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

Wednesday, 18 January 2017

BBC News

• Borders Railway repayment deal agreedScottish Borders Council has agreed a move to cut the overall cost of its contribution to the Borders Railway.
• Aslef suspends Southern rail strikes in return for new talksA strike by train drivers is off as Aslef and Southern agree talks but an RMT strike is set to go ahead.
• Abellio agrees to sell 40% of Greater Anglia franchise to MitsuiAbellio agrees to sell 40% of its Greater Anglia rail franchise to Japanese firm Mitsui.

Financial Times

• Southern strikes suspended as union agrees to talksAslef also ends overtime ban ahead of meeting with company managers
• Japan’s Mitsui latest foreign operator to enter UK railConglomerate plans to buy 40 per cent of an operation serving East Anglia

The Guardian

• Southern rail strikes suspended as two sides agree to TUC talksUnion members had planned three-day walkout next week that would have brought Southern’s services to a halt A strike by train drivers on Southern rail planned for next week has been suspended and talks announced, raising fresh hopes of a resolution to the long-running dispute.The TUC will host talks from Wednesday between Southern’s owner, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), and the train drivers’ union Aslef. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Holyrood rail powers call to save £100m for servicesA CAMPAIGN to devolve control of Scotland’s railways to Holyrood - which champions say would save the taxpayer £100 million a year - is set to issue a clarion call for support from across the political divide.

Times Online

• East Anglia deal opens a route for HS2 bid [Subscription]Mitsui has become the first Japanese company to join the increasingly international list of operators with their hands on the controls of Britain’s railways by buying a 40 per cent stake in the East Anglia train franchise.

Bristol Live

• Portishead rail link will cost 'considerably' more than £58 million budget Plans to restore a rail link to Portishead are expected to cost 'considerably more' than originally anticipated, according to a new report.

London Evening Standard

• People who watch porn on public transport will be reported to police, TfL warnsPeople who watch porn on public transport in London will be reported to the police, transport bosses have warned.
• Victoria Station upgrade: New Tube entrance opens as part of �700m projectA new entrance to the Tube at Victoria Station has opened to the public after seven years of works.

Blackpool Gazette

• Rail upgrade after 'generation of neglect'A generation of neglect is being put right on the Fylde coast’s railways, says MP Mark Menzies.

Peterborough Telegraph

• Railway makes plea to stop fly-tippers Staff at one of Peterborough’s best known attractions are pleading for fly-tippers to be derailed after piles of rubbish have been left on train tracks.

Sunderland Echo

• South Shields MP is pleased with extra Metro services A South Tyneside MP has welcomed a move by transport bosses to put on more morning Metro trains - but still has fears over their reliability.

Other Regional Press

• Southern Rail: Traveller leaves floral bouquet 'in memory' of train firm hit by strikesA rail traveller left this poignant floral tribute to trouble-hit Southern Rail, claiming it is
• NETWORK RAIL RESPONSIBLE FOR 54% OF SCOTRAIL DELAYS, SAYS HUMZA YOUSAFNetwork Rail is responsible for the majority of journey time delays on ScotRail services, the Transport Minister has said. ...

Rail Magazine

• Japanese company to buy stake in Greater Anglia Mitsui to buy 40% of rail franchise in groundbreaking deal
• Yousaf urges Scottish rail devolutionTransport Minister cites improved efficiency and effectiveness of rail operations

