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

Wednesday, 01 July 2015

BBC News

• Peers told to take care with ferretsThe thorny question of ferrets disappearing up trouser legs has been considering in Parliament as peers discussed taking animals on trains.
• £600m metro to stop transport chaosUp to £600m will be spent on a new metro system for south east Wales within the next five years to stop transport chaos, it is announced.
• Strike vote over high-speed trainsRMT union members vote to support strike action over plans to axe guards and buffet cars on First Great Western's new Inter City Express trains.
• More Tube workers vote to strikeMore London Underground workers vote to strike in a row over the new all-night Tube service.

The Guardian

• Rail finance and the ‘northern powerhouse’Your editorial (Rail investment has been put on hold in the Great Northern power cut, 26 June) shows a lack of understanding about how the railway’s finances work. Train operators contribute a great deal to investment in the rail network and the model for running our railway offers a fair deal to taxpayers.
• Channel tunnel reopens after fire set by French strikers but travel chaos goes onEurostar and Eurotunnel services resume but delays continue across Kent as ferry services to and from Dover cancelled due to blockadeStriking ferry workers have set fire to tracks inside the Channel tunnel, as the chaos prompted desperate migrants to try to break into stationary vehicles in a repeat of scenes that played out a week ago.Eurostar and Eurotunnel services were suspended temporarily on Tuesday but resumed after 3.30pm, albeit with a reduced operation. Passengers were advised to check before travel. With ferry services between Dover and Calais already suspended because of striking w...

The Independent

• UK Heatwave: Temperatures on the tube are going to exceed the legal limit for transporting cattleAccording to EU rules on the welfare of animals during transport, ventilation inside cattle trucks must ensure that the temperatures remains between five and 30 degrees. Any higher or lower, and farmers could get in trouble.

The Scotsman

• Rail work turns focus on ways to be sustainableA JOURNEY shared is pollution halved as we look forward to greener train connections, says Russell Imrie.

The Telegraph

• Calais crisis: Channel Tunnel entrance blocked with burning barricade - As it happenedFears that illegal immigrants will take advantage of a second shut-down at Calais in just over a week, as ferry and rail traffic comes to a halt
• Sizzling heat could derail commuters, Network Rail warnsThe heat is predicted to be so intense that Network Rail has imposed a speed restriction on some services to stop the rails from buckling

London Evening Standard

• London weather: Paddington fast trains cancelled as heatwave brings risk of buckled tracks Rail bosses have ordered trains to run slower than usual for fear of rails buckling during the hot weather.
• London weather: Warning over dangerously hot rush hour Tube trains as capital braced for 'hottest day in a decade' Health experts have advised employers to allow staff to travel to work outside rush hour to avoid packed public transport as London braces for the hottest day in a decade.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published Letters Jun 30: 'Midland Main Line issue is a pause, not a stop'REGARDING the coverage of the Midland Main Line electrification, it is obvious to anyone who uses our railways today that successive governments have failed to invest the sums necessary in the network.Passengers have to put up with railways built by the Victorians. and that last had a complete overhaul when we replaced the steam engines in the 1950s. The result is that parts of our network are already full, with little room to accommodate continuing growth in passenger numbers. Over the last...

Peterborough Telegraph

• Delays on the railways as England becomes too hot for trainsCommuters are advised to check their journeys before travelling and have been warned that there may be disruption caused by the hot weather.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Sir Peter Hendy appointed new chair of Network RailSecretary of state for transport Patrick McLoughlin has announced the appointment of Sir Peter Hendy as the new chairman of Network Rail.  The announcement was made to Parliament during a statement on the delivery of Network Rail targets - and Sir Peter has been called to review the organisation's programme of rail investment and report back to the government on the matter in the autumn.  Sir Peter delivered London's Olympic transport plan, and was praised by Mr McLoughlin as someone who brings a lot of experience to the role, which will be an asset to Network Rail in the coming months and yea...
• London Overground shortlists prospective operatorsLondon Overground has shortlisted four bidders that could become the new operators of its services.  A series of improvements are expected to be made following the appointment of the new operator. Additional walk-through air-conditioned trains, more frequent services and modernised stations are among the developments expected to be made.  Transport for London also confirmed that frequency on the North London line will be boosted by 25 per cent - an increase from eight trains per hour to ten.  The four bidders that have been shortlisted to run London Overground from November 2016 are Arriva Rai...

Freight on Rail

• Radlett rail freight terminal wins latest planning hurdleSt Albans Council's has again faltered in its bid to stop the Radlett rail freight terminal. 1.

Global Rail News

• Supply chain will be ‘virtually unaffected’ by paused projects, says Network RailNetwork Rails has said the supply chain will be “virtually unaffected” as it seeks to reassure the industry following the decision last week to put the planned electrification of the Midland Main Line and TransPennine routes on hold.

Other News Sources

• Council refused permission to appeal on rail freight court dismissalSt Albans City and District Council has been refused leave to appeal the dismissal of its court challenge against the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
• South West Trains passengers have their say on rail delays, value for money, toilet facilities and availability of seatsAlmost half of South West Trains passengers were unhappy about toilet facilities, but overall satisfaction was up by 1%
• Commuters warned to expect further delays after evening of heat related speed restrictions COMMUTERS have been warned to expect delays tomorrow due to heat-related speed restrictions on the rails.
• Cautious welcome for £600m metro plans for south east WalesUP to £600 million is to be spent on the next stage of the new metro for south east Wales, economy minister Edwina Hart has confirmed.