Issue 312 of Passenger Transport is published on May 3. Contents include: LEAD STORY Private TOCs on borrowed time Labour’s plan for Britain’s railways confirms intention to bring all franchised operations in-house NEWS Partnership at heart of new era for industry Headwinds see bus industry entering a...
Labour’s plan for Britain’s railways confirms intention to bring all franchised operations in-house Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh, pictured on a visit to Hitachi When the new South West Trains and Great Western franchises commenced on February 4, 1996, they became the...
Headwinds see bus industry entering a defining new phase Martin Dean According to Martin Dean, Go-Ahead’s managing director of UK regional bus, Britain’s bus networks are moving into a new and potentially unsettling era. Speaking at last week’s ALBUM Conference in Cheshire, Dean hypothesised that bus deregulation had...
Labour has hailed its new plan for Britain’s railway as ‘the biggest overhaul to our railways in a generation’ – but can it deliver? Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh You wait ages for a transport policy from Labour then two come...
Labour has promised to phase out all of Britain’s much maligned – often unfairly in my view – franchised train operators Labour is planning to nationalise the railway The headline that Labour is planning to nationalise the railway if they get into power didn’t really arouse me...
Tim Shoveller tells Calling All Stations podcast about the reasons behind his departure from Network Rail last summer to take charge at Freightliner Tim Shoveller left Network Rail to become CEO of freight operator Freightliner in July The railway must unify behind aligned goals and empower its local management. That is the message...
‘It’s a dream for me,’ says company boss Scott Dunn A demonstrator vehicle is already en route to the UK, and is due to arrive in mid-January Australian bus builder Custom Denning is targeting the UK market, and a demonstration electric bus is currently being shipped to the UK. Custom Denning, one of...
The month of November marks Inter-Faith week, a time to take stock, pause for a moment, strengthen ties between communities of different faiths and celebrate the UK’s religious diversity By Nafisa Nathani The month of November marks Inter-Faith week, a time to take stock, pause for a moment, strengthen ties between communities of...
Pushing forward plans to close ticket offices before addressing hugely inconsistent rail fares was putting the cart before the horse Campaign for Better Transport this week published its detailed review of fares and ticketing The grand old DfT. They marched them up to the top of the hill and they marched them...
Morale may never have been this low, but has the industry got the leadership skills and conviction to do anything about it? ‘Morale has never been so low’ remarked an on-train employee as I travelled on his service last week. It’s an old cliché and one which folk used to levy at me...
After several years working with Chinese manufacturer BYD, Alexander Dennis has launched two new electric buses engineered fully in-house ADL said the two new products feature a ‘stunning new design language that emphasises their zero-emission credentials’ BY Andrew Garnett Alexander Dennis (ADL) has worked closely with Chinese battery and electric vehicle giant BYD...
One month after bus franchising began, Transport for Greater Manchester is reporting passenger growth, increased revenue and improved punctuality Andy Burnham: ‘I have no doubt the Bee Network will be transformational’ A month on from the launch of the Bee Network, Transport for Greater Manchester has revealed that the newly franchised bus services...
The twentieth National Transport Awards took place on October 5 in London and you can read all about the winners in this official Souvenir Brochure. Click on the image below to view National Transport Awards Book of Winners 2023. If you are viewing the site on a tablet or mobile device, tap here...
The Welsh Government’s deputy minister for climate change used the National Transport Awards to hit back at critics and issue a rallying cry Lee Waters: ‘We have to make the right thing to do, the easiest thing to do’ The National Transport Awards is a great opportunity to recognise those who are going...
The transport community needs to recognise the country has big problems to solve and concentrate on where we can really help HS2 will no longer reach north of Birmingham. The government decided that there were greater priorities I know it might seem odd for me, of all people to say this, but...
Some of the real positives from the government’s Network North announcements have got lost in the malaise. Details are required Greater Manchester’s Bee Network is an example of what can be achieved I am writing this on what feels like the first proper day of Autumn and just over 100 days from...
How do we prevent short-term thinking and political expediency from driving critical decisions on tackling climate change? The Prime Minister’s Net Zero press conference in Downing Street last month Like so many, I could scarcely believe what I was hearing when prime minister Rishi Sunak made his Net Zero speech at Downing...
Inter-Faith week: Leading with humanity