UK rail industry news – Page 45
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Rail Business UKFirstGroup plans London – Sheffield open access train service
UK: FirstGroup has announced plans to launch an open access passenger train service between London and Sheffield. The first phase of an application was submitted to industry regulator the Office of Rail & Road on January 5. Consultation will follow, along with discussions with Network Rail ...
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Rail Business UKDavid Brown takes over as Chair of the Rail Delivery Group
UK: David Brown, Managing Director for UK Trains at Arriva, has been appointed Chair of the Rail Delivery Group. He has been a RDG board member since 2020. ‘After unprecedented challenges in recent years, the railways can have a very bright future through meeting the needs ...
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Rail Business UKEurostar promotional fares advert deemed misleading
UK: The Advertising Standards Authority has told Eurostar that a significant proportion of seats must be available at the highlighted price when it uses ‘from’ prices in advertising. The ASA ruling on January 3 follows a complaint by someone who received a promotional e-mail in July ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.
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Rail Business UKRail fare increases confirmed
UK: The government has announced that the 2024 regulated fare cap for National Rail operators in England will be 4·9%. It has also said that fare changes will now take place in March each year. Meanwhile, Transport Scotland has announced that ScotRail fares will increase by ...
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Rail Business UKIndependent Rail Retailers Chair appointed
UK: Anthony Smith has been appointed as Chair of Independent Rail Retailers, the membership and lobbying group which represents third-party train ticket sellers. Smith was previously Chief Executive of Transport Focus and its predecessor bodies since 1999. He succeeds Alistair Lees, Managing Director of Assertis, as ...
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Rail Business UKConverting passenger information into sign language
UK: Signapse is aiming to improve access to real-time passenger information by using AI to translate messages at stations and on trains into British Sign Language. The specialist technology company is working with Network Rail, South Western Railway and Whoosh Media on the project, which has ...
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Rail Business UKTrain toilet servicing vehicle delivered
UK: Vogelsang has taken delivery of a Bradshaw PFB1500-1100 electric vehicle which will be used for servicing train controlled emission toilets. The company needed a vehicle which could carry its CET wastewater units while offering user-friendly operation, low noise and the ability to service several trains ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment will consider rail freight operators’ proposals for last-mile electrification
UK: The government will consider industry proposals for last-mile electrification into freight terminals which would enable operators to take advantage of existing and future main line electrification when procuring new locomotives, Rail Minister Huw Merriman has told Rail Business UK. Speaking at an event to announce ...
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Rail Business UKSoutheastern introduces digital season tickets
UK: Southeastern has introduce digital season tickets, branded sTickets, which passengers can buy through its website and app and store on their smartphone. Weekly, monthly, annual, flexi, custom period and child tickets are available for Southeastern routes, except where the ticket allows travel on Transport for ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.
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Rail Business UKRail freight sector responds to government’s 75% target for growth
UK: The rail industry has welcomed the government’s announcement of ‘a top-level ambition’ to grow freight tonne-km by at least 75% by 2050, but says more work is needed to identify actions implement this. The target announced by Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper on ...
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Rail Business UKCalls for Avanti West Coast review and first class declassification
UK: Transport for the North has written to the Secretary of State for Transport calling for a ‘critical review’ of the ‘deteriorating service being endured by passengers’ on Avanti West Coast, and also asking for first and standard premium accommodation to be declassified until performance reaches ...
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Rail Business UKDeliver gauge clearance in Kent to boost northern economy, urges Channel Tunnel operator
UK: The Channel Tunnel risks remaining ‘essentially inaccessible’ to rail freight without investment to enhance the loading gauge of the conventional main line through Kent, the CEO of Eurotunnel’s parent company Getlink has warned.
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Rail Business UKElectro-diesels switch modes on the move
UK: Greater Anglia’s 38 Stadler Class 755 regional electro-diesel multiple-units can now switch traction modes on the move, a design feature which they have not been able to exploit since their entry to traffic in mid-2019. The operator worked closely with Network Rail and industry partners ...
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Rail Business UKRichard Hines named next Chief Inspector of Railways
UK: Richard Hines is to succeed Ian Prosser as HM Chief Inspector of Railways in summer 2024, the Office of Rail & Road announced on December 18. Hines is currently a Deputy Chief Inspector, and heads ORR’s team of non-main line health and safety inspectors as ...
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Rail Business UKHow to explain signalling works to passengers
UK: Watchdog body Transport Focus has worked with Network Rail to understand how the signalling works which are being undertaken under the East Coast Digital Programme should be communicated to passengers over the coming months, as they will result in disruption to journeys. The research found ...
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Rail Business UKPlan to welcome open access back to Wrexham
UK: Plans have been drawn up to revive open access services between London, Shrewsbury and Wrexham under the WSMR brand, 13 years after a previous initiative ended. Tony Miles reports.
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Rail Business UKPlans for centralised Great British Railways ticket sales scrapped
UK: The government has dropped plans to create a centralised Great British Railways online rail ticket retailer, the Department for Transport has confirmed. The proposals were originally outlined by the in May 2021 as part of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail white paper. However, on December ...
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Rail Business UKScottish rail electrification framework procurement underway
UK: Network Rail has begun procurement for a framework contract covering the ‘efficient, consistent development, delivery, entry into service and handback’ of electrification to decarbonise rail operations in Scotland. This forms part of the Aberdeen Route Upgrade Electrification programme worth £250m-£300m and the £50m-£60m electrical safety ...













