It has been revealed that an investigation is under way into allegations of irregular billing for workers building HS2. A whistleblower claims that two companies supplying staff to contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI had charged for supplying them as if they were on PAYE, which would presumably have included national insurance, when in fact they were self-employed. There is no suggestion that the Balfour Beatty VINCI consortium itself was responsible for any wrongful billing. An HS2 investigation has started, but it is understood that neither the police nor HMRC are involved so far. One sub-contractor is reported to have been suspended from further work while enquiries continue, while another has had its suspension lifted ‘following a period of remediation’, although it is still being monitored closely. HS2 Ltd said: ‘HS2 Ltd treats all whistleblower allegations seriously and we are aware of the claims made in relation to labour suppliers on part of the route. An investigation was launched earlier this year into a number of different allegations and our contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI has implemented additional monitoring and controls.’ The Department for Transport confirmed that both the government and HS2 Ltd ‘take all whistleblower allegations extremely seriously’. It continued that there is a ‘zero-tolerance attitude towards fraud, bribery, and corruption. We will therefore ensure any claims of wrongdoing in HS2’s supply chain are thoroughly investigated. ‘We have taken action to grip the delivery of HS2, tasking CEO Mark Wild to fundamentally reset the project and change the company's culture and capability to deliver the line as cost effectively as possible.’ Do you have a comment? Please click here to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.
A new beginning, as South Western Railway is renationalised
The first train run by renationalised South Western Railway left London Waterloo at 06.14 this morning, bound for Shepperton. SWR is the first of ten former franchises being returned to public ownership between now and 2027, following a change in the law last November. A further Act of Parliament is due to be passed next year, and most passenger trains will be run eventually by the new ‘directing mind’ Great British Railways after the remaining former franchises have also been returned to public control. The private sector will still be running ‘open access’ services, such as Hull Trains and Grand Central, and the majority of freight trains. More open access services are due to start running soon between London and Stirling, and also London and South Wales, but a number of additional applications are currently being considered by the Office of Rail Road. Seven operators have already been renationalised for various reasons since 2018. Four of these are in England, two in Scotland and one in Wales. Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander said: ‘Today is a watershed moment in our work to return the railways to the service of passengers. Trains from Waterloo to Weymouth, Bournemouth and Exeter, will be run by the public, for the public.‘But I know that most users of the railway don’t spend much time thinking about who runs the trains – they just want them to work. That’s why operators will have to meet rigorous performance standards and earn the right to be called Great British Railways. ‘We have a generational opportunity to restore national pride in our railways and I will not waste it.’ The next operators to be renationalised will be c2c on 20 July this year, followed by Greater Anglia on 12 October. Do you have a comment? Please click here to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.
Prime Minister praises ‘potential’ of open access
The Prime Minister has spoken in favour of open access operators, telling Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley that he would be happy for MPs who support the proposed Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway service to meet rail minister Lord Hendy. Sir Keir Starmer said: ’Our plan for change will see the railways reformed to deliver more reliable and better value services for passengers right across the country. My hon. Friend has been a champion for better railways and easier journeys for her constituents. Open access operators have huge potential to offer passengers more choice. I will be delighted to ensure that she and other interested MPs meet the Rail Minister to put their case forward.’ WSMR, which is backed by Alstom and SLC Rail, made a formal application to the ORR in March last year. It was the only one of a number of current applications to receive even qualified support from the Department for Transport in a recent letter, which said the Department was ‘supportive in principle of WSMR’s proposals to operate new Open Access services between Wrexham General and London Euston, subject to further assessment by Network Rail of performance impacts.’ Other applicants, who include Arriva, FirstGroup and Virgin, all failed to win the DfT’s backing. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander had already expressed doubts about open access operators, who will be set to compete with Great British Railways from 2026 or 2027. Before last July’s election Labour had said that ‘wherever there is a case that open access adds value and capacity to the network, they will be able to continue to compete’. But in a letter to the ORR in January, Ms Alexander said: ‘‘I am … aware of the additional pressures new services can create on already constrained network capacity and their impact on the value secured from public investment in infrastructure. While Open Access operators pay variable access charges to Network Rail to cover the direct costs incurred running their trains on the network, unlike government contracted operators they do not fully cover the costs of fixed track access charges.’ Major transport groups have been trying to secure open access licences as their operating contracts, which used to be franchises, expire. The first train operator to be renationalised since the election will be South Western Railway, which will be taken over by DfT Operator Ltd at 02.00 on Sunday. The next two operators to be renationalised will be c2c in July and Greater Anglia in October. Do you have a comment? Please click here to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.
