Fares, rail policy and DfT news

UK Government announces support for feasibility study into Borders Railway extension

01 April 2019The UK Government has announced its backing for a feasibility study into an extension of the Borders Railway. The plans could see the 30-mile route between Edinburgh and Tweedbank extended a further 18 miles to Hawick, Newcastleton and Carlisle. ...

‘Absolutely scandalous’: union claims HS2 workers denied holiday and overtime pay

29 March 2019Hundreds of staff working on the London Euston station for HS2 are being “systematically denied” their entitled holiday and agreed overtime pay, according to Unite union. Unite said it had received multiple payslips from employees of...

Deutsche Bahn to offload rail and bus operator Arriva

29 March 2019Arriva, which runs UK rail franchises including Northern and the London Overground, is to be put up for sale by its owner Deutsche Bahn (DB). The German state rail operator, which has debts of more than €20bn, has begun exploring a sale or p...

ORR could cut Network Rail managers’ bonuses as new regulatory policies introduced

28 March 2019The ORR is to introduce new regulations to hold Network Rail to account by targeting the areas that have the most serious impact on passengers and funders. The new regulatory policy will be introduced for the start of CP6, and could see senior ma...

Network Rail to spend £42bn on railway improvements to ‘restore public trust’

28 March 2019Network Rail is to spend £42bn on the railway over the next five years in a bid to improve poor punctuality in “the biggest modernisation of our rail network in over a century.” The arm’s length body has published detailed...

London mayor calls for government to devolve rail infrastructure powers and funding to TfL

28 March 2019London mayor Sadiq Khan has called for the government to transfer control of rail infrastructure management to TfL and manage its devolved suburban services. Khan said the move would pave the way for a metro-style service in south and southeast L...

‘Unacceptable’: Northern’s extra half-hourly trains from Cheshire to Manchester delayed for second time

27 March 2019The introduction of two additional train services between Cheshire and Manchester every hour has been postponed for the second time, according to the DfT. Northern promised half-hourly train services on the Mid-Cheshire Line in its bid for the fr...

Transport secretary threatens ScotRail with franchise termination if it misses improvement targets

27 March 2019The Scottish transport secretary has warned ScotRail could be stripped of its franchise if it fails to meet the targets of its remedial plan as the operator’s managing director tells MSPs that services could get worse. Under-fire train oper...

WMCA approves £450m funding for ‘game-changing’ Midlands Metro extension

27 March 2019Funding for a “trailblazing” metro rail link linking Dudley with Birmingham and Wolverhampton has been given final approval by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). Work will start later this year on the £450m scheme afte...

GTR replaces UK’s oldest electric fleet with new £240m Class 717 trains

26 March 2019A new £240m fleet of Class 717 trains has been entered into service by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to replace the UK’s oldest electric rail fleet. GTR has deployed the first two of its new Class 717 rolling stock from Siemens, with...

TfL agrees £1bn sale and leaseback of new Crossrail trains to rail consortium

26 March 2019TfL has completed a £1bn deal to sell and lease back new Crossrail-bound Class 345 trains, releasing the capital to reinvest into London’s transport network. The trains will be sold to the 345 Rail Leasing Consortium under a 20-year &...

Government indicates support for Crossrail to Ebbsfleet extension with £5m feasibility funding

26 March 2019The government has indicated it is open to an extension of the delayed Crossrail project to Ebbsfleet, with £5m committed to help fund preparations for the new route in a  “landmark moment” for Bexley and north west Kent. I...

ScotRail submits £18m improvement plan in response to government improvement notice

25 March 2019Under-fire train operator ScotRail has unveiled an £18m remedial plan to recruit more staff and bring in additional high-speed trains in response to the government’s improvement demands last month. Transport Scotland issued ScotRail w...

Major redevelopment plans for Edinburgh Waverley station unveiled

25 March 2019Network Rail has launched a consultation on a multi-million long-term redevelopment plan for Edinburgh’s Waverley Station. With annual passengers expected to double to nearly 50 million, Waverley Station is set to undergo a major renovation...

Failings found as passengers on stranded train walk on live track in ‘potentially lethal’ incident, RAIB says

25 March 2019Dozens of passengers left “increasingly uncomfortable” on a stranded train at Lewisham left their train and walked along icy tracks still open to traffic, a “shocking” RAIB report has revealed. The RMT stated it was &ldquo...