Industry responds to England’s Northern franchise announcement
A statement released by Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, has raised concerns over the financial viability of the Northern franchise operated by Arriva Rail North.
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DfT News
Stations Day celebrates the efforts of rail workforce and volunteers
#StationsDay sees the Department for Transport and rail industry celebrating the work of young apprentices, volunteers and staff who keep the railways running.
Isle of Wight rail line to receive £26 million for fleet and track modernisation
The Isle of Wight's railway infrastructure is to be modernised and its old fleet of trains replaced with former London Underground rolling stock in a bid to improve capacity and accessibility.
Defibrillators have been rolled out to more stations across Wales
More than £21,000 has been invested in life-saving defibrillators which can now be found at 21 stations across the Wales and Borders route.
HS2 to serve Nottingham and Leicester city centres under new plans
There is a strong case for high-speed trains to directly connect the city centres of Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester and Leeds via the East Midlands Hub station at Toton, more than halving journey times and boosting the economy by at least £1.4 billion.
RIA asks UK Government to ‘Show Us the Rail Enhancements’
The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has launched a new campaign which asks the UK Government to be transparent in the amount of funding available to the rail industry over the coming years.
Passengers to benefit from new fares system and more contactless options
New changes have been announced by the UK's Department for Transport (DfT) that will give passengers simpler, cheaper fares thanks to an overhaul of the ticketing process.
People with sight loss avoid rail travel due to accessibility issues
Lack of accessibility causes poor experiences of train travel across the UK; with inadequate station infrastructure, difficulty finding a seat or the toilet, and lack of public understanding all cited as common problems.
UK railway industry welcomes £300 million investment in greener travel
UK government pledges investment in cleaner and greener transport has been welcomed by the industry as railways are leading the way in green technology.
New West Coast Partnership awarded to FirstGroup and Trenitalia
Taking over from Virgin, First Trenitalia will run services on the West Coast Main Line, with passengers set to benefit from more seats, extra services, simplified fares and station upgrades.
Southeastern franchise has been extended to April 2020
The UK government has revealed it has cancelled the competition for the next Southeastern rail franchise citing the Williams Review which is due to be published in the autumn.
Abellio invests £400 million in new Hitachi trains for East Midlands Railway
Due to begin operation across the East Midlands network by 2022, the 33 new Hitachi trains will improve the passenger experience with more seats, more services, faster trains and better stations for passengers.
UK government commits funding to transform South Wales rail network
Up to £58 million in funding will see Cardiff Central Station transformed into a more modern, highly accessible building, with platforms suited to longer trains in a bid to ease overcrowding.
Report shows strong progress on diversity in transport apprenticeships
Third annual report on road and rail apprenticeships shows diversity has increased, with the proportion of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) apprentices rising.
Innovate UK seeks digital solution to assist UK rail freight transformation
The UK’s Innovation Agency, Innovate UK and the Department for Transport’s SBRI have awarded funding to HiveLOGIC Limited to provide a digital solution to help transform rail freight logistics.