In The News | 20th April 2022 | Latest Rail News

Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Wednesday, 20th April 2022

InTheNews: The latest rail news on Wednesday, 20th April 2022

Grant Shapps is seeking to use a summer discount sale of train tickets as a springboard to slash millions more fares as he fights to boost sluggish passenger  numbers in the face of a sceptical Treasury. 

An article in The Telegraph says the Transport Secretary hopes the popularity of his Great British Rail Sale initiative will convince Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, to sign off more fare reductions in the coming months, insiders said.   

Mr Shapps has been at loggerheads with the Treasury for almost a year over plans to entice former commuters back to the railways, with Number 11 clamping down hard on rail spending after taxpayers forked out more than £15 billion to keep services running during the pandemic. 

Launched on Tuesday, the summer sale is offering one million advance travel tickets at up to half price between April 25 and May 27 in an effort to entice travellers back after demand was wrecked by COVID.

FirstGroup plc has announced that Graham Sutherland has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer.

Graham, who was Chief Executive Officer at KCOM Group plc, will join the Board as an Executive Director and take up the role of Chief Executive Officer with effect from 16 May 2022.

National Highways has drawn up a new method of assessing abandoned railway bridges and tunnels.

An article on New Civil Engineer says the new way of working will see decisions on major works planned for the Historical Railways Estate (HRE) reviewed in collaboration with experts from across the heritage, environmental and active travel sector who have been selected to form a stakeholder advisory forum.

The forum includes the Department for Transport (DfT), Sustrans, Railway Paths Ltd, Railway Heritage Trust, The HRE Group, Heritage Railway Association and Natural England.

Vital Human Resources, part of the Morson Group, has saved 100 lives across the rail network since 2018.

What started as a trial project in partnership with Network Rail in October 2018, recently saw Vital’s Suicide Prevention Patrollers complete their 100^th life-saving intervention.

Its patrollers are now raising awareness that suicide is preventable, whilst working to destigmatise, normalise and encourage open conversations about mental health to further protect vulnerable people and staff.

Click here for more details.

Photo credit: Vital Human Resources

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