Economy Class & Beyond

A new operator proposes a rail route between Wrexham and London

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SLC Rail and Alstom are proposing a new rail route between Wrexham and London. Let's dive in... as there are some things we need to think about. Wrexham General railway station (Credit - El Pollock) Image, Alstom The new operator will be known as the Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway (WSMR). It will provide direct connectivity to and from North Wales, Shropshire, … [Read more...]

Grand Union Trains gets the green light for Scotland to London services

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It seems a new train operator will soon be operating trains on the West Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom - with Grand Union Trains getting the green light. The start of a new service to London - Image, Office of Road and Rail. The new service will allow Grand Union Trains to start a new train service between London and the city of Stirling, from June 2025, bringing … [Read more...]

FirstGroup to submit plans to extend its Lumo rail services to Glasgow

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FirstGroup continues to work on its Lumo brand and where it operates, with it requesting access to extend its services to Glasgow. Lumo Class 802 Train - Image, Lumo/FirstGroup/ The open-access train operator wishes to extend some of its London-Edinburgh trains to and from Glasgow. Having identified opportunities to extend several daily journeys to and from Glasgow … [Read more...]

Transport for London rebrands its London Overground lines

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The London Overground, whilst useful as a transport connection around the capital, can be confusing for some people, given the orange spiral of sometimes non-interconnected lines. Thus, it's time for a big rebrand, with the six lines of the Overground getting new names (akin to how all the London Underground lines have names). The new London Overground - Image, … [Read more...]

Greater Anglia to install tables on its Stansted Express trains

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Tray tables are an important part of train travel - especially on those slightly longer train journeys. Greater Anglia has seemed to accept this, with a retrofit planned of tables to some of its trains. The modification will impact the Stadler Class 745/1 trains, which are primarily used on the Stansted Express trains. This will also benefit passengers on Greater … [Read more...]

Rotating train strikes this week in England

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For those of you planning to travel by train, the ASLEF union is calling its members to go out on strike this week. Unlike most previous strikes which crippled the entire rail network in one swoop, the strikes are staggered across the train operating companies over the week. The strikes will impact train operators in England, along with the services run into Scotland … [Read more...]

FirstGroup eyes a new Sheffield to London Service

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We're back onto the UK Rails, with FirstGroup applying to run a new London to Sheffield rail service.  Hull Trains Class 802 - Image, FirstGroup FirstGroup intends to operate this route via its Hull Trains subsidiary - an Open Access rail operator (ie an operator that does not receive a public subsidy to operate services).. The proposals comprise two return journeys … [Read more...]

Regulated Rail fares set to rise by 4.9% in March 2024

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In a case of "bury a press release before everyone goes off on Christmas holidays", the UK Department of Transport has announced that regulated rail fares will go up by 4.9% in March 2024. Avanti West Coast Pendolino arriving at Birmingham International – Image, Economy Class and Beyond" width="800" height="457" /> Avanti West Coast Pendolino arriving at Birmingham … [Read more...]

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