Better value claim
The lobby group Rail Partners is claiming that private rail operators are better value for taxpayers. In its latest newsletter, RP highlights payments to the Treasury from operators worth £3.8 billion between 2010 and 2019, although this figure does not take into account the direct grants made to Network Rail, which reduced track access charges paid by operators. Rail Partners is calling for the passenger railway to be operated through concessions, which is the model used by Transport for London, rather than nationalised outright. Meanwhile, the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill has reached committee stage in the House of Lords, after receiving its second reading two days ago.
Belfast central station opening
Belfast’s new central station is to open on Sunday. Translink has confirmed that the the first train to depart from Belfast Grand Central will be an Enterprise service to Dublin at 08.05, and the first train to arrive will be the 08.30 from Portadown, due in at 09.15. Translink has described Grand Central as ‘the largest integrated travel hub on the island of Ireland’, with eight platforms and 26 bus stands. The station has been designed to cater for up to 20 million journeys a year.
Leaf fall timetables
Train operators are warning that the times of some trains will be changed slightly, as leaf fall timetables come into force. Southeastern said some of its services will depart a few minutes earlier from Sunday, and that it has been estimated that 50 million leaves fall on to the railway in the south east of England alone each autumn.