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Wednesday, 23 November 2016

BBC News

• Southern rail strike enters second day in dispute over conductorsPassengers using Southern rail services face further disruption as the RMT strike enters its second day.
• MSPs to question Humza Yousaf over ScotRailMSPs are to question Scotland's transport minister over his plans to improve the country's rail services.

The Herald

• Transport Minister accused of fresh gaffe ahead of emergency ScotRail statementTRANSPORT Minister Humza Yousaf has been accused of being “out of touch with reality” after insisting ScotRail is “not a poor service” despite continued delays for commuters.

The Scotsman

• Scott Macnab: Transport minister is a poisoned chalice roleHumza Yousaf’s brief has been among the toughest posts in Scotland since devolution says Scott Macnab

Times Online

• Attention passengers: trains aren’t that bad - [Subscription]Christmas is coming, so let’s play a game of “Confess Your Unpopular Opinion”. Some of us are in the happy position of being spoilt for choice when it comes to this particular parlour game. So, for instance, sweatshops in the third world are a sign of progress; sectarianism in Scotland is a massively overhyped problem; the Liberal Democrats actually have a path towards a viable future; cricket is better than football and, this week of all weeks, rail privatisation has been a tremendous success.
• £1 makes a difference as flyers pick bus over tram [subscription]The proportion of travellers taking the tram to and from Edinburgh airport has fallen with three times as many using buses, according to a report.

Daily Record

• Scotrail services to and from Ayr hit by rush hour disruption after object caught on overhead wires STAFF from the rail operator are on site assessing the problem as rush hour services get set to be affected by disruption.

Mail Online

• Southern Rail driver issues personal apology to passengers for the state of the line Passengers applauded as the driver of a delayed Southern Rail service from London Victoria made a heartfelt apology over the loudspeaker for any problems they experienced on the line.

Birmingham Mail

• Virgin Trains Black Friday sale set to launch - with tickets from �5 THOUSANDS of seats up for grabs courtesy of the train company
• Autumn Statement: £5 million to provide ten new rail services an hour to Birmingham Treasury cash to improve Birmingham rail infrastructure will allow more services across the region

Birmingham Post

• Rail chaos warning at New Street station ahead of nightmare Black Friday travel weekend Thousands of extra passengers expected on trains for string of big events

London Evening Standard

• Finsbury Park commuters vent their anger yet again at overcrowded Tube stationFurious commuters faced huge crowds again at Finsbury Park this morning as delays hit the capital's transport network.
• Southern Rail strike: Commuters' fury at packed platforms at start of 48-hour walkoutSouthern Rail commuters were plunged into fresh chaos this morning amid the latest walkout by RMT union members.
• Southern Rail strike: Brighton & Hove Albion chief demands government step in 'before someone gets hurt'A football club CEO has called on the Government to intervene in the ongoing Southern Railway dispute before someone gets seriously hurt "or worse."

Wales Online

• 'Arriva Trains Wales bosses should travel on our trains to see what we have to put up with' This is what you said about overcrowding on Arriva Trains Wales

Plymouth Herald

• Plymouth 'not cut off' from rail network - but main line out action 'until at least Thursday' The main railway line to the South West will out of action until Thursday because of flooding at Cowley Bridge, Exeter - but Plymouth and Cornwall are not 'cut off', Network rail has said.

Other Regional Press

• New rail line to London 'now complete' The final countdown to the launch of a new Chiltern Railways�service between Oxford and London Marylebone after the latest railway upgrade was finished on time.

Rail Magazine

• Railway to bring benefits to the South WestTask Force Report cites resilience, faster journey times and improved connectivity as key

Rail Technology Magazine

• UK Government under Pressure to Legislate for Higher Train Wi-Fi Speeds Louise Haigh, Labour's digital economy spokeswoman, has pushed the UK government to commit to fast rail broadband through legislation. According to reports in The Guardian newspaper, the MP for Sheffield Heeley is planning to table an amendment to th…
• Train driver not at fault in Grimston Lane crossing fatality, RAIB concludesThe RAIB’s investigation into the death of an elderly pedestrian on a level crossing near Felixstowe launched earlier this year has found that the pedestrian was struck by the train after he started to cross the track when he had insufficient time to do so. The fatality occurred at 12.19pm...
• Network Rail appoints new contracts and procurement directorNetwork Rail has announced that Andy Haynes has been appointed as its new contracts and procurement director. Haynes has extensive experience in working for Network Rail, having most recently worked as project director on Network Rail’s Greater West programme. Haynes has been an employee...
• NR lays down Oxford tracks ahead of London Marylebone service in DecemberNetwork Rail has finished building a section of new track in Oxford ahead of Chiltern Railways’ launch of its new train service between central Oxford and London Marylebone. The track upgrade between the old city centre station in Oxford and the new Oxford Parkway station was completed on...
• Northern leaders call for clarity on NPR in Autumn StatementChancellor Philip Hammond has been urged to make Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) a top priority and clarify when it will be delivered in tomorrow’s Autumn Statement. Mayoral candidates and council leaders representing the north’s major cities wrote to Hammond asking him to use the...
• Southern to run up to two-thirds of services as RMT strike startsThe latest 48-hour strike on Southern has started, with the company promising to put more trains on the tracks in order to keep almost two-thirds of services running. The strike action, which began at midnight and will run until Wednesday, is the latest in an ongoing dispute about plans to...
• Free wi-fi on trains still sluggish or not yet delivered by TOCsTrain companies will only have to provide basic wi-fi for customers despite the government’s pledge to introduce free internet connections on trains to enable commuters to “keep up with work”. In February of last year the DfT announced £50m of funding for several...
• TfL seeks bidders for �3.6m contract to repair Piccadilly Line rolling stockTransport for London (TfL) is seeking bidders for a contract to overhaul the brake parts and vertical suspension damper mounting brackets for London Underground’s Piccadilly Line rolling stock. The contract is divided into five lots, which will be distributed through a maximum of three...

Railnews

• New DOO walkouts disrupt Southern services The first of more strikes by conductors on Southern is under way today, and there seems to be little sign of a peace settlement between Govia Thameslink Railway and the RMT. The RMT said the response to its latest action has been 'rock solid and determined', while GTR said 62 per cent of its services were running. Commuters have tweeted angry messages, describing 'rammed' trains once again. More walkouts are planned between tomorrow and 2 January.

Other News Sources

• Southern Rail commuters hit by new two-day strike by RMT union The latest walk-out by RMT members is over a dispute over the over the role of conductors on trains