In The News | 18th January 2024 | Latest Rail News

Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Thursday, 18th January 2024. Sponsored by Petards Rail

InTheNews Sponsored by Petards Rail: The latest rail news on Thursday, 18th January 2024

Re-opening railway lines that were shut in the 1960s and have left large towns without a direct rail link would cost £2 billion, Transport for Wales has said.

An article on the BBC website says TfW looked at the line between Carmarthen and Aberystwyth, Ceredigion and Afon Wen and Bangor in Gwynedd.

Chief executive James Price said it would be “very costly” to develop and “difficult” to implement.

Campaigners have said it was unclear how the rail operator got that figure as all studies had not yet been done.

An MP is urging the Government to adopt “an alternative proposal” for Northern Powerhouse Rail, claiming it would be cheaper and easier to deliver.

An article on The Yorkshire Post website says Tory MP for Stoke-on-Trent South Jack Brereton said a line could be built along a “shorter route” between Liverpool and Leeds, with a through station in Manchester.

Under the original proposal, around 40 miles of new lines were going to be built between Warrington and Marsden, in West Yorkshire.

But Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) services were also going to share 24km of HS2 railway line between Manchester Piccadilly and High Legh (to the west).

Railway station ticket machines charge passengers more than twice as much as a major online retailer for some journeys, according to new analysis.

An article on The Standard website says Consumer group Which? said its investigation found the best value fares are either unavailable or hidden among myriad options on many machines.

Industry figures show more than two out of five stations in England do not have a ticket office, while tickets for around 150 million journeys were bought from machines in 2022.

Over 46,000 people have signed a petition calling for the return of Eurostar services.

They join a growing number of voices from across the county and beyond expressing their desire for the services to return, with over 600 businesses filling in a business survey, Ashford MP Damian Green raising the issue in the House of Commons and many council and business leaders adding their support to the campaign.

The campaign petition to bring Eurostar services back to Ashford International Station began in March, and eight months on continues to gather support, reaching a significant milestone.

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