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

Saturday, 30 April 2016

BBC News

• Rail users face bank holiday disruptionRail passengers using the Brighton Main Line face disruption over the bank holiday weekend due to engineering work.

The Scotsman

• Boy rescued from Edinburgh rail line after chasing his mum’s trainA four-year-old boy has been rescued from a railway line after apparently trying to chase his mother’s train after he got off without her at Wester Hailes Station in Edinburgh.

Times Online

• Driver saves boy, 3, who ran along tracks of busy railway line [Subscription]A three-year-old boy ran along one of Scotland’s busiest railway lines for about half a mile after getting off a train without his parents.

Mail Online

• Abellio Greater Anglia offer passenger �4 compensation after train was struck by tractor Wil Kitcher, 36, from Tunbridge Wells, was in the front carriage of the train and had to be treated for whiplash. But Abellio Greater Anglia said: 'We're only giving you �4'

The Mirror

• Virgin Trains new rule says trains are late if they turn up 60 SECONDS after scheduled arrival The move is part of a change in the how the company publishes it punctuality figures, as part of plans to give passengers "as much information as possible"

Network Rail

• Farnham to Alton railway line set to re-open early following landslipNetwork Rail expects to re-open the railway line between Farnham and Alton on Wednesday 4 May, five days earlier than originally planned after a small army of engineers worked around the clock to stabilise the track at Wrecclesham.

London Evening Standard

• South London rail delays cost economy �70m a year, Zac Goldsmith warnsZac Goldsmith today warned that rail delays in south London were costing the economy �70 million every year - as he pledged to take control of the least popular routes.
• Gatwick Express shut over May bank holidayAir travellers are set for disruption over the May Day bank holiday weekend as the Gatwick Express rail link shuts down for engineering works.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Stagecoach says Virgin East Coast is 'growing' in response to union claims RMT released a statement saying it is 'deeply concerned' about rumours of rail operator's financial position

The York Press

• Harrogate-York train crash: Network Rail rapped, tractor driver cleared RAIL bosses need to make small level crossings safer after a crash near Knaresborough that could have been much worse, a report has said.
• Copmanthorpe level crossing move scrapped PLANS to move a railway crossing on the outskirts of York have been shelved after Network Rail and people in the area could not agree on a replacement.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Further rail disruption along the Greater Anglia route over May Day Bank Holiday weekendThe main rail line between London and East Anglia will be closed again on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday as Network Rail engineers carry out more work in the Shenfield area.

Other Regional Press

• Great Western Railway expertise lives on in Swindon transport network THE Great Western Railway works in Swindon may have closed 30 years ago but the skills expertise that saw the success of the railway have certainly not gone to waste.
• Properties at greater flood risk due to railway track raising at Hinksey will not get further protection PLANS to protect 19 homes at an increased flood risk due to proposed railway works at Hinksey have been scrapped by Oxford City Council.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Network Rail launches new standards of workNetwork Rail has rolled out a new set of minimum standards for all organisations that work with the company to follow. These standards are being referred to as a code of conduct and it has been launched to ensure that the 250,000 people who are helping to deliver the Railway Upgrade Plan meet standards of safety. Similarly, the rules will make sure that the people who work on the lines will treat customers and communities with politeness and respect. These standards have highlighted the commitment that Network Rail has for its customers, passengers, lineside neighbours and communities that are...

Rail Magazine

• MPs to probe passenger experiencesThe House of Commons Transport Select Committee is to conduct a series of inquiries into the future of Britain’s railways

Rail Technology Magazine

• Rail minister dodges Hull to Selby electrification progress question The fate of the Hull to Selby electrification project is still unknown after Claire Perry, under-secretary to the Department for Transport, refused to answer local MPs’ questions about it. During Perry’s appearance before the House of Commons, Diana Johnson, the Labour MP for...
• Southern and RMT strike talks fall apartTalks between RMT and Southern to try to halt strikes in May over the expansion of driver-operated only (DOO) trains fell apart today, with both sides claiming the other walked out. RMT and Southern agreed to talk after a conductors’ strike on Tuesday led to 700 trains being...

Other News Sources

• Bombardier to provide Mitrac propulsion system for Jakarta's new trainsets A consortium of Bombardier Transportation and its local consortium partner PT INKA has received a €66m contract to supply ten six-car electric multiple-units (EMUs) for the planned Jakarta airport rail link, according to Railway Technology.The contract was awarded by The PT Raillink joint venture, and established by both Indonesian railway operator PT Kereta Api and national airport operator PT Angkas Pura II. It includes two years of fleet maintenance.Bombardier's share is valued at €15m. The company will supply the Mitrac propulsion system for use in the new trains, as well as offer enginee...