UK rail industry news – Page 7
-
Rail Business UKWest Midlands Trains is facing unprecedented challenges, says Managing Director
UK: The last year has been one of ‘unprecedented challenges’, according to West Midlands Trains Managing Director Ian McConnell. Addressing the TOC’s annual stakeholder conference in Birmingham on October 10, he noted that the move to a National Rail Contract — where revenue risk rests with ...
-
Rail Business UK
Global Centre of Rail Excellence to hold ‘meet the buyer’ event
UK: The Global Centre of Rail Excellence is to hold a ‘meet the buyer’ event for potential suppliers in Cardiff on November 2, ahead of the award of contracts with an estimated value of £250m. Formal procurement is expected to get underway in early 2023. ‘We’re ...
-
Rail Business UK
UK railway news round-up
This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.
-
Rail Business UK
Rail pay and conditions are favourable against market comparators, study finds
UK: Pay and conditions in the rail industry are typically favourable when compared to market comparators, owing to working hours, defined benefit pension options and high levels of trade union membership, according to a report published by the Office of Rail & Road. ORR commissioned the ...
-
Rail Business UK
Varamis Rail aims to be ‘newest and greenest’ train operator with freight EMU lease
UK: Varamis Rail has leased a Class 321 Swift Express Freight electric multiple-unit from Eversholt Rail to operate five nights a week between Birmingham and Glasgow for a major parcel carrier. Varamis Rail Managing Director Phil Read said the company’s aim was to be ‘the UK’s ...
-
Rail Business UK
ORR finds Network Rail exceeded planned efficiency improvements
UK: Network Rail achieved £840m of efficiency improvements in 2021-22, ahead of the £830m target for the year, according to an annual assessment of its efficiency and wider financial performance published by the Office of Rail & Road. The infrastructure manager has delivered £1·9bn of efficiency ...
-
Rail Business UK
Scottish hydrogen train testing completed
UK: Testing of an electric multiple-unit retrofitted with hydrogen fuel cells has been completed under a project bringing together the University of St Andrews, Transport Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Ballard Motive Solutions, Abbott Risk Consulting, ARUP, Aegis and Angel Trains. The former Class 314 EMU has been ...
-
Rail Business UK
£80m Rawtenstall – Manchester rail link proposal submitted to government
UK: Rossendale Council has submitted proposals to the Department for Transport outlining a business case for development of a passenger service between Rawtenstall and Manchester which would run over the existing heritage East Lancashire Railway. The business case was compiled by consultancy Systra, and could require ...
-
Rail Business UK
Avanti West Coast contract extended pending decisions on the longer term
UK: The current West Coast Partnership contractual arrangements for Avanti West Coast to operate inter-city passenger services on the West Coast Main Line and act as shadow operator for High Speed 2 have been extended until the end of March 2023. The AWC joint venture of ...
-
Rail Business UK
Long Weekender ticket aims to shift leisure travel to Mondays
UK: With changing travel patterns meaning Sunday trains are now particularly busy, Great Western Railway has introduced a Long Weekender ticket which allows departure at any time on a Friday or Saturday and return at any time on a Monday, with savings of more than 60% ...
-
Rail Business UK
UK railway news round-up
This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.
-
Rail Business UK
Serco’s Caledonian Sleeper contract to end in June 2023
UK: Serco’s contract to operate Caledonian Sleeper night train services between London and Scotland is to end in June 2023, after its proposal for a financial rebase of the agreement was rejected by the Scottish government as ’not representing value for money to the public’. In ...
-
Rail Business UK
Test centre acquires former Heathrow Connect EMUs
UK: The Global Centre of Rail Excellence has acquired three Class 360/2 EMUs which will be made available for testing ETCS, novel train control, traction systems and other innovations at the test centre which is being developed in South Wales. The 25 kV 50 Hz EMUs ...
-
Rail Business UK
Grimshaw commissioned to produce London Waterloo station masterplan
UK: Lambeth Council has commissioned architecture practice Grimshaw to develop a Waterloo Station Masterplan covering the station as well as the wider neighbourhood. The project is supported by Network Rail, South Bank BID, South Bank Employers’ Group, We Are Waterloo BID, HB Reavis, Bourne Capital, SB ...
-
Rail Business UK
Regulator asks for views on next periodic review of HS1 Ltd
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has launched a consultation asking stakeholders to provide views on the processes and approach to the next periodic review of high speed line concessionaire HS1 Ltd. ORR is required by law to approve HS1 Ltd’s plans and charges for ...
-
Rail Business UK
RENFE looks at entering UK rail market through open access partnership
UK: Managing Director Ian Yeowart tells Rail Business UK about Grand Union Trains’ latest plan to launch a London – Carmarthen service in partnership with a Spanish investor and national operator RENFE.
-
Rail Business UK
UK railway news round-up
This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.
-
Rail Business UK
Southeastern scraps first class in timetable revision to meet changed demand
UK: Southeastern has announced that it is to abolish first class travel with effect from December 11 2022, as part of timetable changes which aim to provide a ‘simpler, more reliable’ service and reflect the way people now travel following the pandemic. First class seating is ...
-
Rail Business UK
Rail projects included in Treasury’s list of schemes for acceleration
UK: HM Treasury has published a Growth Plan listing rail, light rail and other infrastructure projects which are to be be ‘accelerated as fast as possible, aiming to get the vast majority starting construction by the end of 2023.’ Rail projects listed are: Cambridge South ...
-
Rail Business UK
Chiltern seeks proposals for battery train fleet
UK: Chiltern Railways is seeking proposals for the supply of battery electric multiple-units. The Arriva-owned operator is undertaking an assessment of its rolling stock strategy and in particular how it can achieve non-diesel operation on its routes, which are currently worked using diesel multiple-units and locomotives. ...
