All articles by Rail Business UK – Page 50
-
Rail Business UKNorthern mayors shift rail disruption blame from operators to ministers
UK: The Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region mayors have moved away from directly blaming train operators for the ongoing disruption to services in the northwest of England, instead saying the Department for Transport’s tight control of finances is preventing deals between operators and their staff. ...
-
Rail Business UKSupporting military leavers in the rail industry
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway has signed the Armed Forces Covenant, aiming to help ex-military personnel move into the rail industry and ensure fair treatment in the workplace. GTR said veterans and reservists bring a variety of transferable skills to the civilian workplace. The company has ex-Forces ...
-
Rail Business UKRail unions declare opposition to bill which would require minimum services during strikes
UK: Due to have its first reading on October 20, the Transport Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill through which the government aims to ensure a minimum level of service is provided during industrial action has attracted criticism ranging from a free-market think tank to the Trades ...
-
Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.
-
Rail Business UKRail reform legislation delay confirmed
UK: Delays to the legislation needed to enact reform of the rail sector including the creation of Great British Railways have been confirmed.
-
Rail Business UKElectrostar services contract awarded
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway has awarded Alstom a £256m Technical Support & Spares Supply Agreement covering the 1 210 cars in its Class 377 and 387 Electrostar EMU fleets. Alstom and before that Bombardier Transportation have supported the fleets since they were delivered. The latest TSSSA ...
-
Rail Business UKWagon maintenance contract awarded
UK: Leasing company Touax has awarded Mandy Rail a long-term contract maintain wagons, including vehicles leased by GB Railfreight and DB Cargo. Mandy Rail was co-founded by joint managing directors Mark Hedley and Andy Hird in 2019. ‘Contracts such as this bring continued stability and allow ...
-
Rail Business UKCAF Class 196 enters service with West Midlands Trains
UK: The first of 26 CAF Class 196 diesel multiple-units ordered by West Midlands Trains has entered service.
-
Rail Business UKTransport for London leadership appointments
UK: Transport for London has announced senior leadership appointments with effect from this month. On Commissioner Andy Byford’s departure, Andy Lord will become Commissioner on an interim basis from October 25, with TfL’s current Director of Network Management & Resilience Glynn Barton becoming interim Chief Operating ...
-
Rail Business UKDigital printing used for train seat promotion
UK: TransPennine Express has used Camira’s digital printing process for a campaign to promote a good cause through graphics on some of its train seats. The textile manufacturer’s digital printing offering can quickly and flexibly produce small volumes of material with complex colour schemes, making it ...
-
Rail Business UKClass 395 refurbishment to provide a ‘step change in the passenger experience’
UK: An agreement to refurbish the fleet of 29 six-car Class 395 electric multiple-units used on services from London St Pancras to Kent has been signed by leasing company Eversholt Rail, operator Southeastern and manufacturer Hitachi Rail. The £27m programme to provide a ‘step change in ...
-
Rail Business UKLong welded rail train reactivated for East West Rail tracklaying
UK: The East West Rail Alliance has brought Network Rail’s long welded rail train out of retirement for use on Phase Two of the project between Bicester, Bletchley and Milton Keynes. The alliance of Atkins, Laing O’Rourke, VolkerRail and Network Rail said the LWRT is ‘a ...
-
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 UKGlobal 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 UKUK railway news round-up
This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry.
-
Rail Business UKRail 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 UKVaramis 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 UKORR 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 UKScottish 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 ...