All UK policy articles
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Rail Business UKTransport Secretary sets out five priorities for Shadow Great British Railways in 2025
UK: Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander set out five priorities for Shadow Great British Railways in her first major rail-focused speech in the role. Speaking to staff from the government’s in-house operator DfT Operator Ltd in Manchester on January 20, Alexander confirmed that an industry-wide Rail Plan ...
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Rail Business UKFirstGroup makes its case for open access alongside Great British Railways
UK: FirstGroup has set out its case for retaining a ‘thriving’ open access sector as part of the restructured railway, arguing that privately-funded services without government contracts can drive growth across all operators including those to be controlled by Great British Railways.
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NewsRail freight operators propose four measures to boost growth
UK: Ahead of consultation on the government’s rail reform bill, operating group association Rail Partners and its five freight members have published A Greener Track making four proposals to support growth. The first is for the bill to include legal protections to maintain investor confidence in ...
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Rail Business UKOpen access ‘at a crossroads’ as government sets out more stringent tests for approval
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander has set out her expectations for how applications to run open access services should be considered as the rail industry is restructured.
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Rail Business UKQuestions remain for the rail sector in English devolution plans
UK: The rail sector has welcomed the outline plans for local politicians to have greater control of passenger rail services which are set out in the government’s white paper on devolution in England, but questions remain about the future scope and structure.
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Rail Business UKMPs to investigate how rail investment pipelines could help the supply industry
UK: The House of Commons Transport Committee is to launch an inquiry into how the government could ensure a stable pipeline of projects and procurements to end ‘boom and bust’ in the supply industry and give passengers, staff, suppliers and investors more certainty about development priorities. ...
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Rail Business UKTrain drivers demand dignified toilets
UK: Train drivers’ union ASLEF has launched a campaign demanding access to safe, clean, accessible and dignified toilets for drivers. It has published a report into the current situation which Executive Committee President Dave Calfe said is an occupational safety, public health and human rights issue ...
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Metro Report InternationalDriverless London Underground trains are not viable, study finds
UK: The previous government’s proposal for the possible conversion of London Underground lines to driverless operation will not be taken any further, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has confirmed. Conversion to driverless operation is regularly suggested by politicians and commentators, often in the belief that this ...
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Rail Business UKRail industry responds to confirmation that SWR, c2c and Greater Anglia will transfer to the public sector in 2025
UK: The government has confirmed the timescales for the first three train operators to transfer to the public sector following royal assent to the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 which provides the legal framework. On December 4 the Department for Transport confirmed that South ...
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Rail Business UKHeidi Alexander replaces Louise Haigh as Secretary of State for Transport
UK: Labour MP for Swindon South Heidi Alexander was appointed as Secretary of State for Transport on November 29, following the resignation of Louise Haigh the previous evening. Alexander was MP for Lewisham East from 2010 to 2018, when she stepped down from parliament to become ...
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Rail Business UKIntegrated transport strategy for England to tackle the ‘bin fires’ of policy
UK: A public call for ideas to inform the development of a Integrated National Transport Strategy for England was announced by the then-Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh on November 28, hours before she resigned over an unrelated matter. Describing transport policy as ‘a series ...
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Rail Business UKRail Partners to be wound-up in the face of nationalisation
UK: The Rail Partners association of train operating company owning groups has decided to ‘wind down’ in April 2025, with the planned nationalisation of passenger operators leaving it without a future role. Rail Partners was spun out of the Rail Delivery Group in 2021 to provide advocacy ...
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Rail Business UKTrain operators’ revenue protection to be reviewed following ‘egregious’ prosecutions
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh has asked the Office of Rail & Road to undertake an independent review of the way train operators tackle suspected fare evasion.
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Rail Business UKRail Minister Hendy strikes conciliatory tone as he backs ‘fresh start’ for UK rail
UK: Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy struck an upbeat tone in his keynote address at the Railway Industry Association’s annual conference on November 6, promising ‘a new start for rail’ and confirming that High Speed 2 ‘will go to [London] Euston’. Hendy said it was a ...
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Rail Business UKLong-term rolling stock strategy aims to end supply chain boom-and-bust
UK: A long-term rolling stock investment strategy will ‘end the boom-and-bust approach’ and ‘give the supply chain the certainty it needs to plan and invest’, according to Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh. Speaking at the launch of Rail Campus Derby on October 17, Haigh ...
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Rail Business UKHS2 to Euston and commitments to ongoing projects in Labour’s first budget
UK: Funding for the construction of the High Speed 2 tunnels from Old Oak Common to London Euston, and commitments to the ongoing Transpennine Route Upgrade and to take East West Rail to Cambridge were included in the budget presented by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel ...
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Rail Business UKHouse of Commons Transport Committee members appointed
UK: The House of Commons has formally appointed the membership of the Transport Committee, which scrutinises the Department for Transport and investigates matters of public concern where there is a need for accountability through parliament. NameParty Ruth Cadbury (Chair) Labour ...
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail to be abolished under rail reforms as Haigh rejects ‘BR reboot’
UK: Great British Railways will ‘will not be British Rail Rebooted or Network Rail 2·0’, Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh has insisted as she gave an update on the rail reform programme.
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Rail Business UKViewpoint: Do not rush UK rail reform
Given the scale of the task, the government should resist the temptation to push through hasty reform of the UK rail sector, argues Dominic Booth, Chief Executive of Transport UK Group.
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Rail Business UKGovernment announces measures to address ‘dire’ HS2 project delivery
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh has announced measures which aim to ensure the costs of the High Speed 2 programme ‘are brought under control’, including an independent review of governance. The incentives of the main HS2 contractors are also being reviewed, which the ...