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April 22, 2014

International & UK Railway News Tuesday 22nd April 2014

The first major UK Bank Holiday of the year is now history, so with the spring time upon us, and the promise of better (weather) times ahead, now is a good time to be reminded of the investment plans that the UK Government has for transport infrastructure, particularly, the railways.


So we include a couple of YouTube videos from Transport for London, and a press release from the Department for Transport, reporting on Patrick McLoughlin's visit to New Street Station , Birmingham where he explained and extolled the forthcoming infrastructure programme being currently undertaken.


And a couple of news items serve to remind us that the high speed rail debate will not go away, be it in the US, Australia, or China.....


Read on.....


Headlines

 
Easter travel: Millions return after holiday break.(BBC News)

 
Heathrow Express workers plan 48-hour strike.(BBC News)

 
Network Rail force villagers to make 24-mile detour to travel a few hundred yards.(Mirror)

 
HS2 Working Group's visit to borough.(Nottingham Post)


Guest Post: Why HS2 is the wrong scheme.(Christian Wolmar)

 
Suffolk/London: Rail commuters face five days of tube strikes.(EADT24)


The future of the Tube - our commitment to London (TfL)








Every journey matters to us. We have set out our vision to make the Tube fit for the future.

Our five commitments to Londoners
1. A new 24 hour Tube at weekends
2. Improved reliability and more capacity
3. Stations controlled and staffed while trains are running
4. Easier journeys with new technology
5. Deliver best value for money

For more information visit our website:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/futuretube


PhotoPhotoPhoto


Building your transport future today.(DfT)
Further information on current Department for Transport infrastructure projects including benefits is detailed below the timeline..(click link above)



Improving the transport network (transportgovuk on YouTube)


 

 To make our economy stronger and our lives easier we need good transport. That's why the government is making record levels of investment. It is estimated that in 2014 to 2015 there will be over £14 billion of public and private investment in transport infrastructure. This bold programme of transport infrastructure investment is playing a very big part in getting our country back up to speed.



GOV.UK


Transport Secretary visited a major infrastructure investment project in Birmingham.


The work at New Street Station is just one of the schemes benefitting from £14 billion of government investment in the transport network.


Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin visited Birmingham New Street today (22 April 2014) to see progress on a £600 million project to transform it into one of the country’s flagship rail stations and help highlight more than 200 more infrastructure projects due to start this year.


The Transport Secretary was given a tour of redevelopment works, which include a new concourse, a giant atrium and better access.
The scheme is part of the largest national railway spending programme since Victorian times, with £38 billion of funding across the rail network to make major improvements for passengers and provide a significant boost to the economy.
Patrick McLoughlin was one of a number of cabinet ministers highlighting the importance of energy, rail, broadband, road and flood defences across the country as part of the government’s long-term economic plan.


Patrick McLoughlin said:
A key part of this government’s long term economic plan is investing in world class infrastructure. That is why we are putting record amounts of government funding into our railways over the next 5 years.
Projects like the one I have seen in Birmingham today (22 April 2014) show how determined we are to transform the transport network for the future and get the country back up to speed.
The New Street redevelopment will see a new concourse built which is 3 and a half times bigger than at present. For the first time, natural light will be provided in the station through a giant atrium and better access will be provided as a result of over 30 new escalators and lifts.
There will be new connections across the city centre, including a direct link with the Midland Metro extension which will open in 2015, new entrances and a new station façade that will create a new landmark building in the heart of Birmingham.
Signalling through Birmingham New Street will also to help provide a more reliable service.
The project is part of over £5.5 billion of maintenance and investment work being carried out the London north western route, which will have a real impact on the lives of passengers in the West Midlands, as well as boosting the local and national economy.
The West Midlands scheme is part of a major modernisation of the rail network, backed by record levels of investment and spending. This will make room for an extra 140,000 commuters coming into 10 of our biggest cities by 2020.
This is just one element of a bold programme of government investment to help drive economic growth. It is estimated that in 2014 to 2015 there will be over £14 billion of public and private investment in transport infrastructure.
Other investment includes:
  • a tripling of spending on major roads projects between now and 2020
  • £16 billion of investment over the next Parliament to deliver HS2, which will redraw the economic geography of Great Britain, linking 8 out of 10 of our largest cities and bringing two thirds of the population of northern England within 2 hours of London
  • more than £1 billion to support local transport projects
  • a further £5 billion to enable the long-term planning of local transport priorities as determined by local authorities, not Parliament

