Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Friday, 30th June 2023
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Friday, 30th June 2023
The Tyne and Wear Metro upgrade is another step closer after a multi-million pound signalling control suite was switched on for the first time.
An article on the Chronicle Live says the switch-on at Gosforth Metro depot is part of the countdown to the new fleet entering service for customers.
The newly built facility will be used by Stadler to safely manage Metro train movements between the depot and the mainline, replacing an ageing control room in the old depot which had technology dating back to the 1980s.
Nexus, the public body which owns and operates the Tyne and Wear Metro, said the move was a big technological leap forward as testing continues to get the first new Metro trains into service.
Rail customers with accessibility needs are benefiting from a specifically designed app to help them book the assistance they need, with over 3.5 million journeys supported since it was launched two years ago by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).
The app was created as part of the rail industry’s commitment to be an accessible and inclusive mode of transport for all.
When developing the app, engagement was undertaken with stakeholders representing passengers with accessibility needs including train operating company accessibility and inclusion leads, accessibility panels, the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Office of Road and Rail (ORR).
Three-quarters of Network Rail’s suppliers have, by emissions, committed to setting their own science-based emissions targets.
Network Rail has thanked its suppliers for getting on board with its ambitious sustainability targets after 75 per cent of suppliers, by emissions, committed to implementing their own science-based emissions targets.
Supporting the UK government’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Network Rail became the first railway company to set independently verified Science Based Targets in October 2020, and challenged its suppliers to set their own.
Suppliers, such as manufacturing and construction companies, generate around two-thirds of the railway’s emissions, so Network Rail has worked with its partners in setting their own targets and will support in monitoring and measuring their performance to encourage shared learning.
Elizabeth line services through London were suspended yesterday because of a swan on the track at Paddington.
Passengers on board a number of services said they had been told the bird was blocking part of the route.
Transport for London (TfL) said there was “an obstruction” on the track which had halted trains between Heathrow Airport in west London and Abbey Wood in south-east London.
Photo credit: Rail Delivery Group
