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

Tuesday, 11 August 2020

BBC News

• Giant machines for HS2's Chilterns tunnels unveiledTwo tunnelling machines bought to help build HS2 have been unveiled by the firm behind the high-speed rail line. The excavators will bore a 10 mile (16km) tunnel through part of the Chilterns, from a site near the M25 to near South Heath in Buckinghamshire,

The Independent

• Nationalised rail operator slashes fares to win back passengersLondon to Edinburgh is £20 in standard class, £40 in first, with bargains also available to and from Leeds, York and Newcastle

Times Online

• HS2 welcomes two boring Germans [subscription]Cecilia and Florence are Germans of prodigious girth, weighing about 2,000 tonnes each and destined to spend most of their working life scraping away the earth somewhere beneath the Chilterns.

Cambridge News

• Angry residents successfully stall controversial Cambridge train washCampaigners say they want to set a precedent to aid future disputes

Other Regional Press

• Oxford Tube services are being boosted to support commuters to LondonOXFORD Tube coach services will be increasing from the end of the month to provide an improved frequency for commuters and visitors.
• Work Begins On Crumlin Rail Bridge ReplacementNetwork Rail have today commenced preparatory works to enable replacement of the rail bridge adjacent to the A467 at Crumlin.
• New lease of life for West Midlands rail line as volunteers step forwardA popular rail line is set for a makeover after dozens of volunteers stepped forward to work with West Midlands Railway to give its stations a new lease of life.

Train Operators

• Greater Anglia’s teams continue to deliver excellent performancePunctuality on Greater Anglia trains was 96.2 per cent in July – another very good result, for the fourth successive month, as the company increased train services, with more people travelling again during the easing of lockdown.

British Trams Online

• MERS offer £9,000 to Isle of Man Railways to operate Snaefell Mountain Railway in 125th anniversary yearWhen announcements were made in July about the Manx Electric Railway and Isle of Man Steam Railway resuming operation in time for the school holidays it was confirmed at the same time that both the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway and Snaefell Mountain Railway would be running in 2020. For the Snaefell line this would mean that it would completely miss its 125th anniversary (21st August) year. But now the Manx Electric Railway Society have offered £9,000 to allow its operation for 3 weeks around this anniversary.

New Civil Engineer

• Extending HS2 to Scotland identified as ‘starting point’ for rail decarbonisationExtending High Speed 2 (HS2) to Scotland by 2032 has been identified as the starting point to decarbonise the country’s railways, in a report by the High Speed Rail Group (HSRG).

Rail Technology Magazine

• HS2 searching for high voltage power supply systems With the green light for construction given a few weeks ago, HS2 have today (10 Aug) began the search for expert contractors to deliver the high voltage power supply systems. These systems will transfer electricity to the UK’s new high-speed rail link and allow millions of people to enjoy...
• Northern supports song writing workshops in the community As part of the Northern supported project Lyric and Line, singer-song writer Gareth Davies-Jones has been working with three groups with additional needs, using music to explore the adventure of traveling by train, and the obstacles they may face doing so. Gareth worked with Gibside School, a...

Railnews

• Rail Live falls victim to coronavirus This year™s Rail Live has been cancelled. The rail industry event had been planned to take place at Long Marston in Warwickshire on 9 and 10 September. The organisers have blamed ˜the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19 restrictions™.

Transport Network

• Latest £256m buses and trams bailout announcedMinisters are giving bus and tram services in England outside London up to £256m to help them ramp up services ahead of expected increases in public transport use next month.

Other News Sources

• Burnham welcomes latest Metrolink supportGreater Manchester’s tram network is to benefit from a further funding boost as the Department for Transport looks to back regional operators building up services ahead of September’s spending round.
• Mystery surrounds shrouded trains stored on land in BartonThe appearance of brand new rolling stock wrapped in white sheets has caught people's attention in the North Lincolnshire town
• Adopt a railway station scheme hailed a successA popular rail line is set for a makeover after dozens of volunteers stepped forward to work with West Midlands Railway to give its stations a new lease of life.
• LNER masks unveiledLondon North Eastern Railway (LNER) has revealed three East Coast inspired face masks which are launching this week for customers to order including the national symbol of Scotland, the thistle, for a limited edition Edinburgh design.
• Hitachi and Bombardier to supply very high-speed trains to Trenitalia for Spain’s new ILSAHitachi Rail SpA and Bombardier Transportation have signed a contract with Italy’s Trenitalia to supply 23 Frecciarossa 1000 very high-speed trains for the new ILSA rail operation in Spain.