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Research and Reports

A database of documents and reports released by industry bodies. You can download the document by clicking on its title, and can filter reports by author or subject. If you have a report you would like to submit to the Rail Hub, please email [email protected].

 

  • Long Term Passenger Rolling Stock Strategy for the Rail Industry

    03/03/2015
    Rail Delivery Group SearchResearchItems

    The traction mix on Britain’s railways will change dramatically, with the current 3,909 diesel vehicles likely to shrink to just 1,234 in 2044’s medium forecast, and 95% of the fleet of 25,084 vehicles electric or dual mode. Electrification is key to the study’s findings as a making a business case for new diesel trains is becoming increasingly challenging due to emissions regulations: a long term electrification programme would, the study says, release ‘good mid-life’ diesel units to increase capacity on routes which are likely to need self-powered trains. Even the worst case scenario suggests that 62% of track miles will be electrified by the end of Control Period 8 in 2034.

  • ATW disruption update – January 2015

    03/03/2015
    Transport Focus SearchResearchItems

    Update on Arriva Trains Wales disruption

  • GB rail industry financial information 2013-2014

    16/02/2015
    Office of Rail and Road (ORR) SearchResearchItems

    Passengers pay the bulk of the costs of running Britain’s rail network, while government funding is falling, according to the latest statistics released by the Office of Rail Regulation. Of the £13.3 billion income generated by the rail industry, passengers paid £9bn, against government support of £3.8bn. Another £500 million of other revenue from property, station retail, freight and other customers completes the revenue picture. The majority of the rail industry’s £12.7bn expenditure - £8.9bn (including £2.4bn of Network Rail charges for train operators) - were incurred by passenger operations, with the remaining £6.2bn attributed to Network Rail. It means that Britain’s railways generated a paper profit of around £600m in 2013-14. Fares were the primary source of income, generating £8.2bn (a 6.2% increase), with £800m (up 3.5%) generated by other sources such as car parking and on-train catering. With passenger journeys rising by 5.7% within the same period, the ORR’s figures suggest that train operators are seeing revenue growth outstrip that of passenger journeys. The majority of government support (£2.6bn) came from the Department for Transport, with Transport Scotland investing £0.8bn, the Welsh government £0.1bn, and Transport for London and the Passenger Transport Executives between them supplying £0.3 billion of funding.

  • The passenger impact of engineering overruns at London King’s Cross and London Paddington on 27 December 2014

    12/02/2015
    Transport Focus SearchResearchItems

    Passenger Focus recommends that a decision to start/terminate long-distance trains at an alternative location, whether planned in advance, as a result of a formal contingency timetable or through control decisions on the day, should be accompanied by a plan to provide the level of staff and other resources necessary to meet passengers’ reasonable needs.

  • Office of Rail Regulation investigation report on engineering overruns

    12/02/2015
    Office of Rail and Road (ORR) SearchResearchItems

    Office of Rail Regulation's report into Network Rail's Christmas engineering failings at London King's Cross and Paddington. Much is made of the focus on passengers, but it has agreed no punishment with NR after the infrastructure company vowed to make improvements to processes. ORR expects these to be in place for Christmas 2015.

  • Caledonian Sleeper Franchise Agreement

    11/02/2015
    Transport Scotland SearchResearchItems

    Redacted version of the franchise agreement for the Caledonian Sleeper franchise. Commercially confidential information redacted.

  • Department for Transport provides further grant funding to support the transportation of freight by rail and water

    09/02/2015
    Department for Transport SearchResearchItems

    Department for Transport provides further grant funding to support the transportation of freight by rail and water

  • Rail passengers and apps – what’s next

    05/02/2015
    Transport Focus SearchResearchItems

    For commuters, use of rail app functions was mostly limited to checking departure times and information about disruption. As such, the speed of apps was critical. Business and leisure travellers used a different but still limited number of functions.

  • Ticket to Ride – an update

    03/02/2015
    Transport Focus SearchResearchItems

    Passenger Focus has always taken the view that everyone should buy a ticket when travelling on the railways. Passengers who avoid paying their fare are, in effect, being subsidised by the vast majority.

  • Consultation: Changes to the Rail Penalty Fares appeals process

    03/02/2015
    Department for Transport SearchResearchItems

    Concerns have been raised regarding the threatening tone of penalty fare reminder letters. DfT is aware of some instances where passengers have been threatened with criminal sanctions inappropriately to encourage payment of debt. The non-payment of a penalty fare is not a criminal matter. It is a civil offence and so the threat of criminal prosecution to recover debt is ‘inappropriate and misleading’

  • Delivering the future – New approaches to urban freight

    01/02/2015
    Passenger Transport Executive Group SearchResearchItems

    Using case studies involving a trial in the UK and regular services in mainland Europe, PTEG highlights that city railway stations have great potential as central hubs for freight distribution. It says these facilities are barely used at night and can be served by trains acting as high speed mobile warehouses. The fact that all the sorting and loading could take place within the station building helps to minimise the noise and disturbance for local residents. It also opens up opportunities to use short-range low emission vehicles to transport goods over the last mile it adds.

