Rising ridership on the rails....Buy advance fares to get a saving....The extension for Bakerloo might not need Government funding..Extra carriages on London Midland routes..early!
Its a wonder more people aren't killed at level crossings...but many have experienced pain in their wallets for foolish actions at these locations in Northern Ireland...And take a look at GJDobbzy's video of a few years ago at Dawlish on the same subject....
Speaking of Dawlish, Network Rail publishes its plans to deal with bad weather...and there's an app to help avoid the worst roadworks caused by NR working....
Also included.. the weekly newsletter from USHSR... and a couple of events later this year that may be of interest.....
Click on the links....
UK
Christmas trains: you can buy advance fares from today and save up to £148.(The Telegraph)
Derailed train at Barry disrupts south Wales services.(BBC News)
Government funds may not be needed for £3bm Bakerloo Line extension, says city hall.(London Evening Standard)
Chaos on Central Line platforms as police are called to deal with 'unsafe' overcrowding.(London Evening Standard)
GOV.UK
More seats for London Midland passengers as extra trains delivered early.
£62 million government investment will see a ‘next generation’ train fleet operating between London and West Midlands.
Commuters travelling between London and the West Midlands are set to benefit from more seats and better journeys, thanks to government investment in a fleet of new trains that will arrive weeks earlier than planned.
The Department for Transport is investing £62 million in the electric trains to run on the London Midland network, which connects London, the midlands and the north west.
The fleet was due to come into service from December, but some of the trains will be introduced more than 2 months’ early, from 6 October 2014, to ensure passengers can benefit as soon as possible. The extra carriages will be provided on some of the busiest morning and evening services to and from London Euston.
Rail Minister Claire Perry said:
As part of our long-term economic plan, we are investing record amounts in transforming the rail network, providing more seats, more trains and better journeys for millions of passengers. Over the next 5 years, more than £38 billion will be invested in building a world-class railway across the country.The extra carriages will be provided on selected morning and evening peak services between London Euston, Northampton, Bletchley and Tring – providing hundreds of extra seats. The remaining trains are due to be introduced on London Midland’s services ready for the new winter timetable in December.
It is fantastic news that London Midland’s customers will start to enjoy this much-needed extra capacity earlier than expected, and I am looking forward to seeing the remaining trains start running from December.
Patrick Verwer, Managing Director of London Midland said:
We are committed to improving the overall journey experience for our passengers, and adding more carriages to some of our busiest train services over the next few weeks will make a real difference to our London-bound commuters.The next generation trains, which have been built by Siemens, are among the most reliable in the UK and include plug sockets in standard class, along with more on-board litter bins and 2 plus 2 seating. They will be maintained by Siemens at its depot in Northampton.
This investment will also allow us to deliver more passenger services on the Cross City line between Birmingham and Redditch from December our busiest commuter route in the West Midlands.
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Crossrail
350 tonne bridge launched over rail line at Iver
Crossrail Picture
A 110 metre long temporary road bridge weighing 350 tonnes has been launched over the Great Western Main Line as part of Crossrail improvement works in the area.
The temporary structure has been installed at Thorney Lane, in Iver, ahead of the demolition of the existing bridge at Christmas.
Both Thorney Lane Bridge and Stoke Poges Bridge in Slough will be demolished at Christmas and replaced with permanent bridges to allow enough room for overhead electric cables to be installed over the tracks on the Great Western Main Line. Crossrail’s new electric trains will be quieter, smoother and more reliable than the existing diesel suburban trains.
Stoke Poges Lane Bridge in Slough will be closed between late November 2014 and April 2015 with traffic redirected along Farnham Road or Stoke Road and William Street.
Matthew White, Surface Director at Crossrail said: “Crossrail will provide a major improvement in public transport for people in the area – better stations, new trains and more comfortable journeys. Passengers will be able to travel right through central London without having to change trains, making it easier and more convenient to get to a range of destinations across the capital and the South East”.
