Key news items...its all about infrastructure...a time lapse video showing demolition under Platform 8 at London Bridge....the ORR welcomes the rail industry's commitment to improve information to passengers when there are delays....(sometimes Twitter is quicker, apparently!!)..
Old Oak Common and a huge London transport hub.....
Christian Wolmar interviewed on RT's "Going Underground"...expressing his thoughts on the usual subjects....and good public transport is the key to social inclusion...(Guardian, Comment is Free)
Click on the links....
Headlines
UK
Slough station deaths: Mother and son killed by train.(BBC News)
Sincere condolences to all those affected by this tragic event....
Greenpeace activists stop and occupy coal train.(ITV News)
Network Rail on YouTube:Time-lapse video: demolition underneath platform 8 at London Bridge
Watch the demolition underneath London Bridge station's platform 8 between 12-15 September 2014 to make room for a new concourse.
Rail passengers 'dissatisfied' with delay information.(BBC News)
Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).
23 September 2014
The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) today welcomes the commitment of the rail industry to improve passenger information during disruption and sets out what it expects to see in a new action plan to be published in November.
This follows concerns raised in the Passenger Focus report 'Passenger information when trains are disrupted,' which was commissioned by ORR to understand whether passengers receive timely, accurate and accessible information when they face delays to their journeys.
In 2012, ORR introduced a new condition on the provision of information for passengers into train operator and station licences. To ensure the code is delivering benefits for passengers, and to address issues highlighted in the report, ORR has worked with the rail industry to develop a list of improvement actions to ensure passengers get the information they need when services are disrupted, at the right time, and through appropriate channels.
ORR expects the improvement plan to require train operating companies to:
- Provide accurate and timely information on train company websites as quickly as possible to allow customers to plan accurate or revised journeys.
- Make announcements on how to claim compensation if the delay threshold of a train has been reached - with claim forms for compensation distributed on board trains and at stations where possible.
- Make manual announcements with specific details of the disruption rather than automated ones.
- Ensure all staff on platforms and trains have access to the latest information, which they can share with passengers.
- Provide explanations on the cause of delay and any knock on effects.
- Send automatic compensation alerts to passengers who have booked on online if their trains were delayed.
ORR's director of economic regulation, John Larkinson said:
Passengers are telling us that they need information so they can plan ahead before they begin their journeys. They need to understand the impact of disruptions on their journeys before they get to a station, to be able to adapt their travel plans when things go wrong.
Improvements have been made in the provision of information to passengers through the introduction of phone apps, better Twitter updates and by giving free access to real time information to app developers. However, more needs to be done.
Once the industry has published its full action plan with clear dates and responsibilities for delivery, ORR will closely monitor the rail industry's progress against this – to ensure passengers are empowered with the right information during disruption.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blackpool and Shrewsbury direct rail services to London approved.(BBC News)
London Bridge work brings 'commuting hell' to Reigate and Redhill.(BBC News)
Brunel's Great Western Railway structures uncovered.(BBC News)
Plans to link HS2 and Overground to create London's largest transport hub at Old Oak Common revealed.(London Evening Standard)
Transport for London Press Release
Old Oak Common Consultation
22 September 2014
- Major station interchange required to link London Overground, Crossrail and HS2 rail services
- Local rail connections needed to support Mayor's vision for 24,000 new homes and 55,000 new jobs in West London
- New station will improve connectivity to Crossrail 1 and High Speed 2 services and reduce journey times and relieve pressure on central London stations
- Regeneration of the area will be boosted with up to 250,000 more people able to access new jobs in the area
Old Oak is designated as an Opportunity Area in the Mayor's London Plan, with the potential to create 55,000 jobs and 24,000 homes. Improved local transport infrastructure, including connections to the London Overground network, is essential to support this level of regeneration and will enable up to 250,000 more people to be within an hour's journey of Old Oak, providing them with access to new jobs in the area. The proposals will improve local rail connections as well as alternative options to link with Crossrail 1 and High Speed 2 helping reduce pressure on central London stations.
The proposed HS2, National Rail and Crossrail station will be used by up to 250,000 passengers a day, as many as use Waterloo, and will link two of the country's key rail arteries. To support local development around it, it is critical that improved links between London Overground and the nearby rail networks are made.
The Mayor is also consulting on proposals to create a new Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) for Old Oak Common and Park Royal. The proposed MDC will look to emulate the success of the London Legacy Development Corporation that continues to lead the post-Olympic regeneration of Stratford and east London.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said:
'The arrival of Crossrail and HS2 provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform Old Oak into a vibrant new neighbourhood for west London. It's crucial that we get peoples' views about the creation of a fantastic new transport-hub that would see Crossrail and HS2 linked in with a brand new London Overground connection. This vital interchange will catalyse the Old Oak area, taking it from a derelict wasteland into a new city quarter for Londoners and visitors to the capital.'
TfL's Managing Director of Planning, Michèle Dix, said:
'This is an opportunity for locals and rail passengers to have input into a strategic rail interchange for west London. We're looking at three options for the location of a London Overground station at Old Oak and want to hear people's views on these proposals. "The interchange would improve connectivity, reduce journey times as well as congestion at central London stations and support the regeneration of the Old Oak area.'
