Fares, rail policy and DfT news

Stadler to build 71 trains for Wales and Borders railway

04 March 2019Transport for Wales (TfW) has awarded a contract to build 71 new trains for the Wales & Borders railway franchise. The contract is to deliver 36 three-car CityLink tram trains, the same model which debuted in Sheffield last year; and 35 FLIRT...

Engineering firm sues HS2 over £1bn Old Oak Common construction contract

04 March 2019Engineer giant Bechtel has launched a legal challenge against HS2 after losing a £1bn contract to build the Old Oak Common Station, claiming the tender process was botched. The American firm has lodged a High Court claim against the £...

DfT must improve governance over rail industry or passengers face another year of ‘hell’, warn MPs

01 March 2019Rail passengers are facing another year of “hell” with major timetable changes and engineering works unless the government improves its governance of the rail sector, MPs have warned. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has published...

South Western Railway to become UK’s first 5G railway as FirstGroup announces deal for superfast Wi-Fi on trains

26 February 2019FirstGroup has announced a deal to become the first UK’s first 5G railway network, bringing superfast Wi-Fi to the Southern Western Railway franchise. In partnership with Blu Wireless, Network Rail and the DfT, FirstGroup’s rail divis...

Crossrail bosses hope for new timetable estimate by April but Khan admits there is no confidence about opening date

26 February 2019Crossrail chiefs hope to have a new estimate for a timeline for the heavily delayed railway project by April, but London mayor Sadiq Khan has admitted there is no date its chief executive Mark Wild can give “with confidence.” The Eliz...

Queues of 15,000 and Eurostar chaos at St Pancras in no-deal Brexit

22 February 2019Eurostar queues of up to 15,000 passengers could mount up at London’s St Pancras International station in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to a DfT analysis. The Financial Times revealed that a government report fears chaos at one o...

East West Rail makes ‘powerful case’ for direct services from Ipswich and Norwich to Oxford

20 February 2019A direct rail link between Ipswich, Norwich and Oxford could unlock £17.5bn for the East Anglia community, according to a case for investment from the East West Rail Consortium (EWRC). A new report publishing by the consortium outlines the...

‘Time is running out’: MSP and union leaders call for government intervention into Springburn depot

19 February 2019Scottish Labour and union leaders have called on the government to take the Springburn depot under public control as ministers debate the depot’s planned closure in parliament. A delegation of Unite representatives and some of the depot&rsq...

Rail industry proposes ending peak-tickets in ‘radical’ overhaul of rail fares

18 February 2019Train operators have called for a major reform of the rail fare system which would scrap peak and off-peak ticket pricing and support the rollout of ‘tap-in, tap-out’ travel nationwide. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) called its proposa...

Scheme to double train capacity on West Norfolk line awarded funding

15 February 2019The capacity on West Norfolk’s trains is set to double after funding for an extension of trains running between Lynn and Cambridge has been given government approval. Political and business leaders have been calling for eight-coach trains o...

Battered Dawlish rail line gets £80m for new protective sea wall

15 February 2019A new taller sea wall is to be built at Dawlish as the DfT announced that up to £80m is being made available to build it – five years on from the storms which wreaked havoc on the rail line. Around £40m was spent by Network Rail...

Urgent safety advice calls for louder horns on Edinburgh trams after pedestrian’s death

15 February 2019The RAIB has issued urgent safety advice calling for louder warning horns to be fitted on Edinburgh’s trams following the death of a pedestrian. Carlos Correa Palacio was struck and fatally injured by a tram travelling from Edinburgh city c...

New TfW director appointed for north Wales

14 February 2019Transport for Wales (TfW) has appointed Lee Robinson as its new development director for north Wales. Robinson will lead the business unit in the north of Wales as it supports the delivery of the new franchise and several major schemes in the reg...

Select committee to decide on amendments to HS2’s northern Phase 2 plan

13 February 2019MPs are to vote on amendments to the construction of the second phase of HS2, Phase 2a, to decide whether or not to take forward major changes to layouts and designs of the proposed network. A select committee of MPs will rule on the changes prop...

ScotRail issued second formal warning over performance in two months by Scottish Government

13 February 2019Minister have issued ScotRail with its second improvement notice in less than two months after failing to meet contractual targets. Transport Scotland has issued a ‘remedial plan notice’ in recognition that it will be “extremely...