Latest news with #RichardAllan
North Wales Chronicle
05-08-2025
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Train operator bucks trend by introducing first-class travel
Chiltern Railways announced trains on its route between London and the West Midlands will have first-class carriages from next year. It said they will feature 'more spacious seats and improved connectivity', but will not include catering. Chiltern Railways currently has no first-class seating on its trains after abolishing the option more than a decade ago. It also stopped having a designated business zone – for which users were charged an on-board upgrade – in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Several train operators in Britain have scrapped first-class travel in recent years because of a lack of demand. These include London Northwestern Railway (in May 2023), Southeastern (in December 2022) and Stansted Express (in January 2020). Others have made the switch for certain routes, such as Greater Anglia, Thameslink and Great Western Railway. First-class tickets can cost several times the amount of standard-class fares. Some long-distance operators such as Avanti West Coast and LNER provide more space, hot food and alcoholic drinks to passengers who pay the extra money. Rail historian and broadcaster Christian Wolmar said he is 'very surprised' at the announcement by Chiltern Railways as passengers wanting a premium service are 'probably in a hurry' so travel on Avanti West Coast services between London and Birmingham, which are generally more expensive but quicker. He told the PA news agency that for suburban services, premium travel is 'an outdated concept from the days of bowler-hatted gentlemen in their first-class compartment while their secretaries sat in second'. He went on: 'That era has gone. I think for those sort of services, there are very few people who would really want to pay for a premium.' Chiltern Railways is replacing its oldest carriages – Mark 3s which date back to the 1970s – with 13 Mark 5A trains from spring next year. The trains – previously operated by TransPennine Express – are already configured with first-class sections, and it would have cost millions of pounds to convert them all to standard class. Chiltern Railways said it will have more standard-class seats than today once the introduction of the new fleet is completed. We're delighted to confirm that we're introducing newer and more trains to transform customer journeys in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands. The Mark 5A trains will replace our 47-year-old Mark 3 carriages on one of our three main routes, between… — Chiltern Railways (@chilternrailway) August 5, 2025 Features for passengers include plug sockets and USB ports at every seat, enhanced wi-fi and digital information screens. The trains will enable additional services to be added to timetables from December 2026. Richard Allan, managing director of Chiltern Railways, said: 'We are thrilled for our customers that we will be able to replace our oldest trains, which are nearly 50-years-old, with their modern equivalent that are just six-years-old and provide significant improvement to their on-board experience. 'Chiltern will be renting more trains than it has today, which means we can operate additional services from the end of 2026 to help meet rising demand. 'The trains will be formed of modern carriages hauled by locomotives fuelled by recycled vegetable oil and fitted with the latest stop-start engine technology.' The announcement forms part of the operator's ambition to modernise and decarbonise its trains by 2030. This includes replacing its diesel trains with battery-electric trains. Rail minister Lord Hendy said: 'This Government is putting passengers back at the heart of the 21st-century railway by investing to make journeys easier, greener and more comfortable. 'We are continuing to support Chiltern as they develop a plan to introduce additional services into their timetable, giving people more opportunities to work, live and socialise.' The Department for Transport has not announced when Chiltern Railways will be nationalised as part of its strategy to bring all train operators under public control as existing contract expire or reach a break point. The operator's contract runs until December 2027.
