Alex
Hynes
moves


Scotland’s
Railway
managing
director
Alex
Hynes
has
been
appointed
director
general,
rail
services,
at
the
Department
for
Transport
on
a
two-year
secondment.
His
appointment
follows
a
reorganisation
of
departments
within
the
DfT,
where
a
new
integrated
Rail
Infrastructure
and
Services
Delivery
Group
is
replacing
most
of
the
Passenger
Services
and
Rail
Infrastructure
Groups,
paving
the
way
for
Great
British
Railways.

Battery
trains


A
former
Vivarail
Class
230
unit
has
started
running
extended
battery
trials
with
Great
Western
Railway
on
the
Greenford
branch
in
west
London.
The
unit
recharges
within
3.5
minutes
when
it
pauses
at
West
Ealing,
the
line’s
southern
terminus.
The
test
train
will
not
carry
passengers,
and
is
running
between
normal
booked
services.

Contactless
launch


A
new
tap-and-go
system
which
accepts
contactless
smartcards
has
been
announced
for
the
Liverpool
City
Region.
The
move
is
part
of
plans
to
invest
almost
£10
million
in
public
transport
ticketing,
as
part
of
the
Mayor’s
commitment
to
provide
a
‘London-style’
transport
system.