All UK policy articles – Page 3
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In depthComment: UK turns its back on rail growth
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to abandon the remaining phases of the High Speed 2 programme reflects the UK government’s growing antipathy to rail investment and equivocation about climate targets, leaving Britain’s railway without a clear plan for future expansion.
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Rail Business UKNational Audit Office to look at East West Rail
UK: The National Audit Office has launched an investigation into the East West Rail project to develop a rail corridor between Oxford and Cambridge. Passenger services on the reopened route from Oxford to Bletchley and Milton Keynes are now expected to begin by 2025, and a ...
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Rail Business UKTicket office closure proposals scrapped after passenger watchdogs object
UK: The government has asked train operators to withdraw proposals to close most station ticket offices in England, after watchdog bodies Transport Focus and London TravelWatch formally objected. Announcing the decision on October 31, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the government would ‘continue our work to ...
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Rail Business UKLondon Day Travelcards saved
UK: An agreement has been reached to continue the sale of Day Travelcards, which offer unlimited travel on most public transport in London and can be bought in combination with rail tickets to the capital from elsewhere. ‘The offer now on the table saves a much-valued ...
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Rail Business UKTicket office closure proposals go too far, too fast, says Transport Committee
UK: The House of Commons Transport Committee has written to Rail Minister Huw Merriman saying proposals to close station ticket offices ‘go too far and too fast’, and risk excluding travellers with access needs. The Committee says any proposed changes should be carefully piloted to understand ...
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Rail Business UKInterview: Rethinking ‘unusual and special’ CrossCountry
UK: CrossCountry’s National Rail Contract came into force on October 15, giving the business some medium-term certainty and Managing Director Tom Joyner a chance to reflect with Rail Business UK on its evolving role as a truly national train operator.
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Rail Business UKHS1 Ltd issues manifesto for rail growth
UK: Channel Tunnel to London high speed line concessionaire HS1 Ltd has published a nine-point manifesto setting out policy interventions that it says the next government needs to make ‘to ensure the UK’s rail system is fit for the future’. These are to: capitalise on the ...
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Rail Business UKViewpoint: ‘Provocative’ industrial relations measures put rail recovery at risk
The exclusion of striking workers from Network Rail’s bonus scheme and the introduction of the Minimum Service Levels Act are not going to have a positive impact on industrial relations in the rail industry, argues Stephen Morrall, Consultant at Hunters Law LLP.
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Rail Business UKRemaining phases of High Speed 2 cancelled
UK: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced the cancellation of the parts of the High Speed 2 rail programme not already under construction.
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Rail Business UKResponses to High Speed 2 cancellation
UK: Rail Business UK rounds up the key points from responses to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement of the cancellation of the next stages of the High Speed 2 project
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Rail Business UKPost-Covid rail sector must understand what it does best, says Haines
UK: ‘We in the rail sector must be objective and honest about what we are good at’, Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines told a conference in Birmingham on October 3, as he reflected on how the industry can plot its way through the uncertainty of the post-Covid period.
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Rail Business UKRail leaders court Labour as fears of ‘managed decline’ grow
UK: Amid mounting concern about potential cuts to rail provision, senior leaders in the passenger and freight markets have begun to engage more closely with the Labour Party ahead of a likely general election in 2024.
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Rail Business UKRail suppliers and unions call for clarity on High Speed 2
UK: Ahead of the Conservative party conference on October 1-4 the Railway Industry Association has set out ‘key asks’ to provided clarity on the future of the rail industry, while trade unions have called for a High Speed 2 project summit. Industry asks Supply industry association ...
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Rail Business UKTransport Committee sets out criteria for regulations on minimum service levels during rail strikes
UK: The House of Commons Transport Committee has published a report outlining what it says the government should include in future regulations requiring railway companies to provide minimum service levels during strikes. The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act became law earlier this year, but details of ...
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Rail Business UKUnion calls for train refurbishment contracts to be brought forward to safeguard jobs
UK: The Unite trade union has called on the government to bring forward rolling stock refurbishment contracts to secure jobs. The union said the order book at Alstom’s Derby factory dries up at the end of the year, while work on producing High Speed 2 trains ...
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Rail Business UKWest Midlands rail strategy revised
UK: Electrification, enhanced local rail services and the opening of more stations are envisaged in a revised long-term strategy published by the West Midlands Rail Executive on September 4.
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Rail Business UKMore than 680 000 responses to ticket office closure consultation
UK: More than 680 000 responses were submitted to the public consultation on proposals to close most station ticket offices in England. The deadline to submit comments to Transport Focus and London TravelWatch was 23.59 on September 1. The two watchdog bodies said responses from the public ...
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Rail Business UKRMT puts forward roadmap to end strikes
UK: The RMT trade union wrote to the Rail Delivery Group on August 26 proposing a road map to settle the long-running national dispute over proposed industry reform. However, RDG said the proposal was ’not a serious attempt to move forward’. In the letter, RMT General ...
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Rail Business UKMore than 460 000 responses to ticket office closure consultation
UK: With one week to go before the deadline for submissions to the consultation on plans to close the majority of station ticket offices in England, watchdog bodies Transport Focus and London TravelWatch report that they have already received more than 460 000 responses. ‘It’s clear ...
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Rail Business UK‘Worst case scenario’ put forward as ticket office closure consultation extended
UK: In what appears to be a rushed decision, the consultation period for passengers to give views on the proposed closure of ticket offices has been extended to September 1.