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Wednesday, 04 July 2012

BBC News

• Lincoln to London route 'needs more trains' says council More direct trains between Lincoln and London would boost the economy, Lincolnshire County Council has said. The council has called for more trains in its response to proposed changes to the railways, including the East Coast Main Line franchise.
• Pressure is on for train companies during Olympics The train companies are under a lot of pressure to deliver a decent service during the Olympic Games. Not least because during the Jubilee they badly underestimated the number of extra passengers and only put on an enhanced Sunday service.
• HS2 branded 'burden for Warwickshire' over extension North Warwickshire Borough Council's leader has called HS2 a "burden" after a local MP claimed a proposed extension would come through the area.
• Trains manifesto for East EnglandMPs, councils and rail users have drawn up a rail manifesto for East England to provide a vision for rail in the future.

The Guardian

• Sexual harassment on public transport must stop Women shouldn't be subject to harassment while travelling – are posters telling men where to draw the line the answer?
• Network Rail engulfed in fresh row over directors' bonuses Unions denounce Network Rail over plans for £1.7m directors bonus scheme and annual payouts worth up to 60% of salary

The Herald

• Network Rail hit by row on executive bonus planA fresh row over executive pay flared yesterday when a leading union claimed plans were being drawn up for a new bonus scheme for executives at Network Rail.

The Telegraph

• Network rail bosses in new £650,000 bonuses row Network Rail bosses are trying to get new bonuses worth up to £650,000 each, just five months after a public outcry forced them to waive their annual rewards.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph commented Business Secretary urged to back electrificationA GROUP of East Midlands MPs have met with Business Secretary Vince Cable in a final attempt to convince the Government to fund...

Edinburgh Evening News

• £500,000 bill for tram drivers 18 months before line opensTRAM bosses are set to spend almost half a million pounds paying drivers and controllers for at least 18 months before the line is even up and running, the Evening News can reveal.

Journal Live

• Princess Anne re-opens Tynemouth Station - GALLERYAN historic railway station has been given the royal seal of approval after a £3.6m facelift.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail track defect leads to Wirral Line problemsA DEFECT on the city's underground rail network led to problems on the Wirral Line this morning.
• Merseyrail track defect leads to Wirral Line problemsA DEFECT on the city's underground rail network led to problems on the Wirral Line this morning.

London Evening Standard

• Rail chiefs get £300,000 NOT to find other jobsThree Network Rail bosses are to each receive œgolden handcuff� payments of £300,000 to stop them being poached by rival firms.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• £20m bid over Wolverhampton rail station planA bid is in for £20.2 million of public money to try and revive long awaited plans to rebuild Wolverhampton™s rail station.

East Anglian Daily Times

• East Anglia: Call for service improvementsSUFFOLK and Essex MPs united during a special Parliamentary debate in support of an improved rail service for East Anglia.

Global Rail News

• CAF to set up manufacturing plant in IndiaOne of the world’s leading train makers has set its sights on a new manufacturing plant in India. Spain™s Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) is planning to set up a new manufacturing hub in the country to take advantage of an increasing demand for railway vehicles and equipment. Speaking about the plans, Juan Jose [...]
• RMT begins Olympic payment ballotsRail union RMT has confirmed that balloting for strike action and action short of a strike will begin this week on three main train services:  South West Trains, Greater Anglia, First Great Western. Ballot papers will be sent to members this week, with voting coming to a close on Thursday, July 19. The ballots come [...]
• Olympic torch beckons for Swanage Railway volunteerA Swanage Railway volunteer and devoted charity fund raiser has been chosen to carry the Olympic flame. Fifty-one-year-old former soldier Frank Roberts, who works as a Surrey and Berkshire station manager, is one of a select few people who will be carrying the torch through the seaside resort on Friday, July 13. Frank said: “I [...]
• Eurostar becomes official carrier for French and Belgium Paralympic teamA trio of Paralympic athletes visited Eurostar, the official carrier of the French and the Belgian Paralympic teams, at its East London depot yesterday to reveal the modifications being made to the Eurostar services carrying athletes to the London 2012 Paralympic Games this summer. The modifications will allow the trains to carry up to 18 [...]
• Pendolinos look EastAll four new 11-car Virgin Pendolinos have now entered service, nine months ahead of schedule, and work continues at Alstom’s Manchester Traincare Centre at Longsight to lengthen 31 of the nine-car Pendolinos to 11 carriages. The lengthening programme is expected to finish in November. A visit to Longsight on June 27 saw the 10th and [...]
• 100 not outThe Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) celebrates its centenary in 2012, a remarkable achievement. The rail engineer interviewed Francis How, recently elected as President for the Centenary year, to discuss what had been achieved over the 100 years and the outlook for both the Institution and signalling into the future. The conversation ranged far [...]
• Rail contractors jailed for £1.5m track theftFive railway workers have been jailed for their part in stealing £1.5 million worth of track from Network Rail. The group had looked to exploit the maintenance and upgrade work being carried out by Network Rail on the West Coast Mainline in and around Rugby, the court was told. Paul Tandon, 47, of Great Barr, [...]
• Last Translink arrives at BelfastThe last of 20 new Translink NI Railways Class 4000 trains arrived at Belfast docks today. The arrival of train no.4020 completes the £114 million order funded by the Department for Regional Development and continues the introduction of Class 4000 trains onto the local rail network. The final train will be subject to rigorous testing [...]

Other News Sources

• Cllr Liam Robinson, a station manager at Lime Street Station, has been voted in as the new chairman of Merseytravel THE new head of the region’s transport authority has been appointed after the controversial departure of its former leader.
• MP's back fight for pay justice for Tyne and Wear metro cleanersMP's have come out in support of the Churchill's cleaning staff on the Tyne and Wear Metro in their fight for pay justice.