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

Friday, 30 September 2016

BBC News

• Historians appeal over plans for a second Forth rail bridgeHistorians are appealing for help from the public over recently-discovered plans for a second rail bridge over the Firth of Forth.
• Badge gets people chatting on the TubeBadges are being handed out on the London Underground, with the aim of encouraging commuters to start talking with one another.

Financial Times

• Hoboken crash raises rail safety questionsAt least one dead and 108 injured after NJ Transit train rams station

The Guardian

• 'Tube chat' campaign provokes horror among London commutersBadges from mystery source encouraging passengers to talk elicit calls for ‘do not disturb’ signs – but not everyone is againstThe perception of the London commuter as an unfriendly curmudgeon has been bolstered by the mixed reaction to a mystery campaign to encourage tube passengers to chat.Badges emblazoned with the question “Tube chat?” have been distributed on the London Underground network, to the horror of some regular users. Continue reading...

Mail Online

• EU's �1bn bribe to make teens back Brussels: Free inter-railing! Every 18-year-old to get a ticket in desperate scheme to win support Every teenager in Europe will receive a free rail ticket on their 18th birthday to backpack across the continent in a move Eurosceptics have dismissed as desperate bribery.
• TOM UTLEY: I'm all for this plan to get strangers on the train talking to each other. With one crucial exception...� A well-meaning American Jonathan Dunne has begun handing out badges to travellers on the London Underground, bearing the legend 'Tube chat?'

London Evening Standard

• 'I fixed the Tube chat badge': Londoners' sarcastic alternatives to badges encouraging strangers to talk on the UndergroundLondoners have taken to social media to mock badges aimed at getting commuters to talk to strangers on the Tube.
• Hoboken train crash: at least one dead and 100 injured as train smashes into New Jersey stationAt least one person has reportedly been killed and around 100 injured after a packed commuter train crashed into a station in New Jersey.

Sheffield Star

• Sheffield Green Party call on council to withdraw support for 'over budget and unwelcome' HS2 lineThe Sheffield Green Party has called on the council to withdraw its backing for HS2 and focus on better transport links with northern cities.

Wales Online

• Train line disruptions to some Cardiff and Valleys lines next month The temporary changes will take place at the weekends due to maintenance work

Blackpool Gazette

• Anniversary of world’s first tramway opening in BlackpoolToday marks 131 years since the world’s first practical electric tramway opened - in Blackpool.

Other Regional Press

• Anniversary of world’s first tramway opening in BlackpoolToday marks 131 years since the world’s first practical electric tramway opened - in Blackpool.
• Rail travellers urged to plan ahead - because next summer is on track to be chaotic DORSET rail passengers are being warned to plan ahead as major improvement works are carried out at a London terminus.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Retail booming at Network Rail stationsForget about the high street, Britain’s train stations are the real heart of retail and seemingly the go-to place for tourist souvenirs. According to quarterly retail sales figures from Network Rail, like-for-like sales at its 18 train stations were up by 4.14 per cent in the first quarter of 2016. That’s more than eight times greater than what the British Retail Consortium reported for the same three months earlier this year, says Network Rail. Sales at its food and beverage outlets were up 6.1 per cent in Q1 2016, compared to the same period a year earlier, while traditional retail sales gre...
• Rail industry regulator gets 3 new board membersTransport Secretary Chris Grayling has appointed 3 new non-executive directors to join the board of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the independent body which regulates Britain’s railways and monitors Highways England. David Franks, Anne Heal and Graham Mather bring a wealth of experience in transport, the rail industry and network regulation and will support the ORR’s work protecting the interests of rail passengers, freight customers and road users. The Transport Secretary said:

Rail Technology Magazine

• Deals this week: Granite Construction, Bombardier Transportation, Siemens The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation of Hawaii has appointed a joint venture (JV) comprising Granite Construction Company, Shimmick Construction and Traylor Bros to design and build airport guideway and stations in Honolulu.
• Wiltshire community rail plan approved by DfTThe DfT has approved a bid for the TransWilts line to be the twentieth formally recognised community rail service in the country. This means that the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership, which includes local councils, train operators and community groups, will work with Great Western Railway...
• Three non-executive directors appointed to ORR boardThree non-executive directors have been appointed to the board of the ORR by the transport secretary. The new directors are David Franks, currently chief executive of Irish Rail, Graham Mather, chair of the European Policy Forum’s Regulatory Best Practice Group, and Anne Heal, who has...

Railnews

• CrossCountry franchise extension confirmed The CrossCountry contract held by Arriva has been extended by three years to October 2019. Arriva has agreed to what the DfT has described as 'challenging targets' on performance. Rail minister Paul Maynard described the deal as a 'key milestone', while CrossCountry managing director Andy Cooper said: �We are delighted to have the opportunity to deliver even more for our customers over the next three years through this new agreement. Satisfaction is the theme for the range of investments we will be making, with better, faster journeys with more seats and free WiFi.

Railway Gazette

• Arriva directly awarded new Cross Country contractUK: The Department for Transport announced on September 29 that incumbent Arriva CrossCountry had...
• Knorr-Bremse to take full ownership of ICER RailICER RAIL: Knorr-Bremse announced on September 28 that it would buy out Berkelium Group’s stake in...

Other News Sources

• Tram plans on display in Hereford tomorrow PLANS for a tram system in Hereford will be on display in the city centre tomorrow.
• Protestors in robber outfits appeal for train transparency at Victoria station PROTESTORS dressed in judges' wigs and robber costumes are complaining about poor Southern rail service at Victoria station.

EIN News Subscription

• Thales bags Saudi railway maintenance contract … years | Thales to open Egyptian transport academy | Thales opens new Oman … predictive maintenance, which will enable rail operators to fix assets before … largest railway construction and the longest route to adopt the European signaling …
• EU's £1bn bribe to make teens back Brussels: Free inter-railing! Every 18-year-old to get a ticket in desperate scheme to win support … largest group in the European Parliament, after the other … £1.6billion. Ukip’s transport spokesman Jill Seymour … very clearly how the EU’s euro-straightjacket impoverishes … now facing the Eurozone.’ European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker earlier …