All UK policy articles – Page 12
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Rail Business UKRail impact of minimum service legislation to be investigated
UK: The House of Commons Transport Committee has launched an inquiry into how the government’s proposed Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill would apply in practice to the rail sector. If passed, the bill would allow the Secretary of State to make regulations setting out the minimum ...
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Rail Business UKRail reform will enhance the role of the private sector, says Harper
UK: Private sector train operators will have a key role to play in the reformed rail structure, Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper told industry leaders on February 7. Presenting the annual George Bradshaw Address hosted by industry association Rail Partners, Harper sought to set ...
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Rail Business UKTransport Committee to investigate accessibility obligations, enforcement and redress
UK: The House of Commons Transport Committee has launched an inquiry into transport accessibility for disabled people and those with access needs. This will examine the effectiveness and enforcement of legislation, and any gaps in it that need to be filled. The committee will also look at ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment ‘committed to delivering HS2 to Manchester’
UK: The government is committed to building High Speed 2 through to London Euston rather than terminating it short at Old Oak Common, according to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. ‘I don’t see any conceivable circumstance in which that would not end up at Euston’, he told the ...
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Rail Business UKRail projects allocated ‘levelling up’ funding
UK: Cardiff Crossrail and the Mid-Cornwall Metro are amongst 29 transport projects allocated a total of £672m as part of £2·1bn of government funding for ‘levelling up’ schemes.
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NewsRail sector responds to bill to require minimum service levels during strikes
UK: The rail sector has responded to the government’s introduction to Parliament on January 10 of the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, which would require the provision of minimum levels of public services in various sectors during industrial disputes. A bill covering the transport sector had ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment announces 5·9% increase in regulated fares in England
UK: The government has announced that the annual increase in regulated fares in England is to be capped at 5·9%, 6·4 percentage points lower than the Retail Price Index figure on which they have been historically based. Until the pandemic, fares had been raised in January ...
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Rail Business UKGWR fleet to shrink further as it abandons Class 769 introduction
UK: Great Western Railway is to hand back all 19 of the Class 769/9 multi-system ‘Flex’ multiple-units to leasing company Porterbrook in April 2023.
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Rail Business UKRail leaders frustrated as DfT tightens grip and cuts loom
UK: Rail Business UK has taken soundings from across the train operating companies, Network Rail and from sources close to the Department for Transport, finding a bleak outlook. Industry leaders fear having to implement stark cuts to rail provision, even if the industrial relations issues plaguing the sector can be resolved.
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Rail Business UKHydrogen has a modest role to play in decarbonising rail, committee says
UK: Hydrogen has a modest but potentially critical role to play in rail decarbonisation, and the government should set out the lessons learned from hydrogen trains abroad, according to a report from the House of Commons Science & Technology Committee.
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In depthTraction Technology: Remanufacturing diesel trains with battery power
Although UK rolling stock specialist Vivarail entered administration on December 1, the company’s Managing Director Steve McBride argues that remanufacturing of existing trains with battery traction remains a compelling choice for a quick and cost-effective transition away from diesel power.
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Rail Business UKRecognition of EU rail certifications extended
UK: The government has announced that European Union conformity assessment for interoperable rail products will continue to be recognised in Great Britain until December 31 2024, while the ending of recognition of EU certification of entities in charge of maintenance of wagons has been postponed until ...
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Rail Business UKCompetition concerns over Hitachi’s planned acquisition of Thales signalling business
UK: The Competition & Markets Authority has expressed concern that Hitachi Rail’s planned acquisition of Thales’ Ground Transportation Business could eliminate a credible competitor for the supply of signalling systems, at a time when efforts are being made to increase competition in the UK market. Hitachi ...
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Rail Business UKInterview: c2c focuses on climate and community
Sometimes misrepresented as a recently modernised operation, the c2c suburban business which runs trains between London and Essex is in need of investment. Managing Director Rob Mullen sets out his priorities to Nick Kingsley.
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Rail Business UKNo timescale for Great British Railways legislation, Transport Secretary confirms
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper says he cannot give a timescale for the legislation which will be needed to set up Great British Railways.
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Rail Business UKModernisation and efficiency improvements included in High Level Output Specification
UK: There is ‘an urgent need for continued modernisation and significant efficiency improvements to bear down on the cost of the railway’, according to the High Level Output Specification which sets out what the Secretary of State wants to be achieved from the management of rail ...
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Metro Report InternationalReplacement trams and Underground trains in Transport for London draft business plan
UK: Transport for London has published its draft business plan for the period from April 2023 until April 2026. This covers the scheduled delivery of new Siemens Mobility Piccadilly Line and CAF Docklands Light Railway trains, and completion of the Four Lines Modernisation programme on London ...
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Rail Business UKRail Partners calls for changes to prevent cuts leading to a ‘spiral of decline’
UK: The Rail Partners association of train operator owning groups has called for changes which it says are needed to prevent lower post-pandemic revenues, rising industry costs and delays to reform triggering a ‘spiral of decline’ with a ‘protracted hiatus, stunted recovery from the pandemic and ...
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Rail Business UKOpen access should replace inter-city franchising, says independent operators’ association
UK: A fully-commercial open-access model should replace government contracts for the provision of long-distance services in Great Britain, according to the Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants. ‘It seems that the only choice being discussed is between public service contract concessions and renationalisation’, said AllRail Secretary ...
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Rail Business UKMerriman named rail and HS2 minister
UK: Huw Merriman MP has been appointed as a minister of state at the Department for Transport responsible for the rail and High Speed 2 briefs.