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

Friday, 14 July 2017

BBC News

• St Mellons private rail station welcomed by Chris GraylingWales' first privately-owned station Cardiff Parkway would link to Cardiff and Newport city centres.
• Rail passenger satisfaction 'little changed in a decade'Rail firms handle passenger complaints almost as badly as they did a decade ago, says Which?

Department for Transport

• Work gets underway on ‘Halton Curve’ to boost Liverpool City Region, Cheshire and North Wales rail linksAlun Cairns: Improvements will help unlock economic growth opportunities for North Wales

The Guardian

• Uber’s practices are morally unacceptable – but a boycott won’t help | Hannah LownsbroughWith the company’s licence to operate in London expiring in September, now is the time for consumers to demand that it mends its ways• Hannah Lownsbrough is executive director of consumer group SumOfUsLabour’s business secretary, Rebecca Long-Bailey, finds Uber’s business practices morally unacceptable and refuses to use the company. I agree with her, but boycotting the app isn’t the best way to take on Uber. Related: Uber is not morally acceptable, says shadow business secretary Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Southern rail passengers face more misery as drivers vote to strike in August

Times Online

• Southern rail train drivers to strike despite 24% pay offer [Subscription]Train drivers have voted to strike over pay despite being offered more than £11,000 extra over four years for a four-day week.

City AM

• Southern rail faces summer strike saga as train drivers' union Aslef announces fresh walkouts for AugustTrain drivers' union Aslef has announced fresh strike dates for August, in a dispute with Southern rail.
• Rail passenger satisfaction ratings are still nearly as low as they were 10 years agoThere has been virtually no progress on low satisfaction ratings among rail passengers in the past 10 years, according to new analysis.

Network Rail

• New mobile warning system for Scottish level crossings as number of near misses rise over summer holidaysNetwork Rail and the ScotRail Alliance are rolling-out a new system at high-risk level crossings that uses mobile phone signals to warn people to stay aware when near the railway.

Birmingham Mail

• This travel comparison website says it can save you HUNDREDS on train tickets a yearBut a new travel website reckons it can save you a fortune - thanks to a "ground-breaking" algorithm.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Direct rail link from North Wales to Liverpool takes giant step forward today Work gets underway on the Halton Curve that could transform rail links in the area

London Evening Standard

• £13.4m fine for Southern Rail over poor performance slammed as 'slap on the wrist'The multi-million pound fine handed to Southern rail's parent company has been branded "a slap on the wrist" by unions.
• 'Here we go again': Weary passengers vent frustration after train drivers vote for summer strike on Southern Rail and Gatwick ExpressCommuters are facing three days of disruption in August

Other Regional Press

• Bring back our trains, Arlene!A mock-up of how a railway station in Enniskillen might look with Lidl and Cole’s Monument in the background (Courtesy Headhunters Railway Museum Collection)
• STEPHEN LLOYD MP: I’ll always be ‘unreasonable’ for EastbourneThe pressure is building over the government’s (inept) handling of the Southern Rail dispute, which is causing so much damage to our local economy as well as tremendous inconvenience to many Eastbourne rail users.
• Railway plans could put Oxford at heart of transport networkTHE next stage of the rail link between Oxford and Cambridge, combined with regeneration of the railway station, could put the city at the heart of the country's transport network.
• New transport group 'major step forward' for Isle of WightA NEW regional body, representing the Isle of Wight and the rest of the south east, hopes to directly influence how government cash is spent to improve transport issues.
• Work gets underway on ‘Halton Curve’ to boost North Wales, Liverpool City Region and Cheshire rail linksWork has started on the 1.5 miles of rail track, known as the ‘Halton Curve’, that will unlock leisure and business opportunities between the Liverpool City Region, its airport, Cheshire and North Wales.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• TfL to enhance frequency on the Elizabeth line (Image Source: Crossrail) Services on the Elizabeth line are set to be even more extensive and frequent than originally planned when the line becomes fully operational in December 2019, Transport for London (TfL) announced.  Off-peak services between Paddington and Whitechapel will be increased from 16 trains as previously planned, to 20 trains per hour - a 25 per cent increase. An additional two trains per hour will run between Paddington and Shenfield and a further two trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Wood will also be introduced in the off-peak. Peak services to destina...

Rail Magazine

• Latest drone-borne technology helps NR monitoringNetwork Rail has hailed a drone-borne railway infrastructure measurement and monitoring system from Plowman Craven as a “game-changer
• Network Rail and development partner to regenerate brownfield site in DerbyAround 3,300 permanent jobs expected to be created
• No difference in risk for DCO, says RSSBResearch suggests individual train operators are adept at managing specific risks

Rail Technology Magazine

• TetraFlex for Rail and Metro Communications Simplifying advanced communications for Public Transport. Meet the increased demands on safety and operational efficiency within large public transport systems with the TetraFlex TETRA radio infrastructure.
• Lilian Greenwood named new transport select committee chairLilian Greenwood has been narrowly elected as the new chair of the Transport Select Committee in the House of Commons. The MP for Nottingham South fought off competition from four Labour party colleagues – Geraint Davies, Clive Efford, Bridget Phillipson and Gavin Shuker to be given the...

Transport Network

• Greenwood promises 'challenging' approach as Transport Committee chairThe MP for Nottingham South has replaced her Labour colleague Louise Ellman as chair of the Commons Transport Select Committee following an election on Wednesday.

Other News Sources

• HS2 and PageGroup recognised for equality and inclusionRailway organisation HS2 and recruitment business PageGroup (pictured) were among the organisations recognised for inclusive and equal workplace practices at the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI) Awards 2017.
• Our train crossing are 'high risk'The number of accidents or near misses at level crossings have soared in the last five years.
• Has 'Work Experience Eddie' turned around public opinion about Southern Rail.....? One firm thinks so The teenage Twitter sensation has "more than doubled" positive sentiment towards the rail firm, at least according to an analytics company