Welsh Marches Line still blocked after train-tractor collision
The Marches Line is still blocked today after a collision between a train and a tractor trailer on a user-worked farm crossing in Herefordshire. A 32-year old man was arrested on suspicion of endangering the safety of railway passengers following the crash near Leominster on Thursday morning. Two people on the Transport for Wales train who received minor injuries were taken to hospital, but the tractor driver was unhurt and the train was not derailed. Rail Accident Investigation Branch inspectors have been gathering evidence at the crash site. The line between Hereford and Shrewsbury is expected to remain closed this morning. Do you have a comment? Please click here to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.
FirstGroup prepares for SWR handover to state
FirstGroup, which has a majority share in South Western Railway, has issued a farewell message as the countdown to Sunday¹s renationalisation goes on. First Rail managing director Steve Montgomery said it had been ‘a privilege’ for FirstGroup to have operated SWR since 2017. Over the last eight years FirstGroup have delivered investment in SWR’s rolling stock including a £70m refurbishment of the existing Desiro fleet; a new depot at Feltham; and launching the new Arterio fleet. While the Arterio programme had been slower than expected due to a number of factors largely beyond FirstGroup’s control, the number of new trains on the network is set to double by the early summer, replacing older rolling stock and giving good momentum to the business in future. He continued: ‘Passengers have been at the forefront of service improvement throughout our eight year stewardship of these important routes. We are proud of how SWR brings people together across the south east of England. ‘Improving the infrastructure, customer experience and rolling stock across the service has enabled us to deliver for our passengers, who make 165 million journeys each year. Right up until the final weeks we have continued to innovate, with a new fast Wi-Fi service being rolled out. ‘I would like to thank our SWR passengers for their custom during this time. Above all, I would like to say thanks to our SWR colleagues for their hard work and dedication to our customers and recognise the important role all those across the business have played in delivering these improvements to the service. We are supporting DfTO to ensure a smooth transition and we wish passengers, partners and colleagues every success for the future.’ FirstGroup and its franchise partner MTR won the former South West Trains franchise in 2017, ousting Stagecoach after 21 years (writes Sim Harris). Stagecoach itself would retire from the privatised rail industry two years later as the result of a dispute with the Department for Transport over liability for railway staff pensions. All DfT franchises ceased to exist in September 2020 as part of the fall-out from Covid, which had forced the government to introduce ‘emergency measures’ in March to protect the operators from insolvency while everyone was being urged not to travel in the interests of public health. Most franchises were replaced over time by National Rail Contracts, a form of management contract in which the government collected all revenue, paying each operator’s costs and a management fee. However, four English contracts have been already renationalised. The first was LNER in 2018, which was created to take over from the failed Virgin Trains East Coast – 90 per cent of which was actually owned by Stagecoach. The three others which followed Intercity East Coast into state hands, in the shape of the DfT’s Operator of Last Resort, were Northern in 2020, Southeastern in 2021 and TransPennine Express in 2023. Northern and TPE were terminated on the grounds of poor performance, while it was discovered that Southeastern had failed to repay £25 million which it had owed to the Department for Transport under the terms of its contract. Avanti West Coast has come close to following these three out of the private sector as anger flared, particularly in the north west of England, about the high level of cancellations, which was attributed to a shortage of drivers. However AWC, which is owned jointly by majority shareholder FirstGroup and Trenitalia, is not expected to be renationalised for now. The government has said it expects to take over AWC on an unspecified date after October 2026, as part of its wider renationalisation policy. This policy was set out in Labour’s manifesto for last year’s general election, and involves a gradual takeover of all the remaining DfT passenger operating contracts, in preparation for the creation of the new ‘directing mind’, Great British Railways. An Act of Parliament passed in November changed the status of the long-standing Operator of Last Resort, which had existed since 