African News

 

There are entire roundtable sessions devoted to: • Funding and leasing of locomotives throughout Africa • How to raise additional funding for government rail projects • How to make a lasting impact in your pit to port operations • How the 2014 customs bill will impact inland cargo movement • How railway regulation helps unlock Africa’s potential • Challenges in signal connectivity in rural areas.
download the full programme > 










European News

 

 


One of the Company's main strategic goals is to achieve full integration into the Eurasian transport infrastructure in order to expand the East-West and North-South transport corridors across our huge continent to give operators the benefits of door-to-door delivery and greatly reduced costs and shipping times.

Russian Railways run national and international freight services for all types of commodity, ranging from coal, iron ore, cement and oil and oil products to automobiles and grain using specialised tank, box, flat, open-freight and grain cars.

We also operate containers and provide door-to-door delivery across Russia and Eurasia for your goods, giving you real-time information on the progress and location of your shipment using our electronic trading platform.

Russian Railways is committed to improving lines and rolling stock and expanding and upgrading East-West and North-South transport corridors across Eurasia. Operators benefit from greatly reduced costs and shipping times, while Russian Railways gain from rising freight volumes and increased revenues.

Russian Railways also expedite delivery times by:
-- Fright trains shipping freight containers within Russia and internationally using high-speed container trains;

-- delivering containers directly to the consignee's warehouses;

-- employing simplified procedures at customs to ensure seamless transport across borders;

-- legalizing documents on transit freight transported in containers;

-- providing safe-passage for freight, with armed guards provided by the Russian Ministry of the Interior on all freight trains across Russia.
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US News
Transportation Research Board 

NURail and Summerail Conference

TRB is cosponsoring the NURail and Summerail Conference on August 18-22, 2014, in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The conference is designed to bring together railroad professionals, government officials, and academics to discuss the past, present, and future of the U.S. railroad industry. Particular emphasis will be placed on university led research on railroad subjects and possible career choices for those students performing railroad research.

Extraordinarily severe winter didn't weigh down CP's financial performance in Q1
  
FRA issues final environmental documents for portion of California's high-speed rail project
  
TSA recognizes six transit agencies for security efforts
  
California legislator proposes crude-by-rail safety bill
  
TIGER VI grants eyed for rail projects in four states
  
CTA unveils first phase of modernization project, Red Line extension environmental steps
  
Pennsylvania DOT polls public online to gain transportation planning input
 
Rail supplier news from Protran, RailWorks, Greenbrier, AXION and Cubic; and in memoriam: Matt Klemchalk (April 22)
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  • Other Railway Press

     
    Total Rail
     
    UK rail subsidy falls and passengers foot the bill
    Metro recommends $927 million contract for LA rail project
    China and Hong Kong high speed rail link delayed
    First round the world ticket due in 2015
    Infographic: A decade of rail fare hikes in the UK


    Read these articles...HERE




    www.railway-technology.com
    Singapore LTA awards S$1.15bn contracts for Thomson and Eastern Region Lines
    Singapore's Land Transport Authority has awarded S$1.15bn ($917.3m) worth of civil, electrical and mechanical contracts for the Thomson and Eastern Region Lines in the country. 

           
    RTD to purchase new simulator for light-rail training
    The Regional Transportation District (RTD) of Denver is set to purchase a new simulator for light-rail training, as part of a strategy to boost its expansion and add more train drivers. 

           
    Charlotte City Council approves $249.8m for LYNX Blue Line Extension
    Charlotte City Council has approved $249.8m for the construction of Charlotte Area Transit System's LYNX Blue Line Extension (BLE) and Blue Line Capacity project. 

           
    Abellio Greater Anglia and UK DfT sign deal to improve train services
    Train operator Abellio Greater Anglia (AGA) is set to invest £20m in service improvement across its franchise network as part of its new contract with the UK Department for Transport (DfT).

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