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Thursday, 20 July 2017

BBC News

• Rhondda railway tunnel survey work gets under waySurvey work has begun at a disused Rhondda railway tunnel, with plans to reopen it to walkers and cyclists.
• Rail electrification between Cardiff and Swansea scrappedPlans to electrify the Great Western Railway line between Cardiff and Swansea have been scrapped, the UK's transport secretary has said.
• Rhondda railway tunnel survey work gets under wayWork starts on the tunnel which runs from Blaencwm to Blaengwynfi in Neath Port Talbot.
• Sexual offences on trains and tubes double in five yearsThe number of sexual offences reported on trains has doubled in five years, police say.

ITV News

• Swansea rail electrification plans scrappedPlans for electrification between Cardiff and Swansea have been scrapped, the UK Government has said.
• Swansea rail electrification plan scrappedThe electrification of the railway line between Cardiff and Swansea has been scrapped, the UK Government has announced.

Department for Transport

• New improvements for rail passengers in Wales, the midlands and the northThe Department for Transport announces plans for new bi-mode trains for passengers with more seats and better on-board facilities.
• Rail infrastructure funding: 2019 to 2024Announces publication of the high level output specification (HLOS) and initial statement of funds available (SOFA) for control period 6.
• Rail update: bi-mode train technologyModernising rail services and infrastructure on the Great Western Main Line, Midland Main Line and in the north.

Financial Times

• Coal has no future, says US railroad bossCSX will not buy locomotives to haul the fuel despite Trump pledge to revive industry

The Guardian

• HS2 cost concerns as NAO uncovers £2.7m in redundancy payoutsWatchdog’s chief says HS2 ‘fell short of the behaviour required’ with payments that breached civil service cap
• Trainy McTrainface: Swedish railway keeps Boaty's legacy aliveWinner of public vote to name new engine on Stockholm-Gothenburg line echoes UK poll choice for polar research shipIt’s happened again. A public vote to name four trains running between the Swedish cities of Stockholm and Gothenburg has resulted in one of the four being called Trainy McTrainface in an echo of the name chosen by the British public for the new polar research vessel.Trainy McTrainface received 49% of the votes in a poll, jointly run by Swedish rail company MTR Express and Swedish newspaper Metro. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Network Rail chief Mark Carne heads for £50,000 bonus even as trains get later [Subscription]The boss of Network Rail is set to receive a £50,000 bonus, despite overseeing a sharp rise in the number of trains cancelled or running late over the past 12 months.

Mail Online

• HS2 has already cost �2.3bn The annual report showed the company building the railway (artist's impression of Euston HS2 station, pictured) spent �500mn in the year to 31 March- up almost 30 per cent from the previous year.
• Southern Rail strikes called off for talks Transport secretary, Chris Grayling, has stepped in and agreed to speak to both unions and Southern Rail bosses in an attempt to finally find a solution to the 16-month stalemate.

Bristol Live

• Rail operator's #GWRAdventures hashtag backfires when angry passengers start using it to complainPeople flocked to show their 'adventures' on GWR services. But they weren't the kind that the company wanted everyone else to know about.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Rail bosses put new Waverley taxi rank plan on hold PLANS for a taxi rank in New Street car park next to Waverley station have been put on hold because rail bosses want to explore the potential for commercial development of the site.

London Evening Standard

• Commuters will be able to top up Oyster cards using smartphonesTube passengers will be able to top-up their Oyster cards on their smartphones after Transport for London today announced the launch of an official app.
• Southern Railway strike action suspended for talks with transport secretaryPlanned strikes by Southern Railway guards and drivers in the RMT union have been suspended to allow talks with the Transport Secretary.

Wales Online

• New £25m rail station for South Wales with 10,000 new job business park on track for 2020 openingA new £25m rail station in South Wales has been given UK Government backing. The aim is for it to be at the heart of a huge business, retail and leisure development that could create 10,000 new jobs.
• Transport Secretary Chris Grayling explains why rail electrification is not going beyond CardiffNew diesel-electric trains will shave 15 minutes off journey times and provide extra seats
• Rail electrification to Swansea from Cardiff has been ditched by UK GovernmentElectrification of the Great Western Mainline from Paddington to Swansea was promised by David Cameron in 2012
• Rail electrification between Cardiff and Swansea is in doubtThe UK Government is warned a u-turn would be an 'absolute disgrace'

Yorkshire Post

• Jayne Dowle: HS2 on wrong track if it fails to spread the benefit Am I the only one missing a connection? In all the arguments I’ve had on the subject of HS2, the major plus-point I’ve accepted is that we would end up with a new station here in South Yorkshire to whizz us directly to London in super-fast time. And of course, to whizz London directly to us, so that we can all enjoy mutual economic, employment, social and cultural opportunities.

Other Regional Press

• Rail operator warned timetable changes could break franchise pledges A RAIL firm has been warned proposed changes to services in Calderdale and the county could break promises it made to secure its franchise.
• Confirmed HS2 route will have 'devastating' impact on Winsford, says MPTHE confirmed route for the Phase 2b of HS2 will have a ‘devastating’ impact on Winsford, according to Antoinette Sandbach MP.
• County-wide light railway plan unveiled by new mayorProposals for a light railway to connect Cambridgeshire’s market towns with the county’s cities have been unveiled by the mayor.

London TravelWatch

• New report by passenger watchdog highlights the vital role played by small stations as the capital grows – they must not be neglectedA report published today by London’s independent passenger watchdog highlights the need for improvements at small stations in and around the capital. Passengers make almost 100 million journeys to and from small stations in and around London every year but these stations are more likely to be neglected than larger ones, despite their growing importance. Annual usage at these stations ranges from almost 5,000 to almost 1 million

Rail Technology Magazine

• RSG launches group to promote UK rail exportsThe Rail Supply Group (RSG) has today announced that the organisation it set up to develop strategies to promote UK rail abroad, the Exports Leadership Group (ELG), has met for the first time.

Other News Sources

• Cardiff to Swansea rail electrification scrappedPlans for the electrification of the rail network between Cardiff and Swansea have been cancelled, according to the UK Government's transport secretary Chris Grayling.
• Amey chief leads rail industry export driveAmey chief executive Andy Milner is leading a government-backed drive to increase UK exports of rail industry goods and services.
• West Midlands Mayor welcomes confirmation of north of England HS2 routesAndy Street welcomes the economic benefits and "huge opportunities" that HS2 is bringing to the West Midlands.