Breaking News
No 'convincing case' for £50bn HS2
The UK government has not shown why it needs to spend £50bn building the HS2 rail link between London and the North, says a House of Lords committee.
Derby to build new trains for First Great Western
New Bombardier Electrostars are included in the plans for the new First Great Western franchise, which will be a boost for jobs in Derby. The main fleets for long-distance services are set to be Intercity Expresses and hybrid AT300s, both from Hitachi, but eight more four-car Class 387s are being ordered from Bombardier for Thames Valley electric services. They will be added to the fleet of 29 Class 387s which is to be transferred from Thameslink.
The liberal case for aviation: debunked
Centre Forum, a liberal think tank, has today published a report making the case for airport expansion in the South East. We look at some report's conclusions and consider the facts.
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
Cogitamus
- HS2 High Speed Rail and The General Election 2015Following up our first article, ‘HS2 High Speed Rail – What’s taking so long?’ in this piece we will examine the progress of the HS2 bill in recent weeks, the various stances being assumed on the project by the UK’s divergent political parties and finally, the mechanism in place which will allow the bill to carry across this soon to be dissolved parliament and into the next. Petitions & the High Speed Rail Bill – One month on and on from here The petition process for the High Speed Rail Bill has continued throughout March and was concluded yesterday on… More → The post HS2 High...
BBC News
- Rail workers strike on Good FridaySome rail workers in Edinburgh are staging a one-day strike in a row over the dismissal of a former colleague.
- Move to modernise four Tube linesA £5.54bn investment in four London Underground lines will aim to improve the services' efficiency, Transport for London says.
- No 'convincing case' for £50bn HS2The UK government has not shown why it needs to spend £50bn building the HS2 rail link between London and the North, says a House of Lords committee.
Financial Times
- Peers argue HS2 case has not been madeCheaper options for easing congestion on the railways should be explored, suggests upper house
The Guardian
- Tube modernisation costs rise as London Underground confirms upgradesGo ahead for Thales to upgrade Circle, Metropolitan, District and the Hammersmith & City lines as TfL writes off £85m for aborted contact
The Herald
- New look Caledonian Sleeper branding unveiled by First Minister as Serco prepares to take over franchiseFIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon has unveiled the new look exterior of the new Caledonian Sleeper franchise, which is set to transform the famous cross-border rail journey into a
Mail Online
- HS2 'will cost nine times more than French line': £50billion rail project should be put on hold, say Lords A House of Lords committee says the £50billion HS2 project which is due to open in 2026 should be stopped in its tracks until ministers can make a stronger case for it.
Derby Telegraph
- Derby Telegraph published HS2: Setback as House of Lords committee says case for project is...A REPORT by an influential House of Lords committee has concluded that the Government is yet to make a convincing case for the High Speed 2 rail project.The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee believes that Ministers have not yet proven that HS2, which will eventually run through parts of Derbyshire, is necessary.The committee has been investigating proposals for the first phase of the project, which will run between London and Manchester.The second phase will run between Birmingham and...
London Evening Standard
- TfL boss outlines plans for more trains to reduce delays on Circle, District, Metropolitan and H&C lines Transport for London today promised more trains and fewer delays as it set out plans for the modernisation of the District, Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines.
Sheffield Star
- Lords call for Sheffield’s HS2 link to be fast-trackedSheffield’s phase of the £50 billion HS2 high-speed rail project should be fast-tracked, a report by a House of Lords committee has said.
Wales Online
- Report claims Government has yet to make the economic case for the HS2 project which could threaten the growth of the Welsh capitalA House of Lords committee argues that London stands to be the biggest winner from the £50bn rail project
Yorkshire Post
- Spend HS2 £50bn on northern trains, Government toldDIVERTING the £50bn earmarked for High Speed 2 into Northern rail projects would have a bigger economic impact than creating new links to London, the Government is warned today.
East Anglian Daily Times
- Network Rail offer extra designs for Gipsy Lane crossing in Needham MarketNetwork Rail have agreed to come up with four more designs for a track crossing in a Suffolk town, after its desired option was labelled a “monstrosity” at a public meeting.
- Improvements needed to stations, trains, and journey times say Suffolk authoritiesA comprehensive list of improvements to rail services across the county – including improved stations for market towns and better trains off the main line – is among demands for the next rail operator in East Anglia.
North Wales Live
- Economic case for HS2 has not been made yet, major report will warn todayBut campaigners insist £50bn rail project has key role in boost region
Other Regional Press
- Little wonder our trains are crowdedFirst Great Western has received a fresh raft of complaints after yet more commuter trains were jampacked. No one should be surprised. We pay among the highest fares in Europe but there is simply not enough room on our trains.
- Preston tram plan recommended to be thrown out - againCouncillors will be advised to throw out a plan for the first phase of a project to build a tram line in Preston - again.
Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport
- London Underground report highlights progressA report on the last five years’ progress on the London Underground (LU) network has been published. It is largely positive, showcasing the impact of an ongoing programme of modernisations. Over the period, the cost of transporting each passenger has fallen by almost 20 per cent. Journey times have been reduced by an average of two minutes, and delays are down by 43 per cent. Three lines have been completely modernised, which has resulted in a 21 per cent capacity increase on the Victoria line, 20 per cent on the Northern line and 33 per cent on the Jubilee line. Mike Brown, managing...
Rail Magazine
- Dugher slams FGW decisionShadow Transport Secretary says Direct Award makes “a mockery of the current franchise modelâ€
- Sturgeon unveils new look Caledonian Sleeper at Inverness'White Stag' brand launched at Guest Service Centre and on Class 67.
- New food and drink outlets for Euston balcony levelPub set for mezzanine over concourse
Railnews
- Lords Committee gives thumbs down to HS2 A House of Lords Committee has concluded that the Government has 'yet to make a convincing case' for investing £50 billion in HS2. The figure includes rolling stock and large contingency margins, but the report suggests that the 'huge' public subsidy to HS2, an estimated net £31.5 billion, conflicts with the Government's declared objective of making rail less dependent on public subsidy. The Committee's chairman said:
- Lid is lifted on Network Rail as FOI begins Network Rail has become subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act from today. NR must now respond to FOI requests within 20 working days, and publish its responses. The range of information is wide and covers any qualifying data held by Network Rail, including historical information. The company launched a voluntary Transparency Programme in June 2012, when it began to publish more of its information and data on its website.
- Derby to build new trains for First Great Western New Bombardier Electrostars are included in the plans for the new First Great Western franchise, which will be a boost for jobs in Derby. The main fleets for long-distance services are set to be Intercity Expresses and hybrid AT300s, both from Hitachi, but eight more four-car Class 387s are being ordered from Bombardier for Thames Valley electric services. They will be added to the fleet of 29 Class 387s which is to be transferred from Thameslink.
Railway Gazette
- Train leasing agency approvedGERMANY: In an effort to encourage competition for passenger operating contracts, on March 12...
Other News Sources
- Jacobs selected for Heathrow rail access roleThe proposed Western Rail Access to Heathrow includes a new direct, double-track link between the Great Western main line at Langley in Berkshire (16 miles west of Paddington Station in London) into Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport.
- First group’s Great Western franchise extended to 2019Additional 4,000 morning peak seats into London available from 2018
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