1993, into an effective ‘Operator of First Resort’. Officially known now as DfT Operator Ltd, this new law makes nationalisation the preferred option, rather than the last one. The DfT has to step carefully in making renationalisation a reality, because re-absorbing a private sector operator involves complicated detail. To avoid overload, the takeovers are being spread out. After South Western Railway passes to the state at 02.00 on Sunday, it is to be followed by c2c on 20 July and Greater Anglia on 12 October. The other seven are expected to have followed by 2027. The private sector, meanwhile, has tried to stay on the rails by creating more ‘open access’ operators. These have a licence from the Office of Rail and Road but no contract with the DfT, which will not rescue them if their business plans fail. There has been a flurry of applications for such licences, particularly after Labour won power last July, but few successes. FirstGroup has gained the rights to run from London to Stirling and from London to Carmarthen, but other applications from the Group still on the ORR’s table are three new services between London and Rochdale, Sheffield and Paignton, and an extension of its existing Lumo route from Edinburgh to Glasgow. Virgin Trains has put forward a complex series of routes from London Euston to north west England and Scotland, broadly mirroring its former West Coast franchise, which together would involve something like 35 departures from London each day, while Alstom is bidding to restore services between London and Wrexham, recalling the former Wrexham & Shropshire operation which ended in 2011. Before the election, Labour had said ‘wherever there is a case that open access adds value and capacity to the network, they will be able to continue to compete’, but ministers have since expressed doubts about such operators, suggesting in particular that they make use of publicly-funded infrastructure at bargain rates. The DfT recently wrote a bleak assessment of the outstanding open access applications, giving qualified support to only one – Alstom’s bid for Wrexham. Network Rail is also said to be dubious about applicants who want paths on the congested West Coast Main Line. Virgin, in particular, would occupy between 70 and 80 a day. A further straw in the wind might have been seen this week. Grand Central launched its second route, between London and Bradford Interchange, in 2010. A new platform 0 has just opened at Bradford Forster Square, and state-owned LNER has increased the number of trains it runs to London from two to seven a day. Do you have a comment? Please click here to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.
Uber set to lend its brand to Channel Tunnel trains
A train operator planning to run services through the Channel Tunnel has signed a branding partnership with Uber. Gemini Trains says it plans to buy 10 newly-designed trains of high quality which would offer ‘competitive fares’. At first they would run between London and Paris, and London and Brussels, but more routes are planned. Gemini also plans to restore stops at Ebbsfleet International, which along with Ashford has not been served by Eurostar since the Covid pandemic five years ago. Gemini, whose chairman is vocal HS2 critic Lord Tony Berkeley, applied to the Office of Rail Road for an international open access licence between London and Paris in March. Uber is now set to lend its brand to the venture, and offer tickets through its established app, although more details of the brand will be announced later. Uber already offers tickets for intercity trains, coaches, Lime bikes and flights, along with car rentals. It has already lent its brand to Thames Clipper boats. Uber UK general manager Andrew Brem said: ‘We’ve seen amazing momentum since we began launching new modes of transport in the UK, and this collaboration with Gemini Trains is our latest step in how we’re helping people get where they want to go. We’re excited about the opportunity to bring our brand to the iconic Channel Tunnel journey.’ Gemini Trains CEO Andrew Quine said: ‘Innovation and value are at the very heart of what we do so it’s really exciting to be teaming up with Uber, an instantly recognisable global brand which has revolutionised the travel industry. Now passengers will be able to enjoy the same value and comfort on brand new “cutting edge” trains at the touch of a button.’ Gemini’s plans have already intensified competition for paths from London through the Channel Tunnel. A debate over the capacity of Temple Mills depot has not yet been resolved, while the capacity of the terminus at St Pancras, which has six international platforms, is also limited. Other contenders who hope to provide competition for Eurostar include Virgin Trains and Spanish operator Evolyn, in partnership with Italian Trenitalia. Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.
