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

Saturday, 19 May 2018

BBC News

• Rhondda railway tunnel is 'stable enough to reopen'It was used to take coal to Swansea's ports but closed in 1968 after a slight weakness was found in it.

The Guardian

• UK railways prove less profitable than private operators once hopedCollapse of East Coast franchise prompts questions about position of other firms
• Open to new ideas on the railwaysJacqueline Starr on the Rail Delivery Group’s open-data initiatives, and Peter Holbrook on the benefits of the social enterprise business model
• Chris Grayling thinks nostalgia can fix the east coast mainline. He’s wrongI thrill to memories of steam trains hurtling past my home. But blaming nationalisation for ruining a golden age is misguided
• The bad bet at the heart of the East Coast rail franchise implosionAt the root of the collapse of the Virgin Trains East Coast franchise, confirmed this week, was the expectation that rail passenger numbers could go only one way: up.

Times Online

• Thousands ‘left stranded’ by rail timetable changes [subscription]Thousands of rail passengers risk being stranded in the biggest shake-up of train timetables in decades.
• Letters - Fresh direction needed for Britain’s railways - Roger Ford [subscription]Sir, Lord Darling of Roulanish (letter, May 18) is partly correct when he says that the last thing the railways need is an ideological battle over public and private ownership. I think ownership is irrelevant: what matters is the structure of the industry.

City AM

• Key milestone in Crossrail timeline reached as TfL takes over Heathrow Connect services ahead of Elizabeth Line openingA key step on the way to the full opening of the Elizabeth Line will be reached this weekend when Transport for London (TfL) takes over the Heathrow Connect services between Paddington and Heathrow terminals two, three and four.

London Evening Standard

• Royal wedding travel: Londoners face Tube disruption as thousands set to descend on WindsorLondoners are facing major travel disruption on the day hundreds of thousands of people are to travel to the royal wedding and Wembley for the FA Cup final.

Manchester Evening News

• Andy Burnham prioritises transport in speech to region's business leaders"The economic growth of our city region is asking questions of the transport system it can’t answer."

Other Regional Press

• New train timetables 'disgusting insult' to disabled passengers
• Light rail or tram system could replace Met Line extension A light rail or tram system could be built as an alternative to the Metropolitan Line Extension.
• As one train line is to be brought under public control, is Weymouth-Waterloo railway next?WEYMOUTH-Waterloo operator South Western Railway could be next in the firing line after the government revealed plans to renationalise services on the east coast main line.
• Gatwick Airport station to double in size with 'attractive' new roof in Network Rail proposalsThe plans will accommodate forecast rail growth up to 2036, Network Rail says

Rail Technology Magazine

• Every single service affected by major GTR timetable shakeupGovia Thameslink Railway (GTR) will change the times of every single service as part of its Rail Plan 20/20 programme. In order to run an additional 400 trains every day, the TOC will transform its entire timetable, starting from this Sunday, 20 May. Following the shakeup, GTR will run a train...
• Welsh trains £200k makeover set to startWork begins today on an 18-month programme to modernise fleets of Welsh trains. A £200,000 investment from Arriva Trains Wales (ATW), the Welsh Government, and Transport for Wales will refurbish 120 carriages in the Class 158 and 150 fleets. Fully accessible toilets, additional wheelchair...
• TfN seeking Northern improvement plan after Burnham slams TOC performanceThe chair of Transport for the North (TfN), John Cridland, has revealed that the organisation will seek to meet with Northern Rail boss David Brown to figure out an improvement plan to help mitigate the current performance problems that blight the franchise. In a letter to Greater Manchester...

Other Subscription Services

• Operator of last resort to take over East Coast East Coast train operations are to be taken over by the state again following the failure of the third privately operated East Coast franchise in just over a decade.Transport Secretary Chris...
• London trams to be fitted with auto-braking system Transport for London is to buy an automatic braking system for installation on the south London tram network.Work to investigate the feasibility of introducing such a system began shortly after the...