Rail firms boost service levels ahead of next stage of lockdown lifting April 8, 2021 Rail firms are cranking up their service levels in the build up to the next stage in the UK’s lifting of lockdown restrictions on 12 April. By next week, when retail and leisure facilities reopen, train franchises will be running 18,000 services a day, according to industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). That’s more [...]
Ministers must set out 30 year rail electrification plan, MPs warn March 23, 2021 The government needs to lay out a 30 year plan for electrifying the UK’s rail network if it is to hit its climate targets, MPs have today warned. A new report from the Transport Select Committee argued that the government should commit to a programme of rolling electrification projects over the next three decades if [...]
Two rail lines closed in 1960s to receive £800m investment boost January 23, 2021 Two railway lines closed to passengers more than 50 years ago will be brought back to life with almost £800m of funding from the government. East West Rail, which will eventually connect Oxford and Cambridge, has been granted £760m to reopen for the first time since 1968. Ministers have also pledged £34m to accelerate plans [...]
Train services cut by a quarter during national lockdown January 14, 2021 UK train services will be cut down to below three-quarters of normal levels amid a sharp decline in passenger numbers during the third national lockdown. Brits have been urged to check before they travel as some services will be cancelled and others will change times while tougher restrictions are in place. The fresh cuts mean [...]
Rail services to be cut in half under new lockdown – report January 5, 2021 Rail services are set to be slashed in half during the new coronavirus lockdown in a bid to save taxpayer money. The Telegraph reported that ministers were finalising plans to pare back timetables to similar schedules to those put in place in March, when the first lockdown began. At that time, trains ran on a [...]
Rail fares to rise above inflation for first time in eight years December 16, 2020 Rail fares will rise above inflation for the first time in eight years next year, although the hike will be delayed until March. The Department for Transport (DfT) announced that fares would be hiked 2.6 per cent next year, despite calls to freeze ticket prices in a bid to encourage people back onto trains after [...]
Think ‘carefully’ before travelling at Christmas, warns Shapps November 24, 2020 People should think “carefully” about travelling over the Christmas period, the transport secretary warned today, because of “limitations” on the UK’s railways. Speaking to the BBC, Grant Shapps said that people should “take a close look at any proposed journeys and routes they are taking” amid fears of overcrowding. “I would appeal to people to [...]
Rail passenger numbers will only hit 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in future November 18, 2020 Rail passenger numbers will only return to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in the future, lawmakers were told today. Dominic Booth, the managing director of Abellio Group, told MPs from the Transport Select Committee that rail firms were “very confident about winning the majority of passengers back” when the crisis ends. However, he added [...]
Commuters face hike in rail fares in New Year November 15, 2020 Commuters are facing the prospect of a New Year’s hike in rail fares as the cost of a multi-billion pound bailout of the country’s railways begins to be felt. For the first time in eight years, fares could rise by more than the rate of inflation when the new prices kick in next year. The [...]
Exclusive: Tram risk audit at time of Croydon crash was never revealed to TfL safety panel October 26, 2020 The Croydon tram network was undergoing a safety audit at the time of the fatal Sandilands crash in 2016 – a fact not revealed to the chair of TfL’s safety panel at the time. The former board member, tasked with overseeing investigations into the disaster, described the failure to inform him as “beyond shocking.” Over [...]