Passengers welcomed to new Scottish station
The line between Glasgow Central and East Kilbride has reopened after work on a £143 million scheme to electrify the railway, which has also gained a rebuilt station. Hairmyres station, costing £16 million, opened with the rest of the line with the start of summer timetables on Sunday. It is 600m west of its old site, and convenient for Hairmyres Hospital. It also has a new £7.2 million transport interchange which was built in partnership with South Lanarkshire Council and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. The interchange includes 500 park and ride spaces and bus stops. The 16-week closure allowed Network Rail to complete other work including laying new track, upgrading signalling and installing 22km of overheard power lines in preparation for electrification. New footbridges have been provided at Busby, Clarkston and Giffnock stations, while the railway bridge over East Kilbride Road in Busby was also renewed. Transport secretary Fiona Hyslop said: ‘It is a pleasure to witness years of planning and project delivery come to fruition with the opening of the new Hairmyres station. It is a clear example of this Scottish Government’s continued commitment to investing in Scotland’s railway and the benefits that this can bring to local communities. ‘Making rail more attractive is a fundamental part of encouraging greater public transport use and this latest opening is an exciting milestone as we move towards the completion of the East Kilbride electrification later this year.’
Provisional date for doubling of Cornish services revealed
The frequency of trains on a branch line in Cornwall is planned to almost double from eight to 15 a day on 20 September, Railnews can reveal. The date is set out in internal data which is also available on the internet, and the upgrade on the Newquay line is part of the developing Mid-Cornwall Metro project, which has a budget of £56.8 million and has been underway for the past couple of years. When the MCM opens in full in 2026, hourly direct trains will run throughout the year between Newquay, St Austell, Truro and Falmouth for the first time. The service will link four of Cornwall’s major towns, which between them possess the county’s main airport at Newquay, university campuses in Falmouth and Newquay and Cornwall’s largest shopping centre at Truro. Thousands of new homes are also boosting local populations, particularly in Newquay and Truro. Cornwall Council, which sponsored the scheme and bid successfully for almost £50 million in ‘levelling-up’ funding, believes there is substantial ‘suppressed demand’ for rail along the corridor, particularly on the Newquay section, where the line has been hampered for many years by an infrequent service, the result of drastic British Rail economies in the 1980s. Several of these cutbacks have been reversed as part of the MCM project, which includes a restored second platform at Newquay and an additional 400m passing loop on the branch. More than ten digital signals have been installed to control the extra loop and trains at Newquay station. A related project to upgrade signalling on the Cornish main line was completed last year, when several mechanical signal boxes were closed. In addition, Network Rail has just completed a substantial upgrade of a viaduct on the Newquay branch which was built in 1873. A speed restriction of 10mph (16km/h) over Ponts Mill viaduct in the Luxulyan valley has now been eased to 30mph (48km/h). Temporary repairs were carried out in March 2024, and this was followed by a possession in March of this year, when the timber decks of the bridge were removed and replaced with new steel decks, while the girders were also strengthened. The rails, sleepers and ballast were also replaced, using two 60-tonne cranes. Work now continues to paint the steel on the viaduct and repair the stone of the three columns and two abutments. Network Rail programme manager Dan Parkes said: ‘This has been a major programme to not only protect the Newquay branch line but to preserve an historic structure. ‘We’re grateful to the local community for their patience while we completed the work.’ The branch also gained an additional bridge in the suburbs of Newquay on 10 May, which carries a new main road over the line. Two nearby level crossings have been closed to vehicles.