Rail Technology Magazine

• SNC-Lavalin wins US rail contracts from SEPTA and PLTP in US Canadian engineering and construction company SNC-Lavalin has secured two rail and transit contracts in the US.
• UK’s Network Rail to upgrade North Yorkshire's East Coast Main Line UK Network Rail has announced details of improvements to the East Coast Main Line in North Yorkshire as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan.
• Key Techniques for Rail Fastening Systems Rail fastening system is composed of rail fastenings. Rail fastenings are used to connect rail and railway sleeper. The main function of rail fastening system is fixing rail on the railway sleeper.
• Achieving efficiency through standardsVaibhav Puri, head of standards policy at the RSSB, attempts to bust the myths around standards, and argues that they will be vital to the trading relationship of the rail industry and its supply chain in a post-Brexit world.
• Aslef offers to suspend Southern strikes for talksThe railway drivers’ union Aslef has offered to suspend its industrial action on Southern rail next week if the operator agrees to new talks hosted by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). Drivers were due to strike next week on 24, 25 and 27 January as Aslef and RMT continue their dispute with...
• Delivering on route devolutionAt RTM's recent Northern Powerhouse Rail Conference, Andy Haynes, Network Rail's contracts and procurement director, explained the infrastructure owner's decision to establish eight devolved routes, each with a managing director responsible for aligning TOCs and FOCs in their area and engaging suppliers.
• Vital transport links closer to being a realityDavid Brown, chief executive of Transport for the North (TfN), shares his thoughts on the government's announcement of HS2 Phase 2b.

Railnews

• New gloomy rail survey figures prompt calls for devolution or nationalisation There have been new developments in the dispute over driver-only operation on Southern, but no resolution appears to be in sight. The RMT has called a conductors' strike on 23 January, with three 24-hour walkouts by drivers belonging to ASLEF and the RMT set to follow on 24, 25 and 27 January. Southern said services will be 'limited' on the 23rd, and that no trains will run during the drivers' strikes. Previous disruption is also continuing to have an effect: a survey published today by the consumer group Which? reports that Southern is at the bottom of a table measuring passenger satisfactio...
• Southern drivers' strikes suspended for new talks The drivers' union ASLEF has suspended industrial action on Southern next week so that new talks can take place with Govia Thameslink Railway. The TUC confirmed the move, which has followed an offer from the union to suspend the strikes if GTR agreed to 'intensive talks over driver-only operation under the auspices of the TUC'. However, a strike of conductors set for 23 January is still on.
• Mitsui to own 40% of Greater Anglia franchise Abellio is selling a 40 per cent stake in its Greater Anglia franchise to Mitsui, reinforcing the Japanese presence in the British rail sector. The Dutch group said the deal met a 'long-standing objective' to run GA as a 60:40 joint venture, but the RMT criticised the sale as making a 'mockery' of the franchising process.

Railway Gazette

• Spain spends €850m to improve port accessSPAIN: A total of €850∙5m is to be spent on rail projects in 2017-21 under an investment programme...
• Haramain High Speed Rail deal ratifiedSAUDI ARABIA: On January 16 Spanish Development Minister ��igo de la Serna welcomed the...
• Abellio to sell 40% stake in Greater Anglia to MitsuiUK: The Abellio UK subsidiary of Dutch national passenger train operator NS announced on January 17...
• �BB selects Siemens to supply 200 locomotivesAUSTRIA: Siemens AG �sterreich has submitted the best bid for a framework contract covering the...

The Business Desk

• Prime Minister backs £1bn improvements to rail networkPRIME Minister Theresa May has backed a campaign to secure £1bn of rail improvements which would transform the North Wales and Cheshire regional economy and deliver 70,000 jobs over 20 years.

Other News Sources

• Prime Minister supports campaign to deliver £1bn rail improvements across North Wales & CheshireUK Prime Minister Theresa May has backed the Growth Track 360 campaign to secure £1 billion of rail improvements for North Wales and Cheshire.
• WATCH: Get sneak peek at �800million railway station upgrade RAILWAY passengers are being given a sneak peek behind the scenes of an �800million station upgrade.
• Talks to be held in bid to end Southern chaos EMERGENCY talks will be held today in a bid to end the industrial action on Southern Rail.
• Network Rail 'responsible for majority of ScotRail delays'Transport minister Humza Yousaf has blamed the operators of the rail network for 54% of delays.