The plans, announced at the Labour Party conference in Manchester, could involve the state owning new trains directly rather than leasing them from private sector finance houses. The leasing companies, known as ROSCos, were set up more than 30 years ago to own the fleets inherited from British Rail, because it

Transport for London has taken the first step towards ending outsourcing, a practice which is vigorously opposed by the unions on the grounds that the employees of third party companies can have less favourable conditions. TfL has confirmed that a comprehensive 12-month pilot to examine how cleaning services at bus and

Updated 11.00Avanti West Coast is to be renationalised on 7 March 2027. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to confirm this at the Labour Party Conference. The contract for AWC was the last of the old franchises to be awarded, to FirstGroup and Trenitalia, and started in December 2019. It was

The new £18.3 million station at Balgray will welcome its first passengers on Sunday.  Built to serve one of East Renfrewshire’s growing communities, the station will provide convenient links to Glasgow. As well as improving access to jobs, education and leisure opportunities, it will be easier for visitors to reach local attractions,

Railway staff learning sign language (credit TransPennine Express) A charity is warning that public transport can be effectively barred to people who are deaf or have limited hearing. A report called Clear Signals has been published by the RNID, which says that 18 million people have hearing difficulties, and find

No trains are running between Reading and Didcot Parkway today, because of a gas leak in Didcot. The obstruction is affecting Great Western Railway and CrossCountry services, which are being replaced by road transport between Reading and Oxford. However, Great Western Railway is advising passengers to avoid the route entirely. Trains are

The RMT has staged a demonstration outside Marylebone station in London this morning, on the first full day of the renationalisation of Chiltern Railways. The operator was transferred to state ownership at 02.00 yesterday, making it the sixth former franchise to be taken over, as the government continues to prepare for

The renationalisation of Chiltern Railways will provide ‘a fresh opportunity to deliver East West Rail and its benefits for passengers’, according to the Government. Chiltern will be controlled by DfT Operator from 02.00 on Sunday, and it has already been nominated as the future operator of East West Rail. However, although the

The dispute over driver-only operation on East West Rail is being stepped up by the RMT. Its members are being balloted for a strike, and the union is planning to stage a demonstration outside Marylebone station in London on Monday. The service between Oxford and Milton Keynes is set to be operated

New rules about the rights of passengers whose trains are cancelled have come into force, affecting nearly all English train operators. Passengers whose trains are cancelled can now use other services without any further charge or the need to rebook. A more restricted version of the scheme had already included the renationalised