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

Friday, 26 June 2015

BBC News

• All bets off for £38bn rail planNetwork Rail chief says five-year plan was too ambitious
• VIDEO: Rail upgrade 'too ambitious'The government says it will delay or cut back a number of modernisation projects planned for Network Rail.
• Great Western line 'a top priority'Electrifying the Great Western line is
• UK reins back £38.5bn rail upgradeThe government says it will delay or cut back a number of modernisation projects that were part of a planned £38.5bn upgrade of Network Rail.

Financial Times

• Network Rail upgrades shunted into sidingsGovernment shakes up operator after costly management delays

The Guardian

• Should Network Rail be split up?atrick McLoughlin wants to “pause” investment on two key rail routes while he “resets” Network Rail’s investment programme. If the transport secretary can’t speak plainly, let’s say it for him. All sides have been engaged in wishful thinking on a grand scale and the government’s boasts about the coming “northern powerhouse” look a lot less impressive after a collision with reality on the railways.
• The Guardian view on Network Rail: the Great Northern power cutAt the heart of the Conservative promise for the 2015 election was its commitment to rebalance the economy by investing in infrastructure. The model was to be the Northern Powerhouse, where Whitehall collaborated with combined local authorities in the north to send economic revival rippling across the region. For the whole of the campaign, the prime minister and the chancellor seemed to put on their hard hats and hi-vis jackets at breakfast and wear them until they went to bed, in a relentless message of investment and renewal.
• Network Rail boss replaced and upgrades shelved as costs spiralThe government has shelved promised and vital upgrades to major rail lines in the Midlands and the north of England, just weeks after the election in which the Conservatives campaigned on rebalancing the country and creating a “northern powerhouse”.

The Herald

• Rail passengers is Scotland happier with train serviceRAIL passengers in Scotland are more satisfied with their train service than most Britons, a survey has found.
• Cameron accused of delaying bad rail news until after the electionDAVID Cameron has been accused by Labour of hoodwinking the electorate by holding back bad news over the

The Independent

• Decision to shelve rail projects due to failures in Network Rail modernisation plan provokes furious reaction The Government’s decision to shelve key rail projects because of multiple failures in Network Rail’s £38bn modernisation plan has sparked a furious reaction.

The Scotsman

• ScotRail drivers call for strike ballot over payTRAIN drivers at ScotRail have called for a strike ballot after rejecting a 2.5 per cent pay offer.

The Telegraph

• Network Rail bosses stripped of bonuses after Boxing Day travel chaosPatrick McLoughlin, the Transport Secretary, announces major shake-up of the board after 'unacceptable' problems in train services this year
• Decades of delays as major railway line upgrade shelvedThe government had

Mail Online

• Colourful past of new Network Rail chief Sir Peter Hendy revealed Rachael Grundy, a £140-an-hour prostitute has claimed she has had a nine-month affair with the man credited with keeping London moving over the past decade, Sir Peter Hendy, pictured.
• Tories announce major Network Rail u-turn on pre-election pledges Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin yesterday announced a major u-tun on a major part of the Tories election manifesto admitting that they will not be able to go through with a £38bn Network Rail modernisation plan.

The Mirror

• Ministers derail £38bn train upgrade as plans are put on hold Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin blamed planning and building problems but claimed the fiasco was down to Network Rail

Derby Telegraph

• Derby Telegraph published Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin says electrifying Derby...THE Transport Secretary has said it was "always an ambitious target" to electrify the Midland Main Line to Derby by 2019.Patrick McLoughlin was speaking to the Derby Telegraph after announcing there would be a "pause" in the work as Network Rail gets its house in order.Electrifying train lines makes them faster, greener, quieter and more reliable and creates engineering jobs in the process.Work on the whole line between Bedford and Sheffield was planned for completion by...

London Evening Standard

• London Overground 'acid' attack: Ticket inspector and commuter rushed to hospital A female commuter and a railway ticket inspector were hospitalised after a man threw a toxic substance in their faces on a train as it travelled through north London.
• Tube boss Sir Peter Hendy quits to take top job at Network Rail The capital’s transport chief Sir Peter Hendy today announced he is leaving his job to take on a new post at the top of Network Rail.
• Homes within walking distance of Crossrail stations 'see value boosted by up to £170,000' Homes within walking distance of a Crossrail station have soared in value in two years - earning their owners up to £169,500.

