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

Friday, 01 June 2018

BBC News

• Conwy Valley rail service cancelled due to 'lack of trains'Services on the Conwy Valley line have been cancelled as more trains than usual need repairs at the same time.
• Ferry firm CalMac interested in running ScotRail trainsThe idea, which has been dubbed Caledonian MacTrain, has been discussed by the firm's board.
• Korean Air raided as 'nut rage' family investigatedRaid is reportedly part of a probe into suspected tax evasion by members of airline's founding family.

ITV News

• Volunteers asked to adopt their local train station during National Volunteers WeekVolunteers are being asked to adopt their local train station to make a positive difference to their community during National Volunteers Week.

The Guardian

• Transport secretary may face grilling by MPs over rail chaosChris Grayling accused of being ‘asleep at the wheel’, with MPs set to review handling of botched timetable changes

The Herald

• Local and express rail could co-existJOHN Black’s constructive words (Letters, May 30) ring true among the very many of us who care so very much for improvement in our pan-Scotland rail services.

The Independent

• Northern train chaos continues as Andy Burnham accuses Chris Grayling of being 'asleep at the wheel'Rail passengers on the Northern network are having their lives damaged by the botched new train timetable, according to the mayor of Greater Manchester.

Times Online

• Firstgroup chief executive Tim O’Toole pays the price for turmoil [subscription]The chief executive of Firstgroup has been forced out of the train and bus company amid “disappointing” results, a crisis on the railways and the start of the group’s probable break-up.
• Heathrow: just one more thing for Theresa May to worry about [Subscription]I know, I know, the prime minister has got enough to worry about, what with us teetering on the brink of a global trade war, intractable Brexit negotiations, mounting spending demands and growing Northern Irish troubles.
• Rail chaos set to last months while bosses train staff [ Subscription]Disruption linked to new rail timetables is likely to continue until August because of a shortage of drivers, The Times has learnt.
• As the Northern rail chaos worsens, Grayling is asleep at the wheel [Subscription]week ago Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, told us that sorting out the problems on Northern Rail was his top priority. There would be an action plan agreed with the rail industry and Transport for the North. The situation would begin to be turned around.

City AM

• Mayor Sadiq Khan calls for Govia Thameslink Railway to be stripped of its licence after chaos from mass train timetable changesLondon mayor Sadiq Khan has written to the transport secretary branding the mass train timetable chaos "nothing short of a debacle", and backing a move to strip Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) of its licence.
• Network Rail and GTR admit timetable overhaul has 'gone wrong' as chaos continues for commutersNetwork Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have said they are "extremely sorry" for the misery that new timetable changes have caused for thousands of passengers over the last 11 days.
• Roll-out of electric trains along Gospel Oak to Barking line delayed until the summerThe roll-out of electric trains along the upgraded Gospel Oak to Barking rail line has been pushed back to this summer owing to delays with the supplier.
• £50m in golden goodbyes signals bigger problems for TfL and transport in the capitalEyebrows were raised yesterday when Transport for London revealed it paid out more than £50m in so-called “golden goodbyes” to departing staff last year.

Mail Online

• 'We could blow £56bn budget' warns HS2 boss with critics urging a pause on work to stop costs spiralling out of control The boss of HS2 has fuelled concerns that it will blow its £56billion budget after admitting his team needs to get a better grip on costs.

Network Rail

• How storms and flooding affect the railwayStorms and heavy rain have impacted different parts of the rail network this week - with more forecast

Belfast Telegraph

• Steamy visit from Flying Scotsman sparks evacuation of London stationA fire alarm at Victoria Station is normally switched off when steam trains visit but might have been activated too early, Southeastern said.

Bristol Live

• Emails show Network Rail panic after residents illegally fell trees by Bristol train stationPanicked emails between Network Rail staff after a group of Bristol residents illegally felled trees by a train line have been revealed.

London Evening Standard

• Thameslink and Great Northern Railway responsible for 1000 delayed and cancelled trains in one dayTroubled rail operators Thameslink and Northern Rail were responsible for more than 1,000 cancelled and delayed trains in just one day.
• New train timetable: Rail chaos may last until August as bosses train staffRail chaos linked to new timetables is likely to continue until August due to a shortage of drivers, according to reports.

Sheffield Star

• Union's 'lasting damage' warning over disrupted train services that have hit South YorkshireThe rail industry will suffer "lasting and irreparable damage" if the crisis over cancellations and disruption to services is not tackled as a matter of urgency, a union has warned.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• North-east has ‘one hand tied behind back’ without vital £200m rail improvementsCouncil chiefs claim the north-east is working with “one hand tied behind its back” due to rail services lagging behind the rest of the country.

Yorkshire Post

• Grayling ‘could have stopped’ Northern rail chaos says predecessor Chris Grayling has been criticised by a former Transport Secretary who said the Tory Minister should have been aware of problems on Northern rail and halted timetable changes which have caused “mayhem” for passengers.
• The Yorkshire Post says: Theresa May must act over North’s rail chaos. Time for the PM to interveneAS passengers endured another torrid day on the region’s railways, they have every reason to ask who has ultimate responsibility for transport policy after it emerged that disruption on Northern’s shambolic services is likely to last for “a number of weeks”.

Other Regional Press

• Jeremy Newmark writes to Thameslink after train problems in Borehamwood and RadlettA political leader has written to an underfire train company and asked them to visit a station and meet frustrated and angry customers.
• HS2 is a disaster and a tainted projectFURTHER to Primavera Boman-Behram’s letter I wonder if the vast majority of the public are aware of the injustices and key issues against HS2, that are causing such fear, disruption, suffering and insecurity to an unprecedented number of people all over England,

Rail Technology Magazine

• Crossrail 2 update moves project forwardCrossrail 2 has moved a step closer to commencing work, it has claimed following the publication of updated plans to take the scheme forward. Since the last consultation on the proposals for the project, Crossrail 2 has been working to develop the scheme, including carrying out further design...
• Grayling must 'immediately intervene' on Northern performance The government must escalate its response to the Northern rail “fiasco”, according to the mayor of Greater Manchester. Andy Burnham is calling on the transport secretary today to intervene after new figures showed that the franchise’s performance has deteriorated over the past...
• FirstGroup boss resigns after £327m lossFirstGroup boss, Tim O’Toole, has stepped down with immediate effect, following the announcement of the train operator’s financial loss. In the year ending March 2018, the company reported a full-year loss of £327m – a vast drop from its £152m profit the previous...

Railway Gazette

• Bombardier presents Traxx DC3 locomotiveITALY: ‘The new Traxx DC3 represents a generational leap in the market, a state-of-the-art...
• 'Milestones' reached in Siemens Alstom merger processINDUSTRY: At a meeting on May 30 the Alstom board approved the convening of shareholders’ meetings...

Other News Sources

• Halton Curve on track to launch new services between Liverpool and ChesterThe Halton Curve upgrade has been completed, as planned, paving the way for a new hourly service in both directions between Liverpool and Chester
• Grayling: rail industry has failed passengersAN MP has said trains are disappearing from timetables at such a rate it feels like living in the Bermuda Triangle.