Business groups slam RMT’s strike on Southern Rail August 8, 2016 Business groups have hit out at RMT's strike on Southern Rail, which parent Govia has said will bring misery to hundreds of thousands of commuters. London First said the strike is "totally unjustified" and punishes commuters. David Leam, infrastructure director at business group London First, said: "The RMT's strike is totally unjustified. It punishes the many commuters [...]
Arriva holds onto the Cross Country rail franchise in “milestone” award by Department for Transport September 29, 2016 Arriva has won a three year contract extension to run the Cross Country rail franchise in a deal with the Department for Transport worth £163m. The Deutsche Bahn-owned company has run the franchise since 2007 and revealed a raft of new initiatives it intends to implement as part of the deal that starts in October. These included promising to waive [...]
Don’t make Southern Rail a scapegoat for the ideological war between Whitehall and the trade unions September 8, 2016 Southern Rail is raking in tens of millions of pounds in profit from its disastrous management of a crucial commuter line while careering head first into a row with unions and nabbing a £20m taxpayer bailout due to the ensuing problems – at least if you believe the company’s critics. The reality of the situation [...]
The train journey between London and Norwich is about to get faster, with a £1bn order for new trains August 10, 2016 The crawl between London and Norwich is about to be turbo charged (or at least get a little speedier), after the government gave the East Anglia rail franchise back to Abellio. In a statement today the government said its decision will cut travel times between Liverpool Street and Norwich, Cambridge and Peterborough by an average of [...]
Sick of the strikes? Job-threatening technology could lead to even more industrial disputes August 10, 2016 The strike bringing misery to thousands of commuters on Southern’s railway line may be merely the start of a wider trend of industrial action throughout the UK. The RMT union has got its tail up and yesterday declared that workers on the Virgin east coast mainline have voted in favour of walkouts, while passenger groups are [...]
Northern Line night tube launch date confirmed as 18 November October 7, 2016 The mayor of London has confirmed that the Night Tube will launch on the Northern line next month. With Night Tube services beginning on the Jubilee Line tonight, Sadiq Khan announced today that 24-hour weekend services will begin on the Northern Line on 18 November, confirming reports from last month. Northern Line night trains will run from [...]
Southern Rail strike travel disruption: Everything you need to know August 8, 2016 Commuters across the south east who usually travel into the capital are preparing for a week of misery as Southern Rail staff begin a five day strike starting today. The week-long industrial action has come after weeks of disruption as a result of a revised timetable which cut more than 340 trains and with the further threat of strike action [...]
“Shameful” Southern rail owner set for best one-day stock market performance since 2009 September 2, 2016 Southern Rail owner Go-Ahead Group is set for its best one-day performance on the stock market since 2009. Go-Ahead was slammed as "shameful" as it reported a 27 per cent growth in statutory pre-tax profits this morning. But investors are flocking to the company, with shares currently up more than nine per cent to 2,184p. If the nine [...]
Department for Transport unveils £20m plan to get Southern back on track September 1, 2016 Transport secretary Chris Grayling has unveiled a package of measures aimed at improving the performance of the Southern rail network and restoring passenger confidence. The new measures include a £20m fund and the appointment of one of Britain’s most experienced rail industry figures, Chris Gibb, to help get the service back "running as it should". London [...]
Southern rail forced to fork out more hefty payouts as passengers suffer disruption, automatic refunds set to begin from next year August 30, 2016 Southern Rail has been forced to overhaul the way it compensates passengers affected by poor services, following meagre payouts in the past and as claims for delayed journeys soar on the back of this summer’s industrial action. The busy commuter service has been beset by delays, cancellations and strikes in a long-running dispute over the role of guards. [...]