All articles by Rail Business UK – Page 86
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Rail Business UKExeter – Okehampton passenger service to be revived
UK: Regular passenger services between Okehampton and Exeter are to be reinstated, after the Department for Transport confirmed the provision of £40·5m of funding under the Restoring Your Railway initiative on March 19. The initial service will start by the end of this year, with an ...
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Rail Business UKSwift Express Freight demonstrator to be tested
UK: Leasing company Eversholt Rail and Ricardo have teamed up to develop an electric multiple-unit intended to demonstrate a cost-effective and low carbon way of transporting parcels. Dubbed Swift Express Freight, the demonstrator is to be converted at Wabtec’s Doncaster site from a surplus Class 321 ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry
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Rail Business UKScottish Government to take over ScotRail in March 2022
UK: The ScotRail franchise is to be taken over by the Scottish Government on the expiry of the current contract with Abellio in March 2022, Transport Secretary Michael Matheson has confirmed. Services are to be operated by an arm’s length Operator of Last Resort, wholly owned ...
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Rail Business UKHope Valley capacity upgrade confirmed
UK: The Department for Transport has confirmed that £137m is to be spent to increase passenger and freight capacity on the Hope Valley line between Sheffield and Manchester, with passenger journey times to be cut from 50 to 40 min. An £80m design and build contract ...
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Rail Business UKNeil Sachdev appointed Chair of EWR Co
UK: Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps has appointed Nilesh (Neil) Sachdev as Chair of Oxford to Cambridge railway corridor project promoter East West Railway Co for a three-year term. Sachdev is currently a Non-Executive Director of Network Rail Property Ltd and Chair of the ...
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Rail Business UKMcGinley and Jeep Rail to collaborate on electrification works
UK: McGinley Support Services (Infrastructure) Ltd and electrification installation and maintenance company Jeep Rail have announced a collaborative working agreement which they said would enhance McGinley’s isolation planning and delivery offering and expand maintenance and renewal capacities. ‘Having an agreement with a specialist contractor such as ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail plans Active Travel DMU deployment on West Highland Line
UK: ScotRail hopes to see the first of its five ‘Active Travel’ coaches converted from Class 153 single-car diesel multiple-units entering service during the May 2021 timetable. The main challenge is the training of 38 drivers from Oban and Glasgow Queen Street depots whilst coronavirus social ...
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Rail Business UKCOP26 to be rail decarbonisation showcase
UK: Plans are being drawn up for Glasgow to be a showcase for zero-emission at point of use rail technology including hydrogen and battery power when the UK hosts the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties from November 1 to 12. ‘A number of companies ...
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Rail Business UKPenalty Fare changes under consideration
UK: The Department for Transport has begin consultation on changes to penalty fares in England and Wales, saying they are currently set too low to act as a deterrent to fare dodging. Under the Penalty Fares regulations, passengers who have had the opportunity to buy a ...
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Rail Business UKPorterbrook announces restructuring
UK: Rolling stock leasing and management company Porterbrook has announced a restructuring. With effect from April 1, Head of Structured Finance Stefan Rose will take up the new position of Chief Investment Officer, leading a dedicated team focusing on new and re-leasing passenger, freight and infrastructure ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
This week’s round-up of business news from the UK railway industry
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Rail Business UKUnion Connectivity Review interim report proposes TEN-T style network for the UK
UK: The government has published an interim report from the Union Connectivity Review into improved transport links across all parts of the UK, which is being undertaken by Network Rail Chairman Sir Peter Hendy. The report suggests that a UK Strategic Transport Network modelled on the ...
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Rail Business UKWH Davis awarded MegaBox wagon contract
UK: Beacon Rail Leasing has awarded WH Davis a contract to rebuild 46 HHA coal hopper wagons into MegaBox box wagons. Beacon Rail CEO Adam Cunliffe said the contract is ‘a significant development and represents the close co-operation and agility of both companies’. The MegaBox design ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment agrees ERMA extensions with three operators
UK: The Department for Transport has exercised its option to extend the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements with c2c, South Western Railway and TransPennine Express, as discussions continue over the ending of franchise agreements and a move to directly-awarded National Rail Contracts. FirstGroup, which operates the South ...
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Rail Business UKTrain used as Covid-19 testing centre
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway has set up three Covid-19 rapid testing centres for its staff, including one on a Class 313 electric multiple-unit which has been fitted with curtains and screens and positioned at Brighton station. GTR is offering twice-weekly rapid lateral ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail’s Inter7City HST fleet delivered
UK: ScotRail has taken delivery of the last of the Inter7City HST sets being refurbished by Wabtec in Doncaster to operate services linking Scotland’s major cities. The Inter7City fleet is intended to comprise nine four-car and 17 five-car sets, but all are currently operating as four-car ...
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail to reduce third-party works fees
UK: Network Rail is to reduce the risk fees applied to third-party work from April 1, in a move which the Railway Industry Association said would open up the opportunity for more organisations to work near railway lines. In an effort to encourage outside investment, Network Rail ...
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Rail Business UKBrake van requirements removed from railway operating rules
UK: Updates to rail freight operating instructions have seen the final removal of the requirement to provide brake vans in some circumstances.
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Rail Business UKScotRail looks to extended Emergency Measures Agreement
UK: With its existing Emergency Measures Agreement due to expire at the end of March, ScotRail has confirmed that is currently in discussions with the Scottish Government about a third agreement. Support of around £108m has been provided under the current agreement which runs from January ...