All articles by Rail Business UK – Page 127
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
The West Midlands Rail Executive group of 16 local authorities published its Rail Investment Strategy on January 15, setting out short, medium and long-term ambitions for the next 30 years. These include investment of £1bn in cross-Birmingham connectivity, Sunday and evening services, new Camp Hill and Walsall - Wolverhampton services, ...
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Rail Business UKEurotunnel calls for clarity on post-Brexit border
EUROPE: Channel Tunnel concessionaire Eurotunnel has called on political leaders to clarify ‘as soon as possible’ the nature of the border relationship and controls that will exist following the UK’s expected departure from the EU, which is currently set to occur on March 29. Eurotunnel’s call came immediately after a ...
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Rail Business UKWheelchair ramp on test
UK: Greater Anglia has worked with design consultancy Trainways and manufacturer Portaramp to test a prototype wheelchair ramp, ahead of the entry into service of its new fleets of Bombardier Transportation and Stadler trainsets. Testing included consultation with people with assistance animals to ensure the ramp meets a range of ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
Planning permission has been granted for the construction of a station at Horden on the Durham Coast line near Peterlee, with work expected to begin shortly for opening in spring 2020. The station will have two 100 m platforms, an accessible footbridge, shelters, a 136-space car park, bus stops, a ...
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Rail Business UKElectro-diesel multiple-units ordered for postal services
UK: Leasing company Porterbrook is to supply Rail Operations Group with two Flex electro-diesel multiple-units equipped to carry postal and other just-in-time light freight traffic. Delivery is planned for early 2020. The trains are to be rebuilt from Class 319 EMUs formerly used on Thameslink passenger services, and will be ...
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Rail Business UKBreeze UK hydrogen multiple-unit proposal unveiled
UK: Alstom and leasing company Eversholt Rail have unveiled their ‘Breeze’ proposal to convert surplus Class 321 electric multiple-units to hydrogen power. The 25 kV 50 Hz Class 321 EMUs which were built by BREL in 1998-90 are scheduled to be withdrawn by the end of this year. Greater ...
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Rail Business UK21st Rail Business Awards to celebrate industry successes
UK: The rail industry is gearing up for the 21st Rail Business Awards at the London Hilton on Park Lane on February 21 2019, the first chance to reflect on the successes of 2018 and celebrate excellence across all aspects of Britain’s railways. Widely considered to be one of the ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
The Department for Transport has extended Govia's Southeastern franchise by 12 weeks from April 1 to June 22. The franchise was directly awarded in 2014, and is due to be replaced by a new competitively awarded franchise which is now expected to commence on June 23. On December 21 ...
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Rail Business UKImproved passenger information
UK: West Midlands Trains is to equip 50 Siemens Class 350 Desiro EMUs with real-time passenger information systems developed by KeTech and Axion, which will include 22 inch screens. Deployment is planned between May 2019 and May 2020. ‘This new system will be a great improvement on what our customers ...
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Rail Business UKEviFile speeds Great Western electrification data capture
DATA CAPTURE: Contractor Balfour Beatty has been using a secure data collection platform from Leeds-based EviFile as part of its work to install 25 kV 50 Hz electrification between Bristol and Cardiff. The contractor deployed a customised version of eviFile’s digital progressive assurance methodology to replace a paper-based approach. This ...
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Rail Business UKNon-PVC wrap for Welsh DMUs
LIVERY: Two Class 175 and two Class 143 diesel multiple-units operated by KeolisAmey on the Wales & Borders franchise have become the first trainsets to be wrapped with non-PVC Envision Print Wrap LX480mC wrap supplied by 3M and Aura Graphics. 3M Scotchgard 8993 glossy overlaminate and anti-graffiti wrap 8588G provide ...
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Rail Business UKFreightliner awarded Mendip Rail contract
UK: The Mendip Rail joint venture of aggregate and cement producers Hanson Aggregates and Aggregate Industries has awarded Freightliner a long-term contract to haul an expected eight million tonnes of aggregate a year from quarries in Somerset to terminals in London and the southeast of England. The current contract is ...
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Rail Business UKRENFE joins MTR’s West Coast Partnership bid team
UK: MTR Corp announced on December 20 that Spanish national operator RENFE had joined its bid for the West Coast Partnership franchise. The Department for Transport invited three shortlisted bidders to tender for WCP in March this year. The contract will cover operation of inter-city services on the West Coast ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
Virgin Trains has completed the roll-out of Avocet hand-held ticketing issuing machines supplied by The Ticket Keeper. These will be able to issue digital tickets to a mobile device, reducing paper usage. ‘Avocet is giving us flexibility‘, said Nick Dodd, Director of digital projects at Virgin Trains. ‘Our people can ...
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Rail Business UKRail section of China to UK service extended
INTERNATIONAL: Freight forwarding company Davies Turner has extended the rail element of its Express China Rail less-than-container-load service linking Wuhan in China with the UK. Containers were previously transferred from rail to road in Warszawa, but now continue to Duisburg, from where they are sent by road under bond to ...
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Rail Business UKRail Sector Deal aims to boost supply chain
UK: The government has announced details of its Rail Sector Deal, which is intended to improve engagement with the supply chain so that companies better understand future demand and can invest with more confidence. Plans include ‘significantly’ reducing digital signalling costs by 2025, doubling rail exports by 2025, supporting apprenticeships, ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
On December 7 the Office of Rail & Road published its recommendations for preventing a repeat of the May 2018 timetable failure, alongside a draft final order requiring Network Rail to improve its timetabling process. Recommendations include clearer scope for industry boards to oversee major network change; independent, system-wide advice ...
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Rail Business UKTranslink orders more CAF DMU cars
UK: Northern Ireland transport operator Translink has ordered a further 21 diesel multiple-unit cars from CAF to cope with increasing ridership on the Northern Ireland Railways network. Funded by £50m from the Department of Infrastructure, the intermediate vehicles have been ordered as an option on the contract under which CAF ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
The parliamentary Transport Select Committee issued its formal report on December 4 examining the widespread disruption experienced across the network after the May 2018 timetable change. The committee makes a series of recommendations, including the ‘immediate priority’ of establishing national oversight for upcoming timetable changes with independent oversight of the ...
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Rail Business UKOyster and contactless payment to be extended further outside London
UK: Acceptance of Oyster and contactless payment is to be extended to Hertford North and Epsom next year, Rail Minister Andrew Jones announced on November 30. Ticket barriers will be modified to accept Oyster and contactless cards at Epsom, Cuffley, Bayford and Hertford North early next year. Stations up ...