Dawlish is in the news again, after waves are seen coming over the top of a First Great Western HST... over-reaction?
Fair fares on the Underground for part time workers....
The 500th Thameslink academy graduate...
Let there be light at Birmingham New Street...
Some new Ecofret wagons delivered to GB Railfreight.....
And an eco friendly station in Vienna will have the commuters waltzing in the aisles..
LNG fuel for the railroads?? This year, next year.........
Free rail travel in Slovakia for over 46% of the population!!!!!!!!!
Special offer fares for upcoming big events in Ireland...
Support the Railway Children Charity......
Click on the links....
Headlines
UK
Dawlish storm-hit train line battered again.(BBC News)
Unfair rail fine or unused train tickets? This is how to reclaim your money.(The Telegraph)
Free Tube travel: Mastercard deal gives you two free days' travel on the London Underground.(The Independent)
London Underground fares shake-up: part-time workers to save hundreds of pounds under new Tube and bus fares system.(London Evening Standard)
Transport for London Press Release
GLA Press Release - Fares Announcement
Mayor introduces new part-time worker fare deal as part of real terms fares freeze
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today set out a step change in Transport for London's (TfL's) fares for 2015, giving flexible and part-time workers, including those with unpredictable hours, access to lower fares.
The new fares reflect modern-day travel patterns and deliver on a commitment by the Mayor to the London Assembly to address the specific needs of part-time workers in the capital.
Overall, TfL fares will be frozen in real terms, with an average increase of 2.5%.
Flexible and part-time travel
London's workforce has changed. Twenty two per cent of Londoners now work part-time, while many others have flexible working patterns and do not know how many days or hours they will work each week.In response the Mayor is cutting pay as you go daily caps dramatically so they become one fifth of the cost of a 7 Day Travelcard to Zone 1. This produces a much fairer commuting cost for many part-time workers and will mean that those with unpredictable working patterns can simply use pay as you go Oyster or contactless payments with the new guarantee that they will pay no more in a day than one fifth of the cost of a 7 day Travelcard ticket. Bringing daily caps in line with the cost of monthly and annual tickets would cost more than £200m per year.
Daily fares capping allows customers using Oyster or contactless payments to make as many journeys as they need to in a single day, but caps the amount they pay for their travel at a set level. Once the total of all the fares reaches a certain amount the customer will not have to pay any more for their journeys for the rest of the day.
The all-day cap for Zones 1-2 will be cut by £2.00 from £8.40 to £6.40; and for Zones 1-6 by over £4.00 from £15.80 to £11.70. This means that part-time workers using pay as you go will pay similar daily rates as full time commuters using a 7 day Travelcard. As an example, for someone who uses a Zone 1-2 7 day Travelcard (£32.10 in 2015) to travel 5 days a week, their travel will cost £6.42 each day - similar to the new £6.40 pay as you go daily cap for those who travel less frequently.
The potential savings will be considerable, ranging from £200 to over £600 per year. When a 3 days a week customer travels between Zones 1-5 in 2015 they will pay a maximum of £10.90 a day, rather than the current maximum of £15.80, saving £4.90 a day, or £14.70 a week. Over a year (for example 45 weeks) the savings are over £600.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: `This fares package delivers on my commitment to address the needs of flexible and part time workers. By overhauling our fares structure we will put money back into the pockets of hundreds of thousands of hardworking people who make such a vital contribution to London's economy. Freezing overall fares in real terms for next year allows us to hold down the cost of travel, while maintaining our vital programme of modernisation. This will ensure that the capital remains a competitive global city and a fantastic place to live.`
Continue reading
York's Scarborough railway bridge: Work starts on £6m scheme.(BBC News)
Greater Anglia trains from Norwich to London affected by wire damage.(BBC News)
Conservatives hit out at Labour shadow minister over absence from rail debate.(EADT24)
GOV.UK.
Thameslink Programme celebrates 500th skills academy graduate
London Bridge skills academy reaches training milestone on £6.5 billion upgrade project.
The government’s Thameslink Programme which will transform travel across London and the South East from 2018, has celebrated the 500th trainee to successfully pass through its construction academy.
