MPs hit out at Department for Transport over delayed response to May timetable chaos review February 18, 2019 MPs have hit out at the government for its delay in responding to a report into last year's May timetable chaos, which found that transport secretary Chris Grayling could have done more to avert the troubles. The Transport Select Committee said it was "disappointing" that the Department for Transport (DfT) had decided to delay its response [...]
Rail operators suffer fall in dividends as Waterloo closure and strikes hit bottom line January 30, 2019 Rail operators’ dividends dropped by a quarter last year, with firms blaming strikes and a month-long platform closure at London Waterloo. Dividends totalled £300m for 2017-18, down 27 per cent on 2016-17, according to Office of Rail and Road (ORR) figures released today, as the station closure hit journey numbers. Read more: Passenger satisfaction falls [...]
Network Rail awards £5bn worth of contracts for next 10 years of railway management January 30, 2019 Network Rail has tasked engineering giants including Babcock and Colas with looking after Britain’s railways for the next decade, handing out £5bn worth of contracts. The firm, which is in charge of managing the UK’s rail networks, said the winning bidders would be responsible for “anything needed to make the rail system work including track, [...]
Transport misery: Passenger satisfaction with Britain’s railways drops to 10-year low, says Transport Focus January 29, 2019 Passenger satisfaction with the UK's railways has fallen to a 10-year low, a new survey out today has found. Independent watchdog Transport Focus warned that overall satisfaction with services stood at 79 per cent, the lowest since 2008, according to its latest national passenger survey of 25,000 passengers. More than one in five passengers were [...]
Commuter chaos on the cards as Southeastern mulls new winter timetable to brace for cold snap January 28, 2019 Southeastern may have to introduce its winter timetable from later this week as the UK braces itself for heavy snow. Southeastern, which serves routes in and out of London, Kent and East Sussex, said it may have to introduce its winter timetable from Thursday if necessary, warning that train times will change and peak services will [...]
London Waterloo trains and tracks to be de-iced as Network Rail prepares for colder weather January 17, 2019 Special de-icing trains will run overnight to prevent the UK’s rail infrastructure freezing to a standstill as temperatures are expected to plummet in the coming weeks. South Western Railway will run its so-called ghost trains all night to clear tracks of snow and ice and spray passenger doors with de-icer to prevent them from jamming. [...]
Users of Gospel Oak to Barking line brace for more misery as roll-out of electric trains delayed indefinitely January 16, 2019 The planned roll-out of electric trains on the troubled Gospel Oak to Barking line has been delayed indefinitely as manufacturer Bombardier struggles to resolve software issues. Commuters using the London Overground line have endured repeated delays to the introduction of new Class 710 electric trains, which manufacturer Bombardier has blamed on software problems. Read more: TfL [...]
Christmas sales grow at St Pancras International despite retail gloom January 15, 2019 Commuters choosing to do their Christmas shopping at St Pancras International station grew 6.3 per cent in 2018 compared to the year before, according to figures released by the station's operator today. The rise was driven by growing passenger numbers and strong growth in non-food sales, the company said. St Pancras has welcomed a number of [...]
Shares up after construction firm Costain’s order book hits a record £4.2bn January 3, 2019 Shares in Costain are up more than five per cent after the construction and engineering company announced today that it finished the year with a record-breaking order book of £4.2bn. In a trading update the firm, which is a major supplier to Network Rail and Highways England, said it had an order book of £4.2bn, up from [...]
The best Christmas gift for rail users would be more competition and scrapping HS2 December 21, 2018 This week is set to be one of the busiest of the year for domestic travel. So, as London’s train stations are swamped with those endeavouring to get away for the their holidays, it’s worth dwelling on what would be the best Christmas present for travellers: a properly functioning rail system. Amid the whirlwind of [...]