Breaking News
London mayor bids for more control of suburban rail services
London Mayor Sadiq Khan is to lobby the government for more powers for Transport for London over rail services into the capital.
Stansted promises fight if Gatwick and Heathrow both get new runways
Manchester Airports Group, which owns Stansted, says it will launch legal challenge if runways are approved at both rivalsThe owner of Stansted and Manchester airports is prepared to mount a legal challenge against the government if Theresa May approves the building of new runways at Gatwick and Heathrow next week.There has been speculation that ministers could take a surprise decision to give the green light to expansion at both airports on Tuesday, prompting Manchester Airports Group (MAG) to say it would fight the government in court. Continue reading...
Police cars 'held together with duct tape and cable ties' and officers using 'mouldy' interview rooms due to cash shortage
SHOCKING photos show damp and mouldy conditions as the Scottish Police Federation blast boards for making a 'pig's ear' of overseeing the force merger.
Tube strike looms 'because of rise in attacks on staff'
Tube staff are set to vote on strike action in after they reported an increase in attacks in the wake of the closure of ticket offices.
Saturday, 15 October 2016
BBC News
- ITV 'disappointed' after trams cleared to run past Coronation StreetITV says it is
- MPs urge ministers to 'get a grip' in midst of Southern strike woesThe government's handling of rail franchises is attacked in a report by MPs that cites Southern passengers' woes as a three-day staff strike ends.
- London mayor bids for more control of suburban rail servicesLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan is to lobby the government for more powers for Transport for London over rail services into the capital.
Financial Times
- HS2 bidders tested for best behaviourEngineering consortiums must prove they can work together before being awarded contracts
- London Bridge chaos highlights franchise woeMPs say miscalculation of delays reveals error in Thameslink, Great Northern and Southern grouping
The Guardian
- Sadiq Khan submits takeover plan to end London's rail commuter 'nightmare'London mayor presents business case for devolution of suburban rail services to TfL from franchise owners such as SouthernPlans to improve rail services for millions of passengers at London’s busiest stations have been submitted to the government in an effort to end the “nightmare” of delays and overcrowding.The city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, said commuters had been enduring a bad service for too long. He presented a business case for devolving suburban rail services to Transport for London (TfL), saying it would help create thousands of houses and jobs in outer London while remaining cost-neutral ...
The Herald
- ScotRail boss tells of battle to juggle live services with improvement worksImplementing ScotRail's improvement programme is like performing open heart surgery while doing a marathon, the boss of the train company has said.
- Plans for proposed �80m rail link to Glasgow Airport revealedAN �80million rail link could take travellers from a new station in Paisley to Glasgow Airport.
London Evening Standard
- Tube strike looms 'because of rise in attacks on staff'Tube staff are set to vote on strike action in after they reported an increase in attacks in the wake of the closure of ticket offices.
- Tube strike: London Undergound ticket staff join threat for walkout in run-up to ChristmasThe threat of Christmas strike chaos on the Tube increased today as 1,600 ticket staff prepared to ballot for industrial action in protest over assaults by passengers.
- Evening Standard comment: TfL bids to take over suburban rail servicesLondon's economy has been reliant on railways since Victorian times. We take the complex network of Tube lines and overground services for granted — it is only when things go wrong that we come to see how essential trains are to keeping London on the move. Unfortunately, this year has seen ever greater, more frequent problems.
Manchester Evening News
- New figures reveal the shocking scale of violence and abuse on Manchester's trams 'We get no back up from our bosses' says one driver. 'We need guards on the tram'
Blackpool Gazette
- Rail firm reveals weekend shutdown plansRail passengers travelling between Blackpool and Preston are set to suffer more disruption with Network Rail planning months of weekend closures.
West Sussex Gazette
- Southern passengers ‘badly let down’ by Government failures - MPsSouthern passengers have been ‘badly let down’ by the Government’s failure to properly structure and enforce rail franchise agreements, according to a damning report from backbench MPs.
Other Regional Press
- Traders horrified as ‘nightmare’ of bridge closure is back in BiggleswadeTraders in Biggleswade High Street are less than impressed that more work is to be carried out on the railway bridge after they say its closure for more than six months last year disrupted their business.
Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport
- Green light for new Trafford Park Metrolink line Greater Manchester’s Metrolink network is set to expand even further after plans for a new £350 million tram line through Trafford Park were given the green light. Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Transport, has granted Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) legal powers to build the new 3.4mile (5.5km) line under a Transport and Works Act order. That means work could start on the line this winter – and be operational by 2020/2021. TfGM, which owns the Metrolink network, has developed plans for the Trafford Park line and will shortly appoint a contractor. The del...
Rail Magazine
- Mark Carne to give keynote speech at RAIL’s National Rail ConferenceNetwork Rail’s Chief Executive will speak at the NRC in Manchester on November 1
Rail Technology Magazine
- Pre-electrification work at West Calder suffers delaysElectrification of the Edinburgh-Glasgow line will be subject to delays after Network Rail withdrew an application for planning permission to build a temporary road. Network Rail applied to West Lothian Council for planning permission to build a 360m diversion to the A71 near Parkhead Primary...
- MPs condemn government for 'woeful' franchise monitoring The government’s handling of its contract with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to operate the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise since it was introduced last year has been sharply criticised in a new report by the Transport Select Committee. GTR had the lowest performance and...
- Khan submits plan to take more control of suburban rail services More of London’s suburban rail services should be transferred to TfL, London mayor Sadiq Khan has said in a new business case. The principle of further devolution had been agreed by the government in a joint DfT/TfL prospectus in January 2016. In the new plans, presented to the transport...
- Shortlist for Wales and Borders franchise revealedA shortlist of four foreign-owned companies to operate the Wales and Borders franchise, as well taking forward key aspects of the £600m South Wales Metro, has been revealed. The four operational and development partner bidders are Abellio Rail Cymru, Arriva Rail Wales/Rheilffyrdd Arriva...
Railnews
- Rail passengers have been �badly let down�, say MPs The House of Commons Transport Committee has published a highly critical report of the state of rail franchising, which considers whether Govia Thameslink Railway is in default of its contractual obligations and also makes a number of key recommendations about franchising in general. It claims rail passengers have been 'badly let down by Government failure to structure, monitor and enforce franchise agreements and the planning and management of major rail infrastructure projects'.
Other News Sources
- Southern Rail passengers will now be able to claim compensation for 15-minute delays The scheme was announced earlier this week and will be launched on Southern Rail lines in the coming months
- Damning report slams Southern Railway management for poor performance TRAINS are in such a bad state on the Southern network that the contract would normally be pulled at this stage, MPs have recognised.
- Rail report slams government, unions, and operator CALLS have been made for the Mayor of London to take control after a scathing report heaped criticism on the Government, the operator and the rail union for our shambolic rail service.
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