The London Bridge Skills Academy was set up in July 2013 to train and develop engineers working on the £6.5 billion Thameslink Programme, as well as giving them the skills needed for the projects of tomorrow. Workers can study for courses from entry level construction skills to full professional qualifications in site management.
Rail minister Claire Perry said:
The Thameslink Programme is helping to develop a new generation of highly-skilled engineers for future infrastructure projects. I congratulate everyone who has been through the academy so far, and I hope more workers will follow in their footsteps.The 500th graduate is Anthony Martin, from Southwark, who is one of 30 local people to have found work on the Thameslink Programme. The 31-year-old joined the project a year ago, and has worked across the scheme.
The success of the skills academy and the 500 trainees who have passed through its doors is proof that our investment in the rail network is helping to secure long-term economic growth, by generating jobs and creating new career opportunities.
Anthony Martin, from Southwark, is the 500th graduate of London Bridge Skills Academy.(GOV.UK picture)
Anthony said:
As well as developing existing workers, the academy aims to leave a long-lasting legacy for the local community, with 27 work experience places offered to local schools and colleges, and training provided to 25 local apprentices.I’ve been working on sites for many years, doing different kinds of work, from labourer to ground works. Not the skills and focus the skills academy has given me has not only made me more employable, but also helped me to focus on building a career.
The Thameslink Programme will see the north-south route across London upgraded to provide new, spacious trains running every 2 to 3 minutes through central London, more reliable journeys and improved connections to more destinations, including Cambridge and Peterborough. The project also involves the complete rebuild of London Bridge station.
Thameslink is one of several major rail upgrades across the UK that will provide more seats, more services and better journeys for passengers. Over the next 5 years, more than £38 billion will be spent maintaining and improving the UK’s rail network.
Network Rail
The engineering challenge of Birmingham New Street's atrium
The most technically complex part of phase II was to transfer the load for the new steel atrium roof onto the existing structure. This is how Network Rail and Mace achieved it over the summer of 2014, and what it means for the rest of the redevelopment and the whole area. http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/622...
GB Railfreight
Press Release
GB Railfreight first Ecofret triple-platform wagons arrive in Doncaster
GB Railfreight has announced that the first two Ecofret triple-platform wagon sets, as part of 17 secured with VTG Rail UK Ltd on a long term lease, will be arriving at its premises in Doncaster International Railport today (12th November 2014).
The two wagons started the journey from Wabtec’s facilities in Kilmarnock at 11.21am, hauled by GBRf’s locomotive 47812, down the West Coast Main Line to Carlisle and then along the Cross Country Route, eventually arriving in Doncaster at 10.38pm.
The initial batch of frames for these wagons reached Kilmarnock two weeks ago and Wabtec’s engineering team have subsequently been assembling the wagons onto bogies, and commissioning them for operational use. This process will be repeated weekly until mid-January 2015, when the final Ecofret frames will have been delivered to the UK.
These triple-platform wagon sets are designed to maximise the number of 40’ boxes that can be carried, with the outer platforms being able to carry one 40-foot container each, and the inner platform being able to carry either one 40-foot container or two 20-foot containers.
GBRf believes the addition of these wagons to its current fleet is an important development for the company, allowing it to better satisfy its customers’ demands for 40ft boxes from the Port of Felixstowe and make more effective use of capacity.
John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight, said:
“GB Railfreight is delighted to announce the arrival of VTG Rail UK Ltd’s first two Ecofret wagons at Doncaster. These will have a significant impact on the services we are able to offer our customers from the Port of Felixstowe, as it will allow us to adapt to the increased demand for 40’ containers. VTG has really revolutionised container transportation with this new wagon and we are looking forward to January 2015, when the final frames arrive.”
Courtesy: GBRF.
