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

Tuesday, 04 June 2024

BBC News

• Major £5.8m train station revamp to beginSalisbury Station forecourt is to undergo a major £5.8 million revamp to make it more accessible.
• Call for return of Devon town's train servicesBringing back train services to a Devon town could provide a boost to transport further afield, a rail user group has said.
• Rail service changes come into effectThere will be an additional hourly service to Birmingham, but no direct train to London.

Times Online

• Diesel trains head the way of steam as railways buy into battery power [subscription]Railway operators plan to order hundreds in the next few years, saving up to £11 billion on electrification

City AM

• The sooner the better for a Eurostar competitor – but it won’t be smooth sailingAn end to Eurostar’s monopoly on the Channel Tunnel can only be a good thing for passengers, Guy Taylor argues

Birmingham Post

• Avanti West Coast boosts train capacity with new Hitachi Evero fleet on West Coast Main LineThe Evero fleet will eventually consist of 10 electric trains and 13 bi-modes, which can be powered by electricity or diesel
• Siemens Mobility makes pitch for Goole trains to decarbonise UK rail systemThe company has made a pitch for battery-powered trains to deliver environmental improvements

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Orange train tickets could 'become museum exhibit'A train operator says the iconic, orange magstripe train ticket could be something of a museum exhibit within as little as five years.

Doncaster Free Press

• Driving change: Hull Trains celebrates new era in training tomorrow’s talentHull Trains welcomed the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, to officially open the company’s new Learning and Development Academy and to experience the facility’s new world-class train driver simulator in Hull city centre.

Other Regional Press

• Somerset residents remain in limbo over new railway stations - 60 years after their original stations closedPeople living on the Somerset Levels remain in limbo over plans to restore rail services to their area - 60 years after their original stations closed. The towns of Langport and Somerton were originally served by trains on the Taunton to Castle Cary line, but their stations were closed in the 1960s during the infamous Beeching cuts.

Business Live

• HS2 labour supplier announces record revenuesAIM-listed Hercules Site Services said it was on track to meet market expectations for the year

Rail Advent

• First digitally signalled train runs on East Coast Main LineIt is expected that the European Train Control System will be rolled out along the line in mid-2025.

Rail Business Daily

• A new look for the Railway Industry AssociationThe Railway Industry Association (RIA) has unveiled a new logo, brand and website, as it approaches 150 years of championing the railway industry (its 150-Year Anniversary is in 2025).

Rail Magazine

• Liverpool allocates £19m for accessible station projectsFour Merseyrail stations will have new lifts installed to provide step-free access from the street to the train.

Railway Gazette

• PBH Rail launches Civils divisionUK: York-based engineering and design company PBH Rail Group has formed a civil engineering division, headed by Gary Robson who has joined from Spencer Group.

Other News Sources

• Talgo Acquisition Deal: Skoda Group Enters the GameIn recent months, the European transport sector has been closely watching the negotiations surrounding the potential acquisition of the Spanish railway equipment manufacturer Talgo, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.
• UK: Siemens Mobility Looks to Build Battery Trains in GooleSiemens Mobility has announced plans to build battery-powered trains in Goole, Yorkshire, to replace ageing fleets on Britain’s railway.
• Transport for Wales Launches New Apprenticeship ProgrammeTransport for Wales has become the first transport operating company in Wales to launch a new Railway Engineering Degree Apprenticeship Programme.
• Northern's 'magstripe' train ticket reaching end of the lineThe current version of the 'iconic' orange ticket was first used in 2014. The train operator reported a marked shift towards digital and paper options, with 12 per cent (2.3 million) fewer magstripe tickets in use in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23.
• New executive director appointed at Europe’s RailEUROPE’s Rail Joint Undertaking (ERJU) has appointed Mr Giorgio Travaini as its new executive director. He was previously interim and acting executive director and has spent 18 years working in the transport sector.