  • Long Term Passenger Rolling Stock Strategy for the Rail Industry - 3rd Edition, Feb 2015

    01/02/2015
    Rail Delivery Group SearchResearchItems

    Based on future passenger demand, an increase in the size of the fleet of between 52% and 99% will be required over the next 30 years, with the proportion of vehicles using electric traction rising from 69% today to 92-95% by 2044. Around 3,350 new electric vehicles will need to be delivered by April 2019, with orders already placed for 90% of this total. A further 428 vehicles for Crossrail, the Intercity Express Programme and Essex Thameside have already been committed for delivery after this date.

  • National Rail Passenger Survey Autumn 2014

    30/01/2015
    Transport Focus SearchResearchItems

    Open access operators Grand Central and Heathrow Express scored the highest satisfaction ratings in Passenger Focus’ latest National Rail Passenger Survey. Both recorded an overall satisfaction rating of 94% in the autumn 2014 survey. The highest-placed franchised operator was Chiltern Railways in third (91%). At the other end of the scale, lowest-ranked Southeastern suffered an 11% drop in overall satisfaction (to 74%). The overall satisfaction figure of 81% is a fall from autumn 2013’s 83%, while the percentage of passengers content with punctuality and reliability also fell (79% to 77%).

  • National Rail Passenger Survey Autumn 2014

    27/01/2015
    Transport Focus SearchResearchItems

    Results of the Autumn 2014 survey providing a network-wide picture of passenger satisfaction. Overall satisfaction is down by 2% on the Autumn 2013 survey.

  • Eurotunnel on track

    26/01/2015
    Eurotunnel SearchResearchItems

    There is a ‘significant and visible growth in rail freight trains through the Channel Tunnel, with a 14% growth in volume and 21% increase in tonnage. Eurostar has increased passenger numbers 3% too.

  • Attitudes and potential behavioural responses to the Alternative Cash Offer and Voluntary Purchase Scheme

    16/01/2015
    Department for Transport SearchResearchItems

    The majority of those interviewed were couples aged 40 or over, living in properties with an estimated un-blighted value of more than £250,000.

  • Decision Document Property Consultation 2014 for the London-West Midlands HS2 Route

    16/01/2015
    Department for Transport SearchResearchItems

    Government received 4,970 responses of which 111 came from organisations. A number of respondents argued for a change in the geographic limits of the cash offer. DfT did not consider that it would be appropriate to revisit the geographic limits of the voluntary purchase scheme.

  • London Overground extension to Barking Riverside - Public Consultation report

    15/01/2015
    Transport for London SearchResearchItems

    Results of a public consultation into the proposed extension of London Overground Gospel Oak-Barking line to the Barking Riverside development. 90% in favour.

  • Christmas Disruption report

    12/01/2015
    Network Rail SearchResearchItems

    A review into the causes of passenger disruption affecting King's Cross and Paddington station services on December 27 2014

  • Platform train interface strategy

    01/01/2015
    Rail Safety Standards Board SearchResearchItems

    Incidents at the platform train interface account for almost half of the total passenger fatality risk on the mainline railway network, and about one-fifth of the overall passenger fatality and weighted injury risk.

  • Improving Connectivity consultation

    01/01/2015
    Network Rail SearchResearchItems

    A possible blueprint for transforming connectivity between a number of destinations that (as journeys on the railway network) are historically not considered that important by railway managers.

  • Initial observations: railway engineering overruns Christmas 2014

    30/12/2014
    Transport Focus SearchResearchItems

    How the incidents were managed. Report not designed to pre-empt the full review, but to ensure key questions from a passenger perspective are addressed.

  • Specialist Technical Advice for Rail (STAR) Framework Pre-Qualification Process Document

    22/12/2014
    Department for Transport SearchResearchItems

    Bidders are expected to ensure at least 25% of any future package services are carried out by SMEs.

  • High-Speed 2 Framework Document 2014

    18/12/2014
    HS2 Ltd SearchResearchItems

    Strategy devised by DfT and HS2 Ltd for objectives of HS2.

  • HS2 Development agreement

    18/12/2014
    HS2 Ltd SearchResearchItems

    Agreement between Secretary of State and HS2 Ltd for the ongoing development of HS2.