Campaigners call for rail to be on UK/EU agenda today
The Prime Minister is welcoming European Union leaders to Lancaster House in London for what promises to an historic summit. Although a number of items are on his agenda, including the use of electronic passport gates by British citizens at EU ports, a security pact and a ‘veterinary deal’ to ease the rules on food trading, campaigners have written to Sir Keir Starmer urging him to include international rail in his discussions. International rail services from London have been in the news recently, partly as potential open access operators jostle to compete with Eurostar, and also following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding ten days ago between transport aecretary Heidi Alexander and Swiss federal councillor Albert Rösti, which the government said will ‘lay the groundwork’ for future train services between Britain and Switzerland. The letter to the PM has been signed by Campaign for Better Transport,UK Transport in Europe and the Rail Freight Group. It lays out several priorities. These are the development of an International Rail Strategy with growth targets, more direct services between London and EU cities, the reopening of Ashford and Ebbsfleet International, further simplifications of border controls and investment in railways to the Channel Tunnel through Kent to encourage more rail freight. CBT chief executive Ben Plowden said: ‘The Channel Tunnel was conceived as a bold expression of Anglo-European cooperation and has played a key role in increasing economic prosperity in the UK and our relationship with Europe, yet it is woefully underused. With the government undertaking a “once-in-a-generation” programme of domestic rail reform, we are keen it does not overlook the huge benefits of international rail. The government must use the full potential of the Channel Tunnel to help boost the UK economy and revitalise the UK’s relationship with the EU.’ Rail Freight Group director general Maggie Simpson said: ‘Increasing rail freight through the Channel Tunnel will stimulate UK-EU trade, opening up new routes to market for UK businesses and helping to decongest busy motorways. We urge Government to provide focused support for this vital trade corridor.’ They are being supported by the CEO of UK Transport in Europe Mark Watts, who said promoting international rail ‘is one of the most effective ways to boost UK-EU trade, cut emissions, and support long-term, sustainable economic growth’. He continued: ‘The Channel Tunnel remains a vital but underused asset. By working with the EU to streamline border controls, not just at rail termini but across ports and key pinch points, we can unlock quick, tangible wins. The UK-EU reset is the opportunity to realise that potential and deliver real benefits for passengers, businesses and the regions that depend on them.’ A recent report from the CBT entitled: ‘Runways to railways: unlocking the potential of the Channel Tunnel’, said 28.5 million people a year could be travelling between Britain and the continent by train by 2034 – which would be more than two and half times the current number. The report also said the Tunnel could account for up to half the trips between Britain and its nearest continental neighbours currently made by air by 2040. Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.
Lord Blunkett to unveil multi-billion pound plan for Yorkshire railways
Former Labour minister David Blunkett is set to unveil a £16 billion plan for railways in Yorkshire today. Yorkshire’s Plan for Rail outlines investments in new and accessible stations as well as improving the system as a whole to connect cities more effectively. A total of £2.4 billion is being sought by the regions between now and 2030, followed by another £14 billion to 2040. Funding worth £2.5 billion for a new tram system in Leeds and extensions in Sheffield would be separate. A new through station for Bradford is part of the plan, as well as increased capacity at Leeds, Sheffield and York, a main line station for Rotherham, upgrades and electrification between Leeds and Sheffield and more frequent trains on the York-Scarborough line, the Esk Valley and Penistone lines, and in the five towns which make up the Wakefield district. Also on the shopping list are better trains, upgrades at key junctions and stations to boost capacity. Although the plan covers the next 15 years, some short-term improvements to services are included. The plan calls for more devolution so that the city regions have more powers to decide how their railways should be developed, and is being published ahead of the government’s ten-year infrastructure plan and spending review, which is due in the summer. Yorkshire’s Plan for Rail is being launched in Leeds today by Lord Blunkett, with West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin, South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith. Lord Blunkett said: ‘Yorkshire has been punching under its weight for far too long, and with the White Rose Agreement and this infrastructure plan, the three Mayors are determined to reverse this historic trend. ‘It’s been a pleasure to be asked to pull together this credible and affordable plan, which presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to improve rail connectivity, and unlock economic growth and opportunities for all. ‘By taking action now, the benefits of releasing capacity, speeding up journeys, improving reliability and running more frequent services will be felt not just here, but across the North, Midlands and beyond. It’s time to back Yorkshire.’ The proposals for Yorkshire are coming only days after the mayors of Liverpool and Manchester had called on the government to build a new railway between the two cities which they say could reduce journey times by 20 minutes. Such a line was first suggested last year in the wake of the cutbacks to HS2. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports are claiming that the surviving phase of HS2 might not open until the late 2030s, according to a preliminary briefing to ministers by HS2 Ltd CEO Mark Wild. He is still working on a ‘fundamental reset’ of the HS2 project, and his full assessment may not be completed until later this year. Do you have a comment on this story? Please click here to send an email to Platform at Railnews. Moderated comments will be published on this site, and may also be used in the next print edition.