Manchester Evening News

• Electrification of Manchester to Leeds rail line shelved - dealing blow to Northern Powerhouse projectTransport secretary Patrick McLoughlin admitted to parliament this afternoon that the project was being ‘paused’ because of an ongoing crisis at Network Rail (NR)

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Northern Powerhouse 'blow' as Goverment shelves TransPennine rail electrification plansTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin blamed Network Rail for the indefinite delay of plans to boost North rail services after the announcement

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published John Flynn: How should we police the tram system?Why don't transport police look after the tram? John Flynn from Burton Joyce, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, thinks they should.As the opening of the extended Nottingham tram system to Clifton, Chilwell and Toton grows ever closer, my thoughts turn to the hard-pressed Nottinghamshire Police and the demands which will be made on their limited resources. Coincidentally, on a recent visit to London, I happened to travel on the Croydon Tramlink, which has a route of...

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• £18m rail link in Staffordshire given go-aheadAn £18 million rail terminal is to be built at a Staffordshire freight delivery company to cope with the growth in demand for consumer products.

Yorkshire Post

• June 26: Five unanswered questions over Yorkshire rail betrayalSYSTEMIC failures of management at crisis-hit Network Rail - the official reason cited for a number of high-profile rail improvement schemes in this region being abruptly delayed - will not appease all those who believe that the Government has betrayed Yorkshire within weeks of being returned to power.
• Disaster for Yorkshire as Tories break election promises on vital rail schemesThe CONSERVATIVES were accused of breaking election promises to Yorkshire voters after putting vital transport schemes on hold just weeks after polling day.

Bucks Free Press

• Future for Marlow rail line uncertain after Government 'resets' national upgrade project Long-awaited improvements to rail line in south Bucks could slip further down the priority list after the Government announced it is delaying a raft of upgrades nationwide.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Passenger satisfaction plummets for Abellio Greater AngliaRail operator Abellio Greater Anglia has seen its passenger satisfaction ratings plummet over the last year according to government watchdog Transport Focus.
• Rail campaigners pledge to keep up the pressure for improvements amid Network Rail reviewRail campaigners have pledged to put pressure on Network Rail to deliver trains travelling from Ipswich to London in 60 minutes, after the infrastructure body admitted it had been “overly optimistic” about what it could achieve in the next five years.

Other Regional Press

• Overhaul of Britain’s railways is “costing more and taking longerâ€� says Transport Secretary £38 billion plan reset
• What next as electrification of TransPennine line officially 'paused' by government?Barry Sheerman is 'hopping mad' at decision & Jason McCartney will meet rail minister to talk about electrification

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Network Rail chairman to step downThe chairman of Network Rail, Professor Richard Parry-Jones CBE, has today announced his intention to step down after he has finished three years in the role in July. During his term the rail industry has seen both significant change and tremendous growth in passengers and freight. More passengers than ever now travel on one of the safest but most crowded rail networks in the world. In the last three years asset reliability has been driven to an all-time high, and the foundations for achieving operational excellence have been laid with devolution of Network Rail's core business to eight route...
• TramForward welcomes the desire for East Midlands Airport to have a rail connection.Some years ago, East Midlands Parkway station was built to partially serve this market, but is too far away from the airport to be attractive, and the railway station has significantly failed to attract passengers. The Light Rail Transit Association (LRTA) believes that the airport would be much better served by use of TramTrains. These would run into the airport on a dedicated track, and could connect to the Midland Mainline both north and south. In the northerly direction, TramTrains could run to Toton, the site of the future HS2 East Midlands station. At Toton, a connection could be made ...
• Jacobs Renews Project Representative Role for CrossrailJacobs Engineering Group Inc. announced today it was reappointed as Project Representative for the £14.8 billion ($22 billion) Crossrail programme by the UK's Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TfL).  Company officials did not disclose the contract value, but noted that the contract is renewed for a term of up to five years.  Under the terms of the contract, as Crossrail Project Representative, Jacobs is providing assurance to the project sponsors (DfT and TfL) that Crossrail Ltd and its delivery partners deliver the project on schedule, within budget an...

Rail Magazine

• Rail workers celebrate Women in EngineeringFemale engineers from Network Rail and the Thameslink programme gathered at the Bermondsey Dive Under construction site on June 23
• Network Rail pulls Midland Main Line and TransPennine electrification from CP5 plansPeter Hendy to replace Richard Parry-Jones as Chairman

Rail Technology Magazine

• Texat decor engineering-Interiors for Railways: Upholstery Fabric, Floor Coverings, and Rollerblind Systems Texat decor engineering (Tde) offers shading systems for railway driver cabs and passenger compartments, and also supplies floor coverings and upholstery fabrics in cooperation with long-standing partners.

Other News Sources

• Network Rail: Crossrail saved as other schemes axed by governmentCrossrail and Thameslink have not been affected by the Transport Secretary's announcement that some railway projects are to be scrapped