All UK policy articles – Page 12
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Rail Business UKStrikes will not undermine industry reform programme, says Hendy
UK: The industry will not back away from its modernisation and cost reduction drive despite the threat of strike action this summer, Network Rail Chair Sir Peter Hendy told the Railway Industry Association Innovation Conference in Nottingham on April 27. More than 40 000 RMT members ...
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Rail Business UKWilliams sees ‘vast opportunities’ for the private sector under Great British Railways
UK: There will be ‘vast opportunities’ for the private sector to shape the rail sector as the development of Great British Railways gathers pace, Keith Williams, author of the Williams-Shapps Review into rail reform, told the Railway Industry Association’s Innovation Conference. GBR is being established ‘as ...
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Rail Business UKMidlands Connect launches ‘Fairer, Greener, Stronger’ plan for the region’s transport
UK: More rail capacity and new services are envisaged in the Midlands Connect strategic transport plan for the region, which was launched at the organisation’s annual conference in Birmingham on April 4. Branded Fairer, Greener, Stronger, the plan lays out the key challenges facing transport in ...
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Rail Business UKScotRail transfers to public ownership
UK: ScotRail transferred to public ownership on April 1, with the 04.56 Inverness – Edinburgh train being the first service operated by ScotRail Trains Ltd, an arm’s length company owned and controlled by the Scottish government. The Scottish government had decided it would not to award ...
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Metro Report InternationalTransport for London considers government funding proposal
UK:·Transport for London has asked for time to consider a funding deal proposed by the government, Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said on February 21. ‘We have provided TfL with a deal that both supports London’s transport network and is fair to taxpayers across ...
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Rail Business UKConsultation soon on Great British Railways legislation
UK: The Department for Transport is expected to begin formal consultation later this month on the draft legislation required to establish Great British Railways, with a view to having the new organisation operational before the end of 2023. As part of the Rail Transformation Plan process ...
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Metro Report InternationalTransport for London gets another short-term funding extension
UK: Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for ‘good faith’ negotiations on a long-term funding deal for Transport for London after the government agreed a two-week extension of the current funding settlement on the day the previous agreement expired. Funding is now in place from ...
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Rail Business UK‘Levelling up’ white paper promises more local involvement in rail
UK: Great British Railways will offer local leaders a greater say in their area’s rail services, according to the Levelling Up the United Kingdom white paper published on February 2. The government anticipated that ‘by 2030, local public transport connectivity across the country will be significantly ...
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Rail Business UKGovernment told HS2 Eastern Leg alternatives 'struggle to meet' strategic objectives
UK: A report prepared by Mott MacDonald outlining strategic alternatives to the Eastern Leg of Phase 2b of High Speed 2, suggests that none of the options considered were likely to deliver the same strategic benefits as the proposed high speed line, although they would reduce the capital expenditure.
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Rail Business UKRail industry responds to 3·8% fare increase
UK: The government has confirmed that regulated rail fares in England will increase by 3·8% in March, in line with the July 2021 Retail Price Index measure of inflation. Until the pandemic, fares had been raised in January each year by 1% above the previous July’s ...
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Rail Business UK‘Serious errors’ made by Southeastern franchisee
UK: Serious errors were made by Govia’s Southeastern franchisee London & South Eastern Railway Ltd in its engagement with the Department for Transport over several years, a review commissioned by the chairs of shareholders Go-Ahead Group and Keolis UK has found.
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Rail Business UKWhole Industry Strategic Plan targets ‘a simpler, better railway’
UK: The Great British Railways Transition Team has called for evidence to support the development of an ‘outward looking’ 30-year Whole Industry Strategic Plan which would to enable the government to set a clear long-term direction for the railway sector. GBR will be responsible for achieving ...
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Rail Business UKDfT defends Integrated Rail Plan decisions
UK: Speaking on condition of anonymity, sources within the Department for Transport have defended decisions taken during the creation of the Integrated Rail Plan for the North & Midlands. Lengthy timescales Criticism has been directed at the apparently lengthy project timescales set ...
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Rail Business UKIntegrated Rail Plan promises benefits earlier as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail plans scaled back
UK: The government has published its Integrated Rail Plan for the North & Midlands, setting out revised plans for High Speed 2, new and upgraded infrastructure on trans-Pennine routes, and projects including Midland Main Line electrification and reducing journey times on the East Coast Main Line which run to the 2040s.
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Rail Business UKResponses to the Integrated Rail Plan for the North & Midlands
Responses to the government’s Integrated Rail Plan for the North & Midlands.
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Rail Business UKExports strategy highlights infrastructure opportunities and tradeshow programme
UK: The government’s exports strategy published on November 17 highlights British infrastructure expertise and includes a ‘bigger and better targeted’ programme to support SMEs in attending overseas trade exhibitions such as InnoTrans. The strategy includes an Infrastructure Exports:UK initiative to bring together government and industry in ...
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NewsRail and public transport ‘too low on COP26 agenda’, warn UIC and UITP
INTERNATIONAL: The International Union of Railways and global public transport association UITP marked the formal transport day at the COP26 Climate Summit on November 10 by urging policymakers to focus more effort on decarbonising mobility through modal shift.
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Rail Business UKLords call for clarity on rail ticketing reform
UK: The government should ‘grasp the nettle’ on fare reform and set out a strategy to ensure that Great British Railways is clear about its future objectives, the House of Lords’ cross-party Built Environment Committee has concluded following its inquiry into the ticket reforms proposed in ...
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail ‘concerned’ about future access to European research programme
UK: Speaking at the Railway Industry Association’s annual conference in London on November 5, Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines expressed concern that the difficult political relationship between the UK government and the European Union since Brexit poses a risk to future access to European railway research programmes.
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Rail Business UKRail’s growth agenda evaporates as Treasury takes control
UK: Having spoken to a range of senior figures across the industry in recent weeks, almost all on condition of anonymity, Rail Business UK can confirm widespread concern that significant investment spending is coming to an end after three decades of growth in rail use, with potentially significant implications for the future of the network.