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Eurostar's new trains

Author: Jerry Alderson - Published Thu 01 of Sep, 2016 20:53 BST - (12709 Reads)
Since November 2015 Eurostar has been operating its new 320km/h 'e320' trains (left), initially only on the London-Paris route before being rolled out onto the Brussels service as well. They were purchased to allow Eurostar to operate new services including to Amsterdam. Passengers should notice an improvement in the on-board experience compared to the old Class 373 TMST (“transmanche super train”) trains (right) dating back to 1994.

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Carlisle sets example

Author: Jerry Alderson - Published Wed 31 of Aug, 2016 18:14 BST - (6157 Reads)
Rail users may feel that London gets the majority of the investment and other parts of Britain are poorly served but some of the most passenger-focused stations are far from London. Carlisle station, on the West Coast Main Line, sets an example that other parts of the country should follow, particularly when it comes to providing adequate seating (including cushioned seats on platforms – a rare sight) and canopies to the end of a platform.

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Day Ranger day out

Author: Jerry Alderson - Published Wed 27 of Jul, 2016 20:54 BST - (6430 Reads)
The vast majority of rail tickets sold in Britain are singles, returns and seasons. Few passengers are aware of ranger (single day) and rover (multiple days, either contiguous or X out of Y days) tickets that allow unlimited travel within a geographic area, or the entire British network in the case of the All-Line Rover. They can be good value for money and are often an ideal way to get to know a region. Felixstowe is one of five East Anglian seaside towns that can be visited with an Anglia Plus Day Ranger. The others are Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Cromer and Sheringham. This view of Felixstowe seafront is just ten minutes’ walk from the platform at Felixstowe station.

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Southern comfort

Author: Roger Blake - Published Sun 24 of Jul, 2016 20:54 BST - (5127 Reads)
A capacity boost was provided for hard-pressed Southern commuters on 25 July 2016 when the first 10-car train ran on the Uckfield line. Network Rail has been performing a series of enhancemrnts on the route including platform extensions. Edenbridge Town, for example, has an extended platform, new passenger shelters and customer information screens (photo above by Roger Blake).

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Danish tram revival

Author: Jerry Alderson (info from Erland Ekefors) - Published Wed 20 of Jul, 2016 16:41 BST - (5704 Reads)
Thanks to a tramway building spree that has ended, Britain now has seven tram systems, all of which have substantial populations (apart from Blackpool – the only one that had never closed). Whilst extensions are being planned there are no new ones. In Denmark, where all of its tram system had closed (the last was Copenhagen, in 1972), it is now building it first new one, in Aarhus (tram vehicle and new tram bridge pictured – photos by Erland Egefors) for a population far smaller than the new systems in Britain. Is there a lesson here?

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Brexit and Railfreight

Author: Peter Wakefield - Published Tue 19 of Jul, 2016 16:17 BST - (4343 Reads)
Railfuture’s Freight Group head, Peter Wakefield, looks at the possible impact on the fragile and volatile railfreight market following the decision on 23 June 2016 by 51.9% of those who voted (37.4% of the electorate) in the UK’s referendum to choose ‘Brexit’.


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Letter to Chris Grayling

Author: Chris Page - Published Mon 18 of Jul, 2016 09:58 BST - (6897 Reads)
Railfuture has written an open letter to Chris Grayling, the new Secretary of State for Transport, welcoming him to his new role with our top ten recommendations for the future of rail.
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Go and Compare Berlin

Author: Ian Brown - Published Wed 06 of Jul, 2016 11:56 BST - (8667 Reads)
Railfuture’s Director of Policy, Ian Brown CBE was invited to visit Berlin for a few days in June, travelling out on the day of the Brexit referendum announcement. His first visit to Berlin saw the Berlin Wall come down, this visit ironically saw the barriers begin to rise. He took the opportunity to have a good look at the transport system, take photographs of good practice and compare the system with London.
Berlin's new Hauptbahnhof, a practical symbol of Germany's modern railway. All photos by Ian Brown for Railfuture.
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Brexit rail economics

Author: Chris Page - Published Fri 01 of Jul, 2016 17:31 BST - (7199 Reads)
This is where we find out what membership of the EU was really worth – at least to Britain’s railways and rail users. Passenger numbers may fall, fares may increase, rail development projects may be cancelled or delayed and old trains may not be replaced. Already, the announcement of the winner of the Greater Anglia franchise has been delayed.

