Firstgroup and Virgin push back against state clampdown on open-access rail firms January 20, 2025 Firstgroup and Virgin are combining to push back against a government clampdown on some of the last private train firms operating the UK’s railway tracks. So-called open access is a lesser-used model in which firms shoulder commercial risk but take the entire share of any profit. It is viewed as a success story by many [...]
RMT union boss Mick Lynch to step down January 9, 2025 Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary who gained national notoriety during a series of train strikes in recent years, is to retire. Lynch, 63, was elected general secretary in 2021 after previously serving two terms as assistant general secretary and another two on the union’s national executive committee executive. The union boss has become a [...]
Southeastern boss: Success is not about public or private ownership December 18, 2024 City AM chats with Southeastern Railway's chief Steve White on Covid-19, Labour's reforms and his plans to bring down costs.
HS2 chair to step down as cost swells to £66bn December 17, 2024 The chair of the company behind High Speed Two (HS2) is to stop down next year, it has been announced. Sir Jon Thompson has served on the board of HS2 Ltd for almost four years after first joining as a non-executive director in April 2021. He was appointed as the company’s chair in February 2023 [...]
HS2: Costs for London Euston section reach over £7.5bn December 10, 2024 Rachel Reeves confirmed in the Autumn Budget HS2 will terminate at Euston station, following a political kerfuffle over how to find the necessary funding.
South Western Railway, C2C and Greater Anglia to be nationalised in 2025 December 4, 2024 SWR will come under state ownership in May, followed by C2C and Greater Anglia in July and autumn 2025, respectively.
London commuter slowdown dents growth at Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express operator December 3, 2024 Fewer London commuters slowed growth at the company behind Great Western Railway and the Heathrow Express, as delays and cancellations became more frequent during its latest financial year. First Great Western (FGW) has said that while the leisure market has “recovered strongly”, the number of commuters into London remain behind December 2019 levels despite have [...]
Storm Bert: Great Western Railway suspends London Paddington services November 25, 2024 Train services between London Paddington and both South West England and south Wales have been severely impacted by the effect of Storm Bert. Great Western Railway (GWR) has suspended services on ‘all key routes” due to flooding and fallen trees while other operators have cancelled services today while more than 180 flood warnings remain in [...]
Ministers to oversee HS2 amid warnings of ‘dire delivery failure’ October 20, 2024 Ministers will oversee work on HS2, the government has announced, as the transport secretary warned costs had spiralled out of control. Louise Haigh has announced urgent action to bring the cost and delivery of the high speed route from London to Birmingham back under control. It comes as the Sunday Times revealed leaked documents marked [...]
SSP Group: Upper Crust owner reports ‘significant increase’ in profitability October 3, 2024 The travel food specialist behind Upper Crust SSP Group has reported a boost in revenue, with UK sales supported by demand for air travel and easing rail disruptions. Revenue grew by 17 per cent for the year to 30 September, with full-year operating profit expected to be £210 to £220m, up around 30 per cent [...]