Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Tuesday, 1st March 2022
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Tuesday, 1st March 2022
Train passengers in England and Wales face an increase in fares of up to 3.8 per cent from this morning.
An article in City A.M. says it is the steepest increase since January 2013, according to figures from industry body the Rail Delivery Group.
Paul Tuohy, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “This fare rise couldn’t come at a worse time and will simply add to the cost of living crisis.”
A Department for Transport spokesman said it has “protected passengers” by delaying the fares rise until two months later than normal, and setting a cap which is “well below current inflation rates”.
Transport for London has encouraged people to work from home today and Thursday as thousands of tube workers went on strike, crippling the capital’s transport network.
The article in The Guardian says the RMT union said its members were “solidly supporting” the industrial action with picket lines mounted outside tube stations.
The union fears spending cuts will lead to hundreds of job losses and reductions in pensions and working conditions.
Transport for London has said no jobs would be lost and it has not proposed any changes to pensions or terms and conditions.
Hitachi Rail and its subsidiary, Perpetuum, have been awarded a contract by Network Rail to develop the first real-time digital solution that monitors, and eventually predicts, sections of track that affect ride quality and require maintenance.
The monitoring equipment is currently installed on trains across Scotland’s networks including the North Clyde Line, The Borders, and Fife Circle.
The world’s most famous steam locomotive No. 60103 Flying Scotsman is back on the tracks in 2022, hauling a limited number of re-dated steam excursions before undergoing a boiler overhaul.
Scheduled for April and lasting between three and four months, the overhaul and recertification will ensure Flying Scotsman is able to take part in national celebrations to mark the engine’s centenary in 2023.
Photo credit: The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, National Railway Museum
