Latest news with #trains
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
The new train fleet set to make your journey much easier
South Western Railway (SWR) is deploying new 'Arterio' trains to alleviate severe overcrowding on services to London Waterloo. Eight additional Arterio trains have been launched in the past two months, bringing the total in operation to 14 across over 160 weekday services. Labour MP Fleur Anderson campaigned on the issue, highlighting 'extreme overcrowding' on lines approaching Waterloo, particularly in areas like Wandsworth Town. The new trains, described as 'platform hoovers', are designed to carry over 50 per cent more passengers and offer modern amenities like Wi-Fi and charging points. The full rollout of the £1 billion Arterio fleet was significantly delayed, with the first trains only carrying passengers in January 2024, reportedly due to driver training issues.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
South Western Railway unveils ‘platform hoover' trains to tackle ‘extreme' Waterloo overcrowding
A fleet of new trains dubbed 'platform hoovers' are being rolled out in an effort to alleviate 'extreme overcrowding' on services to London's Waterloo. South Western Railway (SWR) invested £1 billion in the Arterio trains, which were supposed to be deployed in 2019, but only six were in operation at the start of the year. Now, a SWR spokesperson has confirmed that eight more trains have been launched in the past two months. 'As of today, we are running 14 Arterios on more than 160 services every weekday, on routes to Dorking, Guildford, Hampton Court, Kingston, Reading, Shepperton, Twickenham and Windsor & Eton Riverside,' the spokesperson told The Independent. 'We're looking forward to many more customers enjoying the increased capacity and comfort the Arterios bring to journeys as we introduce more trains into service over the coming weeks.' The announcement follows Labour MP Fleur Anderson's campaigning efforts to engage with rail operators about the issue. The Putney MP told the Standard: 'I have raised [the problem of] extreme overcrowding on the stations. 'As the Waterloo line gets closer to London, it's more full. By the time it gets to Putney, it is quite overcrowded but Wandsworth Town is really bad. Lots of people just can't get on the train.' She added that the layout of the Arterio trains means they are capable of fitting many more passengers onboard. 'They've been described as 'platform hoovers' – which everyone in Wandsworth Town will love to hear about,' she said. SWR had promised the new Arterio trains would 'transform every journey on our suburban network', with 'more capacity, quicker journey times and better reliability and punctuality for our customers'. But it wasn't until January 2024 that the first Arterio train carried passengers between Waterloo and Windsor – around five years later than planned. According to reports, the rollout of the new trains were delayed as existing drivers were required to run day-to-day services and were unable to get time off to attend training programmes. The trains, which were built by Alstom in Derby, have been designed to carry more than 50 per cent more passengers than the eight-car Class 455 trains they will replace.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
France's Alstom tops market views on first-quarter sales
July 23 (Reuters) - French train maker Alstom ( opens new tab on Wednesday reported slightly higher than expected sales for its first quarter, driven by the ramp-up of projects in Germany and continued execution of projects in France, the U.S. and Italy. Alstom, which makes trains and signalling systems for urban and regional rail networks, recorded sales of 4.51 billion euros ($5.29 billion), up 7.2% on an organic basis, while analysts had anticipated sales of 4.4 billion euros and organic growth of 5.3%, according to a Visible Alpha consensus. ($1 = 0.8521 euros)
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
More trains from Bradford Interchange to London are planned
MORE trains to and from London are expected to arrive at Bradford Interchange from December, along with extra services between the capital and Bradford Forster Square. The Bradford Interchange to Kings Cross route could get an extra two services per day when the next rail timetable change is introduced later this year, up from the current four-a-day frequency. The service, run by Grand Central, stops at Halifax, Mirfield, Wakefield, Pontefract, and Doncaster. News that there would be extra services on this route was revealed in a report going to West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Transport Committee on Wednesday. The report says: 'Grand Central are hoping to introduce up to two additional trains each way per day on their Bradford Interchange – Halifax – Mirfield – Wakefield – Pontefract –Doncaster – London King's Cross route, as against the current four per day – with the potential to introduce one of the two extra train-pairs sooner than December. 'However, it is not yet known whether their application for the relevant network access has been approved.' If network access is approved, the services will follow an increase in London services to Bradford Forster Square, introduced in May. Platform 0 opened at Bradford Forster Square Station on May 19, and has seen LNER increase the number of direct trains from Bradford to Kings Cross from two a day to seven a day. It followed a £35m investment from Government, and was expected to add £4m a year to Bradford's economy. The report to WYCA's Transport Committee says even more Forster Square/London services are likely in the December timetable change. The report says: 'LNER's Sunday services on the Bradford Forster Square – London King's Cross route are expected to increase, bringing them in line with the significantly improved weekday service.' The December changes will also see train times on the Skipton and Ilkley lines 'adjusted slightly' to accommodate the extra London to Bradford Foster Square LNER trains. Other changes to West Yorkshire rail services in the December timetable include: The introduction of the long-awaited hourly fast train Leeds – Wakefield Westgate – Sheffield, roughly 30 minutes apart from the existing Cross-Country fast service, throughout the day and every day. An additional 9.34pm Sheffield – Huddersfield service on the Penistone line on weekdays. The restoration of the two daily York – Pontefract – Sheffield trains on Sundays. The committee will also hear that there has been a shift back towards office working in recent years. Northern Rail says this shift has led to a nine per cent year-on-year increase in commuter travel.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Wellington train line given all clear after reports of car hitting bridge
File photo. Photo: RNZ / Krystal Gibbens Trains are running again on Wellington's Kāpiti line after a halt due to reports of a car hitting a rail bridge. The report of the collision came from a member of the public at 7.25am on Tuesday. The bridge runs over the top of State Highway 1 in Ngauranga Gorge in Wellington. Metlink said KiwiRail had to inspect the bridge before services could run again. The bridge was given the all clear, Metlink warned delays were possible staff and trains got back to where they were needed on the line. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
