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

Thursday, 02 November 2017

BBC News

• Passengers 'missing out' on chance to voice rail viewsThree firms want to run the Welsh rail network - but the bid process is not being made public.
• Croydon Tram drivers to strike over 'sleep detectors'The row centres on a device to detect if a driver is asleep and follows a fatal crash last year.

Times Online

• Rail workers want ‘credible pay proposal’ [Subscription]Unions have called on Irish Rail to make a “credible” pay offer to workers to cut short the third major transport strike in a year.
• Councils are out of their depth, Edinburgh tram inquiry is told [Subscription]One of the councillors most closely associated with the Edinburgh tram fiasco has told an inquiry that local authorities should not be allowed to lead complex construction projects.
• HS2 train companies must give jobs to British workers [Subscription]New 225mph trains for Britain’s high-speed railway will be built in the UK under government plans to generate hundreds of jobs, it will be announced today.

Mail Online

• Britain's £5.7bn new trains that went wrong pictured Do the super-duper latest trains really have any of the comfort and glamour our glorious railways once offered? Here, the Daily Mail looks at the way we travelled before things were ‘improved’.

London Evening Standard

• Croydon tram bosses install infra-red beams to shine on drivers' faces to check they are awake - drivers to strike in protestCroydon Tramlink drivers are to walk out in two 24-hour strikes in protest over a safety device which monitors to see if they are fully awake and paying attention.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Hitachi to learn whether it's shortlisted for £2.75bn HS2 train contractTrains for the HS2 high speed rail line could be manufactured at Hitachi's plant in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham

Northern Echo

• North-East trainbuilder Hitachi shortlisted for HS2 contractA NORTH-EAST trainbuilder has been shortlisted for multi-million pound contract to build HS2 trains, it has been announced.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Rail companies promise jam tomorrow – but will tomorrow ever arrive?Over the last week there’s been a great deal of navel-gazing and mutual self-congratulation in the rail industry – especially in East Anglia.

North Wales Live

• Are Arriva bus drivers on strike again today? Here's what you need to know Bus drivers are locked in a row with the company

Rail Technology Magazine

• Major milestone as first Class 385 makes Edinburgh-Linlithgow tripThe first of the new Class 385 electric trains, which still has interiors to be fitted, made its inaugural mainline trip between Edinburgh and Linlithgow last night. This journey represents a major step forward for Scotland’s Edinburgh-Glasgow electrification project, which forms a key...
• NR stabilises Chiltern main line with innovative Japanese piling method Network Rail has stabilised a railway using an innovative piling method from Japan. The technique has been used to stabilise half a mile of subsiding embankment beneath the Chiltern main line. Prior to this, Network Rail engineers had been making ongoing repairs to dips in the tracks that, if...
• HS2 hires new finance director amid redundancy payment controversyHS2 has brought in a new financial director as the organisation attempts to tackle questions over unauthorised redundancy payments. Elizabeth Gillbe – currently finance and analysis director at Crossrail – will join the company in January next year. The decision comes in the wake of...
• Government launches £3.5m competition to drive innovations in railThe Department for Transport has launched a competition to inject £3.5m into innovative ideas to transform rail. The First of a Kind (FOAK) competition is searching for existing innovations which may be in use outside of the rail industry, but could benefit rail passengers. The...
• Historic Scottish line could be reopenedThe Formartine and Buchan railway line could be revived by the Scottish government after it was discussed by MSPs. Economy secretary Keith Brown said his department was looking into options for connecting Peterhead and Aberdeen through rail. After being quizzed on the subject by Aberdeenshire...

Railnews

• HS2 rolling stock bidders named Five companies have been shortlisted to build the first generation of trains for HS2. The fleet of at least 54 trains, capable of travelling at 360km/h, will be built early in the next decade to enter service in 2026. This initial fleet is expected to be ˜classic compatible™ and built to the British structure gauge, meaning that its size will allow the new trains to continue beyond Phase 1 of HS2 between London and Birmingham to serve destinations on existing lines in the north west and Scotland.

Railway Gazette

• UK railway news round-upIncumbent Arriva has withdrawn from the competition for the next Wales & Borders franchise....

Other News Sources

• Heathrow Southern Railway: Everything you need to know about plans for direct Surrey rail link with Britain's busiest airport The project aims to create a new route into central London from Heathrow Airport with stops at Guildford, Woking, Basingstoke and Farnborough
• South Western Railway proposes to slash services from Woking to London in new timetable Commuters may have to get up earlier and go home later