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

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

BBC News

• Railway worker shot with air riflePolice investigate after a railway worker is shot in the leg with an air rifle while working on the line in High Bonnybridge.
• Crossrail man 'crushed by concrete'A construction worker was crushed to death when nearly a tonne of concrete collapsed on him, an inquest hears.

Department for Transport

• New non-executive director appointed to HS2 Ltd boardHS2 Ltd has welcomed a new non-executive director to its board as the project to build Britain’s new high speed rail network moves towards construction. Roger Mountford has been appointed by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.
• Challenging violence against women and girls on UK transportExplains what is being done to ensure the safety of female passengers on public transport.

Financial Times

• US safety chief in warning over railcarsFears increase after explosions involving trains moving crude oil
• Hitachi nears €2bn deal for Italian transport groupFinmeccanica set to agree Japanese takeover of Ansaldo

The Herald

• 91% BACK RAIL JOURNEY TIMES CALLAbout nine in ten Scots want inter-city rail services to be at least as fast as journeys by road, research has found.

The Scotsman

• Let the train take more of the strainWE need more joined-up thinking if we are to succeed in switching Scotland’s freight traffic from road to rail, writes David Spaven.
• Holyrood calls for high-speed rail in ScotlandTHE Scottish Government has challenged the main parties at Westminster to commit to bringing high-speed rail north of the border.

Network Rail

• Press call: Completion of the demolition to create the giant atrium at Birmingham New StreetThe new Birmingham New Street station and Grand Central shopping destination are one step closer to becoming a reality as the demolition work to create the awe inspiring atrium has come to an end.
• Technology star Maggie Philbin shows girls how tech and trains can lead to a great careerBBC Tomorrow's World presenter and technology broadcaster and TeenTech founder Maggie Philbin has joined forces with Network Rail to help dispel myths about working in IT and encourage more girls to pursue a tech-related career.
• Rail services back to normal after Scarborough Bridge successfully replacedRail passengers, York residents and visitors to the city are being thanked for their patience after the old bridge deck of Scarborough Rail Bridge was removed and a new one installed.
• Boost for Britain’s rail industry as Network Rail Consulting helps secure major Middle East contractNetwork Rail Consulting, as part of a British consortium, today announces that the consortium has been appointed by the Saudi Railway Company (SAR) to be its partner, providing management and technical support for infrastructure, freight and passenger operations on one of its rail projects, the North South Railway (NSR). The contract which was signed today 23 February 2015 has a total value to the Consortium of £120m over 5 years.

London Evening Standard

• Commuters to get refunds after Boris Johnson performs U-turn on fares Thousands of commuters are to receive refunds worth hundreds of pounds a year after Boris Johnson staged a U-turn on fare rises.
• Sale and consumption of alcohol 'could be banned on UK's rail network' Alcohol could be banned on trains under plans being considered by a railway safety group.
• Secret train fare bargains website struggles to cope with demand after word gets out A website that uses a special computer algorithm to find cheaper train tickets is struggling to cope with "sky high demand" after it was discovered by hordes of rail travellers.

Other Regional Press

• Trains to gridlock Spalding over next five SaturdaysSpalding traffic faces gridlock over the next five Saturdays with more than 100 trains passing through the station while the East Coast main line has multiple repairs.
• New rail operator will have to replace most of East Anglia’s trainsMost of East Anglia’s trains are sub-standard, and the new operator that takes over the franchise next year will have to replace them.
• Call for more stations as north east rail travel increasesTHE number of people using trains in the North-east has increased by around 105% over the last nine years.
• Transport expert calls for new Stansted rail line A leading transport expert has highlighted the significant benefits better rail links could bring for the millions of passengers travelling to and from Stansted Airport, during a speech at the airport.
• Magor rail station campaign wins backing IT’S full speed ahead for a bid to restore a rail station which was closed down exactly 50 years ago.
• Watch: HS2 construction pain 'will be outweighed by gain': Transport ministerPatrick McLoughlin gave assurance effects would be

C.N.N.

• World's best rail network? Getting on track in Germany

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Expert calls for new Stansted rail linkJim Steer, founder and director of global transport consultancy Steer Davies Gleave, has given a speech highlighting the potential benefits of a new rail link to Stansted Airport.

Railnews

• First Great Western train damaged by bridge debris A First Great Western driver was treated for shock after his train struck debris on a line in Wiltshire on 22 February. Rubble on the track had been dislodged from an overline bridge after one of its walls had been struck by a lorry.
• New railway to Stansted Airport is 'vital' A supporter and promoter of High Speed Rail has called for a new railway to be built linking London and Stansted Airport. Jim Steer, founder and director of global transport consultancy Steer Davies Gleave and also a director of the HS2 lobby group Greengauge21, said that a new line between the airport and London Liverpool Street could reduce journey times to less than 30 minutes.

Other News Sources

• Passengers to benefit from additional carriagesAlok Sharma, the Member of Parliament for Reading West, has welcomed progress made by First Great Western (FGW) to increase Standard capacity by reducing the number of First Class carriages on trains running through Reading.
• Network Rail snares £120m Saudi rail consulting contractNetwork Rail’s consulting arm has won a lucrative contract with the Saudi Arabian government as part of a British consortium.
• New rail operator Abellio confident service can be improved quicklyNew Scotrail operator Abellio says it is confident the rail service in Scotland can be improved almost immediately.
• Engineer killed on Crossrail may have been vulnerable because of poor EnglishA Slovakian engineer who was killed working on Crossrail may have been vulnerable because of his limited English and fellow workers’ impatience, a coroner heard today.
• Keolis and Eurostar mull West Coast rail bidFrench consortium came second to Virgin in East Coast bidding process