The Herald Scotland
05-08-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Train operator bucks trend by introducing first-class travel
It said they will feature 'more spacious seats and improved connectivity', but will not include catering. Chiltern Railways currently has no first-class seating on its trains after abolishing the option more than a decade ago. It also stopped having a designated business zone – for which users were charged an on-board upgrade – in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Several train operators in Britain have scrapped first-class travel in recent years because of a lack of demand. These include London Northwestern Railway (in May 2023), Southeastern (in December 2022) and Stansted Express (in January 2020). Others have made the switch for certain routes, such as Greater Anglia, Thameslink and Great Western Railway. First-class tickets can cost several times the amount of standard-class fares. Some long-distance operators such as Avanti West Coast and LNER provide more space, hot food and alcoholic drinks to passengers who pay the extra money. Rail historian and broadcaster Christian Wolmar said he is 'very surprised' at the announcement by Chiltern Railways as passengers wanting a premium service are 'probably in a hurry' so travel on Avanti West Coast services between London and Birmingham, which are generally more expensive but quicker. He told the PA news agency that for suburban services, premium travel is 'an outdated concept from the days of bowler-hatted gentlemen in their first-class compartment while their secretaries sat in second'. He went on: 'That era has gone. I think for those sort of services, there are very few people who would really want to pay for a premium.' Chiltern Railways is replacing its oldest carriages – Mark 3s which date back to the 1970s – with 13 Mark 5A trains from spring next year. The trains – previously operated by TransPennine Express – are already configured with first-class sections, and it would have cost millions of pounds to convert them all to standard class. Chiltern Railways said it will have more standard-class seats than today once the introduction of the new fleet is completed. We're delighted to confirm that we're introducing newer and more trains to transform customer journeys in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands. The Mark 5A trains will replace our 47-year-old Mark 3 carriages on one of our three main routes, between… — Chiltern Railways (@chilternrailway) August 5, 2025 Features for passengers include plug sockets and USB ports at every seat, enhanced wi-fi and digital information screens. The trains will enable additional services to be added to timetables from December 2026. Richard Allan, managing director of Chiltern Railways, said: 'We are thrilled for our customers that we will be able to replace our oldest trains, which are nearly 50-years-old, with their modern equivalent that are just six-years-old and provide significant improvement to their on-board experience. 'Chiltern will be renting more trains than it has today, which means we can operate additional services from the end of 2026 to help meet rising demand. 'The trains will be formed of modern carriages hauled by locomotives fuelled by recycled vegetable oil and fitted with the latest stop-start engine technology.' The announcement forms part of the operator's ambition to modernise and decarbonise its trains by 2030. This includes replacing its diesel trains with battery-electric trains. Rail minister Lord Hendy said: 'This Government is putting passengers back at the heart of the 21st-century railway by investing to make journeys easier, greener and more comfortable. 'We are continuing to support Chiltern as they develop a plan to introduce additional services into their timetable, giving people more opportunities to work, live and socialise.' The Department for Transport has not announced when Chiltern Railways will be nationalised as part of its strategy to bring all train operators under public control as existing contract expire or reach a break point. The operator's contract runs until December 2027.
Western Telegraph
05-08-2025
- Business
- Western Telegraph
Train operator bucks trend by introducing first-class travel
Chiltern Railways announced trains on its route between London and the West Midlands will have first-class carriages from next year. It said they will feature 'more spacious seats and improved connectivity', but will not include catering. Chiltern Railways currently has no first-class seating on its trains after abolishing the option more than a decade ago. It also stopped having a designated business zone – for which users were charged an on-board upgrade – in March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Several train operators in Britain have scrapped first-class travel in recent years because of a lack of demand. These include London Northwestern Railway (in May 2023), Southeastern (in December 2022) and Stansted Express (in January 2020). Others have made the switch for certain routes, such as Greater Anglia, Thameslink and Great Western Railway. First-class tickets can cost several times the amount of standard-class fares. Some long-distance operators such as Avanti West Coast and LNER provide more space, hot food and alcoholic drinks to passengers who pay the extra money. Rail historian and broadcaster Christian Wolmar said he is 'very surprised' at the announcement by Chiltern Railways as passengers wanting a premium service are 'probably in a hurry' so travel on Avanti West Coast services between London and Birmingham, which are generally more expensive but quicker. He told the PA news agency that for suburban services, premium travel is 'an outdated concept from the days of bowler-hatted gentlemen in their first-class compartment while their secretaries sat in second'. He went on: 'That era has gone. I think for those sort of services, there are very few people who would really want to pay for a premium.' Chiltern Railways is replacing its oldest carriages – Mark 3s which date back to the 1970s – with 13 Mark 5A trains from spring next year. The trains – previously operated by TransPennine Express – are already configured with first-class sections, and it would have cost millions of pounds to convert them all to standard class. Chiltern Railways said it will have more standard-class seats than today once the introduction of the new fleet is completed. We're delighted to confirm that we're introducing newer and more trains to transform customer journeys in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands. The Mark 5A trains will replace our 47-year-old Mark 3 carriages on one of our three main routes, between… — Chiltern Railways (@chilternrailway) August 5, 2025 Features for passengers include plug sockets and USB ports at every seat, enhanced wi-fi and digital information screens. The trains will enable additional services to be added to timetables from December 2026. Richard Allan, managing director of Chiltern Railways, said: 'We are thrilled for our customers that we will be able to replace our oldest trains, which are nearly 50-years-old, with their modern equivalent that are just six-years-old and provide significant improvement to their on-board experience. 'Chiltern will be renting more trains than it has today, which means we can operate additional services from the end of 2026 to help meet rising demand. 'The trains will be formed of modern carriages hauled by locomotives fuelled by recycled vegetable oil and fitted with the latest stop-start engine technology.' The announcement forms part of the operator's ambition to modernise and decarbonise its trains by 2030. This includes replacing its diesel trains with battery-electric trains. Rail minister Lord Hendy said: 'This Government is putting passengers back at the heart of the 21st-century railway by investing to make journeys easier, greener and more comfortable. 'We are continuing to support Chiltern as they develop a plan to introduce additional services into their timetable, giving people more opportunities to work, live and socialise.' The Department for Transport has not announced when Chiltern Railways will be nationalised as part of its strategy to bring all train operators under public control as existing contract expire or reach a break point. The operator's contract runs until December 2027.
