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

Thursday, 14 September 2017

ITV News

• Rail whistleblower taken to court over video releaseA whistleblower who raised serious concerns about passenger safety on the rail network in Kent has been taken to court by his former bosses at Southeastern Railways, for releasing a video of a traveller who fell between a train and the platform.

Financial Times

• India train derailments highlight dire state of networkCountry looks to shunt colonial-era rail system into the 21st century

The Scotsman

• No ‘due diligence’ done on BTP-Police Scotland integration planNo due diligence has been carried out on controversial plans to integrate British Transport Police into Police Scotland, it has emerged.
• Edinburgh trams inquiry: ‘Awkward’ questions blocked by firmA council official who asked “difficult or awkward” questions of senior staff running the city’s trams project was asked not to attend future meetings, the inquiry heard yesterday.

The Telegraph

• Train catches fire causing 'significant disruption' to commuters

Times Online

• Green zones reveal secrets of seasoned London Underground travellers [Subscription]It is one of the tricks of the London Underground: knowing where to stand on the platform to be first on the train.

City AM

• Crossrail 2 delays could cost £18bn if Crossrail mistakes are repeated, warn London business leadersLondon business leaders will warn today about the risk of losing a "decade to indecision and delay" that could cost up to £18bn if a firm commitment is not made to Crossrail 2.
• Network Rail passengers keep retailers on track in LondonRetailers in Network Rail stations cashed in on a substantial sales rise this spring as 64m passengers visited shopping outlets over the period.

Mail Online

• Hardened London commuters upset over green Tube markings Commuters on the London Underground say green markings at Kings Cross station show 'the best places to stand to board trains' meaning their years of experience count for nothing.

Derby Telegraph

• Life-size mock-up carriage is helping Bombardier get up to speedThe Derby train maker is to build 111 new trains for Greater Anglia in a contract worth £900m

The York Press

• RAIL HERITAGE: the unique buildings at York Central that define city's railway past Consultation over access to the huge York Central site behind York Railway Station ends today. Once a decision is made over the route of any access road, attention will turn to drawing up a masterplan for the site. But conservationists are keen that in the rush to develop York Central, the important railway heritage to be found there should not be forgotten. STEPHEN LEWIS reports

Wales Online

• Parliamentary enquiries to be held over Swansea Bay lagoon and rail electrification decisionsThe Welsh Affairs Select Committee will also examine Brexit's impact on jobs in Wales

Plymouth Herald

• Did Plymouth have a Pyramidical railway?This little bundle of papers looks pretty insignificant, but tucked in its pages there is some information about an unusual railway system – the Pyramidical or Serpentine railway, writes Debbie Watson

Other Regional Press

• Petition launched by woman saved from 'creep' by Merseyrail guard soars towards target in just one weekEllie Ward, from Ellesmere Port, started a campaign to fight plans to 'get rid of the train guards'
• Norwich South MP Clive Lewis hits out at Greater Anglia over rail strikeMP Clive Lewis has launched a savage attack on train bosses claiming any changes to staff roles would be about “extracting yet more shareholder profit at our expense”.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Second anniversary of Borders Railway marked (Image Source: BBC) The Borders Railway has reached the second anniversary of its official opening by the Queen. More than 2.6 million people have travelled on the 31-mile route between Tweedbank and Edinburgh. VisitScotland said it had had a
• Pilot shows how WiFi data can improve Tube journeys (Image Source: Rail Business Daily) Tube journeys could be improved through TfL harnessing WiFi data to make more information available to customers as they move around London, new research has shown. The four-week TfL pilot, which ran between November and December last year, studied how depersonalised WiFi connection data from customers' mobile devices could be used to better understand how people navigate the London Underground network, allowing TfL to improve the experience for customers. The pilot focused on 54 stations within Zones 1-4 and saw more than 509 million depersonalised 'pro...
• Record breaking summer figures for Eurotunnel (Image Source: Travel Weekly) In August 2017, Le Shuttle Freight transported 127,729 trucks, an increase of 1% compared to the month of August 2016, setting a new historic record for a month of August. Since 1 January 2017, Le Shuttle Freight has transported more than 1,080,000 trucks. Passenger vehicle traffic increased by 3% compared to the month of August 2016, with 361,902 vehicles transported, closing a Summer 2017 during which Eurotunnel set new traffic records for Le Shuttle Passenger service with almost 564,000 vehicles carried over the period from 17 July to 3 September. Since 1 ...

Rail Magazine

• Peak-time use for Crossrail's new trainsAventras in peak-time use for TfL Rail as Class 315 withdrawal plan revealed

Rail Technology Magazine

• Tram-train: where did we go wrong?Andrew Braddock, chairman of the Light Rail Transit Association (LRTA), argues against the ‘not invented here’ syndrome that has kept the UK from implementing a tram-train scheme quickly and successfully.
• Thameslink completes significant signal testingMartin Chatfield, project director for high capacity infrastructure on Thameslink, gives RTM an update on the project's signalling works and testing.
• Digital railway: new supply chain relationshipsStuart Calvert, head of the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) initiative at the Digital Railway Programme, outlines the companys latest developments and explains the importance of creating a new relationship with the supply chain.
• Lack of communication main reason key Leeds transport projects failedA lack of communication with vital partners and the public was a key reason for the failure of Leeds’ New Generation Transport and Supertram projects, a report has this week revealed.

Railnews

• Windsor project could create ‘M25 rail route’PLANS have been published for a new railway connecting the Great Western Main Line with Heathrow Airport and London Waterloo via Windsor, which could be a link creating a future ‘M25 rail route’ encircling Greater London.

Other News Sources

• CHAMBER SUPPORTS A 'CROSSRAIL FOR THE NORTH'The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called on the government to seriously explore the construction of the so-called 'Crossrail for the North' rail line.
• Watford Junction redevelopment high on the agenda at Network Rail meetingWatford MP Richard Harrington met with the chairman of Network Rail this week to discuss the redevelopment of Watford Junction station.