Balfour Beatty wins preferred bidder status in decade-long £1.5bn Network Rail contract March 14, 2019 Construction firm Balfour Beatty is set to be tasked with overseeing a wide-ranging program of railway track renewals and crossings for Network Rail for the next decade, in a £1.5bn contract. The UK’s biggest constructor, which carries out key public infrastructure projects such as Hinkley Point and Crossrail, has been selected as “preferred bidder” for [...]
Govia Thameslink Railway hit with £5m fine over May’s timetable chaos March 14, 2019 Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) faces a £5m fine over its role in last May’s timetable chaos, the rail regulator announced this morning. The Office for Rail and Road (ORR) accused the train operator of failing to provide “appropriate, accurate and timely” information to passengers about the timetable change. Read more: Rail review head Keith Williams [...]
Government must change policy on rail electrification or risk missing climate change targets, industry body warns March 14, 2019 The national body for Britain’s railways has warned the government could miss its targets of decarbonising train travel by 2040 unless it changes its policy on electrification. The Railway Industry Association (RIA) called on the government to collaborate with the rail industry and commit to electrification after several projects were cancelled in 2017. The association [...]
Network Rail urges passengers to plan Easter travel ahead of upgrade works March 11, 2019 Network Rail has urged passengers to check their travel plans this Easter as it invests more than £100m in railway upgrades. Network Rail, which manages Britain's railway network, said most routes would be open for "business as usual" travel as majority of the network is unaffected by upgrade work, but still warned those getting away for [...]
Government told to publish Govia’s profit cap amid concerns over taxpayers’ money February 26, 2019 The public spending watchdog has urged the government to publish details of Govia's profit cap, citing fears taxpayers' money is not being "adequately protected" after last year's rail chaos. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by MP Meg Hillier, said there was a lack of transparency around the profit rate that Govia earns from its [...]
Government report warns of Eurostar chaos in no-deal Brexit scenario February 22, 2019 Eurostar train services could face heavy disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit, with a government report indicating that queues could reach up to 15,000 passengers each day. A report by the Department for Transport said in the worst case scenario the daily queue could stretch for almost a mile from St Pancras station [...]
MPs hit out at Department for Transport over delayed response to May timetable chaos review February 18, 2019 MPs have hit out at the government for its delay in responding to a report into last year's May timetable chaos, which found that transport secretary Chris Grayling could have done more to avert the troubles. The Transport Select Committee said it was "disappointing" that the Department for Transport (DfT) had decided to delay its response [...]
Rail operators suffer fall in dividends as Waterloo closure and strikes hit bottom line January 30, 2019 Rail operators’ dividends dropped by a quarter last year, with firms blaming strikes and a month-long platform closure at London Waterloo. Dividends totalled £300m for 2017-18, down 27 per cent on 2016-17, according to Office of Rail and Road (ORR) figures released today, as the station closure hit journey numbers. Read more: Passenger satisfaction falls [...]
Network Rail awards £5bn worth of contracts for next 10 years of railway management January 30, 2019 Network Rail has tasked engineering giants including Babcock and Colas with looking after Britain’s railways for the next decade, handing out £5bn worth of contracts. The firm, which is in charge of managing the UK’s rail networks, said the winning bidders would be responsible for “anything needed to make the rail system work including track, [...]
Transport misery: Passenger satisfaction with Britain’s railways drops to 10-year low, says Transport Focus January 29, 2019 Passenger satisfaction with the UK's railways has fallen to a 10-year low, a new survey out today has found. Independent watchdog Transport Focus warned that overall satisfaction with services stood at 79 per cent, the lowest since 2008, according to its latest national passenger survey of 25,000 passengers. More than one in five passengers were [...]