International
Africa
Railways Africa
NEWLOCO APPEARANCE CRITICISED
TRANSNET CROSSING PROTECTION
MOLOTO ROAD CORRIDOR
NASREC METROPLUS EXPRESS
JB TRAIN TOURS
TRANSNET’S CLASS 20E
M & R GAUTRAIN CLAIMS STILL OUTSTANDING
METRO FOR ORAN, ALGERIA
WALVIS BAY DRY PORT FOR BOTSWANA RAILWAYS
INDIAN LOAN FOR MAURITIUS LRT
Read the full stories at.Railways Africa
Austria
Billion Euro Eco-Friendly Train Station Opens in Vienna.(Environment News Service)
China
China's Newest Recipe For Solving Its Xinjiang Problem: A High-Speed Rail Line (Forbes)
Li Keqiang 'regrets' Mexico's scrapping of rail deal (Want China Times)
Slovakia
Slovakia funds free rail travel - Railway Gazette
SLOVAKIA: Railway Gazette reports that ,with effect from November 17, around 46% of the population will be eligible for free travel on subsidised train services, under a proposal endorsed by the government of Prime Minister Robert Fico on October 22.
The provision is part of a €250m national economic stimulus package approved by the cabinet in June, which includes a series of measures to support rail-based public transport....................
USA
www.progressiverailroading.com
Solving a Thorney Problem
On the face of it, it seemed like a pretty brave thing to do - to launch a massive 60-metre span temporary bridge into free space above one of our busiest rail routes.A Tale of Two Desiros
Two recent train launches represented both the end of one era and the start of another.Engaging the Supply Chain
Nigel Wordsworth reports on supplier engagement events hosted by Network Rail and HS2.Rolling out the Black Carpet
Grahame Taylor contemplates the Markshall Farm curve problem.Rail Exec - Most Interesting Awards
Rail Media is launching a new rail awards ceremony in November where you don’t need to enter to be a winner.Read the whole magazine online
See the full digital edition here - now downloadable
On the face of it, it seemed like a pretty brave thing to do - to launch a massive 60-metre span temporary bridge into free space above one of our busiest rail routes.A Tale of Two Desiros
Two recent train launches represented both the end of one era and the start of another.Engaging the Supply Chain
Nigel Wordsworth reports on supplier engagement events hosted by Network Rail and HS2.Rolling out the Black Carpet
Grahame Taylor contemplates the Markshall Farm curve problem.Rail Exec - Most Interesting Awards
Rail Media is launching a new rail awards ceremony in November where you don’t need to enter to be a winner.Read the whole magazine online
See the full digital edition here - now downloadable
SmartRail World
Total Rail
What we're talking about this week:
- Rome's new metro line takes a turn for the worse
- London underground sets new passenger record
- Top Five: Game-Changers In High Speed Rail
www.railway-technology.com
Peruvian Government plans to build $9.5bn coastal railway line
Peru's Transportation and Communications Minister Jose Gallardo has revealed that the government is considering plans to build a $9.5bn new coastal railway line that connects the northern and southern regions of the country.
Mitsui and Odebrecht TransPort to form new joint venture in Brazil
Tokyo-based Mitsui and Brazil's Odebrecht TransPort have signed agreements to create a joint venture to promote concession and public-private partnership (PPP) projects related to urban passenger railway transportation.
Los Angeles Metro Purple Line extension project begins
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) in the US has started construction of the Purple Line Extension Project.
New Essex Thameside franchise c2c begins operations in UK
UK intercity coach operator National Express-owned new franchise c2c has launched on the Essex Thameside rail service to serve the line for the next 15 years.
Cheer on the Boys in Green at the Aviva Stadium this November
Sat 22nd - Ireland vs Australia, K.O. 16:30hrs
Grand Canal Dock Station will be closed from 15:50hrs to 17:40hrs on Sunday 16th November for crowd control purposes.
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Rep. of Ireland will play USA in an International friendly
on Tuesday 18th November 2014, Kick off 19:45hrs.
The easiest way to travel directly to the Aviva is to take the DART.
The line actually runs under the West stand of the stadium and stops at Lansdowne Road Station.
Extra DART capacity will be added before and after each game for supporters going to the games.
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 Book Online and get 10% off Christmas Shopping, Going to the Match, Travelling to the Panto..... Book your train trip today!
Remember you can book 60 days in advance on www.irishrail.ie
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Thank you.
PS. Every £1 spent on fundraising during 2014 raised £4.30 to help support our future work!
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