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

Thursday, 21 July 2016

BBC News

• Cost of inquiry into Edinburgh tram project hits �3.7mThe cost of the inquiry into the Edinburgh trams project exceeds �3.7m, BBC Scotland learns.
• Tours of Tube art introduced on London UndergroundTube passengers are being offered the chance to go on tours of artworks placed at stations across the London Underground network.
• Futuristic designs for Heathrow with third runway releasedAnimations of a futuristic Heathrow airport with a new central terminal and third terminal are released.
• Southern rail dispute: Rail minister says government could broker talksThe new rail minister says the government will consider brokering talks between Southern and the RMT union to try to end their dispute.

Financial Times

• FirstGroup wins milestone US rail contractUK group to run A-train services on the outskirts of Dallas

The Telegraph

• Revealed: Rail companies' plans to track your movements and make you pay more to stand on packed trains

London Evening Standard

• London's transport network labelled 'not good enough' as commuters suffer in 'no air con hell'Transport bosses were today warned that London’s travel network is “not resilient enough” as commuters suffered a third day of sweltering conditions.

The York Press

• Police patrols to be stepped up at York Station NEW patrols will aim to crack down on antisocial behaviour at York railway station.

Other Regional Press

• Mayor of London backs rail boost that would slash journey times between Cambridge and the capital The new Mayor of London has backed a new push towards upgrading the railway line between Cambridge and London.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• First all-electric train runs on Great WesternA new electric train has been successfully tested on the Great Western Railway for the first time, in a major milestone for the electrification project. A new Class 800 Intercity Express Train, built by Hitachi Rail, was driven from Reading to Didcot on Saturday and Sunday morning in a series of exercises designed to test the overhead electric power system. The train, travelling at speeds of up to 125mph, made two test runs between the stations, having arrived from its London depot.  The test was managed by Network Rail, which is currently electrifying the entire line between London Padd...
• Network Rail publishes Scotland Route Study Network Rail has today (Thursday, July 14) published its Scotland Route Study – a long-term plan looking at how Scotland’s railway could evolve over the next three decades. The Scotland Route Study outlines expected growth in rail usage between 2019 and 2043 and options to enhance the network to meet the future needs of customers. The newly-published study anticipates that strong growth is likely to continue in Scotland – with Edinburgh commuter traffic potentially increasing by 135 percent by 2043, Glasgow by 128 percent and Aberdeen by 226 percent. The study has been dev...
• Virgin Trains launches toolkit to help businesses employ ex-offenders Virgin Trains has today launched a toolkit for businesses which offers practical advice on hiring ex-offenders. The train company, which is part-owned by Richard Branson, is calling for more businesses to follow their example and employ people with previous convictions.  In the past 3 years, Virgin Trains on the west coast has hired 30 ex-offenders of which 25 still work for the company in roles across the business. Employment has shown to significantly decrease the risk of recidivism. Not a single ex-offender employee or candidate in the talent pool at Virgin Trains has re-offended and t...
• Manchester train graffiti gang spared jail timeFour graffiti taggers have been handed suspended custodial sentences after causing �123,000 of damage to train and tram carriages in Manchester. The gang carried out 125 attacks on rolling stock over a period of two-and-a-half years, often vaulting fences or using bolt-cutters to break into depots, the Manchester Evening News reports. One incident saw the crew target a train in broad daylight, with passengers still on board when it stopped at a station. � Maksym Tyshkul, 18, and Joshua Maguire, 20, both from Prestwich, were given ten-month suspended custodial sentences, while Jack Walsh, 19 of...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Safety rules implementation still inconsistent, despite progress - ORRThe railways in Britain are the safest they have ever been, but safety rules and procedures are still not being implemented consistently across the industry, according to the ORR. The regulator’s ‘Annual Health and Safety Report of Performance on Britain’s Railways:...
• �1bn Metro strategy includes new �550m fleet and service expansionA new rail strategy for the Metro system, including £1bn investment over the next 20 years and plans to kick-start an expansion scheme, has been approved by the North East Combined Authority (NECA). The ‘Metro and Local Rail Strategy’ identifies a network of disused or...
• Network Rail seeks OLE design tool supplier bespoke for digital railwayAlthough initial investigations by Network Rail have identified “some potential contender solutions” to electrify all its major routes as part of Digital Railway, none have met the infrastructure owner’s “overall requirement for a fully integrated system”. As a...
• Khan proposes TfL take over troubled Southern franchiseSadiq Khan, the mayor of London, has written to the new transport secretary proposing that Transport for London (TfL) immediately takes over the Southern rail franchise. Mass cancellations and delays on the network have led to Southern’s parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR)...

Railway Gazette

• Dieselnetz Ulm interim operating contract awardedGERMANY: Bayern railway agency BEG and Baden-W�rttemberg's Ministry of Transport &...