Matthew Steele, Programme Director for Crossrail at Network Rail said: “Crossrail is one of the most important projects that Network Rail is working on and promises to deliver huge improvements to rail transport in Slough, South Buckinghamshire and across the route. The project team are committed to delivering these important works efficiently and in partnership with the local authorities.”
============================================================£104m vision for new Queen Street station revealed.(herald scotland)
East Coast train marks Edinburgh depot centenary.(The Scotsman)
Bullet train at 50: rise and fall of the world's fastest train.(The Telegraph)
Translink NI Railways release prosecution figures for safety related incidents at level crossings
Published on 2 Oct 2014
Translink NI Railways has revealed that between July 2013 and July 2014 it has prosecuted 78 people for safety related incidents on the rail network. This represented a cost to offenders of almost £17,500.
The majority of these were due to motorists ignoring warning signals at level crossings or attempting to ‘beat the barrier’ at a level crossing as the warning lights were flashing or the barriers were descending.
Ian Campbell, Head of Rail Operations at Translink, said “While the overall number of safety related incidents in the past 12 months is comparable to previous years, the total cost to offenders has more than doubled in the past year.”
“With an average cost of around £225* and the largest amount being £669, these are significant amounts of money for an average motorist. Coupled with the potential of penalty points being applied to the driving licences of offenders, increased insurance policies and potential coverage in local media, these should all serve as strong deterrents to potential offenders.”
“We believe these prosecution results represent positive and proactive cooperation between the PSNI and Translink NI Railways and are appropriate for the seriousness and potentially devastating consequences of the misuse of level crossings. Our CCTV cameras which are located at the majority of crossings throughout the network capture high quality footage which has been successfully used as evidence in several level crossing misuse prosecution cases.”
“Last month we highlighted incidents of pedestrian trespass on the rail network, which often increases during the summer months due to lighter evenings and school pupils being on holidays. Now that summer is over we are using this opportunity to highlight our on-going rail safety activity and to raise awareness of the dangers of trespassing on tracks and embankments.”
“We also want to use this opportunity to remind motorists to take care at level crossing as not only do they endanger their life but also the lives of those passengers who travel upon railway vehicles.”
Ian finished, “In an effort to keep everyone safe, Translink will prosecute those detected trespassing or endangering others through their behaviour.”
For more information on Translink’s safety activity go to www.translink.co.uk/railsafety/
The majority of these were due to motorists ignoring warning signals at level crossings or attempting to ‘beat the barrier’ at a level crossing as the warning lights were flashing or the barriers were descending.
Ian Campbell, Head of Rail Operations at Translink, said “While the overall number of safety related incidents in the past 12 months is comparable to previous years, the total cost to offenders has more than doubled in the past year.”
“With an average cost of around £225* and the largest amount being £669, these are significant amounts of money for an average motorist. Coupled with the potential of penalty points being applied to the driving licences of offenders, increased insurance policies and potential coverage in local media, these should all serve as strong deterrents to potential offenders.”
“We believe these prosecution results represent positive and proactive cooperation between the PSNI and Translink NI Railways and are appropriate for the seriousness and potentially devastating consequences of the misuse of level crossings. Our CCTV cameras which are located at the majority of crossings throughout the network capture high quality footage which has been successfully used as evidence in several level crossing misuse prosecution cases.”
“Last month we highlighted incidents of pedestrian trespass on the rail network, which often increases during the summer months due to lighter evenings and school pupils being on holidays. Now that summer is over we are using this opportunity to highlight our on-going rail safety activity and to raise awareness of the dangers of trespassing on tracks and embankments.”
“We also want to use this opportunity to remind motorists to take care at level crossing as not only do they endanger their life but also the lives of those passengers who travel upon railway vehicles.”
Ian finished, “In an effort to keep everyone safe, Translink will prosecute those detected trespassing or endangering others through their behaviour.”
For more information on Translink’s safety activity go to www.translink.co.uk/railsafety/
Office of Rail Regulation(ORR)
Rail passenger journeys rise by 2% during April-June
2 October 2014The number of passenger journeys nationwide reached 393.9 million in 2014-15 Q1, an increase of 2% compared to the same quarter last year – reveal new statistics published today by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).
