All UK policy articles – Page 8
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Metro Report InternationalStill no long-term funding deal for Transport for London
UK: Transport for London’s current extraordinary funding agreement with the Department for Transport has been extended to July 13. The extension was announced in the late afternoon of June 24, hours before the agreement in place since February 26 was about to expire; this was the ...
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In depthInterview: ‘Give us the infrastructure and we will invest to grow’
UK: Despite the challenges of the pandemic, private operator GB Railfreight is investing for growth amid a strong recovery. But as CEO John Smith tells Tony Miles, more needs to be done by policymakers to ensure the company’s two decades of expansion can continue unabated.
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Rail Business UKGovernment consults on rail reform legislative changes
UK: The government has begun consultation on the legislative changes required to implement the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail. This includes the creation of Great British Railways, a new governance framework, and reform of wider industry structures and processes. The consultation opened on June 9 and closes ...
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Rail Business UKUK: Chiltern Railways looks beyond a short-term recovery
Extensively modernised around three decades ago, the Chiltern network is now the last purely diesel-operated route out of London, and despite enhancements it will soon be in need of significant renewals. Chiltern Railways Managing Director Richard Allan discusses the prospects with Tony Miles.
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Rail Business UKRail sector responds to announcement of RMT strike dates
UK: The RMT union has announced that more than 50 000 railway workers will strike on three days in June, in what it says will be the biggest dispute on the network since 1989. There will be strikes at Network Rail and 13 train operating companies ...
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Rail Business UKDigital twin of Bristol Temple Meads helps to assess air quality improvement measures
UK: Real-time air quality sensors and a digital twin of Bristol Temple Meads have been used to investigate potential measures to improve station air quality.
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Rail Business UKScotland: Setting priorities for a new era
The return of passenger services to public control, along with government targets for decarbonisation and freight modal shift, promise a positive future for Scotland’s rail network. Tony Miles talks to Transport Scotland and Scotland’s Railway about the benefits and challenges of renationalisation.
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Rail Business UKBurnham and Rotheram call for more control of rail
UK: Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and his Liverpool City Region counterpart Steve Rotheram called for more investment in public transport and greater devolution of budgets and control at a meeting held in Manchester on May 12 as part of the ASLEF trade union’s Invest ...
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Rail Business UKRail industry responds to the Queen’s Speech
UK: ‘Her Majesty’s Government will improve transport across the United Kingdom, delivering safer, cleaner services and enabling more innovation. Legislation will be introduced to modernise rail services and improve reliability for passengers’, Prince Charles said when reading the Queen’s Speech in place of his mother at ...
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Rail Business UKTUC calls for in-sourcing of renewals and end to funding cuts
UK: The Trades Union Congress published its report The Future Of Rail Funding In The UK on May 4. This calls for ministers to stop Network Rail cuts which it says could cost 2 500 jobs; for renewals to be brought in-house — which it estimates ...
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Rail Business UKStrikes will not undermine industry reform programme, says Hendy
UK: The industry will not back away from its modernisation and cost reduction drive despite the threat of strike action this summer, Network Rail Chair Sir Peter Hendy told the Railway Industry Association Innovation Conference in Nottingham on April 27. More than 40 000 RMT members ...
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Rail Business UKWilliams sees ‘vast opportunities’ for the private sector under Great British Railways
UK: There will be ‘vast opportunities’ for the private sector to shape the rail sector as the development of Great British Railways gathers pace, Keith Williams, author of the Williams-Shapps Review into rail reform, told the Railway Industry Association’s Innovation Conference. GBR is being established ‘as ...
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Rail Business UKMidlands Connect launches ‘Fairer, Greener, Stronger’ plan for the region’s transport
UK: More rail capacity and new services are envisaged in the Midlands Connect strategic transport plan for the region, which was launched at the organisation’s annual conference in Birmingham on April 4. Branded Fairer, Greener, Stronger, the plan lays out the key challenges facing transport in ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail transfers to public ownership
UK: ScotRail transferred to public ownership on April 1, with the 04.56 Inverness – Edinburgh train being the first service operated by ScotRail Trains Ltd, an arm’s length company owned and controlled by the Scottish government. The Scottish government had decided it would not to award ...
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Metro Report InternationalTransport for London considers government funding proposal
UK:·Transport for London has asked for time to consider a funding deal proposed by the government, Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said on February 21. ‘We have provided TfL with a deal that both supports London’s transport network and is fair to taxpayers across ...
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Rail Business UKConsultation soon on Great British Railways legislation
UK: The Department for Transport is expected to begin formal consultation later this month on the draft legislation required to establish Great British Railways, with a view to having the new organisation operational before the end of 2023. As part of the Rail Transformation Plan process ...
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Metro Report InternationalTransport for London gets another short-term funding extension
UK: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for ‘good faith’ negotiations on a long-term funding deal for Transport for London after the government agreed a two-week extension of the current funding settlement on the day the previous agreement expired. Funding is now in place from ...
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Rail Business UK‘Levelling up’ white paper promises more local involvement in rail
UK: Great British Railways will offer local leaders a greater say in their area’s rail services, according to the Levelling Up the United Kingdom white paper published on February 2. The government anticipated that ‘by 2030, local public transport connectivity across the country will be significantly ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment told HS2 Eastern Leg alternatives 'struggle to meet' strategic objectives
UK: A report prepared by Mott MacDonald outlining strategic alternatives to the Eastern Leg of Phase 2b of High Speed 2, suggests that none of the options considered were likely to deliver the same strategic benefits as the proposed high speed line, although they would reduce the capital expenditure.
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Rail Business UKRail industry responds to 3·8% fare increase
UK: The government has confirmed that regulated rail fares in England will increase by 3·8% in March, in line with the July 2021 Retail Price Index measure of inflation. Until the pandemic, fares had been raised in January each year by 1% above the previous July’s ...