North American Transit Alliance ’s Post

🔊 UIRR joined forces with ERFA-European Rail Freight Association, and two of our national peer associations DIE GÜTERBAHNEN in Germany and the Dutch association RailGood to produce a short paper that directs the attention of the upcoming Transport Council of the European Union to #RailFreight 🚂 . 👉 It will also directly address the political groups running for the European Parliament in this weekend’s European elections. 🔎 Resilient growth of the European economy should be based on a relentless pursuit of all-out resource productivity of #labour, #energy, #infrastructure and #environmental performance. 🛤 ⚓ 🛣 #DoortoDoor #CombinedTransport substantially outperforms its unimodal road 🚛 alternative in each of these categories. ❗ Rail freight is a very important pillar of door-to-door Combined Transport.  ▶ The infrastructure network must be developed with a view on the needs of #intermodal #trains, while adequate quality and quantity of track capacity should be allocated to #freight trains. ▶ The regulatory framework should be developed in a mode-neutral way, building on the principles of intermodality as a network, harmonisation and homogeneity. 📢 The opportunity to engineer a leap in modal shift towards Combined Transport is here and now. Belgian Presidency of the Council of European Union Georges Gilkinet Audrey Devos European Commission Herald Ruijters Annika Kroon Szymon Oscislowski Maria Koidu

Government establishes Shadow GBR as Passenger Railways Services Bill reaches final stages. Government is pushing ahead with its rail reform programme by announcing the launch of Shadow Great British Railways, ushering in, said Transport Secretary Louise Haigh, “a new era for our railways which puts passengers first”. The launch of Shadow Great British Railways (Shadow GBR) will set in motion a huge overhaul of the running of the rail network, bringing together the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom, Network Rail and publicly-owned operators. Shadow GBR is paving the way for Great British Railways – the new unified arm’s length body responsible for finally bringing track and train back together and overseeing both services and infrastructure. The announcement on 3 September comes as the government’s Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill continues its passage through the Commons, marking further progress in the Transport Secretary’s mission “to put rail services back into the hands of the public”. Under the Bill the government will nationalise franchised passenger railway services when existing contracts with private sector operators come to an end... Find out more 👉 https://buff.ly/3MzUQbN #rail #railway #railindustry

🔴📰 Avanti West Coast boss "summoned" to talks over performance - BBC 🔴📰 Hey LinkedIn fam! 🌟 Just read this interesting article about the Avanti West Coast boss being "summoned" to talks over performance according to the BBC. It's a crucial time for the rail industry, and this development will surely have a significant impact. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this and how it might affect the broader transportation sector. Let's keep the conversation going! #RailIndustry #AvantiWestCoast #TransportationSector https://ift.tt/mfdVjD6

It would be important for the political decision-makers in some Member States who insist on defending the monopolies of the incumbent operators to read the European Commission's recent study on passenger and freight rail transport services' prices to final customers and think more carefully about their mobility strategies. Particularly in Portugal, where the entry of new operators that would bring more competitiveness and quality to rail services continues to be problematic. As Allrail's press release states "The Study adds to the ever-growing evidence that competition, both in Open Access and PSOs, delivers benefits for All - passengers, operators, taxpayers, and the climate - that are crucial for accelerating the modal shift to rail". 

♿ Raising Awareness for Accessible Rail Travel ♿ I came across this important post from the Office of Rail and Road regarding disabled passengers’ This serves as a crucial reminder for the industry to rethink and improve how we train staff to handle such situations effectively. At Railverse, we’ve incorporated disabled passenger handling directly into our VR training scenarios for train dispatch. By using immersive VR simulations, staff can practice real-world situations, ensuring they are fully prepared to assist every passenger, regardless of their needs. We believe VR is a powerful tool for raising the standard of passenger safety and accessibility across the rail network. Let’s work together towards a more inclusive future for everyone. #AccessibleTravel #Rail #VR #Railways #Railverse #FutureOfWork

♿ Raising Awareness for Accessible Rail Travel ♿ I came across this important post from the Office of Rail and Road regarding disabled passengers This serves as a crucial reminder for the industry to rethink and improve how we train staff to handle such situations effectively. At Railverse, we’ve incorporated disabled passenger handling directly into our VR training scenarios for train dispatch. By using immersive VR simulations, staff can practice real-world situations, ensuring they are fully prepared to assist every passenger, regardless of their needs. We believe VR is a powerful tool for raising the standard of passenger safety and accessibility across the rail network. Let’s work together towards a more inclusive future for everyone. #AccessibleTravel #Rail #VR #Railways #Railverse #FutureOfWork

Attention all LinkedIn connections! The Avanti West Coast boss has been "summoned" for discussions about performance. This article from BBC.com outlines the situation and sheds light on the challenges that the boss is facing. It's an interesting read that provides insight into the world of railway operations. Check out the article and let's start a conversation about the issues affecting our rail services. #AvantiWestCoast #RailwayPerformance #BBCNews https://ift.tt/mfdVjD6

It’s great to see Open Access competition on Britain’s railways making headlines this week, as more operators announce new proposals. I know some people in the rail industry are sceptical, but from the customer’s viewpoint an increased range of choice is empowering. In Europe we’ve seen prices fall and passenger numbers increase on long-distance routes thanks to competition. It’s a similar story in the UK on those lines where there are already rival operators. That’s why increasing choice was one of my key recommendations in my column in the latest edition of Rail magazine, along with taking steps to rebuild passenger trust and embracing new thinking. Deliver these objectives and we can turbo-charge passenger growth and transform rail industry finances – the ultimate win-win.

Along the lines of the Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy the Commission has just publicly started work on the TBER – the Transport Block Exemption Regulation, the first act of its kind (apart from Regulation 1370/2007, which applies to passenger transport), which would allow EU member states to award state aid for operations and investments related to commercial/cargo land transportation without the need of prior notification to and approval of the Commission. Particular emphasis is to be placed on, among others, interoperability and intermodality; in particular, as announced, the scope of the TBER is to also cover, to some extent, intermodal terminals and private sidings. While it will still take some time for the Commission to adopt the TBER and member states could also need extra time to put in place national laws providing for the relevant state aid programs, the TBER should definitely be followed closely by railway and intermodal transport undertakings and their business partners. They may also be interested in submitting their views in the upcoming TBER public consultations.

Very encouraging to read this. Our new government has already committed to the IRP and funding GBR but the industry really needs to allocate funding more rapidly for CP7 so development work can accelerate, take control and reduce ticket prices to really start the decarbonisation process. Network Rail #decarbonisation #longlifelighting