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

Wednesday, 26 April 2017

BBC News

• Southern rail: Seven facts about the disputeFrom the financial hit on drivers to the effect on house prices - here are seven facts you may not have known about the Southern rail strikes, which began a year ago.
• Talks to resolve Southern rail doors row adjournedBoth sides hope to resolve a dispute over driver-only operated trains.
• ScotRail warns of months of disruption to evening trainsJourney times are likely to be longer on some trains operating after the peak evening rush.

Department for Transport

• South Eastern franchise public consultation events cancelledEvents planned as part of the public consultation for the South Eastern franchise have been cancelled.

Financial Times

• France’s SNCF joins bidding for UK’s HS2 rail lineGroup behind French bullet trains teams up with Britain’s Virgin and Stagecoach

The Guardian

• We must leave the EU to renationalise rail [Letter]Caroline Lucas of the Green party tells Sky News she wants to renationalise the railways.
• Virgin, Stagecoach and France's SNCF link up for HS2 bidGroup to challenge First Group and others to run trains from London to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow The French state railway SNCF is to partner with Virgin Trains for a bid to run the first HS2 high-speed trains.The competition for the West Coast Partnership franchise will pit the Virgin, Stagecoach and SNCF consortium against First Group and the Italian state-owned Trenitalia, with other potential bidders still to come forward.

The Herald

• Delays and disruption ahead as next phase of rail improvements get underwayRAIL commuters are being warned to expect delays and cancelled services as the next phase of a Scotland-wide programme of upgrades gets underway.

City AM

• HS2 ramps up conflict of interest checks in bidding process revamp after CH2M contract controversyHS2 plans to bolster measures to tackle potential conflicts of interest by June, developing stricter bidding processes for firms hoping to win contracts on the £56bn project.
• Government delays publication of report on Southern rail troubles until after the electionThe publication of a report into Southern rail troubles has been delayed until after the General Election, leading MPs to criticise the government for sitting on the findings.

Birmingham Post

• Virgin Trains teams up with French operator for HS2 bid SNCF has thrown hat into the ring as battle hots up to run InterCity West Coast franchise and high-speed services

London Evening Standard

• Revealed: Record £250m left unused on Oyster cardsThe pile of money left on unused Oyster cards has reached a quarter of a billon pounds, official figures show.
• Row erupts as French rail firm SNCF launches bid to run London to Birmingham HS2 servicesA furious row erupted today after French state-owned rail operator SNCF launched a bid to run new high speed services from London to Birmingham.
• MPs raise Crossrail 2 pressure on ministers with Commons moveA new Commons bid was launched today to pile pressure on the Government to press ahead with Crossrail 2.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Call for “step change” to improve Highland rail serviceAn Inverness business leader has called for a “step change” to improve rail services on the Highland Main Line (HML) between the city and Scotland’s central belt.

Get West London

• Live near HS2? Find out how to check if you are eligible for thousands in mitigation paymentsOne of the ways the government is trying to mitigate the negative impact of the high-speed rail link from London Euston to the West Midlands is to offer payments to those living and working in the worst affected areas.

Other Regional Press

• Chance to have say on who will win rail franchiseRAIL users are being urged to have their say on train services before the Welsh Government awards the Wales and Borders franchise to one of four bidders.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Stadler to deliver 22 EMUs to Stockholm Transport Swiss rail vehicle manufacturer Stadler has secured a CHF232M ($233m) contract to build 22 customised electrical multiple units (EMU) for Stockholm Transport (SL).
• Raildar’s interactive maps: a bird's eye view of UK rail networks By tapping into National Rail’s vast data resources, Raildar creates an interactive, live map of trains that passengers can follow for the most up-to-date information on their train, delays included. Founder of Raildar, Rob West, explains the platfor…
• Virgin and Stagecoach join with SNCF on HS2 WCP franchise bidOperators Virgin Trains and Stagecoach have today announced that they will launch a joint bid for the West Coast Partnership (WCP) HS2 franchise alongside state-owned French rail company SNCF. The franchise will run from 2019 and will include the first few years of operation of HS2, meaning the...
• Merseyrail prepares for more strike action as RMT talks fail again Yet more strike action is expected to be announced on Merseyrail services as talks between the operator and the RMT union broke down yet again. The dispute over driver-only operated trains caused drivers and guards to walk out earlier in the month on 8 April – Grand National day –...
• Crucial work to link Bolton station and interchange hits milestone Considerable progress has now been made on the project to upgrade Bolton’s transport interchange and build a new ‘skylink’ bridge between the building and Bolton rail station. Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed that the first steel span making up the bridge...

Railnews

• SNCF joins bid for West Coast Partnership It has been revealed that French state operator SNCF has joined Stagecoach and Virgin in a consortium bidding to run the West Coast Partnership, which is due to start in 2019 and is also intended to run trains on Phase 1 of HS2 from 2026. All three have been working on the expression of interest, which was lodged with the Department for Transport yesterday (Monday). SNCF will have a 30 per cent stake. �Thrilled� Virgin said the agreement would put the consortium in the �best possible position� to win the franchise but the RMT has condemned the plan, calling for the next West Coast franchise t...

Railway Gazette

• Bombardier places ‘breakthrough’ order for ABB transformersAUSTRIA: Bombardier Transportation has placed the first contract for ABB’s Effilight roof-mounted traction transformer design, ordering 42 transformers for installation on 21 Talent 3 electric multiple-units which it is to supply to Austrian Federal Railways for use in the Vorarlberg region.

Railway Gazette

• Tram components 3D printed on demandGERMANY: Siemens is using 3D printing to reduce its lead times for the supply of customised tram components from weeks to days while eliminating the cost of specialised tooling and the need to keep parts in stock.
• Stagecoach and SNCF lead Virgin-branded bid for HS2 operationsUK: On April 24 a consortium led by Stagecoach Group with SNCF and Virgin Holdings as minority...

Other News Sources

• Commuters speak out over a year of hell on Southern RailAFTER a year of strikes on Southern Rail, commuters have expressed their dismay that the industrial dispute which has brought such misery to so many still rumbles on.
• Barricades are down around Cambridge railway station and it looks impressiveCambridge's railway station area has passed the halfway mark in its 21st-century transformation
• Network Rail chief exec Mark Carne joins CN Summit 2017Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne will deliver a keynote speech at this year’s Construction News Summit.