Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Monday, 15th August 2022
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Monday, 15th August 2022
Many train fares will rise below the rate of inflation next year to help travellers cope with the cost-of-living crisis, the government has announced.
An article on Sky News says the price increase for England, which before the coronavirus pandemic was introduced in January each year, will also again be delayed until March to ease the burden on “struggling households”, the Department for Transport said.
The amount rail fares increase each year is calculated using the retail prices index (RPI) measure of inflation from the previous July.
RPI in June was 11.8 per cent, but ahead of the rate for 2023 being announced on Wednesday, the DfT has confirmed it would not be increasing fares as much as the July figure, but it is not yet clear how much lower the rise will be.
ScotRail has said that it plans to replace 65 per cent of its train fleet between 2027 and 2035.
Setting out its plan in a notice for legal services on the government portal, it said nine of the eleven sub-fleets of trains currently operated will be replaced as leases expire and it becomes uneconomical to life-extend trains for continued operation.
As part of this programme, ScotRail will decarbonise its entire train fleet, which it says will help the Scottish Government deliver a key milestone in transitioning Scotland to a net zero economy.
Construction work has begun to prepare the first buildings alongside Darlington railway station for demolition, paving the way for its £100 million redevelopment.
An article on the Northern Echo says works are now being undertaken by local firm Thompsons on a “soft strip” of properties to the east of the station, which involves removing any remaining contents and all non-structural elements of the interior and exterior, as well as ensuring the utilities are no longer connected.
The heavy demolition, beginning on September 1, will follow the soft strip and, as Darlington Borough Council takes possession of further properties, the process will continue in preparation for a start on the new build later this year.
Work to build the second mile of new track on the Levenmouth Rail Link is now underway.
The second phase of track work continues to take the railway closer to Leven and is the first section of the reinstated railway which will be double-tracked.
Following the successful completion of the first mile in March, which included connecting to the mainline at Thornton junction, significant work followed to install drainage and troughing for cable routes.
Photo credit: Network Rail
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