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

Friday, 14 October 2016

BBC News

• Four bidders to take on £600m South Wales MetroFour foreign-owned firms are competing to run train services in Wales and create the £600m South Wales Metro.
• Railways: A great English journeyTake a journey on England's railways from the
• Rail firm committed to the Far North LineScotRail Alliance chiefs say they are committed to the future of rail services to the north of Inverness.
• How the railways changed leisure and travelHow the railways changed leisure and travel in the North West.
• Metrolink's Trafford Park £350m tramline approvedA £350m tramline to Greater Manchester's Trafford Centre is given the go-ahead by the government.
• Rail delays: New plans to compensate passengersRail passengers will be able to claim compensation for delays of more than 15 minutes under plans being announced.
• MPs urge ministers to 'get a grip' in midst of Southern strike woesThe government's handling of rail franchises is attacked in a report by MPs that cites Southern passengers' woes as a three-day staff strike ends.

Department for Transport

• Government must 'get a grip' on monitoring rail franchise agreementsLessons must be learned from the woeful experience of passengers on Southern Railway, say MPs on the Transport Select Committee.

Financial Times

• London Bridge chaos highlights franchise woeMPs say miscalculation of delays reveals error in Thameslink, Great Northern and Southern grouping

The Guardian

• Southern rail: MPs condemn ministers' failure to monitor firmTransport committee report blasts failure to enforce terms of contract with UK’s worst performing rail firmMinisters and officials in the Department for Transport lost their grip on Southern, failing to monitor the rail company properly and enforce the terms of its contract, according to a withering report by a cross-party group of MPs.Concluding an inquiry into the experience of rail passengers that became dominated by the events at Southern, the transport select committee said commuters had been badly let down.

The Independent

• MPs accuse the Government of hiding evidence on the poor performance of Southern RailCommittee’s report says Department of Transport is refusing to reveal whether under-fire operator is in breach of its contract – and, therefore, could be stripped of it

The Scotsman

• Forth Rail Bridge “paid for in blood”The “epic struggle” of the men who built the Forth Rail Bridge is to be examined in a new documentary which claims the construction was “paid for in blood”.

Parliament

• Department for Transport questioned on departmental prioritiesThe Transport Committee hears evidence from the Secretary of State for Transport and the Permanent Secretary in a session examining the new Secretary of State's priorities and the Department's annual report and accounts.

Mail Online

• Transport Secretary says passengers should be able to pay with a 'flick of a card' Chris Grayling said passengers should never have to queue again for a ticket, and should be able to buy them from the comfort of their home or while enjoying a coffee at the train station.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Rail union says Welsh should run their own train services The RMT wants 'Welsh Rail' created instead of handing contract to global corporation

Yorkshire Post

• End to paper rail tickets ‘by the end of 2018’PAPER tickets will be a thing of the past on British railways in the next two years, according to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.
• Gerald Jennings: HS2 alone is not enough to bring the North up to speedWITH the party conference season behind us, the next major political diary date will be the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement.

Blackpool Gazette

• Weekend shutdown sparks rail miseryRail passengers travelling between Blackpool and Preston are set to suffer more disruption with Network Rail planning months of weekend closures.

Crewe Chronicle

• Chester MP backs HS2 benefits in parliamentary debateRegional rail hub at Crewe would extend the benefits of the new line to 1.5 million people

Reading Evening Post

• Great Western Railway passengers can test their knowledge of the South West in new quiz Passengers will be tested on the sights seen from the train

Other Regional Press

• Oxford line closed after freight train breaks down A broken down train is causing delays of�about�an hour for rush hour commuters this evening.�

Buying Business Travel

• Rail passengers can claim refunds for 15-minute delays‘Delay Repay 15’ to be introduced within months starting with Southern

Rail Magazine

• Mark Carne to give keynote speech at RAIL’s National Rail ConferenceNetwork Rail’s Chief Executive will speak at the NRC in Manchester on November 1

Rail Technology Magazine

• Interior Doors for Trains PMC Polarteknik Door Systems is a leading European supplier of fire barrier gangway door systems for rail vehicles. These products help increase passenger comfort and safety in modern as well as refurbished passenger coaches.
• Cables for Rail Technology We at SAB Bröckskes see ourselves as manufacturer and service provider - in the sense of real partnership and customer-oriented work. The quality of our products is known in more than 40 countries of the world.
• Service Solutions for the Rail Industry Sulzer is recognised worldwide for its experience servicing AC and DC traction motors, braking systems, bogies, gearboxes, generators, and other transportation equipment and parts.
• Government gives go-ahead for Trafford Metrolink extensionA 5.5km extension to the Manchester Metrolink tram network is set to go ahead after the DfT gave an order allowing it to be built. The £350m Trafford Park Line, funded through Greater Manchester’s devolution deal, will branch off from the Pomona stop and reach six further stops. It...

Railway Gazette

• Bogie test facility opens in HuddersfieldUK: The University of Huddersfield has completed the installation of a full-scale bogie test rig,...
• Railway supply industry news round-upAbellio has agreed eight-year framework contracts with Alstom, Bombardier, Siemens and Stadler for...
• Wales & Borders bidders asked to propose Metro optionsUK: The four bidders shortlisted for the contract to be the 'Operator & Development Partner'...

Other News Sources

• Damning report slams Southern Railway management for poor performance TRAINS are in such a bad state on the Southern network that the contract would normally be pulled at this stage, MPs have recognised.