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

Tuesday, 20 November 2018

BBC News

• Quarter of Welsh trains out of service, TfW admits in apologyMore than a quarter of trains in Wales are currently out of service, rail bosses have admitted in a newspaper advert apologising to passengers.
• Northern: Leaves and strikes behind rising rail delaysTroubled rail firm Northern says leaves on tracks and strikes have caused its worst punctuality figures for a year.
• South Western Railway: The people hit by Waterloo delaysRail commuters explain how major disruption has affected them after engineering works overran.
• Rail industry 'forgetting lessons' of Clapham disasterLessons learnt from the Clapham rail disaster were not applied ahead of another crash, says a report.
• London Waterloo: South Western Railway delays as engineering works overrunPassengers in the evening rush hour faced travel misery as services continued to be disrupted.
• Carlos Ghosn: Nissan and Mitsubishi shares slump after chairman's arrestCarlos Ghosn is accused of

The Guardian

• Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn's arrest in Japan shocks auto industryCarlos Ghosn, the chairman of Nissan and one of the world’s most powerful automotive executives, has been arrested by Japanese prosecutors in a move that sent shockwaves through the industry.

The Independent

• Airlines face crack down on use of ‘exploitative’ algorithm that splits up families on flightsAlgorithms used by airlines to split up those travelling together unless they pay more to sit next to each other have been called “exploitative” by a government minister.

Times Online

• Onset of energy revolution ‘creating two-tier economy’ [Subscription]A two-tier economy is emerging as Britain goes through an “energy revolution” with advances in electric vehicles and smart appliances, according to a study. London and Scotland are pulling ahead while the north of England and East Midlands lag furthest behind, research has suggested.

Network Rail

• Local MP and councillors visit signal box as upgraded signalling is delivered in Cornwall providing benefits for passengersA Cornwall MP and local councillors visited Roskear signal box near Camborne station on Friday 16 November to celebrate the completion of a £30million upgrade to signalling in Devon and Cornwall that will improve reliability and increase services in the south west.

Sky News

• Warning of more train delays after thousands of passengers face 'Monday mayhem'Rail passengers have been warned to expect more delays after hundreds of thousands of rail passengers faced travel chaos on Monday.

London Evening Standard

• London Waterloo trains and South Western Railway travel advice: How to get around despite the delaysRail commuters faced a chaotic start to the working week after overrunning engineering works sparked delays on Southern and South Western Railway trains.
• Further misery for South Western Railway passengers as line between Surbiton and London Waterloo closed for safety checksThere was more misery for South Western Railway passengers after the railway line between Surbiton and London Waterloo was closed for a safety inspection due to a faulty track.

Yorkshire Post

• “We’ve been sacrificed by TransPennine Express”: Over 900 cancelled trains in six months for Colne Valley communitiesFurious residents living in the Colne Valley say lives are being ruined by months of unreliable rail services from TransPennine Express. Chris Burn reports.
• The Yorkshire Post says: A rail disgrace. Colne Valley passengers are being let down.The chaotic scenes at railway stations across the North of England in May which prompted The Yorkshire Post and other regional publications to demand Government action earlier this year may have dissipated from the height of the problems – but the experiences of passengers living in the Colne Valley demonstrates that the issues caused by the botched timetable rollout that month remain a daily reality for many.

Londonist

• It's Official: Futuristic Tube Trains Are Coming To Piccadilly Line In 2024Remember these futuristic tube train designs dubbed 'the New Tube'? Transport for London just confirmed that the contract is signed. The timetable has also been announced, and we now know when we might see these sleek vehicles in action. Here's the lowdown, in SEO-friendly nuggets.

Wirral Globe

• Passengers urged to plan ahead of Wirral Line platform upgradesPASSENGERS are urged to plan ahead Merseyrail's third phase of platform upgrade works in Wirral.

Other Regional Press

• 'We're missing out on Manchester's nightlife...' - These Northern Rail passengers slam timetables, delays and cancellationsNorthern operates the line between Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester.
• Application for rail depot south of Northampton accepted by Planning Inspectorate The Government body responsible for examining the proposal for a huge rail depot in the Northamptonshire countryside has accepted the developer's submission after it was resubmitted.

Train Operators

• Industry leading innovation will improve reliability for passengers on Greater Anglia’s rural train servicesAn innovative new train braking system – like ABS in cars – has been fitted to even more of Greater Anglia’s rural trains after it helped to greatly improve reliability last autumn.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Teesport Intermodal Rail Terminal celebrates fourth anniversaryPD Ports is celebrating the fourth anniversary of Teesport Intermodal Rail Terminal, which has cemented the port and the wider Tees Valley region as a truly global gateway to the UK since opening on the 15th November 2014.

New Civil Engineer

• Ex-Crossrail boss to chair London City AirportFormer Crossrail chief executive Rob Holden has been brought in as chair of London City Airport (LCA) to oversee the £480M expansion project.
• Old Oak Common community group to review plansA new community group for Old Park and Park Royal has been established so locals can influence planning outcomes before the interchange where High Speed 2 (HS2) and Crossrail meet is opened in 2026.
• HS2 Euston station design development releasedNew images of the design development for High Speed 2’s (HS2) terminus at Euston Station in London have been released.
• Exclusive | HS2 boss admits budget pressures on civils worksHigh Speed 2 (HS2) chief executive Mark Thurston has admitted that there are “cost pressures” on building the line, in an exclusive interview with New Civil Engineer.

Rail Technology Magazine

• HS2 kicks off the bid race to build Curzon Street stationHS2 has announced the start of its search for contractors to build its new £435m Curzon Street station. Around four contractors will be shortlisted for the design and build deal ahead of the arrival of HS2 in Birmingham in 2026. Early works contractors are already on site, preparing the...
• Wales and Borders rail to receive £2bn government fundingNetwork Rail Wales and Borders has announced £2bn in government funding to be spent on a project to maintain and renew the Wales and Border railway routes. The funding represents a 28% funding increase compared to the last five-year funding figure, and will be spent between 2019 and 2024...
• Clapham Junction disaster lessons are 'fading' from rail industry following London Waterloo collision last year, RAIB findsErrors made during the derailment of a London Waterloo train last year showed lessons learned from the 1988 Clapham Junction disaster were “fading” from the rail industry, the rail accident investigator has found. The collision of the 05:42am train with a stationary engineering train...

Railnews

• Most likely causes of rail growth unveiledA NEW analysis has concluded that the growth in demand for rail travel has been caused by changes in working and living patterns since the 1990s, and that some of this growth is ‘beyond the rail industry's control’.

Aviation Industry

• Norwegian Air Argentina debuts country’s first Wi-FiNorwegian Air Argentina rolled out complimentary Wi-Fi on domestic flights Nov. 16, making it the first carrier in the country to do so. read more
• Leadership changes coming to US transportation committees The committees charged with overseeing transportation issues in the US will both undergo a series of leadership changes when the next Congress commences in January. read more
• Airbus reports orders for 85 commercial aircraft in OctoberAirbus commercial aircraft orders made a significant rebound in October as the Toulouse-based manufacturer reported firm bookings for 85 aircraft, valued at around $13.4 billion. read more

Other News Sources

• Crossrail delay is a shame but will be forgottenIt is a shame that Crossrail did not make its deadline of December 9th, but quite frankly, it was never going to. I have spent the last nine months writing a book about the new Elizabeth Line, the rather misleading operational name, and I realised quite some time ago that the deadline was never going to be met. There was simply too much to do, too much complexity and too many unknown unknowns.