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

Thursday, 23 March 2017

Network Rail

• Station improvement work begins as part of plans to improve journeys to and from BoltonPassengers using Bolton station will see platform improvement work starting next week as part of plans to provide passengers with faster, electric train services from December 2017.

Birmingham Post

• Why the Midland Metro will be 'nationalised' Transport for West Midlands will operate the network while it undergoes a major expansion with a series of extensions and new lines

London Evening Standard

• Transport bosses drop plans to run three London Overground stations without staffRail bosses have dropped plans which could have led to some London Overground stations being unstaffed.
• Train passengers who forget railcards to get 'free pass'Train passengers who forget their railcards and are made to pay vast sums for a new ticket will now be able to claim that money back.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Ashfield MP Gloria de Piero opens Alpha Rail's new £800k factory Gloria de Piero labelled Alpha Rail an 'important' employer in Nottinghamshire as she opened the manufacturer's new £800,000 factory.

Wales Online

• There were 804 crimes committed at Welsh railway stations last yearA total of 247 crimes were recorded by police at Cardiff Central Station including a bomb hoax 

Other Regional Press

• Chester-North Wales rail passengers face disruptionRail replacement buses will be in operation for travellers. Rail passengers face disruption on the Chester-Wrexham line later this week as a delayed upgrade to cut journey times and increase train services enters its final stage.
• Heathrow expansion could mean direct rail connections from Woking and Weybridge to airport, minister says“The proposed scheme has the potential to greatly improve access to Heathrow airport from Surrey, Hampshire, and the South West Trains network"

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New look smartcard rolled out to thousands of rail passengersThousands of rail travellers will now be able to get around the West Midlands the smart way using a new look Swift card. Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has started to switch all 9,000 customers on its train direct debit ticket scheme from traditional paper tickets to the hi-tech smartcard, which has also been given a fresh new design. It means 12,000 customers now use Swift on rail in addition to 130,000 who already use the cards on the region’s bus and tram networks. The train direct debit Swift cards are accepted by London Midland trains which operates local rail services in the ...

Rail Technology Magazine

• The case for rail integrationJeremy Long, CEO of European Business at MTR Corporation, reflects on how stronger integration of train and track could benefit major rail infrastructure projects in the UK.
• Automatic compensation to be rolled out on Northern, TPE and East Anglia shortlyin some way this year, the department has told an influential group of MPs. Addressing the Transport Select Committee inquiry about rail compensation, Simon Smith, director of passenger service design at the DfT, said that the competitive bid process of franchising had now led to positive work...
• Forgetful passengers to be refunded railcard penaltiesA new scheme will allow passengers who are charged extra for travelling without a railcard to claim their money back at least once per year, effective immediately, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has announced. Passengers carrying a railcard, including the 16-25 young person’s railcard and...
• TfWM to take over running of Midland Metro next yearDay-to-day running of the Midland Metro tram service will be taken on entirely by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) from October 2018 when the current concession, which is held by National Express, ends. The move has been implemented to enable TfWM, the transport arm of the West Midlands...

Railnews

• New DOO strike �a barefaced attack� Three more strikes over driver-only operation are set to be staged by the RMT on 8 April. The walkouts are expected to disrupt services on Merseyrail, Northern and Southern. The managing director of Merseyrail has warned that the stoppage, on Grand National day, is a �barefaced attack� on the reputation of Liverpool, but the RMT countered that the company is adopting a �cynical and hostile stance�. The increasingly bitter deadlock over the introduction of driver-only operated trains in several parts of the country shows little sign of easing, although new talks have been arranged between the ...

Other News Sources

• New Intercity Express train completes maiden test journey in WalesNew Intercity Express trains have completed their first journey in Wales ahead of entering passenger service later in 2017.
• RAIL ORGANISATIONS MISSING OUT ON APPRENTICESHIP LEVY BENEFITSNeil Robertson, CEO of The National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) has warned that rail organisations could be missing out on substantial benefits if they are unprepared for the new apprenticeship levy to be introduced in April.