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Daily news from Rail Technology Magazine
And here’s todays news from Rail Technology Magazine in association with TransCity Rail – on Thursday 23rd May 2024
Arriva Group’s open access train operating company, Grand Central, has submitted an application to the ORR that could result in a significant uplift in capacity, around 30 per cent, for its services along existing routes connecting both the North East and West Yorkshire lines to London’s King’s Cross station.
The application includes a proposal for two additional daily return services between Bradford and London (with up to eight stops in between), bringing the total to six a day. It also includes an additional early morning connection from York into London King’s Cross, with a late evening return, bringing much needed additional capacity onto a key route, used by both business and leisure travellers.
Subject to approval, the new services could see more than 550,000 additional seats made available, a total uplift of more than 30 percent compared to what is available today. Services could launch around May 2025.
The government is exploring the possibility of lowering the minimum age to become a train driver in a bid to fortify the workforce and secure services in the long term. The Department for Transport says regulations changing the minimum age from 20 to 18 could be in place as early as this summer, with a consultation on the matter now open until 13 June.
The number of young people joining the sector remains low, but the government intends to open up pathways for school leavers to take up apprenticeships and bolster the workforce. This is especially pertinent given the amount of train drivers set to retire over the next five years and the fact that the average age of a train driver is 48.
A virtual video has been released by LNER, outlining what Darlington Station will look like once its transformation is complete.
The £140 million programme of transformation will include two new platforms, a new multi-story car park, a transport interchange, and a new gateway entrance.
The project is being delivered in partnership with the Tees Valley Combined Authority, Network Rail and Darlington Borough Council – the leader of which said “it’s really exciting to see this new fly-through animation which shows the scale of our multi-million-pound project to transform Darlington Station for passengers.”
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