UK rail industry news – Page 4

  • Palace of Westminster clock tower
    Rail Business UK

    Rail sector responds to the Spring Budget

    2024-03-06T17:02:00Z

    UK: The rail sector has responded to he spring budget presented by Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt on March 6. Rail Partners Chief Executive Andy Bagnall said ‘Britain has a legally binding target to meet net zero by 2050, and the budget today does nothing ...

  • GTR TSGN passengers at Brighton
    Rail Business UK

    Rail Delivery Group completes jump to HOPS

    2024-03-06T14:11:00Z

    UK: The Rail Delivery Group has completed migration of smart ticketing back office services to a cloud-based Host or Operator Processing System which replaces the need for every train operator to run its own server. The centralised HOPS supplied by Unicard replaces 16 individual back offices. This ...

  • Northern train PRM area
    Rail Business UK

    Rail regulator identifies how assistance for disabled passengers needs to improve

    2024-03-06T11:00:00Z

    UK: The Office of Rail & Road has identified ways in which the provision of assistance for disabled passengers needs to be improved, following audits of how five operators are meeting regulatory requirements. ORR chose East Midlands Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway, Greater Anglia, LNER and Northern ...

  • Southern Class 171 DMU
    Rail Business UK

    Third rail or batteries could replace Southern diesel trains

    2024-03-06T04:00:00Z

    UK: Govia Thameslink Railway is unable to commit to decarbonisation of its operations unless Network Rail and the Department for Transport agree to fund and implement alternatives to diesel operation on the un-electrified Ashford – Hastings and Hurst Green – Uckfield lines, the operator says in its ...

  • Manchester Metrolink
    Rail Business UK

    English public transport in a ‘precarious position’ says UTG

    2024-03-05T04:00:00Z

    UK: Public transport in English city regions is in a ‘precarious position’, the Urban Transport Group said when it published its Inside Track: The state of transport 2024 report into trends over the last decade. The number of trips made per person in 2022 was 862, ...

  • Jeremy Hunt at Siemens Chippenham event
    Rail Business UK

    ‘A day for the history books’ as Siemens to relocate Chippenham signalling factory

    2024-03-04T15:47:00Z

    UK: Siemens Mobility has announced plans to relocate its existing rail control and signalling factory in Chippenham to a newly built site on the edge of the town by the end of 2026. The move was announced on March 4 at a ceremony in the factory ...

  • London Underground gateline contactless payment (Photo Transport for London)
    Rail Business UK

    London trial of all-day Friday off-peak fares agreed

    2024-03-04T11:00:00Z

    UK: Agreement has been reached to trial all-day off-peak rail and Underground fares in London on Fridays from March 8 until May 31. The aim of the trial is to help Transport for London and train operators understand the impact of lower fares on ridership and ...

  • Keadby sliding bridge work (Photo Network Rail)
    Rail Business UK

    Renewals at Network Rail’s only sliding bridge

    2024-03-01T11:00:00Z

    UK: Network Rail has completed a nine-day programme of engineering work at its only sliding bridge, which carries the route from Scunthorpe to Doncaster over the Stainforth & Keadby canal and moves to let boats through. The project completed on February 26 included track renewals and ...

  • West Midlands Railway Birmingham Moor Street DMU (Photo Tony Miles)
    Rail Business UK

    Midlands Rail Hub planning funding confirmed

    2024-02-29T10:00:00Z

    UK: The government has confirmed an initial £123m of funding for the £1·75bn Midlands Rail Hub programme to enhance east-west connections in the Midlands.

  • Calvert IMD aerial view
    Rail Business UK

    UK railway news round-up

    2024-02-29T04:00:00Z

    This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.

  • Lumo at London King's Cross (Photo Lumo)
    Rail Business UK

    Lumo plans to extend open access services to Glasgow

    2024-02-28T13:00:00Z

    UK: Open access train operator Lumo is has announced plans to extend some of its London – Edinburgh services to Glasgow. The FirstGroup-owned company is working with Transport Scotland and infrastructure manager Network Rail to agree final route options and timings ahead of an application for ...

  • Palace of Westminster clock tower
    Rail Business UK

    Transport Committee invites feedback on draft rail reform bill

    2024-02-28T10:00:00Z

    Source: Mary R Smith/Pixabay UK: The House of Commons Transport Select Committee has launched its pre-legislative scrutiny of the government’s draft Rail Reform Bill, inviting experts to share their views. The Committee will examine the draft bill’s proposals and make recommendations to the government on how ...

  • BSL station annoucement at Weeton (Photo Northern)
    Rail Business UK

    Northern uses AI to trial British Sign Language announcements

    2024-02-28T04:00:00Z

    UK: Train operator Northern is working with InfoTec and Signapse to test the use of AI to provide onboard announcements in British Sign Language. The software combines individual words signed by a BSL interpreter to display complete sentences on the information screens. The initial trials involve ...

  • Passengers at London Euston station walking up the ramp from platforms to the concourse (Photo Network Rail)
    Rail Business UK

    Rail demand to exceed capacity under any scenario, says Steer

    2024-02-27T04:00:00Z

    UK: Rail passenger numbers will grow steadily even under the most pessimistic scenarios and could double by 2050, according to research undertaken by consultancy Steer for the Railway Industry Association. Passenger volumes could grow between at least 37% and nearly 100% up to 2050, when compared ...

  • Rishi Sunak on a train
    Rail Business UK

    High Speed 2 funding ‘reallocated’ to roads

    2024-02-26T16:18:00Z

    UK: The government has announced a £4·7bn Local Transport Fund to support projects in smaller cities, towns and rural areas England’s north and Midlands using what it describes as ‘reallocated HS2 funding’. The fund is for communities which do not benefit from City Region Sustainable Transport ...

  • Rail Business Awards 2024---03750
    Rail Business UK

    Excellence recognised as Rail Business Awards come to Manchester

    2024-02-23T13:41:00Z

    UK: Four awards related to modernisation of the Tyne & Wear Metro and recognition of the success of the Elizabeth Line in London were highlights of the 26th Rail Business Awards, held for the first time in Manchester on February 22.

  • Steve Murphy
    Rail Business UK

    Steve Murphy to leave MTR UK

    2024-02-23T10:45:00Z

    UK: MTR UK Chief Executive Steve Murphy is to leave ‘to pursue other career goals’, Hong Kong-based transport group MTR Corp announced on February 23. Murphy’s last working day will be March 29. The process of appointing a new CEO has begun, and the MTR Elizabeth ...

  • tickets
    Rail Business UK

    Business travel technology partnership

    2024-02-23T04:00:00Z

    UK: Ticket agent International Rail is to partner with the Business Travel Association to look at ‘the simplest, most efficient and most cost-effective ways’ to use technology to meet rail travel needs. ‘As travel becomes increasingly reliant on technology, International Rail’s expertise and our extensive base ...

  • TRIA (Group L)
    Rail Business UK

    Rail training academy to develop local skills

    2024-02-22T11:00:00Z

    UK: The Transport, Rail & Infrastructure Academy developed by City of Wolverhampton College and National Infrastructure Solutions was officially opened by Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street on February 20. The academy at the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation’s Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre ...

  • New cleaning walkways at Grove Park (Photo Southeastern)
    Rail Business UK

    UK railway news round-up

    2024-02-22T04:00:00Z

    This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.