Takeover target Arriva saw operating and pre-tax profits fall sharply ahead of an exceptional pension credit in the year to 31 December 2009, according to its annual accounts. Turnover growth in the business was limited to 3.5%, though this was after a £150m cut in rail revenues caused by reduced track access charges feeding through [...]

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Bus, coach and train giant National Express Group subsided to a £52.7m loss after taking into account huge exceptional charges, in the year to 31 December 2009, according to the company’s annual report. The £131m worth of exceptional charges arose from the group’s exit from the East Coast rail franchise last autumn (which cost a [...]

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RAIL patronage and revenue held up remarkably well during 2009, despite the recession, according to TAS analysis of the latest provisional figures published last month by the Office of Rail Regulation, covering the September to December quarter. Looking at the statistics for the three months, it is clear that growth in patronage resumed on the [...]

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Train operating company profits rose very slightly in cash terms in 2008/09, though margins were marginally lower, according to new analysis published by the TAS Business Monitor on-line subscription service. Across the the franchised train operating companies as a whole, turnover was 6.6% higher at £8,511m, whilst operating profits totalled £328.8m (last year: £316.6m on [...]

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The following is a reproduction from the archives of an article I wrote much earlier in my career, which may possibly just have some echoes for people today.  Question is, can you guess the year? The National Bus Company’s attitude to planning for public transport is explained in this article by I D Macbriar, Special [...]

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FirstGroup’s South Yorkshire bus subsidiary improved its operating performance during the year to 28 March 2009, according to its annual accounts. Turnover during the year grew by over 5% to take the total to £72.0m, whilst cost increases were kept in line with RPI at 2.7% despite pressures on fuel and labour costs. The total [...]

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