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

Tuesday, 03 December 2019

Channel 4 News

• Labour promise to slash train fares in England by a thirdElsewhere on the general election campaign Labour has been making some bold pledges on public transport – promising to slash train fares in England by a third and make travel free for everyone under 16.

Financial Times

• Commuters endure packed trains at start of 27-day strikeIndustrial conflict is over the role of guards on the service into London’s Waterloo station

The Scotsman

• 650 passengers, including those travelling from Edinburgh, due to be evacuated from three trapped trainsEmergency services are preparing to evacuate 650 passengers trapped on three trains due to East Coast Mainline disruption.

The Telegraph

• Commuters braced for chaos as longest ever rail strike begins, with 850 services cancelled
• Stranded strike passengers can make claims for hotel costs, South Western Railway confirms

Times Online

• Fare play to Labour on rail ticketsTalk about a one-track mind. Here’s the transport secretary Grant Shapps, railing against “another desperate attempt from Labour to distract from their inability and unwillingness to be straight with people on where they stand on Brexit”.
• The Times view on the 27-day South Western Rail strike: Transport of Despair [subscription]A ferociously irresponsible rail strike is causing misery for commuters

i News

• Labour rail fares pledge: here's who could save money under Jeremy Corbyn's promise to cut train prices by 33%Labour has proposed plans to drastically reduce the cost of rail fares as part of a wider policy to bring rail into state ownership

London Evening Standard

• South Western Railway strike: Cancellations, delays and overcrowding on day one of walkoutHundreds of thousands of commuters were suffering huge disruption on train journeys to Waterloo today as the first of a month of strikes led to mass cancellations, delays and overcrowding.

Northern Echo

• Transpennine Express ‘sorry’ for cancelling train servicesA RAILWAY operator has come under fire for cancelling services to train drivers days after launching a £500m new fleet of trains.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Emergency services due to evacuate 650 passengers in Yorkshire from three trains trapped in East Coast Mainline disruptionEmergency services are preparing to evacuate 650 passengers trapped on three trains due to East Coast Mainline disruption.

Other Regional Press

• Major rail works in Edinburgh will prevent trains from running through Haymarket stationMajor rail works will prevent trains from running through Edinburgh's Haymarket station later this month.
• Trains delayed due to slippery railsCommuters have been warned trains between Norwich and Sheringham could be delayed by up 20 minutes due to slippery rails.
• Damage to overhead wires at York causes rail chaos across North-east linesLNER are currently dealing with 'significant disruption' on the lines which is expected to last until the end of Monday

Rail Advent

• More trains for Birmingham passengers thanks to new timetableWest Midlands Railway has confirmed today that passengers in Birmingham will soon be benefitting from a more reliable train service thanks to a new timetable.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Northamptonshire teens safety film transformed into comic A new comic book has been produced by Network Rail, based on the safety film ‘18’ with the help of pupils from Kingswood Secondary Academy in Corby. The pupils were visited by Network Rail last summer and took part in safety workshops. They learnt about the risks of 25,000-volt...
• Govia Thameslink Railway launches Great Sock Appeal Selected homeless charities and Govia Thameslink are coming together this Christmas to give out socks to rough sleepers through the Great Sock Appeal. Socks are not the first thing comes to mind when you think of donating to the homeless but a pair of socks are an essential item for keeping feet...
• Vital upgrades on Edinburgh's track this Christmas As of Christmas Day (25 Dec), engineers at Network Rail will be working to renew Edinburgh’s Haymarket junction. Essential track work will be carried out from the Dec 25 to 29, with major upgrades to renew four sets of points and replace of 250m of track. The sets of point are used to...
• ?1bn investment into Ireland's rail network The Government of Ireland has today (Dec 2) announced a new €1bn investment into the country’s rail network. The minster for transport, tourism and sport, Shane Ross has confirmed the €1bn investment as part of a five-year investment programme into Ireland’s heavy rail...

Railnews

• RMT claims ˜political motivation™ behind failure to agree SWR deal A long series of strikes has begun on South Western Railway today, after talks between the company and the RMT broke up without agreement before the weekend. The union has alleged that the failure to come to terms over the future pattern of on-train staffing and the role of guards was for ˜political™ reasons, while SWR has claimed that a deal was reached during Thursday™s discussions, only for it to be rejected after the meeting by the RMT™s Executive. SWR services are severely reduced today, and will continue to be disrupted until New Year™s Day unless there is a settlement in the meantime. ...

Other News Sources

• New appointments at NexusIts been a busy time for appointments at Nexus with both a new Chief Operating Officer and a Head of Maintenance Delivery announced in their new roles. Martin Kearney, most recently Chief Officer for Train and Ferry Operations at Transdev Australia, has been named as the new Chief Operating Officer at Nexus with Steven Shiel, currently Head of Rail and Civil Engineering at Newcastle College Rail Academy, taking on the role of Head of Maintenance Delivery.