Blog – Passenger Railway Challenge
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21 June 2016
Southern Rail services are a mess. The Government urgently needs to get a grip on this failing franchise.
Southern Rail passengers put up with a lot. There are no less than three industrial disputes going on involving a shortage of drivers, the role of guards and the closure of ticket...
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16 June 2016
We often talk about the problems faced by peak-time rail commuters, from overcrowded trains to extortionate peak fares. But what about people who commute at evenings and weekends? Simon Winstanley says the experience has plenty of its own stresses, which often go unmentioned.
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19 May 2016
The Commons Transport Committee has launched an investigation into 'the rail passenger experience', looking into what needs to change so that passengers can feel that our train tickets represent real value for money.
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12 April 2016
The Government appears to have listened - it is expected that train journeys will be covered under new consumer rights legislation in what could be a big win for passengers who suffer delayed journeys and other poor service.
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08 March 2016
We all want better value from the railways – but is the Government’s plan to increase competition really the best way of achieving it?
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12 February 2016
The Government is reportedly planning to break up Network Rail and replace it with a dozen mini Railtracks. Rather than pulling the railways to bits and selling them off, we should be creating a network operator that can deliver the bigger and busier railway the country needs.
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27 January 2016
Passenger watchdog Transport Focus today published the latest round of its survey into National Rail Passenger Satisfaction. This is a bi-annual survey which goes into great detail about overall satisfaction, value for money and conditions of stations and trains.
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21 January 2016
Today the Department for Transport and Transport for London announced proposals for all sub-urban rail services to be devolved to TFL by 2021. This will be a relief to many commuters in London who have endured a shameful cocktail of delays, disruption and poor performance from train operators...
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13 January 2016
This week Gatwick Airport finally became part of the Oyster smart ticketing network after years of delays due to wrangling between the Department for Transport and Southern Rail over prices.
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02 January 2016
Today marks the day when train fares across the country increase. The Government will claim that fares have been "frozen" but whilst this is the lowest rise for 6 years this definitely isn't a fare freeze. Fares have increased by 1.1 per cent across the board meaning that since 2010 regulated...