Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Thursday, 11th May 2023
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Thursday, 11th May 2023
TransPennine Express will be nationalised after customer complaints of poor service and cancelled trains.
An article on the BBC website says the government has announced it will now run the train service, which covers the North of England and parts of Scotland.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said commuters and firms no longer had to bear “the brunt of continuous cancellations”.
FirstGroup said it was “disappointed” by the government’s decision not to renew the contract it has run in various guises since 2004.
“Our team have worked extremely hard to improve services, including by recruiting and training more drivers than ever before,” said Graham Sutherland, FirstGroup’s chief executive.
Return fares will be scrapped for nearly all LNER tickets, the train operator has announced.
An article on the i news website says the new system will come into effect from 11 June with tickets for that date and beyond on sale from 14 May. It offers a boost for train travel as strikes continue across Britain’s railways.
A trial in which all fares were charged on a single-journey basis was carried out on three LNER (London North Eastern Railway) routes in 2020 between London King’s Cross and Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh.
A long held dream to connect the Kent and East Sussex Railway to the main line at Roberstbridge has taken a step closer to becoming a reality after the Secretary of State for Transport agreed an order that will allow its reinstatement.
An article on the ITV website says the decision follows a public inquiry held in 2021. More than a thousand people had objected to extending the Kent and East Sussex Railway from Bodiam to Robertsbridge.
Many were concerned about the impact of three new level crossings, including one over the A21 – part of the strategic road network.
Network Rail have teamed up with Leeds United and rail industry partners to teach local schoolchildren about rail safety in a week-long event at Leeds City Station.
Train operators Northern, CrossCountry, LNER and TPE, alongside the British Transport Police, Railway Children and Leeds United FC, are all working with Network Rail to deliver workshops and activities to 600 primary school students from Monday 15 to Friday 19 May.
Local schools from across West Yorkshire are coming to the station throughout the week, with students rotating around the various activities in smaller groups.
Photo credit: Network Rail
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