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

Friday, 06 December 2019

Government

• CMA accepts price caps on West Coast Rail linesTrain passengers travelling on certain routes between Preston and Scotland will benefit from capped fares following a CMA investigation.

BBC News

• Trains: Frustration over Carmarthen-Milford Haven rail cancellationsTrain passengers in west Wales say they feel their service is being treated as "dispensable" after a 40-mile section of line was closed for five weeks.
• New Bristol Portway railway station costs facing £1m shortfallThe cost of building a new railway station in Bristol is facing a shortfall of £1m.
• West Midlands Mayor Andy Street says HS2 needs a new name and trains from Birmingham to ParisStrike action on West Midlands Trains has been called off as staff consider a new offer.
• Northern: Commuter protest against 'unreliable' rail firmCommuters have held a rush-hour protest at a city centre railway station against the service provided by Northern.
• Margam rail workers' deaths: 'No formal lookout' appointedGareth Delbridge and Michael
• Northern: Commuter protest against 'unreliable' rail firmCommuters gather outside a city centre railway station to protest against Northern's service.

The Guardian

• Passengers protest to demand Northern rail be stripped of franchiseCustomers of one of UK’s worst-performing train firms gather for Manchester demonstrationLong-suffering passengers using one of the UK’s worst-performing train companies have staged a rush-hour protest demanding it be stripped of its franchise.Commuters gathered outside Victoria station in Manchester to draw attention to the regular delays, cancellations and overcrowding on services run by Northern, calling upcoming new year price increases an insult to passengers who already pay over the odds for a “very poorâ€� service. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Virgin Trains is a lesson in how to run a railway successfullyThe man who pays his way: Sir Richard Branson’s company is stripped of its franchise this weekend

The Scotsman

• Scotland’s railways is the story that keeps on giving but often not in a good way - Alastair DaltonTrain operators like ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper crave positive ... story that keeps on giving but often not in a good way

Times Online

• What the new Great Western Railway timetable could do to house prices [subscription]Shorter train rides to London from Bristol and Bath could boost house prices
• Up to 60% of trains arrive late on the worst networks [subscription]Up to 60 per cent of trains were delayed on the worst-performing railway networks over the past year. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) reported that the majority of services run by some companies reached stations more than a minute late in the 12 months to the end of September.

Bristol Live

• Costs of new Bristol railway station go up £1 million in three yearsPortway station should be open this time next year

Manchester Evening News

• 'Cancel Northern rail, not our trains': Fed up commuters protest outside Manchester Victoria stationPassengers frustrated at the service offered by the rail firm franchise began direct action

Sheffield Star

• Take the train from Sheffield to station’s first Christmas shopping partyA railway station within easy reach of Sheffield is throwing its first-ever Christmas shopping party, promising free gifts and large discounts on designer items.

Yorkshire Post

• The Pacer graveyard: This is the Yorkshire scrap site where Northern trains end their livesNorthern have scrapped the first of their fleet of much-maligned Pacers - and this is where they've ended up.

Other Regional Press

• Conservatives promise cash for transport system to connect Leeds and KirkleesLeeds third attempt at mass transit system was revealed a year ago – now the Tories claim they'll back it
• New Coventry station link road plans revealedA second bid has been made

Rail Technology Magazine

• TfL to install over 100 cycle docking points near major rail stations Before the year is over, Transport for London (TfL) will have installed 105 new Santander Cycles docking points close to Network Rail stations in Central London. It comes as part of an initiative to boost connectivity between different modes of transport, giving commuters and visitors in the...
• Virgin Trains lead the way with 5G onboard connectivity Virgin Trains has become the first train operator to trial onboard 5G Wi-Fi. The trial comes in partnership with McLauren Applied and Vodafone, as efforts to bring unrivalled broadband speeds onboard trains continue. Once rolled out, the 5G connectivity on the West Coast Mainline will offer...
• LNER to say goodbye to Intercity 125 High Speed Train More than four decades of service to be celebrated by London North Eastern Railway from the iconic High-Speed Train (HST) on the East Coast route with a special farewell tour in December. LNER will mark the occasion by operating a four-day special service taking in the majority of destinations...
• New Northern trains announced across their routesRail operator, Northern, announced yesterday (Dec 4) that more than 50 new northern trains will be in service from Dec 15, with a further 49 to be operational in 2020. Brand new trains will serve Lincoln, Gainsborough, Worksop, Nottingham for Lincoln and East Midlands and Leeds and...

Railnews

• Margam fatality report highlights lack of lookouts An interim report into the deaths of two track workers at Margam in south Wales on 3 July has found that the work team of three was not being protected. The third member of the team, which was maintaining a set of points, came ˜very close to being struck™, said the Rail Accident Investigation Branch. The RAIB said its preliminary conclusion was that the accident occurred because the three were working on a line that was open to traffic, without lookouts.
• Strikes suspended on West Midlands Trains Saturday™s strike on West Midlands Trains has been suspended by the RMT, after the union received a new offer. However, West Midlands Trains has warned that it is too late to restore a normal service, and that a limited timetable will still apply this Saturday. The dispute, which was to have triggered walkouts on every Saturday in December, was about the future responsibilities of guards, but a referendum of RMT members on WMT will now be carried out, to see if they wish to accept the revised deal.

Other News Sources

• Commuters stuck at Brighton Station as trains delayed TRAINS are being cancelled and delayed after a points failure on a busy railway line.