The ‘Rail Usage Statistics’ highlight data such as the number of passenger journeys and distance travelled by passengers on the rail network, providing an indication of the level of demand for rail travel in Great Britain. The new figures show that between 1 April 2014 and 30 June 2014:
- Franchised passenger journeys reached 393.4 million in 2014-15 Q1, recording the highest number of franchised passenger journeys in any Q1 since the time series began. The number of non-franchised passenger journeys also reached an all-time high of 0.5 million journeys in 2014-15 Q1.
- The total franchised passenger revenue exceeded £2.1 billion in 2014-15 Q1, with all the sectors generating higher revenue than the same quarter last year. The increase in passenger revenue is generally a direct consequence of increased passenger journeys.
- The key drivers fuelling the growth in passenger kilometres and journeys this quarter has been ordinary non-season tickets. In particular, advance tickets – valid for specific services at the specified time – have enjoyed the highest growth figures of 9.0% compared to 2013-14 Q1.
Network Rail
How our routes are mitigating the impact of weather and climate change to maintain an efficient service
Network Rail Picture
Downloads
Route weather resilience and climate change plans by route:
Anglia (2.7 MB)
London North East and East Midlands (2.7 MB)
London North West (3 MB)
South East (2 MB)
Scotland (3.5 MB)
Wales (2.1 MB)
Wessex (2.5 MB)
Western (3.1 MB)
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New app shows Network Rail’s roadworks affecting your area.
Network Rail Picture.
An updated app now allows residents and businesses to track the progress of roadworks across the country and better plan their journey, including upgrades being carried out by Network Rail. This is thanks to a renewed contract being announced this month between ELGIN, the developers of roadworks.org and Network Rail, which is now providing ELGIN with details of its maintenance and improvement work to help enhance the app.
Anglia (2.7 MB)
London North East and East Midlands (2.7 MB)
London North West (3 MB)
South East (2 MB)
Scotland (3.5 MB)
Wales (2.1 MB)
Wessex (2.5 MB)
Western (3.1 MB)
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New app shows Network Rail’s roadworks affecting your area.
Network Rail Picture.
An updated app now allows residents and businesses to track the progress of roadworks across the country and better plan their journey, including upgrades being carried out by Network Rail. This is thanks to a renewed contract being announced this month between ELGIN, the developers of roadworks.org and Network Rail, which is now providing ELGIN with details of its maintenance and improvement work to help enhance the app.
The information provided by Network Rail means it can update motorists with rail-related upgrades affecting roads, such as; level crossing upgrades, closures and replacements, bridge and tunnel repairs, and the upkeep of viaducts and flyovers. Not only does this mean Network Rail can provide up-to-date information about its work to the public, it also makes it easier to coordinate and plan work with utility companies and local authorities, keeping any disruption to a minimum.
The app utilises data from a number of partners including; the Highways Agency, Transport for London, Transport Scotland, Traffic Wales, National Grid Gas, Google and a number of local highways authorities to create an interactive, real-time map detailing current and future roadworks across the country.
Network Rail’s transparency manager, Kirsty Ivanoski-Nichol, said: “Over the next five years, Network Rail will be investing £38bn to build a bigger, better railway for Britain. Our work will sometimes affect road as well as rail users, so it’s important that people can find out what we’re doing and if they’ll be affected, quickly and easily. We’re committed to improving the information we provide about our upgrade work and roadworks.org is one way we’re doing that.”
Shane O’Neill, Chairman of ELGIN commented: "Network Rail has shown real leadership and commitment to the transparency agenda in adopting ELGIN's work communications platform and ensuring that information is communicated to the public in real-time and via all media. Enabling the public to self-serve information across all available media is both an economic and social benefit."
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Network Rail works to fix serious damage to track, causing delays for Southeastern train passengers across Kent.(Kent Online)
The app utilises data from a number of partners including; the Highways Agency, Transport for London, Transport Scotland, Traffic Wales, National Grid Gas, Google and a number of local highways authorities to create an interactive, real-time map detailing current and future roadworks across the country.
