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

Thursday, 03 September 2015

BBC News

• VIDEO: 'We were locked in, in the dark'Up to 2,000 Eurostar passengers have had their journeys disrupted after migrants in Calais got on to tracks near the Channel Tunnel in France.
• House prices 'unaffected' by railwayThe Borders Railway has yet to have an impact on the housing market along its route, according to new figures from Registers of Scotland.
• VIDEO: The tube train that's now an officeBBC News looks at a refurbished tube train in London, which has become an unlikely office space for a group of workers.

The Guardian

• Migrants targeting UK bound passenger trains taking ever greater risksPeople who are taking ever greater risks to reach Britain from Calais have targeted UK-bound passenger trains for the first time because of increased security measures at the Channel tunnel.

The Herald

• Migrants targeting Eurostar trains 'because of extra security at Chunnel'Migrants desperately trying to reach Britain have started targeting Eurostar trains because of increased security measures at the Channel Tunnel, operator Eurotunnel has said.

The Independent

• Mother flooded with Facebook messages after asking Londoners to help her answer question about the Tube for her autistic son Dispelling the myth that Londoners are all miserable and self-absorbed, hundreds of people have helped a mother to count the number of platforms across the London Underground network for her train-obsessed son who has autism. 

Mail Online

• Calais migrants who stormed Eurostar train now targeting other trains The potentially deadly tactic, which left passengers in sweltering, dark carriages, has seen migrants getting on the tracks to force operators to stop the trains.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseytravel reveals plans for £400m upgrade to train services at some point in the 2020sNew trains would run without guards and around 200 employees would be affected by this change.

London Evening Standard

• Eurostar delays: Furious passengers tell of 13-hour ordeal after migrants trespass on tracks at CalaisIt comes as the shocking death toll of Europe's escalating migrant crisis continues to climb

Manchester Evening News

• Victoria Station's revamp – by the architect driving Manchester's modern railway revolution Peter Jenkins - Manchester's Mr Railways - reveals the inside story of the biggest railway investment for more than a century

Northern Echo

• Hitachi to mark new era in North-East train building when it opens doors to its £82m factory A NEW era in the history of North-East train building starts this morning when Hitachi opens the doors to its £82m train factory.

Nottingham Evening Post

• EllieCullen commented Three-year-old girl stranded at tram stop after door closes on...The parents of a three-year-old girl say they were "distraught" after the youngster was left stranded on her own at a tram stop – because the tram doors closed before they had got off.Anthony Phillips and his partner Megan Smith had taken their daughter Maisie for a trip on the new tram route as a special treat.But the family's evening out turned sour when they were trying to get off the tram at Southchurch Drive in Clifton.Mr Phillips, 28, said: "As the tram pulled up to...

Other Regional Press

• New 140mph rail link to London as Hull Trains invests £68mHULL Trains is investing £68m in a new high-speed fleet that will cut journey times to London and carry 50 per cent more passengers.
• Fund to breathe new life into railway stationsScotRail and Transport Scotland have today launched a new £1.5million community fund to breathe new life into old and disused railway station premises.
• Eurostar passenger Ian West tells of 14-hour delay due to migrantsA Eurostar passenger has told of a 14-hour Eurostar delay as police dealt with migrants trying to get onto a train.

C.N.N.

• Porn star Metro cards ignite controversy in Taiwan

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• ScotRail reveals new-look trains with better seats and power socketsScotRail has revealed the first of 40 new-look trains which will be rolled out across Scotland over the next three years. The trains will feature better seats, improved toilets and power sockets to allow travellers to charge their phone or tablet. One train will to come into service each month between now and April 2018 as part of a £14m modernisation scheme. The trains will be refurbished at Knorr-Bremse RailServices in Glasgow and 14 new staff have been recruited for the project. The first carriage will leave the depot on Wednesday and be ready for the opening of the new Borders Ra...
• August bank holiday rail upgrades completed successfullyNetwork Rail has hailed the successful implementation of a number of rail infrastructure improvements over the recent August bank holiday weekend. A £47 million package of investment works has been implemented as part of its Railway Upgrade Plan, with a 14,000-strong workforce involved in the improvements. Key milestones included the re-signalling of the Stafford area of the West Coast Main Line with the installation of 78 signals - a move intended to address a major bottleneck on Europe's busiest mixed-line railway. Meanwhile, ten km of track in the Bath area was replaced and 11 new swi...

Global Rail News

• Merseytravel puts forward proposal for new trainsMerseytravel has produced a long-term rail strategy which recommends introducing a new fleet of trains onto the network from the early 2020s.

Rail Magazine

• ScotRail’s first scenic Class 158 released into trafficThe first refurbished ‘scenic’ '158' for ScotRail was unveiled on September 1, before being released today in time for its planned use on the Borders Railway.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Perfect Thermal Management STEGO products ensure that electromechanical and electronic components function without fault or breakdown by providing optimum climatic conditions. These ideal climatic prerequisites are ensured by reliable temperature and humidity control systems.

Railnews

• Fresh migrant breakthroughs affect Channel Tunnel Eurostar services are returning to normal after a night of disruption caused by fresh breakthroughs of migrants into the Channel Tunnel at Calais. Passengers on board at least one Eurostar reported being asked to listen for sounds of people on the roof of their train, while several services were turned back to London or their continental departure points. Eurostar said up to 2,000 of its passengers had been delayed.

Railway Gazette

• Szczecin extends right bank tram networkPOLAND: Regular services on a new tram line on the right bank of the River Odra in Szczecin began...
• Richard HunterRichard Hunter has been named Managing Director & Head of Projects for Bombardier UK, replacing...
• Hitachi Information Control Systems Europe formedUK: The Railway Engineering Co was renamed as Hitachi Information Control Systems Europe Ltd with...

Transport Briefing (subscription)

• £400m Merseyrail fleet required to meet demandTransport authority Merseytravel has reiterated its commitment to a new fleet of trains for the Liverpool region. The...

Other News Sources

• Go-Ahead Profit Hit By One-Offs But Revenue Rides Strong Rail ResultsLONDON (Alliance News) - Transport operator Go-Ahead Group PLC on Thursday said its annual pretax profit was pulled lower by exceptional costs, but said its underlying performance was strong and its revenue surged higher thanks to stronger-than-expected trading in its rail unit.
• Boris Johnson blames failure to bring in night Tube on Jeremy Corbyn London mayor says Corbynmania has made Tube unions more militant
• HS2 work to cause up to 183 weekend possessionsMajor construction work on High Speed 2 could result in as many as 183 weekends-worth of track possessions, according to figures from HS2 Ltd.