All UK policy articles – Page 6
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Rail Business UKBill to take passenger train operations into the public sector makes progress
UK: The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill received its third reading in the House of Commons on September 3, as the first major piece of legislation to pass through the Commons under the recently-elected Labour government. The bill would end the award of passenger train ...
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Rail Business UKTrack access charge waiver aims to attract new freight to rail
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail is to waive track access charges for new flows in an effort to encourage new freight traffic to rail.
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Rail Business UKDouble rail’s modal share in a decade, urges Labour transport review
UK: The Rail & Urban Transport Review led by former Siemens UK CEO Jürgen Maier has published a report into at how rail infrastructure could be delivered ‘better, faster and more cost effectively’.
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Rail Business UKWelsh government sets out rail reform priorities
UK: The Welsh government’s priorities for rail reform have been discussed in a meeting between Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Transport & North Wales Ken Skates and UK government Rail Minister Lord Hendy. Priorities include: developing a ‘locally driven and empowered’ business unit for Great British ...
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Rail Business UKViewpoint: the fare evasion prosecution scandal explained
UK: Nathan Seymour-Hyde, Partner and Solicitor at Reeds Solicitors, explains how train operators misused the Single Justice Procedure and why up to 75 000 convictions for fare evasion offences have now been quashed.
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Rail Business UKInterview: Chiltern Railways is ‘focused on what we can control’
UK: As the rail sector braces itself for major institutional change, Chiltern Railways Managing Director Richard Allan is keen to deliver tangible improvements now. Key investment priorities include decarbonising its rolling stock fleet. Tony Miles posed the questions.
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Rail Business UKRail unions welcome imminent repeal of Minimum Service Levels legislation
UK: The railway unions have welcomed the government’s announcement that it is to repeal the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 as part of its upcoming Employment Rights Bill. The previous government brought in the legislation in an effort to ensure that a minimum level of ...
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Rail Business UKCouncil remains ‘absolutely committed’ to Portishead railway reopening
UK: North Somerset Council says it remains committed to reopening the Portishead to Bristol line, despite the government’s cancellation of the Restoring Your Railway programme. Rail schemes within the programme will now be subject to review by the Secretary of State for Transport. In early 2023 ...
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Rail Business UKDfT projects review commissioned and Restoring Your Railway Fund scrapped
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh has commissioned an internal review of the Department for Transport’s capital spend portfolio, following Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ July 29 statement in the House of Commons about unfunded public spending.
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Rail Business UKCall to retain cash payment at stations
UK: Great British Railways must retain cash payment options, watchdog Transport Focus has said, because some passengers in the most deprived areas could be disadvantaged if they had to use other payment methods. In its Is Cash Still Important On Today’s Railway? report, Transport Focus says ...
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Rail Business UKCancellation of HS2 Phase 2 may force demand management on trains north of Birmingham, NAO says
UK: The cancellation of Phase 2 of High Speed 2 means the programme will now not address the capacity issues on the West Coast Main Line north of Birmingham, according to the National Audit Office. The NAO warns that improving existing infrastructure may be expensive and ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment introduces bill to take passenger train operations into the public sector
UK: The legislation envisages that the direct award of a contract to a public sector operator would become the default, rather than a last resort.
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Rail Business UKNationalisation, Great British Railways and devolution plans included in King’s Speech
UK: A package of rail reforms including taking the remaining private train operators into state ownership was unveiled at the state opening of parliament on July 17.
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Rail Business UKBurnham bullish on Liverpool – Manchester fast line prospects
UK: Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham remains confident that funding remains available for the development of a new Liverpool – Manchester railway serving Manchester Airport and a new underground station in Manchester following the recent change of government. ‘As far as I know there’s no ...
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Rail Business UKRail and tram-train in Manchester’s Bee Network expansion plans
UK: Local rail services around Manchester are to be brought into the region’s expanding Bee Network by 2028 as part of a public transport development strategy unveiled by Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham on July 10.
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Rail Business UKRail sector responds to Labour general election win
UK: Organisations from across the rail sector have responded to the outcome of the July 4 general election, which saw a landslide victory for the opposition Labour over the previous Conservative government.
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Rail Business UKRail industry leaders urge next government to resolve Sunday working conundrum
UK: Delivering a ‘seven day railway’ must be a priority for the next government, industry leaders have told Rail Business UK following a surge in Sunday cancellations caused by crew shortages.
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Rail Business UKRailway Industry Association welcomes rail’s presence in election manifestos
UK: ‘It is good to see rail featuring strongly within the political party election manifesto plans this week’, commented Railway Industry Association Chief Executive Darren Caplan on June 14 after the main political parties had published their policy documents. ‘This prominence reflects the importance of UK ...
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Rail Business UK‘Delivered by Rail Freight’ campaign highlights how everyone benefits
UK: The Rail Freight Group has launched a ‘Delivered by Rail Freight’ campaign emphasising the sector’s critical role in transporting essential goods. RFG is calling on the next government to make a number of targeted interventions, explaining that funding the electrification of 100 km of connecting ...
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Rail Business UKRMT backs Labour win but says ‘no blank cheques’
UK: The National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers has given qualified backing to Labour ahead of the general election on July 4. RMT issued a statement on June 5 saying the Labour party supports ‘public ownership and reintegration of large parts of the railway’, ...