Network Rail is poised for £1bn sale of properties including Vinopolis site and Brixton arches August 16, 2015 Network Rail has taken the first step towards selling off its £1bn commercial property portfolio after hiring bankers to conduct a review of its estate. The government-backed organisation, which runs all of Britain’s rail infrastructure, confirmed that it is working with boutique investment bank Rothschild to explore ways in which it can “make more [...]
Network Rail fined £2m for London Bridge overcrowding chaos and other delays August 10, 2015 Network Rail has been fined £2m by the rail watchdog over chaos at London Bridge station which caused misery for thousands of commuters earlier this year. An investigation into Network Rail's performance by the Office of Rail and Road found that while there was no systematic weakness at the firm causing the failings, it did [...]
More delays? Network Rail submits planning application for a year of construction works at Waterloo Station July 27, 2015 Regular travelers to Waterloo Station should brace themselves: Network Rail has just submitted its first planning application for upgrade works. If it's approved, the works will go on for a year from November. Read more: How new train delay compensation rules will confuse commuters even more The works will include upgrades to the area around the [...]
Train delay compensation: How the new rules will make it more confusing for commuters to claim back for disrupted rail journeys July 20, 2015 Yesterday changes were announced to the National Rail Conditions of Carriage – the rules governing rail travel in the UK. The idea was to make it easier for commuters to claw back refunds for delayed and cancelled trains. All train operators are now obliged to offer passengers cash compensation rather than rail vouchers.That must [...]
Train delay compensation: New rules mean passengers can claim cash if rail journeys disrupted July 19, 2015 Commuters will now be able to claim compensation for train delays in cold hard cash from today, as changes to the national rail travel rules come into effect. Passengers are entitled to claim a refund on their ticket if a train is more than 30 minutes late, but that has previously come in the form [...]
HS2 is “cannibalising” the rest of the transport budget, TaxPayers’ Alliance claims June 25, 2015 The High Speed 2 rail link connecting Birmingham to London is “cannibalising” the rest of the UK's transport budget, Jonathan Isaby, head of the TaxPayers' Alliance, has claimed. Read more: High Speed 2 to lose a link from North to Europe In a statement, Isaby said promises had been made “time and time again” [...]
Sir Peter Hendy, the Transport for London boss who called commuter trains “s**t”, appointed to lead Network Rail as £35.8bn investment plan is delayed June 25, 2015 Network Rail has appointed Peter Hendy, the former Transport for London commissioner who only two months ago described commuter trains as "s**t" and "awful", as its chairman. Read more: Network Rail is at crisis point and won't deliver the upgrades it promised "On Southeastern, the trains are like the Wild West. They are s**t, awful. And [...]
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin: Network Rail is at crisis point and won’t deliver the upgrades it promised June 25, 2015 Network Rail has overspent and won't be able to deliver all the changes and upgrades it promised, transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin told the House of Commons today. Read more: Network Rail privatisation to be discussed by government officials in order to shake off debt burden The government’s proposed five-year £38.5bn investment plan to transform [...]
UK national rail strike: Threat averted as Network Rail and unions reach pay deal June 24, 2015 The threat of a strike that would have brought Britain's entire train network grinding to a standstill has been averted after a pay deal was reached. Network Rail and the unions have agreed a two-year deal that includes a two per cent pay rise for staff this year and a pay rise in line with [...]
Investigation launched into Network Rail reliability after delays and cost overruns June 12, 2015 Network Rail is to be investigated by Britain's rail regulator after it was accused of delivering poor punctuality and reliability on some of its key routes. The routes, some of which are the busiest commuter routes in the country, were "below requirements", according to the regulator, the Office of Road and Rail (ORR). They are operated [...]