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

Thursday, 01 June 2017

BBC News

• Tube tunnel wi-fi plan to be launchedCommuters can currently use their phones at station concourses and platforms but not in tunnels.

The Guardian

• Skeletons, chamber pots and hippo sandals: the lost treasures of Crossraile have a view of the Victorians as being po-faced and strait-laced, and it’s quite funny to think of someone having that under their beds,” says Jackie Keily, a curator at the Museum of London. She’s talking about a Victorian chamber pot comically depicting a man with his hair standing on end, with text that reads: “Oh what I see I will not tell.”
• Labour promises to save average rail commuter £200 on season ticketJeremy Corbyn says party could deliver promise by forcing rail companies to cap fares at lower gauge of inflation than currently used
• TfL gets closer to offering full mobile coverage on the tubePhone calls could soon be possible on the underground in move Sadiq Khan says will bring London in line with other major citiesMobile phone calls on the London Underground could soon be possible under plans by the mayor and Transport for London.Informal talks have been held with telecoms infrastructure companies and TfL is expected to invite bids in the weeks after the general election.

The Herald

• Tram network blamed for death of female cyclist in EdinburghEDINBURGH'S tram network has been blamed for the death of a cyclist who fell after her wheel became trapped in the tracks and was hit by approaching traffic.

The Huffington Post

• Plan To Renationalise Railways Will Cut Costs For Commuters, Says Labour Renationalising the railways will cut costs for commuters, Labour has promised.  The party says its plan to bring the system into public ownership will see passengers save an average £1,014 on their season tickets a year.  Rail costs have risen by 27.1% over the last seven years and Labour says a decision by the Tories to cap fares at the Retail Price Index rather than the Consumer Price Index means inflation is over-estimated and consumers pay more.  It has promised to cap prices at the Consumer Price Index and introduce further reductions ‘as more services come i...

Times Online

• Transport of Delight [Subscription]Revenge is a dish best served with song. “It takes a lot to laugh,” Bob Dylan wrote. “It takes a train to cry.” And so it goes. After the tears of rage shed across the Southern Rail network by commuters last year comes the laughter, or at least the therapy, of a new musical written by those who suffered.

The Mirror

• Ever wondered why the trains get delayed because of the hot weather? Here's the reasons why When those temperatures rise above normal, some areas can be more vulnerable to rail breaks, and speed restrictions are put in place

Birmingham Post

• High Speed 2 is transforming Birmingham and beyond - find out how here Discover all the opportunities HS2 offers the West Midlands at the National Rail Conference

Bolton News

• 'Unprecedented' investment in Bolton's rail network will pay off soon, promises Transport Secretary Chris Grayling

London Evening Standard

• Londoners 'commute for 16 days a year with some journeys up to four hours'Londoners are spending up to 16 days each year commuting with some losing up to four hours a day travelling to work, a survey has found.

Wales Online

• There will be no trains between Newport and Cardiff during the August bank holiday weekend Electrification work is being carried out

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• New railway stations and Midland Metro link tabled in transport proposals New railway stations could be opened and a Midland Metro connection added in proposals being commented on in a public consultation ending next month.
• Deadline looms for public to have its say on future of transport in the West Midlands The people of the West Midlands have just a few days left to give their views on a transport blueprint for the next decade.

Rail Magazine

• Report presses commercial case for extended Borders linkNew report by the Campaign for Borders Rail (CBR) makes the case for re-opening the line from Tweedbank to Mossband Junction.
• Delayed start for first Crossrail AventraElizabeth Line Aventra misses original start date. No confirmed date for entry into traffic.
• Greater Anglia given deadline to confirm ticket office plans by RMTRMT issues Greater Anglia with a deadline of June 19 to confirm that ticket offices and jobs will be kept open for the length of the current franchise.

Rail Technology Magazine

• RMT gives Greater Anglia deadline to reverse alleged ticket office closures The RMT has today handed Greater Anglia an ultimatum to confirm that all ticket office jobs and windows will be kept open on its franchise by 19 June – or face a formal dispute. It comes after the union stated that it will fight alleged plans from Greater Anglia to close ticket offices...
• ScotRail Alliance launches new Rail74 community rail partnershipA new community rail partnership (CRP) will be officially launched in Scotland this Friday 2 June by the ScotRail Alliance. The project, called the Rail74 Partnership, will cover the route between Rutherglen and Hamilton Central, with the aim of bringing communities together to improve and...
• TfL closer to offering mobile phone coverage on the TubeCommuters could soon be able to make phone calls and surf the internet anywhere on the Tube network, it has been reported, Currently, Virgin Media supplies wi-fi at station platforms, but this connection does not cover tunnels, meaning that passengers cannot connect to the internet when the...

Railway Gazette

• UK railway news round-upThe High Court has upheld a May 2016 decision by the Office of Rail & Road rejecting Heathrow...

Other News Sources

• ENGIE Ineo acquires IcomeraENGIE announces the acquisition through its subsidiary ENGIE Ineo of the Swedish company Icomera, specialist in onboard communications solutions for public transport. Icomera’s offering fully complements the strategy of transformation of ENGIE, the energy revolution pioneer working for smarter and greener mobility.
• Election 2017: What are the parties promising on transport?Transport is important. I am assuming, dear reader, from the fact you are on this website at all that you are well aware of this. Our political leaders, though, often neglect transport. It’s lower on voters’ priority lists than hospitals or schools, capital investment is easier to cut than revenue spending and, anyway, if a minister throws all their energy into getting a new railway line built, some other government will get to snip the ribbon in about 15 years time.
• High-performance hoses for modern rail transportEU transport politicians envisage that by the year 2030, 30% of road freight covering distances of over 300 kilometres will have shifted to transport operators such as the railways.