The Sleeper's Daily Blog

A closer look

20.05.13: ScotRail is teaming up with Glasgow Caledonian University to provide an in-depth analysis of their maintenance systems and recommendations on how they could be improved. It is an interesting idea; bringing academia and industry together to...

Untangling the truth

17.05.13: The HS2 row continues today, as the Government hits back against the ‘out of date’ NAO report. The rhetoric around this project gets more and more tangled, as the DfT tries to clarify the purpose behind the route. It’s not...

Under the assumptions

16.05.13: The NAO report published today highlights several key criticisms of the DfT’s planning and presentation of the business case for HS2. Confusion remains around the strategic push for the new line, and errors in the business case calcul...

Innovation boost

15.05.13: With unprecedented passenger numbers in rail, competitions such as those run by the EIT will be essential to provide quality customer service. Operators must ensure they take care of their passengers, encouraging them to keep travelling by...

The benefits of biomass

14.05.13: GBRf has warned of the damage biomass access charges could inflict on the industry, as well as the UK’s carbon reduction efforts. Implementing charges before the market is mature will cost freight and potentially jeopardise biomass co...

Beyond Uckfield

13.05.13: The reopening of the Lewes – Uckfield line has been criticised by the BML2 project group – for not going far enough. A second main line from Brighton to London could improve the business case and link two of the UK’s main...

In the dark

10.05.13: Information displays for Manchester Metrolink will be welcomed by passengers who have been without any idea of when the next tram will be coming. TfGM has explained the delays were due to the rollout of a new tram management system, which i...

Disruption discounts

09.05.13: Could East Midlands Trains approach to passenger disruption catch on across the industry? The operator is offering discounts and compensation for those affected by major works at Nottingham this summer, which certainly recognises the damage such...

Go HS2

08.05.13: The confirmation of HS2 will come as welcome news for many in the rail industry; representing faster connections, a vital boost to capacity and the opportunity for thousands of new jobs. The legislation will now be introduced, in the face o...

A platform for good

07.05.13: Introducing recycling bins at stations could be a good way to increase recycling rates in Scotland. Zero Waste Scotland has installed bins at a number of railway stations and is working to increase community awareness of the scheme. It&rsqu...

Join the conversation

03.05.13: It’s the end of a busy Railtex, with new contacts, old friends and big business. It seems to have been a real step change from the 2011 show, as exhibitors move towards smarter stands highlighting the latest technology with digital fl...

Ripples of disruption

30.04.13: The damage at Hatfield caused by a landslip in February has been far greater and more complicated to manage than anyone originally thought. Network Rail has just announced several renewals works which will now be postponed, to keep as many servi...

New start at New Street

29.04.13: With the news of Newport’s leaky roof coming just ahead of Birmingham New Street, hopefully the second station will avoid any equally embarrassing hiccups. A huge team and substantial budget has gone into completely reinventing New St...

The next generation

26.04.13: Attracting a new generation of workers into the rail industry has long been a pressing issue, and is becoming more important as the scale of investment and work increases. RTM is launching a new charity today to show young people the wide v...

Go slow

25.04.13: Louise Ellman MP has called for Government to publish the amount it will cost to extend a number of franchises before re-letting them for longer contracts. But the cost of rushing major franchises could be far greater, as the WCML debacle d...