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

Thursday, 21 September 2017

The Huffington Post

• Chris Grayling Slammed For Allowing HS2 Staff To ‘Waste’ £5m On Train FaresTransport secretary Chris Grayling has been slammed for allowing HS2 staff to “waste” more than £5 million on train fares in four years.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Train guard 'punched in the chest' in Flintshire British Transport Police are investigating an assault

London Evening Standard

• Virgin East Coast passengers can now bid for first class upgrades on an app minutes before trains leaveRail passengers can now bid for an upgrade to first class seats minutes before their trains depart.

Other Regional Press

• Leaders at Calderdale Council to add their voice to transport row TRANSPORT SECRETARY Chris Grayling will be pressed by Calderdale Council to honour the Government’s promises on road and rail improvements.

Buying Business Travel

• Virgin Trains East Coast to auction first-class seatsCustomers can bid for upgrades

Global Rail News

• AECOM invests in Heathrow Southern Railway linkMultinational engineering firm AECOM is to invest in a new rail access scheme at Heathrow Airport.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Wirral loop: ‘one industry’ approach to minimise disruptionWayne Menzies, head of rail for Merseytravel and chair of the Liverpool City Region’s Major Events Transport Board, discusses the recently completed Wirral Loop replacement work.
• ScotRail to Trial 'Fastest On-Train Wi-Fi Service in the World' Passengers on the Edinburgh-Glasgow train route will soon be able to experience "Super-fast" on-board WiFi. According to reports in The Scotsman newspaper, Cisco is spearheading a project that will boost wireless connection speeds by a factor of ten …
• Griffiths takes over reins as MD of HS2 phase 2 Paul Griffiths has taken over as managing director of phase 2 at HS2 following the departure of Alison Munro, it has today been revealed. Munro left the company at the end of August, with former phase 2b development director Griffiths the favourite to succeed her as managing director. And...
• TfL reveals ambitious plans to modernise Overground servicesTfL has this week announced new plans to review and modernise its customer service on London Overground by utilising technology that best meets the modern needs of passengers. Under the proposals, it is hoped that the number of directly employed staff will rise, and TfL’s reliance on...
• Work begins on new Maghull North stationConstruction of a new station in the north west has started this week, which will give increased travel options for passengers in the region. When finished, the new Maghull North station will be just off School Lane, adjacent to the formaer Ashworth Hospital site, between the existing Maghull...
• Crossrail: track installation completeChris Enoch, Crossrail's railway systems project manager, discusses the complexities in the design and installation of the track system on the Elizabeth Line project.
• Ballast or slab?As HS2 moves forward, William Powrie, professor of geotechnical engineering and dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton, considers the arguments for and against using ballasted or slab track in high-speed rail.
• Pushing forward with EWR plansAndy Free, head of engineering assurance at East West Rail (EWR) Alliance, discusses the recent round two public consultation on the plans for the EWR Western Section Phase 2 project.
• Yes, HS2 is on trackJim Steer, director of Greengauge 21, reflects on what have been a busy few months for HS2 and the progress made to date.
• RMT 'playing politics' with passengers as strike action planned in OctoberOctober is set to be another tough month for commuters across the country as the RMT announced a tranche of strikes across four operators. Following strikes in September, RMT members will walk out for 24 hours on Tuesday 3 October and Thursday 5 October on Southern, Northern, Merseyrail and...
• Virgin launches app to allow customers to bid for cheap First Class upgrades Virgin Trains has launched a world first app that allows passengers to bid for First Class upgrades for as low as £5. The app, Seatfrog, will let passengers bid for First Class upgrades up to 30 minutes before departure, and could open the door for more people to enjoy luxury...

Railway Gazette

• Virgin Trains launches Seatfrog first class upgrade auction app UK: In what the inter-city operator claims is a ‘a world first for rail passengers’, Virgin Trains...
• Alstom delivers first locomotive bodyshell to India INDIA: The first bodyshell for the fleet of 800 WAG12 twin-section electric locomotives which...

Other News Sources

• Breaking the glass ceiling: MTR hires more female train drivers for Crossrail services in LondonHong Kong’s rail giant offers friendlier working hours too, to ease driver shortages
• Heathrow ups pressure for rail linksHeathrow has pledged its backing for several of the UK’s major infrastructure projects, including the Heathrow Southern Railway scheme.
• South Western Railway apologises as ticket machines at Woking break for third day in a row The train company claimed problems at Woking had been fixed on Monday (September 18), but passengers have still encountered problems
• Aecom invests in Heathrow rail schemeHeathrow Southern Railway Limited (HSRL), a private sector venture aiming to improve rail access to Heathrow Airport, has been boosted by an investment from Aecom.