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

Wednesday, 11 January 2017

BBC News

• Southern rail: Train drivers' strike enters second dayA strike by Southern train drivers enters second day with no peace talks planned.
• Lancashire MP Mark Menzies to fight 'barmy' rail fares to LondonAn MP vows to fight a rail firm's
• Southern rail: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn backs striking driversLabour leader Jeremy Corbyn backs striking Southern train drivers, saying he would join a picket line.
• Southern rail strike: Commuter confronts rail bosses and RMT unionSara Beare, a commuter, confronts Southern Rail and RMT bosses.

Financial Times

• Strike disrupts Southern trains and Gatwick ExpressUnions and management deadlocked in dispute over who closes train doors at stations
• UK rail network still a long way from fully automated trainsHuge variety of signalling and operating systems make human role crucial

The Guardian

• Dutch trains become 100% powered by wind energyThe national railway company, NS, said that its renewables target had been met a year earlier than planned. All Dutch trains have become 100% powered by electricity generated by wind energy, the national railway company NS has said . “Since 1 January, 100% of our trains are running on wind energy,” said NS spokesman, Ton Boon.
• Rail franchise mandarin's board gave Southern contract to client of his companyPeter Wilkinson held role at Department for Transport while owning stake in FCP, a consultancy that had been advising GoviaThe civil servant who awarded Southern rail its franchise made the decision to do so while owning a large share in a consultancy that had been advising the troubled operator’s parent company.Peter Wilkinson, who had been hired by the Department for Transport (DfT) to act as its franchising director, was involved in awarding the Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern franchises to Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) in May 2014.

Reuters News

• Economy Minister Gabriel says Bombardier won't close German plantsGermany's Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Monday that no Bombardier (BBDb.TO) plants in Germany will be closed after a newspaper reported the Canadian company was considering closing plants and cutting a quarter of its workforce of 8,500.

London Evening Standard

• Transport secretary Chris Grayling pictured battling to get to work at Clapham Junction during strikeTransport Secretary Chris Grayling was pictured at Clapham Junction station among thousands of commuters battling to get to work during Monday's crippling Tube strike.
• Southern rail strike: peace deal is a 'universe away'Thousands of Southern passengers suffered more strike misery today as a union warned of more stoppages to come and said a peace deal was a "universe away".
• Southern Rail strike: Chaos on London Overground as stations closed amid rush hour overcrowdingFed-up commuters suffered again after London Overground stations were closed due to overcrowding as a result of the Southern Rail strike.
• The key London regeneration zones and transport upgrades to watchFrom the Crossrail hotspots of Abbey Wood and Southall, to the good-value riverscapes of Royal Docks and Silvertown, tour London's "rediscovered" hotspots with exciting transport links and new homes developments on the horizon...
• Letters to the editor: Rail strikes are just pure blackmailYet again we have suffered a day of misery, financial loss, anger and personal distress for thousands. This demonstrates that we should be highly suspicious of Sadiq Khan's claim to be able to deal with Southern rail since he cannot manage the unions on the Tube.

Other Regional Press

• Passengers and bosses praise new rail line as 'healthy' numbers get on board BICESTER is open for business, according to council bosses who joined passengers in praising the first few weeks of the town's new rail link to Oxford.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Triomf-Rail Signalling Design Engineering and Project Management Services Triomf specialises in supplying rail signalling design services, engineering professionals and project management capabilities to the rail industry.Signalling design engineering for rail applications...
• D-Train project derailed as partners pull out of trialThe future of the D-Train on the Coventry to Nuneaton (NUCKLE) line is in doubt after local partners pulled out of the project. The three-car Class 230 train, built by Vivarail from upcycled parts of London Underground trains, was originally promised as an innovative solution to pressure on...
• NR demolishes two key bridges as part of Scottish electrification workNetwork Rail has demolished two railway bridges on the Shotts line this past weekend as part of a Scottish government investment to electrify the route by 2019. The bridges, over Station Road in Shotts and the A71 in West Calder, were demolished over a 54-hour period between Friday night and...
• GLA members attack Khan in wake of LU 'zero strikes' failureMembers of the Greater London Authority (GLA) have criticised the city’s mayor Sadiq Khan for his failure to avert yesterday’s London Underground (LU) strike, accusing him of backing down on his pre-election pledge to bring ‘zero strikes’ during his term as mayor. The...

Railnews

• National Express to sell c2c to Italian railwaysNATIONAL EXPRESS is set to sell its last British rail franchise to the Italian state operator FS.

Railway Gazette

• NS completes green energy transitionNETHERLANDS: National passenger operator NS is now operating all of its electric trains using...

Other News Sources

• Acquisition of c2c franchise by TrenitaliaNational Express Group PLC ("National Express") has reached an in principle agreement for Trenitalia, the passenger rail transportation company part of FS Italiane Group, to acquire the c2c franchise.
• Southern Rail strike: Frustrated commuter wants industrial action on railways to be illegal Commuters have been affected by industrial action on Southern Rail lines for nearly SIX months
• Rail and airline staff take industrial actionIt's been another day of industrial action affecting transport services.