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

Wednesday, 19 April 2017

BBC News

• Giant clock will chime to the sound of the travelling publicPublic art project aims to help get HS2 travellers to their destinations in time

The Guardian

• Birmingham to get £2m singing clock at site of planned HS2 stationTurner Prize-winning artist Susan Philipsz will create work after being named winner of Birmingham Big Art Project contestA £2m singing clock is to be installed at the site of a planned high-speed railway station in Birmingham, with the new public artwork considered the most ambitious commission in the city’s history.The Turner Prize-winning artist Susan Philipsz was on Tuesday named winner of the Birmingham Big Art Project contest to place a major work at the centre of a city centre regeneration project. Continue reading...

Birmingham Mail

• This is the Birmingham Art Project sculpture which will stand outside HS2 station The winner of the £2m public work of art has been announced

Birmingham Post

• New rail apps aim to keep London Midland passengers on trackRail operator working with Birmingham tech companies to develop innovations and ideas which are set to improve passengers' journeys

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Chinese rail giant eyes £500m contract to new fleet on Tyne and Wear MetroCRRC is understood to have discussions about investment into the North East on a visit at the end of last week

Other Regional Press

• Greater Anglia celebrates partnership deal with London’s O2Train operator Greater Anglia is set to become a preferred train partner of London music and entertainment venue The O2.
• How will Crossrail 2 benefit residents in Cambridgeshire?Cambridgeshire County Council and Cambridge City Council have called on the Government to back the rail project

Buying Business Travel

• Cross Country Trains reaches Advance ticketing milestoneInitiative allows purchase of discounted tickets up to 15 minutes before departure

Construction Enquirer

• Bechtel named for HS2 contract after CH2M rowHS2 has confirmed that Bechtel is preferred bidder for development partner for the second phase of the high speed rail line, taking over the role initially awarded to CH2M.

Global Rail News

• Researchers develop driverless freight train conceptTransport researchers from the German Aerospace Centre (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft; DLR) have developed concepts for automated ‘freight trains of the future’.
• Wireless trams for Newcastle’s proposed light rail networkTransport for NSW has opted for wireless trams to operate on a new light rail system in Newcastle.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Energy Solutions for Rail Applications EnerSys is the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications with the leading market share positions in North America and Europe and fast growing ones in Asia and the Middle East.
• Setting the target: UK rail’s nine innovation priorities Last week, on 12 April, Panasonic revealed a list of nine innovation priorities for UK rail, as identified by a cross-industry forum.

Railnews

• Bechtel wins controversial HS2 contractBECHTEL has won the controversial HS2 Phase 2 contract which was relinquished by CH2M Hill in March after allegations of conflict of interest, but the House of Commons Transport Committee will be questioning transport secretary Chris Grayling and HS2 chairman David Higgins today (Wednesday).
• Glasgow Subway expansion plans unveiled A bold plan to add extensions to the circular Glasgow Subway has been unveiled by the Scottish National Party as the May elections approach. If the SNP wrests control of Glasgow City Council from Labour next month, control of the Subway is set to be transferred from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport to the city council. A �288 million plan to upgrade the present system and replace its familiar orange trains is already under way.

Other News Sources

• An investigation into the important matter of Chris Grayling’s secret adoration of the maglevDoes Chris Grayling have a secret adoration for maglevs? The futuristic train technology, where magnets are used in place of wheels to make the carriage levitate, has a rocky history in this country. But as talk stirs of plans to build a maglev line from Manchester to Leeds (no, really), it’s worth taking a look at what the now-transport secretary had to say in a speech back in March 2007.