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

Thursday, 19 July 2018

BBC News

• New Tube announcements urge commuters to offer their seatsA new announcement asks passengers to
• Rail ombudsman created to handle rising tide of complaintsWith complaints running at 540,000 a year, the ombudsman is expected to be busy.

The Guardian

• Government urged to strip Govia Thameslink Railway of its franchiseNo need to wait for review of timetable chaos, shadow transport secretary says

Times Online

• Railway investors seeing light at end of the tunnel [Subscription]With chaos on Britain’s trains after a change of timetables this year that has brought misery to millions of commuters, investments in railways have hardly seemed attractive of late.

Belfast Telegraph

• HS2 will ‘rival Japan’s bullet trains for reliability’The £55.7 billion project will “fundamentally” change how Britons view rail travel, the Government-backed firm behind the scheme says.

Edinburgh Evening News

• ScotRail fury as one in six trains late to Waverley The impact of increasing passenger disruption from rail network faults is alarming industry chiefs as figures show ScotRail’s punctuality has got worse for nearly a year.

Manchester Evening News

• Graffiti gang who caused £77,000 worth of damage to trains across country branded 'common vandals'The Manchester based five strong gang vandalised trains and other railway property across the North West and further afield over an 18 month period

Plymouth Herald

• Great Western Railway gives update on when we will get new express trainsThe Hitachi Intercity Express Trains are GWR's first new trains in a generation

Other Regional Press

• Union hails pay deal to stop ‘needless’ Aberdeen airport strikeA union boss said Aberdeen airport staff were “rightly recognised” when a last-minute pay offer led to the calling off of “needless” strike action.
• Wales urges British government to increase rail fundingWELSH Transport Secretary Mr Ken Skates has called on the British government to provide more funding for the railway in Wales, citing low speeds, manual signalling and level crossings bringing traffic to a standstill up to 200 times a day.

Construction News

• HS2 civils start delayed another three monthsHS2 has pushed back the start date for its civils work, with construction now expected to commence more than seven months later than originally planned.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Scathing letter rips into May timetable chaos, demands Grayling take responsibilityMembers of the London Assembly have written to Chris Grayling calling on him to take responsibility for the failings of the industry in implementing new timetables – which have wreaked havoc across the network since their roll-out in May – to ensure this fiasco does not happen...
• Final plans submitted for rail-connected Yorkshire hubA 276-acre site in Yorkshire could be transformed into a major rail-connected hub servicing the north of England as part of proposals put forward to Selby District Council today. Harworth Group, a land regeneration and property investment specialist, submitted an outline planning application...
• Grayling confirms electrification will form part of TransPennine upgrade The transport secretary has confirmed to the UK rail supply sector that the TransPennine route upgrade will include both major civil engineering projects and electrification as part of its future plans. The future of TransPennine infrastructure improvements has been in the public eye: in July...

Other News Sources

• REVISED PLANS REVEALED FOR MANCHESTER PICCADILLY FRAMEWORK
• Somerset County Council to push for more train services in BridgwaterSOMERSET County Council has promised to push for more rail services in Bridgwater in light of the Hinkley Point development.