All articles by Rail Business UK – Page 135
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Rail Business UKRail data action plan aims to help tech companies
UK: A Joint Rail Data Action Plan was published by the Department for Transport and the Rail Delivery Group on August 8, setting out proposals for train operators to provide more real-time information which would help technology companies develop intelligent travel apps. ‘This will speed the development of travel apps ...
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Rail Business UKArtificial intelligence to analyse rolling stock data
UK: Leasing company Porterbrook has announced a partnership with data science and cloud architecture consultancy Elastacloud, saying the two companies had identified ‘at least 30’ key performance indicators across the rolling stock sector that might be improved through AI. ‘Our industry produces large volumes of data that we all too ...
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Rail Business UKKnorr-Bremse to sell UK rail services businesses
UK: Knorr-Bremse has signed an agreement to sell its Knorr-Bremse RailServices (UK) Ltd rolling stock maintenance and overhaul businesses and consultancy and project management company Kiepe Electric Ltd (UK) to Mutares. The transaction is expected to close by autumn 2018. The sale announced on August 6 will be the first ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
Electric services began running to Bromsgrove on July 29, when West Midlands Railway’s Cross City services were extended to the station. This follows a £100m project to upgrade track and signalling and install 25 kV 50 Hz electrification between Barnt Green and Bromsgrove. In a ruling issued on August 1, ...
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Rail Business UKSouthampton – London open access proposal rejected
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has rejected Alliance Rail Holdings’ application for track access rights which would enable it to launch an open access passenger service between London Waterloo and Southampton Central. Arriva subsidiary Alliance had applied to operate nine trains each way per day under the Grand ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail announces mobile ticketing pilot
UK: ScotRail is to launch a mobile ticketing pilot scheme which will enable passengers to buy, store and use tickets directly from a smartphone app, removing the need for paper tickets or smart cards. Developed by the Nevis Technologies joint venture of transport authority Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and payment ...
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Rail Business UKORR requires four actions following Network Rail timetabling failures
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has required that Network Rail immediately take four actions to improve its timetable planning, after an investigation by the regulator found systemic failings. There are two annual timetable changes, in May and December. The May 2018 change included the biggest service revisions in ...
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Rail Business UKEast West Rail Phase 2 legal powers sought
UK: Network Rail has submitted an application for the legal powers which would enable it to go ahead with the second phase of the East West Rail project to reinstate a rail corridor between Oxford, Bicester, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. Phase 1 between Oxford and Bicester was completed in ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
ScotRail’s 70 Hitachi Class 385 EMUs began entering passenger service on July 24, initially being deployed on the route from Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley via Falkirk High. Sir Mark Worthington has been appointed as independent HS2 Construction Commissioner, responsible for mediating in unresolved disputes, monitoring complaints and providing ...
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Rail Business UKFliteTrak expands onboard monitoring capabilities
MONITORING: FliteTrak has launched the next generation of its ViatorRail intelligent remote monitoring system, which is being used by a UK passenger operator to assess engine temperatures and performance and see train movements in real time. The latest upgrade adds the capability to monitor vibration, shock, voltage, current and pressure. ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
Following a competitive procurement on behalf of train operators and Network Rail, the Rail Delivery Group has appointed Dispute Resolution Ombudsman to establish the first rail ombudsman to rule on passenger complaints. The free service will launch in November. ‘With our legal foundation and decades of experience providing alternative dispute ...
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Rail Business UKTrans-Pennine upgrade will include electrification, Grayling confirms
UK: The planned Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade will include electrification, Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling has confirmed. In a letter to the Railway Industry Association dated July 12, Grayling said the upgrade of the route between Manchester and York would include ‘both major civil engineering projects and electrification’, and ...
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Rail Business UKUpgraded capacity indicators for road-rail vehicles
ROAD-RAIL: Pro Rail Services has taken delivery of four Doosan DX140 Parallel offset road-rail excavators fitted with the latest version of GKD’s 3RCi+ capacity indicator. The indicators include slew and height limits with ‘virtual walls’. There is selective intelligent hydraulic motion cut of any boom or slew function at the ...
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Rail Business UKORR welcomes Siemens-Alstom merger investigation
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has welcomed the European Commission’s decision to open an in-depth investigation into the proposed merger of Siemens and Alstom. The UK rail regulator is concerned that the proposed merger ‘will significantly reduce competition, leading to increased costs in Britain’s railway signalling and rolling ...
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Rail Business UKReview of Network Rail’s tree management launched
UK: Terms of reference for a review of how Network Rail can best ensure the safety of railway operations while also protecting wildlife and preserving trees were published by the Department for Transport on July 12. There are estimated to be more than 10 million trees within 60 m of ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
The National Infrastructure Commission published its first quinquennial National Infrastructure Assessment on July 10, making recommendations for meeting long term needs up to 2050. Transport recommendations include a call for a greater focus on cities, with devolution of powers and budgets. On July 9 the Rail Delivery Group announced that ...
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Rail Business UKInvestor sees 'interesting opportunity' in rail revenue technology
SEATFROG: Venture capital investor Octopus Ventures has led a £4·5m Series A funding round at Seatfrog, which has developed mobile auction technology enabling passengers to upgrade train and airline seats until the time of departure. Existing investors including Howzat Partners also participated. Octopus Ventures partner Luke Hakes will join the ...
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Rail Business UKInnovation Centre supports evolution from ‘find & fix’ to ‘predict & prevent’
UK: ‘It is about developing the means to operate a railway in a more effective and safer way’, said Mark Bullock, Balfour Beatty CEO for Rail & Utilities, when he welcomed guests from the rail industry and academia to the company’s Rail Innovation Centre on June 28. The 450 m2 ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
The government announced on July 4 that the High Speed 2 Phase 2b eastern leg rolling stock depot would be close to Junction 45 of the M1 motorway in the Aire Valley to the east of Leeds, rather than at Crofton near Wakefield as previously proposed. Greater Anglia has ...
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Rail Business UKCAF joins HS2 shortlist as train building market consolidates
UK: High Speed 2 project promoter HS2 Ltd has invited CAF to join the list of suppliers shortlisted to bid for the contract to supply at least 54 trainsets. HS2 Ltd took the decision in response to consolidation in the global rolling stock supply market, and the decision of Bombardier ...