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

Thursday, 29 March 2018

BBC News

• DLR 48-hour strike hits thousands of passengersA limited service is operating between Beckton and Poplar, and Canning Town and London City Airport.

The Guardian

• Rail electrification plans cancelled purely for cost reasons, says NAOGovernment claims that hundreds of millions of pounds of rail investment were cancelled last July because there were other ways of delivering improvements have been rejected by the government spending watchdog.

The Herald

• Fears older passengers will be put off trains if ticket office axedOLDER passengers will put off travelling if one of Scotland’s busiest train stations switches to a self-service ticket system, it has been warned.

Times Online

• Transport minister Chris Grayling ‘delusional’ over rail plan [Subscription]The transport secretary has been called “delusional” as the public spending watchdog raised doubts over his plan to scrap the electrification of significant railway lines.

The Mirror

• Tory Transport Secretary Chris Grayling accused of 'lying' over decision to scrap rail electrification plans The attack by a union boss came as a spending watchdog savaged the Minister's reasons for cancelling schemes on the Great Western Main Line

Birmingham Mail

• Fresh hope for £50million rail tunnel to link Coventry and Leicester Initial bids for the cash were derailed but county council says new body is now leading the fight for funding

Edinburgh Evening News

• John McLellan: Why Edinburgh needs a new rail stationImagine the outcry if someone today proposed driving a railway line through historic streets, destroying a medieval church and a famous garden, and getting rid of a loch at the same time.

London Evening Standard

• Blind man 'reduced to tears' as commuters refuse to give up seats in disability priority sectionA blind man said he was reduced to tears after commuters on a rush-hour Southeastern train refused to give him a seat in the designated disabled section.
• DLR strike latest: Commuters face second day of disruption as 48-hour walkout continuesCommuters are braced for another day of disruption as the 48-hour strike on the Docklands Light Railway continues.

Northern Echo

• Ticket offices at Chester-le-Street and Eaglescliffe threatened with closure will remain openTWO rail companies have stepped in to keep ticket offices which were set for closure open.

The York Press

• Rail strike to hit Maundy Thursday services PASSENGERS in York and North Yorkshire are being warned of strike action tomorrow - one of the busiest travel days of the year - on Northern trains.

Wales Online

• Theresa May personally decided to cancel rail electrification between Cardiff and SwanseaPrime Minister Theresa May personally took the decision to cancel electrification between Cardiff and Swansea, it has been revealed. Her decision, revealed in a National Audit Office report, has been condemned as “indefensible” by a rail union and “incompetence” by a Swansea MP.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Transport Secretary accused of lying over scrapping of rail electrification schemes The Transport Secretary has been accused of “lying” over his controversial decision not to proceed with three major rail electrification projects following an investigation into the cancellation.

Other Regional Press

• Mayor James Palmer wants to reopen stations in Soham and Wisbech as he says it’s time to look beyond Network Rail to deliver ‘essential infrastructure’Cambridgeshire mayor James Palmer is campaigning to reopen stations in Soham and Wisbech to help provide better links from the north to the south of the county.

Construction News

• HS2 confirms Fluor added to Bam-Ferrovial stations JVUS engineering giant Fluor has been formally added to Bam Nuttall and Ferrovial’s joint venture bidding for the contracts to build HS2’s London stations.

Global Rail News

• GWR announces plans to replace Class 332s as it takes over Heathrow Express serviceGreat Western Railway (GWR) is to take over the operation of the Heathrow Express rail service later this year.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Companies invited to submit bids for West Coast PartnershipWest Coast passengers will benefit from improved accessibility, simpler fares and improved compensation, transport secretary Chris Grayling has announced as he invited companies to bid for the brand-new franchise. Organisations have been invited to submit a bid to run the new West Coast...
• ORR: 'More to be done' to ensure passengers get best ticket for journey New easier to use machines and clearer language have helped more passengers buy the right ticket for their journey from station vending machines, according to research by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). Mystery shopping research revealed that the proportion of users who would have bought the...

Railway Gazette

• GWR to manage Heathrow Express serviceUK: The Heathrow Express premium airport service between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport is to continue running until at least 2028 under a new agreement announced on March 28.

The Business Desk

• Waste management firm to expand rail hub network to LeedsIntegrated waste management company Biffa has entered a strategic partnership with GB Railfreight to expand its rail hub network for the transportation of inactive waste.

Other News Sources

• GWR to manage Heathrow Express operationsHEATHROW Express services between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 will continue to operate until at least 2028 under a management contract between Heathrow Airport and FirstGroup subsidiary Great Western Railway, which was confirmed on March 28.
• Hackney railway arches: Meg Hillier and council chief blast Network Rail over ‘unacceptable’ rent hikesRail bosses driving long-established traders out of Hackney with eye-watering rent hikes will be held to account, Meg Hillier has vowed.