Network Rail’s transparency manager, Kirsty Ivanoski-Nichol, said: “Over the next five years, Network Rail will be investing £38bn to build a bigger, better railway for Britain. Our work will sometimes affect road as well as rail users, so it’s important that people can find out what we’re doing and if they’ll be affected, quickly and easily. We’re committed to improving the information we provide about our upgrade work and roadworks.org is one way we’re doing that.”
Shane O’Neill, Chairman of ELGIN commented: "Network Rail has shown real leadership and commitment to the transparency agenda in adopting ELGIN's work communications platform and ensuring that information is communicated to the public in real-time and via all media. Enabling the public to self-serve information across all available media is both an economic and social benefit."
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Network Rail works to fix serious damage to track, causing delays for Southeastern train passengers across Kent.(Kent Online)
GJDobbzy on YouTube
Uploaded on 17 Jun 2010
Gareth says.."This video was featured on Channel 5's 'The Railway: First Great Western' documentary series.
This was a quick turn camera and shot. two people running along the track with a HST coming the other way.I should have kept the camera going when the guy said to me that wasn't the smartest thing to do..."
This was a quick turn camera and shot. two people running along the track with a HST coming the other way.I should have kept the camera going when the guy said to me that wasn't the smartest thing to do..."
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International
Canada
From "Seeking Alpha" breaking News Team.
Canadian Pacific Railway expects EPS to more than double by 2018
International
Canada
From "Seeking Alpha" breaking News Team.
Canadian Pacific Railway expects EPS to more than double by 2018
USA
US HSR
Be Part of the Big High Speed Rail Event!
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Network with Leading Professionals
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 California High Speed Rail Authority CEO
Jeff Morales has a distinguished record of experience managing large and complex transportation issues and projects. As the former Director of the California Department of Transportation, Morales managed a $10 billion program and more than 23,000 employees working to build, maintain and operate the largest state transportation system in the U.S.
Morales is the past executive vice president of the Chicago Transit Authority where he spearheaded major reforms at the nation's second-largest transit agency. His experience at the federal level includes serving as a member of President-Elect Obama's transition team focusing on transportation, Vice President Al Gore's National Performance Review, the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security, the United States Department of Transportation and as U.S. Senate staff. He most recently was Senior Vice President of Parsons Brinckerhoff, where he worked with transportation agencies across the United States and internationally to develop and implement major capital programs. |
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AMERICAN BUILDERS QUARTERLY ON CA HSR
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"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something that is a once-in-a-generation investment."
Jeff Morales, CEO - California High Speed Rail Authority
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NEW COMMUTE PATTERNS IN AMERICA
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 New Data Reveals Major Shifts at Metro Level
Driving to work has been a staple in the American commute for decades, but it appears the country's love affair with cars is stalling in many places.
After years of sustained growth, driving levels are flat-lining, while more young people are opting for alternative transportation modes.
Long-term trends mask real changes over the past few years. The share of national commuters traveling by private vehicle is edging down for the first time in decades. Meanwhile, other transportation modes have grown in relative importance.
Public transportation, which just recorded the most passenger trips since 1956, saw its share jump to over 5 percent, reaching levels not seen since 1990.
The share of those bicycling and walking to work also continued to rise, now representing nearly 4 percent of all commuters. From Los Angeles and Seattle to Boston and Miami, this shift in commuting patterns is taking place all across the country, even in traditionally car-centric locations. Large metros like New York and San Francisco grew their transit shares, but so did Tucson and Albany. Similar shares of people now bike or walk to work in Columbia, SC, as they do in Portland, OR.
Over time, these evolving commuting habits will help influence-and be shaped by-the built environment of our communities. The proliferation of pedestrian-scaled developments, for instance, represents one way in which many metropolitan areas are stitching together their urban fabric and responding to a new geography of innovation.
