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

Friday, 25 April 2014

BBC News

• Tube boss not 'optimistic' on strikeThe boss of London Underground says he is not optimistic that next week's Tube strike will be called off.
• Rail extension would be 'wonderful'A council leader says extending the soon to be reopened Borders railway to run to Carlisle would be
• Huge surge in rail travel since 90sThe number of journeys taken in England, Scotland and Wales has more than doubled over the last two decades, figures show.

The Herald

• Boom in rail travel continues as passenger journeys double over 18 yearsRAIL journeys in Scotland have increased by almost 3% year-on-year, with only London and the south-east experiencing a faster growth in rail travel.

The Telegraph

• Build 'green corridor' around HS2Creating a 'green corridor' along the length of the HS2 line could offset damage to the environment, wildlife charity claims

Daily Express

• Rail passengers take 1.2 billion journeys a year despite hike in faresRAIL passengers made more than 1.2 billion journeys last year despite inflation-busting fare rises.

Network Rail

• New rail investment delivery agreement tested in the north of EnglandNetwork Rail, Northern Rail and First TransPennine Express (FTPE) have signed a formal collaboration agreement aimed at putting value for passengers at the heart of the rail improvements planned for the rail network in the north of England over the next five years.

Birmingham Post

• Experts criticise latest design changes to New Street StationLatest furore surrounds a revised planning application to retain and extend the old Navigation Street footbridge over tracks and platforms on the northern side of the station

Sheffield Star

• £70m railway depot plan to bring 160 jobsA massive contract to bring high-speed trains to the East Coast main line will include a £70m maintenance depot built in Doncaster creating 160 jobs.

Yorkshire Post

• Group warns high-speed railway poses threat to 500 wildlife sitesUP TO 500 wildlife sites will be affected by the development of the planned high speed rail line which will run from London to Yorkshire, conservationists have warned.
• Millions of extra journeys as passengers rediscover their love of the railway travelThe number of rail journeys taken in a year has more than doubled since the mid-1990s, according to official figures.

Reading Evening Post

• Prime Minister David Cameron visits Reading to look at new rail infrastructure projectsThe PM also talked about a third Thames bridge and the possibility of new housing south of Reading

Other Regional Press

• Grand old lady of the railways calls in at HuddersfieldSteam buffs meet up with classic locomotive in Huddersfield

Global Rail News

• Gare du Nord celebrates 150th birthdayEurope’s busiest railway station, Gare du Nord, is 150 this year and to celebrate the terminal is to undergo one of the biggest modernisations in its history. Built in 1864,[...]
• Alstom unaware of GE takeover plansFrench rolling stock manufacturer Alstom has issued a statement in which it says the company has not been informed of any approaches US giant General Electric (GE) to buy the[...]
• Faiveley awarded €13m doors contractHong Kong’s rail operator MTR has awarded Faiveley Transport a €13 million contract to upgrade door systems on 90 trains. The new doors will “be upgraded with a state-of-the-art noise attenuation system[...]
• Further growth in 2014 for EurostarYear on year sales revenue and passenger numbers both increased in the first quarter of 2014 for high-speed operator Eurostar. Sales rose by 7 per cent to £227 million while[...]
• Consortium awarded Spanish ERTMS contractA consortium comprising Alstom, Bombardier and Indra have been awarded a €410 million contract to overlay 310 kilometres of high-speed railway in Spain with ERTMS Level 2 signalling. The contract[...]
• Serbia seeks trade agreement with China to fund rail projectsSerbian Railways is looking at the possibility of borrowing €400 million from Chinese companies to fund rail improvement projects in the country. The deal, which was discussed by Serbian Railways[...]