BBC News
05-08-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Chiltern Railways unveils new train carriages
Chiltern Railways has announced its oldest carriages, which were built nearly half a century ago, are set to be replaced by newer trains from spring next company said it would be replacing its Mark 3 carriages with 13 Mark 5A trains - which include updated features, such as charging ports in every said the update was a "boost for regional growth", which would "transform customer journeys" across its operates services between London and Birmingham, with journeys travelling between towns and cities across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands. Richard Allan, the company's managing director, said: "We are thrilled for our customers that we will be able to replace our oldest trains, which are nearly 50 years old, and replace them with their modern equivalent that are just six years old and provide significant improvement to their on-board experience."He said the newer trains would enable the company to run more services from the end of 2026 to "help meet rising demand". The modern fleet will include enhanced wi-fi, digital customer information screens and onboard air will also be fuelled with recycled vegetable oil, which Chiltern said would help reduce Woodcock, MP for Banbury - which has a station on the Chiltern line, said he was "delighted" by Tuesday's said the standard of Chiltern trains had been a "regular complaint of constituents throughout" his first year in office."I am pleased that this happened and that better and more comfortable journeys are imminent," he Minister Lord Hendy said the investment showed "this government is putting passengers back at the heart of the 21st Century railway"."We are continuing to support Chiltern as they develop a plan to introduce additional services into their timetable, giving people more opportunities to work, live, and socialise," he said. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Drought declared in north-west England amid declining reservoir levels
A drought has been declared in north-west England as reservoir levels dwindle. Hosepipe bans could follow, the Environment Agency said, though this is a matter for water companies, which have been directed to follow their drought plans. Much of the rest of the country is in prolonged dry status, which is the step before drought, and without significant rainfall more areas could follow the north-west. England had the driest period on record between February and April, and despite recent rainfall, rivers are at exceptionally low flows across the country and reservoir levels are declining. Related: England faces drought this summer as reservoir water levels dwindle United Utilities has particularly low reservoir levels: its Carlisle reservoir is at 46.4%,compared with the 92.5% it was at this time last year. The Haweswater and Thirlmere reservoirs are at 47.5%, compared with 94.8% last year. These are the reservoirs which serve areas including Cumbria and Manchester, in the drought area. An Environment Agency spokesperson said: 'The north-west of England has entered drought status due to low water levels in reservoirs and rivers. No other areas in England are in drought and we continue to monitor the situation closely.' Climate breakdown will make droughts more likely, scientists have said, as rainfall becomes less predictable. Richard Allan, a professor of climate science at the University of Reading, said: 'The lack of rainfall across the UK in spring 2025 constituted a meteorological drought and this quickly depleted the soil's moisture, leading to concerns over agricultural drought. Lowering river and reservoir levels are a concern for the north-west of the UK as further dry spells could threaten the supply of water as part of a hydrological drought. 'Droughts are expected to onset more rapidly and become more intense as the planet warms since the atmosphere's thirst for water grows. A warming climate means moisture is more readily sapped from one region and blown into storm systems elsewhere, intensifying both wet and dry weather extremes with wilder swings between them. The only way to limit the increasing severity of wet and dry extremes is to rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of society.' There have not been any major reservoirs built in England for more than 30 years, but the government has announced that it has approved two to begin construction. The Guardian reported recently that to avert a drought there would need to be rainfall at levels last seen in 2012, when record-breaking deluges caused floods across the country. This does not look likely, with hot, dry weather ahead.