As more individuals work from home, stroll to their office, or even engage in widespread bike sharing and car sharing, metropolitan areas will need to consider a range of plans and policies that further address these multimodal needs. An analysis at the national, state, and metropolitan levels of changing driving patterns, measured by Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) primarily between 1991 and 2008, reveals that: Driving, as measured by national VMT, began to plateau as far back as 2004 and dropped in 2007 for the first time since 1980. Per capita driving followed a similar pattern, with flat-lining growth after 2000 and falling rates since 2005. These recent declines in driving predated the steady hikes in gas prices during 2007 and 2008. Moreover, the recent drops in VMT (90 billion miles) and VMT per capita (388 miles) are the largest annualized drops since World War II. More info |
CROSSRAIL UNDERWAY IN LONDON
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 Europe's Largest Civil Engineering Project
Crossrail is a massive rail capacity enhancement project centred on London. It involves the laying of a new 118km rail track from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west, to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
The project will allow an additional 1.5 million people to travel between London's key business districts in just 45 minutes.
Crossrail has been promoted by Cross London Rail Links, a joint venture company formed by Transport for London (TfL) and the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), now the Department for Transport.
USHSR members have been awarded contracts for various parts of the project. Network Rail awarded a major contract worth £130m ($198m), in March 2013, to Balfour Beatty Rail for the construction of a two-mile section of the Crossrail line from Plumstead to Abbey Wood in south-east London.
Siemens has also been awarded a contract to supply the operational control and communications systems for the twin tunnels and nine new central stations, in March 2013. The ATC joint venture (JV), consisting of Alstom, TSO and Costain, has been awarded a fit out and commissioning contract worth €350m ($455m) for the tunnels, in April 2013.
The route takes it through the center of London, with trains capable of carrying up to 1,100 people every two and a half minutes. Crossrail's brief is to provide the transport capability to cope with London's forecast population and economic growth. More info
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Get Involved in High Speed Rail Projects...
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Accelerating the next wave of high speed rail projects into development
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The USHSR PROJECT PIPELINE will advance projects from conceptual stage to investment-ready status to attract private investment by:
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Projects are currently being selected in regions across America, at various stages of development, and a variety of sizes and conditions. Watch for project announcements. See project presentations at the High Speed Rail Conference, December 2-4 in LA.
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Building a national high speed rail network is the fastest and most cost effective way to solve the climate crisis across America. A national high speed rail network will reduce America's carbon output by 70% corridor by corridor.
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"The future is now, and its in High Speed Rail"
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Fort Worth's Tex Rail project receives Federal approval
Texas' proposed Tex Rail project has been awarded a record of decision (ROD) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin construction in 2016.
Argentina's urban infrastructure company Subterráneos de Buenos Aires/Sociedad del Estado (SBASE) has selected Siemens for a €30m project to enhance the signalling and depot operations control centre.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has granted a loan of €121m to national rail company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), for the purchase of equipment for logistics and infrastructure maintenance.
The Swedish Transport Administration and APM Terminals have started the trial run on the Western Main Line with a 730m-long freight train at the Port of Gothenburg.
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totalrail
Go-Ahead, one of the UK's leading providers of passenger transport, have been embracing technology and smart ticketing in order to make travel easier for their passengers.
ITSO are a smart ticketing provider that aims to eventually integrate different operators' smartcards together in order to create a seamless end-to-end journey for customers. With this in mind, Go-Ahead began with the aim to embrace this specification and to follow five key objectives:
- Simplify ticket purchase for customer - Increase revenue through additional passenger journeys - Reduce costs via self-service channels - Introduce customer-driven products - Use ticketing as a way of communicating better with customers
Download a presentation from John Backway, Head of Commercial Development at Go-Ahead, in which he explores the operator's smart ticketing initiatives. He looks at how they have managed the customer experience and deployment, which initiatives have launched so far and which plans are currently in progress.
