Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Wednesday, 25 July 2012

BBC News

• HS2 steaming ahead or off track?Is HS2 steaming ahead or going off the rails following the admission that over 400 responses were overlooked during consultations?
• Tube cleaners call two-day strikeCleaners on London Underground and the Docklands Light Railway are to walk out in a dispute over pay on the day of the Olympics opening ceremony.

Financial Times

• Hitachi set to secure largest UK train orderThe country™s biggest and most ambitious procurement programme expected to get signed off this week after more than a delay of three years

The Guardian

• 'Too hot' for trains to Olympic stadium Greater Anglia announces that some trains will not stop at Stratford, with temperature in London expected to exceed 30C

The Herald

• Glasgow-Edinburgh train boostSUNDAY train services between Glasgow and Edinburgh will double in frequency from September as ScotRail extends its half-hourly service on the busy route.

The Scotsman

• London 2012 Olympics: Tube staff disrupt first days of GamesLONDON Underground employees will stage a work-to-rule from Friday in an Olympics-related dispute, it was confirmed yesterday.
• Harry Potter Hogwarts express train sparks problemsSparks from a steam train on one of Scotland’s most famous railway lines – which featured in the Harry Potter films – are being blamed for starting moorland fires.

The Telegraph

• Hot weather halts Olympic trainsReduced speed limits imposed on trains as summer heatwave hits UK.
• Olympics 2012: sponsors told to stay out of Games lanesJustine Greening urges executives to swap chauffeur-driven official cars for trains and buses.

Reuters News

• Hitachi wins 4 billion pounds high-speed rail car order from UK - Nikkei Hitachi Ltd will announce that it has received orders from Britain for 500 high-speed rail cars worth at least 400 to 500 billion yen (3.29-4.12 billion pounds) to replace outdated rolling stock, Japan's Nikkei reported on Wednesday.

Mail Online

• London 2012: First border staff call strike. Now Tube drivers - who've already had £1,000 sweetener - join Olympic saboteursThousands of tube staff and workers on South West Trains - needed to ferry visitors to Games sites across London and the South - will begin a work-to-rule regime from Friday.
• Train drivers ordered not stop at Olympic Park as decrepit overhead cables installed in the 1950s can't cope with the heatAs temperatures soar, The Greater Anglia rail company has ordered drivers to go straight through Stratford - the main gateway to the Olympics - To minimise delays.

Network Rail

• THREE MORE LONDON OVERGROUND STATIONS BECOME STEP-FREE

Liverpool Echo

• Metal thieves cause commuter chaos on trains between Manchester and SouthportMETAL thieves caused commuter chaos on the trains this morning.

London Evening Standard

• London 2012 Olympics: Now it's the wrong type of SUN that's threatening rail chaosWe have had passenger numbers and union action but now it is the SUN threatening rail travel chaos.
• Fate of Thameslink service connecting south and central London to be decided in weeksCommuters in south London have less than a month to save a vital train link that crosses the capital, campaigners have warned.
• London 2012 Olympics: Passengers warned your journey could take 30 minutes longer from today TUBE passengers were warned today it could take more than half an hour just to get on a train at key stations during the Olympics.

Manchester Evening News

• Delays after tram fault leads to Metrolink services being suspendedMetrolink services are severely disrupted after a tram fault caused the suspension of services on most lines.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Sparks fly over steam train ˜fires™ One of Scotland™s most famous railway lines has been given a new nickname “ the west toast railway line “ thanks to the sparks that fly from the steam trains.

Other Regional Press

• Timing of £100m railway works criticised by tourism bosses in LincolnshireTHE timing of planned rail improvements has been criticised by tourism bosses, concerned about the potential impact on next year's season.
• Rail fan waiting to see if link is on the right linesWhile many are celebrating the news that our rail links are to receive a much-needed funding boost, some are keeping the champagne on ice.

Global Rail News

• Free Olympic rail travel for the militaryMilitary personnel working in London during the Olympics will be able to travel for free on all Transport for London (TfL) services this summer. When in uniform, military personnel will be offered free travel on the Tube, London buses, the Docklands Light Railway and London Overground. Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “London is ready [...]
• ScotRail expands Sunday serviceScotRail is to launch a new half-hourly Sunday service on its Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk route. From September 9, a dozen more trains will be put into service, adding more than 2,250 extra seats. The expansion of services means there will be trains on the hour and half past the hour in both directions on Sundays [...]
• Olympic torch travels on the TubeThe Olympic torch has travelled along the London Underground today in the latest leg of its nationwide tour. Tube service operator John Light, 64, carried the flame along the District Line from Wimbledon to Wimbledon Park this morning. Today’s other torch bearers will include double Olympic champion rower James Cracknell, musical artists Katy B and [...]
• McGinley backs Infrastructure Person of the YearMcGinley Support Services is sponsoring the Infrastructure Person of the Year at this year™s RailStaff Awards. McGinley Support Services is a Link-Up accredited supplier of personnel and support services to the national railway and various urban metro rail networks. Sean McGinley, business support director of McGinley Support Services Limited, said: ˜This is a great celebration [...]
• Passenger harm falls to lowest ever levelThe level of passenger harm on the UK’s railways fell to its lowest ever level between 2011-12, according to a report published today by the Office for Rail Regulation (ORR). ORR’s annual health and safety report showed that as well as a 12 per cent decrease in the overall rate of harm, London Underground, Overground [...]
• Rail volunteer honoured for station transformationA West Highland woman has become the first person in Scotland to have single-handedly transformed three stations as part of ScotRail™s Adopt a Station community project. Sonia Cameron has installed six half-barrel planters at Morar, adding to the floral displays she plants and maintains at Mallaig and Arisaig. ScotRail has paid tribute to the Mallaig [...]
• Europorte awarded 8-year operations contractEurotunnel’s rail freight arm has landed an eight-year contract to manage operations and maintenance of the Port of Bordeaux Authority’s railway infrastructure. Europorte will be responsible for more than 20km of track and 39 sidings at terminals in Bassens and le Verdon. The company, which will place a dedicated team at the Port of Bordeaux, [...]

Railnews

• IEP order may be confirmed within days Speculation is growing that the Department for Transport is poised to announce a contract for the first tranche of Intercity Express trains this week. The order, if it is confirmed, will have come only after well over three years of debate and reassessments by the Department, as plans for the future rail network evolved.
• Adelantes return to Great Western First Great Western has introduced Class 180 Adelantes on its North Cotswolds line. The move turns back the clock by about a decade, because the Alstom-built 180s were formerly used on the GWML between London and Bristol but later transferred elsewhere because of technical problems.

Other News Sources

• Rail bosses 'sorry' for rush hour chaosRAIL chiefs today apologised to passengers after broken stonework caused rush hour chaos at Reading Station last night.