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

Wednesday, 26 October 2016

Financial Times

• Conflict of interest fears raised over HS2 chiefControversy flares over links to company bidding for millions of pounds of contracts
• National Express pulls plans to run German trainsCompany’s decision is a blow for efforts to inject competition into rail services
• Kyushu Railway jumps 15% on first day of tradingJapan’s biggest IPO of the year paves the way for sale of more state assets

Manchester Evening News

• Metrolink rolls out final tram - and say they're ready for Second City Crossing and Trafford line First upgraded model arrived seven years ago... and now there are over one hundred

The York Press

• Rail group to celebrate 50th anniversary with special trips on Moors Railway THE North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group will celebrate its 50th anniversary with special trips on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway next weekend.

Wales Online

• Carwyn Jones demands a direct rail link to Wales as Heathrow's expansion is approvedWales' First Minister Carwyn Jones welcomed the announcement but made several key demands.
• Five years of promises and prevarication, the story of Wales' direct rail link to HeathrowThe £500m direct rail link was first revealed in September 2011

Other Regional Press

• Network Rail chief reminds politicians they must decide on rail electrification to Swansea The electrification of the rail line from Cardiff to Swansea has been raised in clear and succinct language by Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy, but are we any closer to getting any answers? Politicians hold the key,

Rail Magazine

• CrossCountry extension a “lost opportunity”Transport lead of West Midlands Combined Authority says recent Direct Award for CrossCountry franchise is a “lost opportunity” to boost passenger capacity.
• Network Rail lights plan for Anglia crossingsWarning lights will be installed at three level crossings in East Anglia where no warning systems or barriers are in place.
• First new-look Northern DMU in trafficNorthern unveils its first refurbished train.
• Brodie-owned DMU enters traffic with ScotRailBrodie returns a Class 156 to traffic after it was badly damaged by floods. It's first '156' owned by a company other than Porterbrook or Angel Trains.
• Mayor of London presents business case for TfL taking on new routesDevolving inner-suburban services to TfL would deliver the equivalent of �4.30 for every �1 spent says business case submitted by Sadiq Khan.
• GB Railfreight set to be sold to Swedish firmAn irrevocable offer had been submitted by EQT Infrastructure II to buy GB Railfreight from Groupe Eurotunnel SE.
• Flexible seating plans for West MidlandsBidders for the West Midlands franchise will be able to remove seats from trains providing they meet certain criteria.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Sqills-Booking, Reservation, Ticketing and Revenue Management Software Sqills has a long history of complex projects in the railway industry. Our extensive experience in fare, booking and revenue management engines has formed the foundation of our rail industry-leading ...
• STECONFER-Rail Infrastructure, Overhead Catenary Lines and Signalling Systems STECONFER is a global railway construction company providing track works, overhead catenary lines, and rail-based signalling systems.
• If the Midlands makes the most of HS2, the UK will get most out of the MidlandsMaria Machancoses, programme director at Midlands Connect and director at Midlands Engine, writes for RTM about the opportunities HS2 will create for the region and the country. According to transport secretary Chris Grayling, the first phase of HS2 is set to be completed in the next 10 years....
• 'Entirely new approach' to transport as TfN submits statutory body planTransport for the North (TfN) is formally seeking permission from the DfT to become the first sub-national transport authority in England. If transport secretary Chris Grayling approves the proposals, submitted on 20 October, they will then need to go through Parliament to grant devolved powers...
• Public sector body 'ready to take over' ScotRail if issues persistThe Scottish government stands ready to take over the ScotRail franchise through the development of a new public sector body if problems with its performance continue, it has emerged. ScotRail’s moving annual average (MAA) for performance has fallen from 90.3% to 89.6% since Abellio took...
• ATOC adopts Rail Delivery Group nameThe Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) adopted the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) name yesterday. ATOC was founded following privatisation in 1993, but has worked closely with the RDG since it was established in 2011 to fulfil the McNulty report’s recommendation for a...
• 'Major improvement' needed in rail links to airports following Heathrow decisionbetter rail links to all of the capital’s airports, London TravelWatch has said. The government announced the controversial and substantially delayed decision today, with transport secretary Chris Grayling saying it “delivers the greatest economic and strategic benefits”. But...

Railnews

• National Express pulls out of German franchise National Express has walked away from operating a German franchise which could have been worth �1 billion to the Group, saying that there was a risk of 'prohibitive additional cost'. The stumbling block is the introduction of new trains, which were a core element of the deal. The delays caused by a legal challenge from DB mean that these trains can no longer be delivered by December 2018, when the contract would have begun.

Railway Gazette

• Safeguarding the competitiveness of light railOver the past 30 or 40 years, many cities around the world have invested in trams and light rail,...
• DB and Siemens launch predictive maintenance pilotGERMANY: Deutsche Bahn and Siemens have launched a 12-month pilot project to provide data to...