Highlights from the second City Climate Leadership Awards, hosted by C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and Siemens in New York City on September 22nd 2014. Eleven projects from ten cities were awarded for excellence in urban sustainability and leadership in the fight against climate change.
www.Think -Railways.com
CFR SA signs EUR 113 million contract with Alstom-Alcatel Lucent-PAS 97 consortium
CFR SA, the Romanian state owned infrastructure manager, and Alstom Transport – Alcatel Lucent România – PAS 97 consortium signed RON498 million (EUR 113 million) contract for construction works and installation of ERTMS, GSM-R, interlocking and Simeria Operational Control Centre on Sighisoara – Coslariu – Simeria railway sections (167 km) More
EUR 45.6 million of EU regional funds to modernise the Krakow airport – city centre railway line
The European Commission has approved an investment of €45.6 million from the EU’s Cohesion Fund for the upgrade of the railway connecting the Trans European Transport Network (TEN-T) Kraków Airport to the Kraków city centre in the Polish region Malopolskie. The existing sections of the railway line – Kraków Glówny – Mydlniki – Balice sections -will be modernised on a length of 10 km to shorten travel time for commuters and visitors and improve quality of urban transport in the Kraków urban region. The project is expected to be finalised by March 2015. More
German Initiative for High Speed Railways in Russia and the Union of Railway Constructors signed MoU
The German Initiative for High Speed Railways in Russia and the Russian Union of Railway Constructors (SSDZ) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) setting forth collaboration in the area of modernization and construction of new railway lines, construction technology & materials transfer, harmonization of Russian and European standards and regulations in the railway sector. More
NIB issues EUR 17.3 million loan for Latvian east–west railway corridor
Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) and Latvia’s state railway company VAS Latvijas Dzelzcelš have signed a new loan, totaling EUR 17.3 million, for the upgrade of a section of railway in the country’s east–west transport corridor. The loan’s tenor is 10 years. More
EU
The share of rail in EU28 inland freight transport around 18.6% in 2012
In 2012, EU28 inland freight transport amounted to 2 186 billion tonne-kilometers, down by 11.7% compared with its level in 2007. Road transport was still by far the dominant freight transport mode (74.5% of total inland freight transport performance in 2012) and its share has remained almost unchanged since 2007. In the EU28, total inland freight transport, expressed in tonne-kilometers, fell by 11.7% between 2007 and 2012. Each of the three modes of inland transport also recorded decreases in absolute terms over these six years. More
Commission requests Estonia, Greece and Hungary to fully transpose EU legislation on rail safety
The European Commission has requested Estonia, Greece and Hungary to bring their national rules in line with Directive 2004/49/EC on railway safety. In both Greece and Estonia, this concerns in particular the independence and status of the investigating body. Additionally, in Estonia safety certification and the reporting of accidents and incidents to the investigating body are affected. More
Forthcoming Events
Wednesday, 4th March 2015. Central London
Developing the UK rail network - HS2, regeneration, and the future of franchising.(Westminster Forum Projects)
Guest of Honour: Clare Moriarty, Director General, Rail, Department for Transport
Taking place one year on from the Browne Report and as the High Speed Rail Bill continues its passage through the House of Commons, this seminar will consider the priorities for the UK rail sector in terms of track capacity, inward investment, and the potential of regional regeneration moving into the next Parliament.Planned sessions also focus on the next steps for major infrastructure projects such as HS2, Crossrail and Crossrail 2, the future of UK franchising as routes are newly tendered and political parties set-out competing policy, as well as the challenges facing rail companies in meeting cost-saving targets totalling £3.5bn by 2019.
Agenda Book Here
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European Rail Congress.
11 November 2014
The European Rail Congress Scheduled to arrive in London on 11 November 2014
The 2nd annual European Rail Congress will take place in London on 11 November 2014 and will stage a prestigious awards ceremony and summit.
The European Rail Congress is about bringing the euro rail network together to celebrate its achievements in providing efficient, high quality and safe connectivity across Europe; reducing Europe's emission of greenhouse gases; boosting jobs and economic growth; and facilitating European competitiveness. It also provides the chance for leading European players to debate and discuss the key challenges and opportunities for the European rail market.
The Awards will celebrate and reward railway excellence across 18 different areas. They are designed to:
- publicise and encourage European railway excellence and innovation
- disseminate the very best practice throughout Europe
- help new market entrants to learn from the more established players
- promote inter-operability to achieve seamless rail travel across the whole of Europe
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