TfL is seeking views on the following three options for a new London Overground station at Old Oak:
Option A: London Overground's Clapham Junction to Stratford services diverted to run on a new viaduct. A new station would be built on London Overground's Richmond to Stratford route, adjacent to Old Oak Common Lane, with access to a proposed HS2 station (to the east) and Victoria Road (to the west).
Option B: London Overground services would be diverted to run on existing freight lines into a new station on the London Overground Richmond to Stratford route, with access to the proposed HS2 station (to the east) and Victoria Road (to the west).
Option C: This option would involve the creation of two new stations. A new station would be built on London Overground's Richmond to Stratford route, adjacent to Old Oak Common Lane with a second station on London Overground's Clapham Junction to Stratford route, adjacent to Hythe Rd.
A new London Overground connection in the area will provide passengers with an interchange with HS2 and Crossrail services making journeys easier. Further information and details of how to respond to the consultation are available here www.tfl.gov.uk/old-oak
TfL is also holding drop-in sessions where staff will be available to answer questions from members of the public. The sessions will be held at:
- Thursday 2 October (4pm-8pm) - Holiday Inn Express Park Royal (opposite North Acton Tube
- Saturday 4 October (11am-3pm) - Old Oak Community Centre (approx 10 min walk from Wells House Gardens and on the edge of the scrubs near where viaduct curve would start)
- Weds 8 October (4pm-8pm)- Burlington Danes Academy (on corner of Wood Lane and Du Can Road)
- Saturday 11 October (10am-2pm) - Burlington Danes Academy
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Manchester exercises M5000 option - Railway Gazette
Transport for Greater Manchester orders an additional 16 M5000 light rail vehicles for the Metrolink network from Bomardier/Vossloh Kiepe..
Mick Cash elected general secretary of RMT union.(BBC News)
Why London commutes are becoming painfully crowded.(The Telegraph)
Abandoned Tube stations and tunnels to be sold off as tourist attractions.(The Independent)
goingundergroundRT on YouTube
'Experiment gone wrong' – Potential Mayoral candidate calls for rail nationalisation .
Christian Wolmar, journalist and candidate for Labour nomination for London Mayor in 2016, talks to Afshin Rattansi about the cure for transport chaos. He says that Labour should go all out and renationalise the railways if they are elected, as the public understands it is a social service rather than a money-making endeavour. He also argues that HS2 is a mistake – regions would benefit more from better local transport, like that of London, than a high-speed cross-country line. He says that with the role of London mayor, housing is a very important issue that can be tackled. He believes that there has not been enough social housing built with protected rents, that is actually affordable enough to live in for ordinary people, and that there must be a living wage guaranteed, and notjust a minimum wage, to ensure that people are enable to live in the capital and actually enjoy it.
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TfL’s boss is right: good public transport is key to social inclusion | Christian Wolmar | Comment is free
More than 128,000 contactless payments made on London’s rail transport network already(European Railway Review)
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International
Australia
Avalon Airport Rail Link - Preferred Alignment Announcement
Minister for Public Transport & Roads, Terry Mulder, announces the next stage in planning for the Avalon Airport Rail Link - which will connect Avalon Airport to Melbourne and Geelong - outlining the preferred alignment for the rail link, as identified by a recent planning study.
Brazil
Alstom on YouTube:
Axonis, the new solution in lightweight subway
According to data from ANPTrilhos, about 7, 7 million passengers are transported daily on Rails in Brazil, without considering those who wander by and cultural tourist trains. Focusing on the growth potential of this transport type Alstom presented recently to the global market a new solution in lightweight subway, the Axonis.
(Translated by Bing)France.
European Commission approves Thalys restructuring - Railway Gazette
India
Sweep stations on Gandhi Jayanti, rail ministry tells its officials .(Indian Express)
Russia
Russian Railways on Youtube.
Trains of Russian railways. Gas turbine locomotive GT1
The most powerful and technologically advanced gas turbine locomotive of Russia developed in 2007 is designed for efficient operation on non-electrified sections of a railroad.
Sweden
The last link in the Bothnian Corridor(European Railway Review)
USA
Siemens to supply San Francisco LRVs - Railway Gazette
www.progressiverailroading.com
Other Railway Press Releases..
www.railway-technology.com.
Siemens bags $648m deal to supply light rail cars to San Francisco's MTA
Siemens has won a $648m contract from San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency to supply an initial 175 light rail cars for its San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) transit system.
Metrans receives first TRAXX locomotive from Bombardier
Czech railway operator Metrans has received the first of twenty TRAXX multi-system locomotives ordered from Bombardier.
Alstom's Pendolinos receive Polish certification to operate at up to 250km/h
Poland's Office of Rail Transport has certified Alstom's Pendolino trains for operation at up to 250km/h, including confirmation of compliance with the Polish signalling system and European railway traffic management system (ERTMS) level 1.
Australia's Victorian Government enters into the next stage of Avalon Airport Rail Link
Australia's Victorian Government has announced the plan for the next stage of Avalon Airport Rail Link from Melbourne to Geelong.
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Alstom
The latest evolution of Citadis tram X05 for even more passenger comfort.
(includes 3 minute video)
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