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Rail Articles

Planning ahead to meet future demand

4 December 2013 | By Stephen Hammond MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, UK

It is 20 years since Britain’s railways were privatised. At the time it was seen as a risky move, even though the network had grown increasingly unreliable and inefficient under state operator British Rail. Responsibility for tracks and trains was split, and private companies were invited to bid for regional…

A clear vision for rail in the North

4 December 2013 | By Alex Hynes, Managing Director, Northern Rail

Operating 2,500 services every day, Northern Rail serves an area stretching from the Scottish Borders down to Nottingham and Stoke and from Southport and Sellafield in the West to Whitby and Hull in the East. It’s a wide ranging landscape of rural communities, market towns and bustling urban centres where…

Rebuilding for a proper gateway

4 December 2013 | By Network Rail

When the last round of redevelopment work began at Birmingham New Street in the 1960s, England were on the verge of winning the World Cup and rail travel was forecast to decline. Since then rail travel has enjoyed rather more success than the England football team and the station handles…

Making the capacity case for HS2

4 December 2013 | By Rupert Walker, Head of High-Speed Rail Development, Network Rail

Britain’s railways are booming. Last year, more than 1.5 billion journeys were made by train and the network moved around 100 million tonnes of goods. But railways do much more than just move people and freight; they connect homes and workplaces, businesses with markets, they create jobs, stimulate trade and…

New FGW franchise to build on improvements

4 December 2013 | By First Great Western

Running services out of London Paddington, across the South and West of England and South Wales, the former Greater Western franchise began operating on 1 April 2006. Operated by First Group and branded as First Great Western, the network combines the previous Great Western Intercity, London and Thames Valley, and…

Investment, improvement and modernisation at London Overground

4 December 2013 | By Peter Austin, Managing Director, London Overground Rail Operations Ltd

Since 2007, London Overground Rail Operations Ltd (LOROL) has been actively transforming the London Overground network, modernising the service, improving facilities and providing a better, safer, more environmentally efficient and comfortable experience for its customers. And six years on, LOROL’s delivery of Transport for London’s (TfL’s) extensive investment in the…

Translink leads the way in sustainable station development

4 December 2013 | By Clive Bradberry, Infrastructure Executive, Translink

In 2012/13, Translink rail passenger journeys reached a record breaking 11.5 million – an increase of 7% on the previous year. Overall, there were 78.5 million Translink passenger journeys on bus and train last year beating the Northern Ireland government’s target of 77 million. During the summer of 2013, Translink…

Combating the cold weather

4 December 2013 | By Edd Stewart and Clive Roberts, Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, University of Birmingham

With a national rail network extending from Penzance in the south to Thurso in the north, the vast majority of the UK’s railway infrastructure rests in a moderately agreeable band between 50.12° and 58.59°. Even in this comparably comfortable region, however, we are still at the mercy of the seasons.…

RFF’s impressive rail network modernisation plan

4 December 2013 | By Matthieu Chabanel, Deputy General Director, Marketing and Planning, RFF

On 15 October 2012, Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) was ordered by Transport Minister, Frédéric Cuvillier, to table proposals to deliver major rail network modernisation (GPMR). Delivered to the Minister on 19 September 2013, the plan proposed is consistent with efforts to create a shared, long-term vision for rail transportation.…

TAP TSI – improving the customer experience of European rail journeys

4 December 2013 | By Rütger Fenkes, Project Leader, TAP TSI

Not too long ago, travelling abroad by rail was a privilege reserved for a selected few. With poor telecommunications, reservations made by telephone and recorded on manual reservation coupons, journeys had to be arranged well in advance. Likewise, the focus of the former national railway administrations was on domestic travellers.…

From crisis to continued growth

26 September 2013 | By Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd, Minister of Infrastructure, Sweden

Increased influence for customers and public transport actors creates better conditions for the railway to enhance its competitiveness. Swedish railway reforms of the past 25 years have been based on this premise, together with state responsibility for management of the rail network run by an independent infrastructure manager. The result…