All UK policy articles
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Rail Business UKWilliams Review author backs Labour plan to adopt Great British Railways reforms in full
UK: Sir Keith Williams has lent his backing to plans by the Labour Party to implement a standalone ‘guiding mind’ for the rail sector if it wins the upcoming General Election.
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Rail Business UKArmitt criticises ‘blurred picture’ for rail development in wake of HS2 axe
UK: ‘It hasn’t been a great six months for rail’, suggested Sir John Armitt, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, in his keynote address to the Northern Transport Summit on March 21. Armitt was among a raft of policymakers and transport officials at the event who ...
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Rail Business UKBurnham urges rail sector to accelerate integration into Manchester’s Bee Network
UK: Greater Manchester Metro Mayor Andy Burnham has pledged to accelerate integration of local rail services into the nascent Bee Network of public transport provision if he is re-elected on May 2. The Bee Network is a locally developed brand already being applied to Manchester Metrolink light ...
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Rail Business UKThe right policies could increase ticket revenue without higher fares, says RIA
UK: The Railway Industry Association has published a ‘fresh blueprint’ for ticketing reform, saying a focus on customer experience and boosting ridership could drive revenue growth without needing to increase fares. The Destination: Revenue Growth report based on input from RIA’s members was launched by Innovation ...
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast won’t be nationalised, says Minister
UK: The government will not terminate Avanti West Coast’s operating contract, Rail Minister Huw Merriman has told the House of Commons. At Transport Questions on March 21, Labour’s Shadow Rail Minister Stephen Morgan asked ‘a simple question to the Minister today, will he strip Avanti of ...
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Rail Business UKRail freight sector needs more certainty to enable long-term growth
UK: Train operator owning group association Rail Partners has published Freight Britain: An Engine for Green Growth, outlining five policies it would like to see to support the long-term growth of rail freight beyond the general election. These are: to address the widening gap between ...
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Rail Business UKRail reform makes limited progress with unclear plans
UK: The government’s rail reforms are facing delays and there are long-standing issues that need to be addressed including financial sustainability, according to a National Audit Office report published on March 8. After the white paper on rail reform was published in May 2021, the Department ...
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Rail Business UKRail sector responds to the Spring Budget
UK: The rail sector has responded to he spring budget presented by Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt on March 6. Rail Partners Chief Executive Andy Bagnall said ‘Britain has a legally binding target to meet net zero by 2050, and the budget today does nothing ...
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Rail Business UKEnglish public transport in a ‘precarious position’ says UTG
UK: Public transport in English city regions is in a ‘precarious position’, the Urban Transport Group said when it published its Inside Track: The state of transport 2024 report into trends over the last decade. The number of trips made per person in 2022 was 862, ...
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Rail Business UKLondon trial of all-day Friday off-peak fares agreed
UK: Agreement has been reached to trial all-day off-peak rail and Underground fares in London on Fridays from March 8 until May 31. The aim of the trial is to help Transport for London and train operators understand the impact of lower fares on ridership and ...
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Rail Business UKTransport Committee invites feedback on draft rail reform bill
Source: Mary R Smith/Pixabay UK: The House of Commons Transport Select Committee has launched its pre-legislative scrutiny of the government’s draft Rail Reform Bill, inviting experts to share their views. The Committee will examine the draft bill’s proposals and make recommendations to the government on how ...
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Rail Business UKRail demand to exceed capacity under any scenario, says Steer
UK: Rail passenger numbers will grow steadily even under the most pessimistic scenarios and could double by 2050, according to research undertaken by consultancy Steer for the Railway Industry Association. Passenger volumes could grow between at least 37% and nearly 100% up to 2050, when compared ...
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Rail Business UKHigh Speed 2 funding ‘reallocated’ to roads
UK: The government has announced a £4·7bn Local Transport Fund to support projects in smaller cities, towns and rural areas England’s north and Midlands using what it describes as ‘reallocated HS2 funding’. The fund is for communities which do not benefit from City Region Sustainable Transport ...
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Rail Business UKUK government publishes Draft Rail Reform Bill
UK: The government has published its Draft Rail Reform Bill, to give parliamentarians and the industry an opportunity to provide feedback. Legislation is needed to implement the government’s rail reform proposals, including the creation of Great British Railways. However, a bill is unlikely to pass before ...
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Rail Business UKFive point Manifesto for Rail launched by Rail Partners
UK: Rail Partners has published a Manifesto for Rail, ahead of the general election which must occur within the next 12 months. The document sets out five key points which the association of train operator owning groups believes are essential to stabilising the UK rail sector: ...
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Rail Business UKUK urged to join Eurofima to facilitate access to cheaper rolling stock finance
UK: Eurofima is urging British policymakers to sign its convention, which would facilitate UK rail organisations’ access to cheaper funding for rolling stock and other equipment.
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Rail Business UKYRP Politics In Rail event returns
UK: Young Rail Professionals hosts its Politics In Rail event on February 8 as part of Rail Week.
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Rail Business UKWest Midlands – Manchester rail plan is not a HS2 revival, mayors say
UK: Metro Mayor for the West Midlands Andy Street and his Greater Manchester counterpart Andy Burnham report that they have held constructive talks with the Secretary of State for Transport, Rail Minister and senior officials from the Department for Transport regarding their work to assess how ...
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Rail Business UKHS2 Phase 2 cancellation raises ‘urgent and unanswered questions’
UK: The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee makes six recommendations in its latest report on High Speed 2, which calls on the government to answer questions raised by its decision to cancel Phase 2. The recommendations are: The Department for Transport should set out ...
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Rail Business UKBattery traction trial ahead as TransPennine Express fortunes improve
UK: Overcrowding and short-notice cancellations at state-owned TransPennine Express have declined since the December timetable change, prompting Managing Director Chris Jackson to suggest the operator is in a ‘better place’.