These are only the known unknowns. The law of unintended consequences applies to the Brexit decision, and the unknown unknowns will only become apparent as events unfold.

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Train staff duties

Author: Jerry Alderson - Published Mon 27 of Jun, 2016 19:13 BST - (15864 Reads)
Passengers
In 2016 there have been a series of strikes on Govia Thameslink Railway (which uses the Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Southern brands) because of a dispute about how on-board staff can be best utilised. ScotRail trains have also been disrupted and, unless a network-wide agreement is reached or their franchise with the government is amended, Northern services will be in the future as well. Passengers are unclear why the disputes have arisen and what the issues are.

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Brexit and the Railway

Author: Jerry Alderson - Published Sun 26 of Jun, 2016 21:21 BST - (5284 Reads)

When 51.9% of those who voted in the UK’s referendum (37.4% of the electorate) opted for ‘Brexit’ the media focused on little other news for days on end. The decision could lead to a huge change for people in the UK but will there be any noticeable day-to-day impact for passengers on Britain’s railway?

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Big Apple vs Orange

Author: Ian Brown - Published Tue 14 of Jun, 2016 22:37 BST - (7469 Reads)
New York, like London, has a complex metro system as well as an expanding network of suburban and main line rail routes.

Railfuture Policy Director, Ian Brown CBE spent time in New York in May on various jobs which included invitations to visit depots, control centres, rail projects and stations. It was a great opportunity to use the system quite intensively and to compare it with London’s rail transport network.

The "Oculus" Is this a station or a work of art? You can build a fine station for 4 billion dollars. This is the exterior of the new World Trade Centre station still partially under wraps which opened in April this year. The bird like design is a statement rather than a practical station roof. As expected it has become very controversial, but the station has potential for growth and is expected to rival Grand Central station as a destination in its own right. Photo, and all photos below, by Ian Brown for Railfuture. An artist’s impression of the completed structure is shown alongside.''
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SUAWOOX campaign

Author: Fraser Pithie - Published Mon 13 of Jun, 2016 17:51 BST - (5893 Reads)
Fraser Pithie, the Secretary of the Shakespeare Line Promotion Group, explains why the Stratford-Worcester-Oxford (SWO) campaign deserves public and political support.
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GOBLIN gets Flying visit

Author: Roger Blake - Published Mon 13 of Jun, 2016 14:38 BST - (4605 Reads)
While the west end of Gospel Oak-Barking line remains open during weekdays, Flying Scotsman passes Gospel Oak station on Friday 10 June 2016.
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Updating train passengers

Author: Jerry Alderson - Published Fri 10 of Jun, 2016 20:56 BST - (4163 Reads)
The worst passenger experience is surely when there is a complete lack of information and they have no idea what is happening. This is a frequent complaint that Railfuture hears from passengers and passes on to train operator management. It is pleasing when operators such as Eurostar, which has faced lots of criticism in the past (including from Railfuture), seems to be rectifying its failings - and it is not alone. The graphic above shows how Eurostar made good use of Twitter to inform passengers of severe delays to a service and the options available but was it at the expense of face-to-face communications?

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Railfuture gives evidence

Author: Jerry Alderson - Published Tue 07 of Jun, 2016 18:56 BST - (4124 Reads)
In June 2016 Railfuture appeared before Parliament’s Transport Select Committee to give evidence about Improving the Rail Passenger Experience. Railfuture was represented by the head of its Passenger Group, Chris Fribbins (pictured).

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