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Friday, 01 July 2016

Department for Transport

• First of new generation of high-tech trains takes maiden voyage on Great Western RailwayTransport Secretary looks 'back to the future' as new government-funded trains take a step closer to entering passenger service.

Financial Times

• Stagecoach: train painTransport group must be careful not to overbid for UK rail franchise renewal
• Hong Kong trams struggle to moderniseElderly network of ‘Ding Dings’ must compete with efficient buses and metro

The Herald

• Prototype train gives passengers sneak peek inside revamped Caledonian SleeperPASSENGERS have been given a sneak preview of how the inside of the revamped Caledonian Sleeper will look after Transport Minister Humza Yousef toured a specially-constructed prototype.
• Nicola Sturgeon calls for 'meaningful discussions' to end rail strikeThe First Minister has said she is

Times Online

• Shame of worst rail operators [Subscription]Commuter satisfaction in the railways has fallen to a five-year low amid claims that overcrowding is now so bad that many passengers struggle simply to board trains.
• We need far stiffer fines when rail passengers suffer - Christian Wolmar [subscription]Train companies are getting away with too much
• Heathrow backers hit a dead end [subscription]Have Britain’s business lobby groups gone mad? How else to explain the rush of press releases yesterday urging the government to get a move on and build a third runway at Heathrow?

Network Rail

• Welsh school children encouraged to consider careers in rail industry during first-ever Rail Week eventEmployees from Network Rail visited a number of Newport schools this week in a bid to bridge the skills gap and inspire a new generation of children into rail careers.

Derby Telegraph

• Has Derby train-maker Bombardier won deal to supply hundreds of new carriages? DERBY train-maker Bombardier is still waiting to hear whether it has won a deal to supply hundreds of new carriages for a key UK rail franchise.

Liverpool Echo

• Plans to build SECOND railway footbridge in Lincoln still set to go ahead Network Rail has confirmed it is still planning to build a second footbridge over the railway line in Lincoln - even though people aren't using the new £12m bridge in the High Street. Read more: http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/plans-to-build-second-railway-footbridge-in-lincoln-still-set-to-go-ahead/story-29462774-detail/story.html#ixzz4D9LnjNn4 Follow us: @LincsEcho on Twitter | LincsEcho on Facebook Read more at http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/plans-to-build-second-railway-footbridge-in-lincoln-still-set-to-go-ahead/story-29462774-detail/story.html?#RRuqxVUmAvy5udVk.99

London Evening Standard

• Crossrail station in King's Road costing �1bn 'would pay for itself in 20 years'A planned �1 billion Crossrail 2 station in Chelsea could pay for itself within 20 years through a surge in stamp duty revenues, a study claimed today.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• North Shields gets new £2.5m academy to help train engineers of the futureThe Connect Academy, at the Tyne Tunnel Trading Estate, was opened by Northern Powerhouse Minister James Wharton

Sheffield Telegraph

• HS2 is ‘new era’ of co-operationA Sheffield business leader has hailed a new era of co-operation after the success of the campaign to bring HS2 to the city centre.
• BBC calls on Sheffield rail enthusiasts to take part in three-day live trainspotting TV showA three night live broadcast on trainspotters is to be shown live on BBC next month - and Sheffield rail enthusiasts are being urged to take part.

Wales Online

• Carwyn Jones says Leave campaigners are 'clueless' and major projects are 'in difficulty' because of Brexit vote The First Minister was speaking in an interview with the BBC

Other Regional Press

• Workers given written warnings for arriving late after using Southern trains, MPs claimWorkers are being given written warnings by their bosses because they are consistently late for work as a result of the "shambles" of a service provided by Southern Railway, MPs have claimed.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Stephen Glaister reappointed as chair of the ORRTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin reappoints Stephen Glaister as chair of the Office of Rail and Road until December 2017. Professor Stephen Glaister CBE FICE FTRF FCGI has been reappointed as the chair of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) until December 2017, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced today (30 June 2016). ORR is the UK’s independent rail regulator and strategic roads monitor for England. Accountable to Parliament, it protects the people who work on, use, or interact with the railway. It also advises the government in ensuring Highways England carries out it...
• First of new generation of high-tech trains takes maiden voyage on Great Western RailwayTransport Secretary looks 'back to the future' as new government-funded trains take a step closer to entering passenger service. The first of a fleet of state-of-the-art new trains which will transform rail travel in the south-west and Wales was unveiled today (30 June 2016) in a ceremony attended by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin. Great Western Railway (GWR) introduced the new train by running a special service to celebrate 175 years of the opening of the Great Western Main Line. The Class 800 train, specially designed and built by Hitachi for the government’s £5.7 billion...
• Network Rail designs new railway around badgersBadgers will not be disrupted or hurt during upcoming work to install new overhead lines on London railways, Network Rail says. Gantries that support the overhead electricity lines require deep foundations which could threaten badger setts when they're put in place between London Liverpool Street and Southend Victoria. However, rather than shift the badgers, which can be a lengthy and costly process, designers have been able to use a detailed survey to work around the badger dens, which are regularly found along the railway network. It is considered a win-win outcome with Network Rail saving t...

Rail Magazine

• More capacity for Anglia with second locomotive hauled set A second locomotive-hauled set is to be introduced in East Anglia.
• Is HS2 under threat from Brexit?Suggestions have been made that HS2 is under threat of being cancelled, following the UK’s vote to leave the EU.
• Watchdog highlights Southern dispute's impact on passengersTransport Focus (TF) highlighted the ongoing problems suffered by passengers on the Southern network, caused by ongoing industrial relation problems.
• Caledonian Sleeper reveals prototype Mk 5 interiorsCaledonian Sleeper unveils the interiors of its Mk 5 Sleepers.
• First glimpse of brand new Scottish Mk 5 sleeper coachesCaledonian Sleeper unveils its Mk 5 Sleeper prototype.
• GWR runs first bi-mode IEP Class 800 to PaddingtonGreat Western Railway unveiled its first Intercity Express Programme (IEP) Class 800 at Reading today, carrying invited passengers to London Paddington.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Southern and Southeastern have lowest satisfaction rates as passengers 'feel the strain'Southern and Southeastern have the lowest ratings for passenger satisfaction in the latest survey from Transport Focus, raising concerns about pressures on passengers in London and the south east. Southern and Southeastern both had 69% of passengers saying they found their service satisfactory...
• Prof Stephen Glaister to serve another year as ORR chairThe interim-chair of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has been reappointed to serve for a second year. Professor Stephen Glaister CBE, a non-executive director of the ORR, was initially appointed as interim chair at the end of last year, replacing previous chair Anna Walker. Transport...
• TOCs issued warning over driver mobile phone use A warning has been issued for train operating companies (TOCs) to ensure that drivers do not use their mobile phones while operating a train, following an investigation into an incident last year when a passenger’s hand was trapped in a door. The incident occurred at 1.10pm on 25 July 2015...

Other News Sources

• At 'delicate stage' of bid to re-open long-closed railway stationMuch of the infrastructure for a railway station at East Linton remains in place