Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Monday, 13th March 2023
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Monday, 13th March 2023
The fate of 20,000 train manufacturing workers is in jeopardy because of the UK’s “dither and delay” in delivering a coherent industrial strategy, the government will be warned.
An article on the Telegraph website says manufacturers and financiers are to tell Huw Merriman, the rail minister, that Britain’s long history in building trains is now under threat during crunch talks on Monday.
Executives from Britain’s three main train manufacturers – Alstom, Hitachi and Siemens – are expected to underline the increasing attractiveness of moving UK operations abroad because of the vast subsidies on offer in the EU and America.
Alstom and Hitachi are understood to also demand assurances from Mr Merriman that their £2.7 billion contract to build trains for the government’s HS2 is not in jeopardy.
The Tube drivers’ union Aslef has confirmed that Wednesday’s strike on the London Underground will go ahead.
An article on the Evening Standard website says 24-hour action, which will also see thousands of RMT station staff walk out, will shut the Tube on Budget Day – with the knock-on impact also causing problems on Thursday morning.
Transport for London has warned passengers that “little or no Tube services are expected to run” on Wednesday – though the Elizabeth line and London Overground will operate as normal.
Avanti West Coast has become the latest train operator to trial discounted tickets as the rail sector struggles to bring passenger numbers back to pre-pandemic levels.
An article on the ITV website says the company is offering cheaper fares on certain routes to people who can be more flexible with their journey times.
It comes a month after Southern began selling cut-price tickets to lure commuters back on Mondays and Fridays while Transport Secretary Mark Harper recently announced fares on some LNER services will vary based on demand.
The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has launched RailDecarb23, a campaign urging the Government to accelerate plans to decarbonise rail.
The campaign is being launched during Decarbonising Transport Week, which highlights the solutions that will be used to deliver the biggest gains in the UK’s transition to a low carbon transport network.
RIA is urging the Government to implement three key steps to enable the railway industry to better support it in its mission to reach Net Zero by 2050.
Photo credit: Avanti West Coast
0113 2082620
info@railbusinessdaily.com
15 Mariner Court, Wakefield WF4 3FL
