News

Philip Hoare, President of Atkins, SNC-Lavalin’s Engineering, Design & Project Management sector has been appointed as chair of the Rail Supply Group (RSG).

Responding to a study by Aslef on train driver diversity, Jacqueline Starr, Chief Operating Officer at the Rail Delivery Group, said:

A year since the biggest ever rail fares consultation opened, passengers still grappling with an outdated fares system say government should prioritise fares reform and enable change as soon as possible.

New figures reveal punctuality was unaffected by the implementation of the 2019 Summer timetable.

Britain’s train companies are prioritising punctuality and reliability for passengers as they prepare to introduce the new summer timetable on Sunday 19th May.

• 1,000 extra services per week to be added, benefiting passengers across the country
• Changes are part of a long-term improvement plan to make trains more frequent and enable new journeys, while prioritising punctuality and reliability
• Introducing ambitious improvements for passengers presents a significant challenge and the industry is working together to focus on implementing lessons learned from summer 2018 to strengthen timetabling, visible through the effective winter timetable change last December
• Train companies and Network Rail will work together to closely monitor the introduction of the new timetable and respond rapidly to any disruption

Paul Plummer, Rail Delivery Group (RDG) chief executive, has confirmed his intention to retire this autumn.

Proposals represent industry’s first contribution to the Williams Review with a call for preparatory work to begin now including government, industry and passenger groups reviewing regulation as well as a series of real-world trials to support a rolling programme of reform across Britain over the next three to five years.

• New organisation would be ‘guiding mind’ ensuring the network works as a whole, decisions are aligned and the right targets are set
• This would enable politicians to step back from day-to-day detail and focus on what they want the railway to achieve for communities and the country
• It would mean train companies and Network Rail could focus on what they do best – innovating and creating to deliver better for their customers.

From April, Britain’s train operators and Network Rail will publish new measures of train punctuality as part of an ongoing plan to improve performance and reduce delays.

• Since going on sale, in January, the 26-30 Railcard has saved customers over £10.5m on rail journeys
• There will be over 200k 26-30 Railcards in circulation by the end of the week
• Since 1993, Railcard holders have made around 2.2bn journeys, saving themselves an estimated £8.5bn on their rail journeys

Following months of consultation with passengers, businesses and communities, the Rail Delivery Group has submitted proposals to the Williams Review that would create a generational step-change in accountability and customer focus.