Sadiq Khan calls for TfL to take over from Network Rail as London’s railway manager March 26, 2019 Sadiq Khan has said Transport for London (TfL) should replace Network Rail as the UK's rail infrastructure manager to improve the reliability of services for London's commuters. The London mayor wants responsibility and funding for key rail assets such as tracks and stations to be transferred to the transport body so it is able to plug the communication gap [...]
Interserve cleaning staff to vote on strike action amid union complaints of ‘culture of fear’ at Network Rail stations March 26, 2019 Interserve cleaning staff at Network Rail stations are preparing to vote on strike action after the firm allegedly imposed a “culture of fear,” according to the RMT union. The rail union said this morning it would ballot around 300 facilities management workers for strike action after it received complaints of bullying from its members. Read [...]
Waterloo station disruption: Commuters warned travel chaos will hit Friday rush hour March 22, 2019 Travel chaos at Waterloo this morning is set to drag on into this evening’s rush hour, causing more misery for commuters, National Rail has now warned. Tens of thousands of London workers were hit by travel disruption coming into Waterloo train station this morning after overrunning engineering works forced rail operators to halt all lines. [...]
Rail review head Keith Williams says government role in industry ‘has to change’ March 19, 2019 The government's role in the UK railways will "have to change" if the industry is to become more customer-focused, the former boss of British Airways has said. Keith Williams, who was appointed to lead a "root and branch" review of the railways following last year's May timetable chaos, hinted that the Department for Transport (DfT) could take [...]
Balfour Beatty wins preferred bidder status in decade-long £1.5bn Network Rail contract March 14, 2019 Construction firm Balfour Beatty is set to be tasked with overseeing a wide-ranging program of railway track renewals and crossings for Network Rail for the next decade, in a £1.5bn contract. The UK’s biggest constructor, which carries out key public infrastructure projects such as Hinkley Point and Crossrail, has been selected as “preferred bidder” for [...]
Govia Thameslink Railway hit with £5m fine over May’s timetable chaos March 14, 2019 Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) faces a £5m fine over its role in last May’s timetable chaos, the rail regulator announced this morning. The Office for Rail and Road (ORR) accused the train operator of failing to provide “appropriate, accurate and timely” information to passengers about the timetable change. Read more: Rail review head Keith Williams [...]
Government must change policy on rail electrification or risk missing climate change targets, industry body warns March 14, 2019 The national body for Britain’s railways has warned the government could miss its targets of decarbonising train travel by 2040 unless it changes its policy on electrification. The Railway Industry Association (RIA) called on the government to collaborate with the rail industry and commit to electrification after several projects were cancelled in 2017. The association [...]
Network Rail urges passengers to plan Easter travel ahead of upgrade works March 11, 2019 Network Rail has urged passengers to check their travel plans this Easter as it invests more than £100m in railway upgrades. Network Rail, which manages Britain's railway network, said most routes would be open for "business as usual" travel as majority of the network is unaffected by upgrade work, but still warned those getting away for [...]
Government told to publish Govia’s profit cap amid concerns over taxpayers’ money February 26, 2019 The public spending watchdog has urged the government to publish details of Govia's profit cap, citing fears taxpayers' money is not being "adequately protected" after last year's rail chaos. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by MP Meg Hillier, said there was a lack of transparency around the profit rate that Govia earns from its [...]
Government report warns of Eurostar chaos in no-deal Brexit scenario February 22, 2019 Eurostar train services could face heavy disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit, with a government report indicating that queues could reach up to 15,000 passengers each day. A report by the Department for Transport said in the worst case scenario the daily queue could stretch for almost a mile from St Pancras station [...]