds who are expected to travel to events marking the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on May 6 and the concert to be held in Windsor the following day.
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Rail Business UKScottish Rail Holdings board members appointed
UK: On April 26 Scotland’s Minister for Transport Kevin Stewart announced the appointment of two non-executive directors to the board of Scottish Rail Holdings, the non-departmental public body wholly owned by the Scottish government which acts as the owning group for train operator ScotRail. Richard Cairns ...
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Rail Business UKStation vending machines fitted with ‘living walls’
UK: ‘Living walls’ which can be attached to vending machines are being tested at Bournemouth station by South Western Railway, Decorum Vending, Regency Design and plant supplier PHS Greenleaf. The small, self-sufficient, vertical gardens are designed to thrive in all locations, whether in sunlight or shade. ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail to carry more bikes to Mallaig
UK: ScotRail has increased its capacity for carrying bicycles on the West Highland line with the introduction of Highland Explorer DMUs on services to and from Mallaig.
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Rail Business UKClass 802 maintenance moves to Plymouth as quest for better availability goes on
UK: Great Western Railway, Eversholt Rail and Hitachi Rail are to extend their maintenance partnership covering 36 Class 802 inter-city trainsets, with work to be transferred to the GWR depot at Laira in Plymouth.
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Rail Business UKDevizes station would need to be part of wider rail plan
UK: The construction of a Devizes Gateway station at Lydeway is unlikely to represent value for money as a standalone project, but it could be viable as part of a wider rail improvement programme, a study has concluded. The feasibility study undertaken by Wiltshire Council, Devizes ...
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Rail Business UKNorthern uses Growth Flag data intelligence tool to identify opportunities
UK: Train operator Northern is using the Growth Flag data intelligence platform from social enterprise Growth Company to gain a better understanding of the transport needs of businesses in the area it serves. The tool is used by organisations including public sector entities, local authorities and ...
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Rail Business UKSupersonic-cryogenic leaf removal technology tested
UK: The University of Sheffield and train operator Northern have demonstrated a passenger-train mounted rail head treatment system which fires dry ice pellets in a stream of air at supersonic speed to freeze any leaves on the line. The leaves are then blasted away as the ...
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Rail Business UKTransport for London seeks feedback on future rail operating contracts
UK: Transport for London is seeking industry feedback to inform its plans for the future procurement of operators for Docklands Light Railway, Elizabeth Line and London Overground services. TfL is seeking to understand the current supply market and help it structure its tendering requirements. An industry ...
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Rail Business UKClass 230s finally enter service with Transport for Wales
UK: Transport for Wales has run its first Class 230 battery-diesel hybrid trainset in passenger service on the Wrexham – Bidston Borderlands Line. Tony Miles reports.
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Rail Business UKScottish Transport Minister Kevin Stewart aims to prioritise passenger needs
UK: ‘Our aim for public ownership of ScotRail is delivering a service which listens and responds to passenger need’, said Kevin Stewart, when he was appointed Minister for Transport by Scotland’s new First Minister Humza Yousaf. Stewart was elected as Scottish National Party MSP for Aberdeen ...
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Rail Business UKBrigg Line service to change from Saturday to weekdays
UK: A user group has criticised changes to passenger services on the Brigg line which are due to come into effect with the May 20 timetable change. This will see Northern’s current service of three Cleethorpes – Brigg – Kirton Lindsey – Sheffield trains each way ...