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

Monday, 25 June 2018

BBC News

• £100m rail test complex plans for Neath valleyThe complex would test new generation trains at high speeds on the site of an old opencast mine.
• Campaigner urges Tube commuters to offer their seatsCorry Shaw was pushed to tears when people ignored her plea to be given a seat.

Department for Transport

• £8 million of extra HS2 funding to benefit local communities and woodlands between Birmingham and CreweNew woodlands and safer local roads to be created through additional HS2 funding.

The Guardian

• Grayling accused of 'running scared' after pulling out of northern transport summitChris Grayling has been accused of “running scared” after he pulled out of a key transport summit in Manchester because it clashes with a House of Commons vote on Heathrow expansion.

The Herald

• Scotland's railways must be brought back into public hands, Labour demandsRAILWAYS must be brought back into public ownership to finally bring to an end the “gamble” of overcrowded, late-running trains, Labour has demanded on the week the East Coast Mainline was taken out of private hands.

The Scotsman

• Labour pushes for publicly owned railways after ScotRail ‘misses targets’Scottish Labour is to step up its campaign for public ownership of the railways after figures showed ScotRail missed performance targets throughout the last year.

Times Online

• Failed Virgin Trains East Coast franchise back under public control [subscription]Rail services on the east coast main line between Scotland and London have been brought back under public control after the failure of the Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) franchise.
• Passengers deserve better than ScotRail, says Labour [subscription]There have been renewed calls for Scotland’s railway franchise to be nationalised after figures revealed that ScotRail missed performance targets throughout the past year.

City AM

• East Coast train line back under government control but hit by rocky start with cancellations and delaysRail services on the East Coast Main Line were back under government control yesterday but were hit by delays and cancellations on a difficult first day.

Daily Record

• Scottish Labour step up campaign to see trains nationalised after criticism of ScotRail recordRichard Leonard wants the SNP Scottish Government to bring trains into public ownership.

The Mirror

• Transport Secretary pays £2.3million for advice on how to run East Coast Main LineChris Grayling splurged £2.3million on private consultants as franchise comes back under public ownership

Conservative Party

• Chris Grayling: After so long a wait, let’s get on with it – and vote emphatically today for expansion at HeathrowChris Grayling is Secretary of State for Transport, and MP for Epsom and Ewell.

Labour Party

• Labour hold “Rail Mayhem” campaign day to hold Chris Grayling to accountLabour will hold a “Rail Mayhem” campaign day today (Monday) to mark the first working day that the running of the East Coast Mainline returns to public control following the collapse of the Virgin and Stagecoach franchise and to hold Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to account for his poor handling of the railways.

Sky News

• First state-run East Coast line train arrives on timeThe first service operated by the new state-run franchise that runs trains on the East Coast Main Line has arrived on time.

Belfast Telegraph

• Rail boss David Horne insists his appointment at LNER is ‘right thing to do’David Horne was managing director of Virgin East Coast Trains and was handed the same title at nationalised operator London North Eastern Railway.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Aberdeen and Inverness airport bosses urge MPs to back Heathrow expansionAirport bosses in the north and north-east have united to urge every Scottish MP to vote in favour of contentious plans to expand Heathrow.

Wales Online

• New £100m 'global centre of rail excellence' set to be built in WalesIt would mean manufacturers would not have to send trains across Europe for testing

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Power station owners urged to reopen old railway lineA railway linking Ironbridge and Birmingham should be reopened as part of the work on the power station site, it has been claimed.

Cambridge News

• I've given up on trains entirely - they're always lateDiana Sawyer moved near Royston railway station to travel by train to work but she's been late for weeks

Plymouth Herald

• David Horne was managing director of Virgin East Coast Trains and was handed the same title at nationalised operator London North Eastern Railway.Passengers have been reporting chaos on the rail network today as GWR confirmed 15 trains between London Paddington and Penzance were cancelled, delayed or changed.

Other Regional Press

• Campaigners rally at Glasgow Central in bid for rail public ownershipLabour leader Richard Leonard insists the franchise model does not work as the East Coast Main Line returned to public control.
• Rail tunnel plans for HS2 line close to airport'Talking about developing that design with the airport'

Rail Magazine

• Welsh Government plans £100 million test trackA test track for the rail industry is being planned for Wales.