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

Wednesday, 01 August 2012

BBC News

• Birthday tram's trip back in timeSeaside tramway's 110 year trip back in time
• Heathrow rail staff face ballotContract staff at Heathrow Express will be balloted over pay and Olympic bonuses, a rail union says.

The Telegraph

• Inevitable Transport for London's luck would not lastGiven the age of the London underground network some form of failure was inevitable.
• Broken down tube train caused by overheated wheel 'welding' to train or track, union claimsUnions claim thousands delayed for Olympics Games because over-heated tube train wheel welded itself to the track.
• Jeremy Hunt: Central line up and running after fire alertCulture Secretary Jeremy Hunt says a fire on the Central line on this morning was a standard problem and nothing to do with the Olympics.
• High speed Javelin train services disruptedHigh speed train services into the Olympic Park at Stratford have been disrupted by a suicide attempt on the line.

ATOC

• Olympic National Rail travel bulletin: Tuesday 31 July Having increased daily capacity since Friday,...

London Evening Standard

• London 2012 Olympics: Fire alert sees Heathrow Tube station closed as thousands of journeys disrupted across LondonOne of the main gateways in to London has been reopened following a fire alert, Transport for London has said this morning.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Lichfield Council joins challenge to HS2 projectLegal challenges to the £33 billion high-speed rail project, HS2 will be heard before the end of the year, it emerged today.

Global Rail News

• Siemens wins lucrative Middle East light rail contractSiemens has been awarded a 100 million euro contract to build a tram system in Qatar’s capital city Doha. The company will be responsible for the signal and communication technology across the 11.5 km track, the rail electrification system, equipping a depot and delivering 19 trams. The project is due to be completed by autumn [...]
• ROBEL readies new model for InnoTrans 2012ROBEL will be showcasing its new 34.02 clipping machine at InnoTrans 2012. The new model includes a petrol engine, Fastclip work module and e-Clip module. The patented tool for a quick and simple changing between the work processes for applying and removing Fastclips without the use of additional tools has been retained. A powerful and [...]
• Industry experts join HS2 debateGreengauge 21 has established a new forum of industry experts to discuss the future of high-speed rail in Britain. The high-speed rail research group yesterday announced the creation HSR Industry Leaders Group (ILG) – the first group of its kind in the UK – which will bring together companies with expertise in engineering, railway operations, [...]
• Olympics: Central Line suspension causes severe delaysTrains to the Olympic Park were suspended this morning after a fire alarm halted services on the Central Line. Spectators and commuters were told at around 7am that services between Liverpool Street and Woodford/Newbury Park – a section that includes Stratford – had been suspended because of a faulty train. Transport for London (TfL) said [...]
• Balfour Beatty sponsors new sustainability awardThis year’s RailStaff Awards will be recognising individuals, teams or businesses that have made a positive environmental, social or financial impact in the name of sustainability. Sustainability is a key part of the modern rail industry, with environmental performance impacting more and more on purchasing decisions, sourcing materials, waste disposal and water consumption. This year [...]
• Great Western ITT offers speed and capacity improvementsInfrastructure capable of supporting 140mph running and plans for additional capacity are the main thrusts in the invitation to tender for the Great Western franchise, published on July 27. Some of the projects outlined in the ITT include enhancing the existing electrical  infrastructure between North Pole and Airport Junction for 125mph running, designing electrical infrastructure [...]
• Inquiry ordered after 32 die in Indian train blazeThirty-two passengers, including six women and three children were burnt to death when the Sleeper Class Coach S-11 of New Delhi-Chennai Tamil Nadu Express caught fire in the early hours of Monday morning. The blaze broke out at 04.22am near Nellore station in Andhra Pradesh of Vijayawada Division of South Central Railway on July 30. [...]

Railnews

• So far, it's a gold for rail London's rail system has won praise from Olympic visitors after their first experience of the Underground and DLR under pressure. No problems have been reported, while Transport for London has even relaxed some of the restrictions on Olympics road lanes because so many VIPs have chosen to go by train instead.

Other News Sources

• Local MP launches new era in train production Andrew Jones, the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Transport Secretary, Justine Greening MP, joined the national centre stage at the announcement that more than 900 jobs will be created and thousands more secured after Ms Greening approved a £4.5bn contract to supply Britain with the next generation of intercity trains.
• RMT to ballot Heathrow Express contractors for industrial action over payRAIL UNION RMT confirmed today that it is preparing to ballot cleaning, facilities and asset management and mechanical engineering staff on Heathrow Express for both strike action and action short of a strike in a dispute over pay.