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

Friday, 18 April 2014

BBC News

• The level crossing warsCampaigns to save level crossings are being waged across Great Britain, despite many considering them dangerous anachronisms. It's a dispute that reveals much about people's attitudes towards risk.
• Channel Tunnel due back to normalChannel Tunnel rail services are expected to return to normal on Good Friday morning after being hit by severe disruption.
• Tube staff plan five days of strikesRMT workers on the London Underground are to take five days of strike action according to the union.

Financial Times

• Tube strike threat to London commutersSevere travel disruption looms after the Rail and Maritime Union announce five days of strikes following a breakdown in talks with management

The Independent

• Tube strike: RMT union calls five days of action over London Underground ticket office closures London Underground staff have voted to stage five days of strike action over the decision to close Tube ticket offices.
• Inside London Underground's lost property office: Umbrellas, dentures and... human ashes Amid the daily crush of the London Underground, it’s easy for stressed and hassled commuters and tourists to forget umbrellas, cameras, iPads and… human ashes.
• Easter weekend travel: Eurostar and Eurotunnel disruption leaves thousands on wrong side of Channel on Good Friday Thousands of travellers who had been hoping to make an early getaway for the Easter break woke up this morning on the wrong side of the Channel following severe disruption to Eurostar and Eurotunnel services.

The Telegraph

• Eurostar delays cause late start to Easter holidaymakersPassengers on Eurostar trains subjected to four-hour delays due to technical failure and line fatality

Mail Online

• Tube strike for 5 DAYS in the next few weeks over ticket office closures The industrial action announced by the RMT Union today will be the first since the death of its firebrand leader Bob Crow last month.
• Rail chaos hits Easter getaway with thousands of passengers stranded at St Pancras station after 14 Eurostar trains were cancelled The great Easter getaway got off to a nightmare start last night as travel chaos hit one of Britain’s busiest stations.

Network Rail

• Information event to find out more about Norton Bridge flyoverResidents and local businesses are being invited to discover more about a multi-million pound investment which will remove one of the last remaining bottlenecks on the West Coast main line.

Birmingham Mail

• Summer chaos on the trains: Union warning over plans to axe jobs London Midland plan to cut 150 railway jobs could spark industrial action, say union chiefs

London Evening Standard

• TfL spent close to £500,000 on counselling 'stressed' staffAlmost half a million pounds was spent on counselling for staff at Transport for London last year, the Standard can reveal.
• Road and train delays hit the Easter getaway Travellers were warned of road and rail delays as the great Easter getaway started today.
• Tube strike: London Underground staff to stage five day walk over ticket office closuresLondon Underground workers are to stage five days of strike action in the coming weeks in the long-running row over Tube ticket office closures.

Other Regional Press

• Council to petition Government on HS2 over ‘height of planned line’ and ‘tranquility’South Northamptonshire Council is to petition the Governmnet over plans for the HS2 rail project.
• Eurotunnel passengers face waits of up to six hours and Eurostar travellers face separate misery in Easter gridlockAll of tonight's Eurostar services have been cancelled and Eurotunnel passengers face huge delays on a day of travel misery.
• Kent rail passengers braced for severe disruption on Southeastern trains over Easter weekendKent rail passengers face severe problems this weekend as the Easter getaway clashes with major engineering work.
• Northern Rail to revamp seats on trains on Huddersfield lineHuddersfield commuters are set to benefit from a £2.7bn investment on the East Coast line and a revamp of Northern Rail's 153 Class fleet

Global Rail News

• Japanese company begins manufacturing ‘world’s longest rails’A Japanese steel works has completed an upgrade of its facilities which will allow it to manufacture and ship 150-metre length rails. Described by Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation[...]

Aviation Industry

• Heathrow Express staff to strike for two daysTrain operator vows to continue running services despite industrial action

Other News Sources

• East Coast boosted by £2.7 billion train dealTransport secretary unveils plans for 500 new carriages on network