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

Saturday, 16 June 2018

BBC News

• Govia Thameslink chief executive Charles Horton resignsCharles Horton is to step down following major disruption for rail passengers.
• East Yorkshire factory wins £1.5bn Tube train dealLondon Underground orders 94 new trains as part of an upgrade to the Piccadilly Line.

The Guardian

• Govia Thameslink Railway boss quits over timetable fiascoThe boss of Govia Thameslink Railway has quit over the rail timetable fiasco, after being singled out for blame by the transport secretary, Chris Grayling.
• Government faces growing pressure over Heathrow third runwayThe government is coming under growing pressure from environmentalists and its own advisers over its support for a new runway at Heathrow.

The Independent

• Govia Thameslink boss quits weeks after timetable change causes train chaosThousands of commuters faced cancellations and delays after botched scheduling overhaul

The Scotsman

• Cycle coaches to be hitched to trains to ease bike crush Britain’s first rail carriages reserved for bikes and outdoor equipment are to run on one of Scotland’s busiest tourist lines from next summer, The Scotsman has learned.

Times Online

• Siemens will build factory in UK after winning Tube train contract [Subscription]Siemens, the German train manufacturer, has beaten Bombardier and Hitachi’s British factories to a long awaited £2.5 billion contract to provide state-of-the-art rolling stock for London Undergound.
• Elon Musk goes underground with high-speed trains [Subscription]Futuristic electric trains will soon be whizzing under the streets of Chicago at up to 150mph after Elon Musk’s tunnelling company was chosen by the city to build a new high-speed commuter link.
• China follows the solar brick road towards energy efficiency [Subscription]China is testing roads paved with solar panels as one of its latest experiments in clean technology.
• Roundabout will force cyclists and drivers to go Dutch [Subscription]Motorists will be forced to give way to cyclists and pedestrians under plans for Britain’s first Dutch-style roundabout.
• Govia Thameslink Railway boss resigns over train timetable chaos [Subscription]The boss of Britain’s biggest rail company quit over the calamitous introduction of new timetables yesterday after coming under pressure to resign by the transport secretary.

City AM

• Chris Grayling tells rail companies compensation for disrupted passengers is 'not optional' following complaints over payoutsChris Grayling has told train companies that customer compensation is not "optional" following an investigation that suggested misleading advice was still being to customers.
• Govia Thameslink Railway chief executive Charles Horton resigns after 'huge frustration' caused by train timetable troublesThe boss of Southern rail parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) Charles Horton is stepping down, it was announced today.
• Outgoing Network Rail chief Mark Carne turns down £70,000 bonus over ongoing train timetable sagaThe outgoing boss of Network Rail Mark Carne has turned down his annual £74,000 bonus for the year following the company's role in the ongoing timetable disaster that has wreaked havoc across London and the North.
• Siemens Mobility lands £1.5bn TfL contract to design and make new Piccadilly Line trainsTransport for London (TfL) has announced that Siemens Mobility has landed a £1.5bn contract to design and build the next generation of Tube trains for the Piccadilly Line.

Mail Online

• Train mayhem sees rail trips fall by 23m in just one year A combination of surging fares, incessant engineering works and strikes has caused disruption and despair for millions of UK train commuters and they are giving up.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Timetables announced for next week's Northern rail strikesNORTHERN has released its timetables for two of the three days of RMT strike action beginning next week.

London Evening Standard

• Charles Horton: Govia Thameslink Railway boss quits after chaos caused by new timetableThe Govia Thameslink Railway chief executive has quit after months of controversy over delays and cancellations to services.
• London Tube commuters hail TfL #travelkind campaign which urges people to be more aware of difficulties others face on public transportLondon commuters have hailed Transport for London's #travelkind campaign which encourages people to be more aware of those with disabilities on public transport.

Northern Echo

• Comment: Chris Grayling needs to follow GTR chief out of the doorTHE great rail timetable fiasco has claimed its first victim with the resignation of Charles Horton, chief executive of Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR). At the time of writing, he is the only senior rail official to have fallen on his sword after weeks of delays and cancellations which have thrown the lives of thousands of commuters into chaos.

This Is Local London Network

• Govia Thameslink Railway CEO Charles Horton to resignCharles Horton is to resign as chief executive of Govia Thameslink Railway following months of controversy over delays and cancellations to services.

Yorkshire Post

• Tom Richmond: Rail campaign shows how the North can speak as one WHEN national political journalists are praising the impact of the One North campaign over the region’s railway failings, it is making a difference.

Other Regional Press

• Transport campaigner says TfL should consider fare increasesA transport campaigner has said that Transport for London (TfL) needs to consider increasing passenger fares in order to improve rail services.
• Newton Aycliffe train builder Hitachi loses out £1.5bn dealAN MP last night said he would write to the Mayor of London demanding to know why a £1.5bn contract to build a new generation of underground trains was awarded to a company that has yet to build its factory over skilled workers and a state-of-the-art facility "ready for business" in the North-East.
• Southern Rail boss Charles Horton quitsThe boss of a troubled railway company has resigned after months of delays, cancellations and controversy.
• Rail union says Northern problem is still 'absolute chaos'Union representatives say services must return to normal and Northern are not fit to run service Steve Nott condemns Northern's handling of the current train Crisis

Rail Technology Magazine

• Rail journeys across UK fall for first time in eight yearsPassengers using the nation’s rail networks has fallen for the first time in eight years, new figures show. Statistics from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) say that passenger journeys in 2017-18 fell by 1.4% to 1.7bn compared to the previous year, with South Western Railway journey...
• GTR boss to resign, citing The chief executive of struggling operator Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) will resign. Charles Horton, the boss of GTR which runs Thameslink, Great Northern, and Southern railways, will remain in the position for a short time to oversee the implementation of the new timetables installed in...
• New Tube trains on the way with new Siemens contract from TfLTfL has awarded Siemens Mobility Limited a contract of around £1.5bn to design and build 94 new generation Tube trains today. More than 700,000 customers use the Piccadilly line every day. But a limited fleet size alongside old signalling technology has restricted TfL's ability to increase...

Railway Gazette

• Network Rail technology supplier qualification system launchedUK: Network Rail has launched a technology supplier qualification system as its primary sourcing...

Aviation Industry

• EasyJet readies to take first A321neo at FarnboroughUK LCC easyJet plans to take delivery of the first of the Airbus A321neos it has on order at the Farnborough Air Show in July, easyJet France director Francois Bacchetta said at a June 14 media briefing at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. read more
• Italy fines Ryanair $2.1 million for flight cancellationsThe Italian Competition Authority has fined Irish LCC Ryanair €1.85 million ($2.1 million) for mass cancellations of flights because of personnel rostering problems in the fall 2017 and early 2018. read more

Other News Sources

• Rolls Royce to cut 4,600 jobs Rolls Royce announced on June 14, 2018, it would cut 4,600 jobs by 2020, mainly in the United Kingdom, in order to simplify its operations and save up to £400 million a year.The company confirms the rumors reported by the Sunday Times on June 10, 2018. The downsizing will affect about 8% of the 55,000 people that Rolls Royce employ in over 50 countries. The changes will affect the most the company’s main plant in Derby, England, where most of administration and intermediary management is employed. With the simplification of the structure, a lot of redundancy in management is bound to happen, ...
• East Yorkshire's new Siemens factory gets £1.5bn deal to build London Underground trainsSiemens’ new site in Goole has been awarded a billion-pound contract to build trains for the London Underground.