How to keep the wheels on private rail? Bring back first class service Opinion The era of rail renationalisation is an opportunity for the remaining open access operators to compete with a luxury offering, says Simon Hunt Amid all the Budget chaos last week, one big government announcement was drowned out: the transport department is freezing rail fares. Most commuters would gladly favour a freeze over a repeat of [...]
LNER passenger data accessed in cyber attack Transport and infrastructure Train operator LNER has revealed passenger contact details and some information about past journeys have been accessed in a cyber attack. The government-owned firm, which operates services on the East Coast main line between London and Scotland, said the breach involved files managed by a third-party supplier. In a statement, LNER said that “no bank, [...]
Reform promise to scrap ‘insane’ Northern Powerhouse Rail Transport and infrastructure Reform UK has pledged to scrap Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), labelling the project “insane” ahead of a major announcement by the Labour government in the coming weeks. Richard Tice, in a forward to a report by centre-right think tank Policy Exchange, told companies considering bidding for contracts to build NPR that they should “not bother” [...]
Highest profit in over a decade for London St Pancras Highspeed August 4, 2025 London St Pancras Highspeed, the company which runs the rail line between the capital and the Channel Tunnel, has reported its biggest profit for more than a decade. The business has achieved a pre-tax profit of £136.6m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2025, new accounts filed with Companies House show. The total is [...]
British Steel secures £500m contract with Network Rail June 17, 2025 British Steel has won a £500m contract with Network Rail in a deal that helps secure the future of its Scunthorpe steelworks. The agreement will see British Steel supply up to 80,000 tonnes of rail per year to the body which manages the UK’s railway infrastructure, around 80 per cent of the track it needs. [...]
Firstgroup: Profit at Avanti West Coast owner beats expectations June 10, 2025 Transport giant Firstgroup has extended its share buyback program by £50m after annual revenue came in ahead of forecasts. The additional £50m buyback program follows Firstgroup’s return of £92m to shareholders in the 2025 financial year. The group also raised its dividend to 6.5p, up from 5.5p last year. The FTSE 250 company told markets [...]
Eurostar tells rivals to put their money where their mouths are April 28, 2025 Eurostar has called on its rivals to invest in the UK’s capacity for international rail as it insisted it welcomed increased competition. The Temple Mills depot in East London is currently the only place in the UK that can host high-speed, cross-channel trains to and from Europe. It has become a central part of the [...]
Avanti West Coast co-owner to launch €1bn Eurostar rival April 8, 2025 A co-owner of Avanti West Coast has confirmed plans to launch a €1bn (£856.6m) rival Eurostar which would run services between London and Paris. FS Italiane Group is looking to run a high-speed rail service between the two capitals by 2029. The group, which co-owns Avanti West Coast alongside FirstGroup, has put aside €1bn for [...]
Trainline shares tumble as further rail ticketing plans unveiled February 19, 2025 Trainline shares tumbled almost nine per cent on Wednesday as the government unveiled more details on how sweeping railway reforms will impact the ticketing sector. Great British Railway (GBR), the arms-length body that will oversee the UK’s railway system, is set to bring together individual train operator’s onto a single website. The Department for Transport [...]
Trainline on track for European expansion as state-backed rival nears January 28, 2025 The boss of Trainline has outlined his European expansion plans as the online ticket giant faces government-backed competition at home.