Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Tuesday, 03 January 2017

BBC News

• £300m rail upgrade work complete after festive disruptionWork to upgrade the rail lines in south Wales has been completed over the festive period, Network Rail has said.
• Edinburgh Airport set to land 100 new retail jobsEdinburgh Airport announces plans to further expand its retail offering this year, leading to about 100 new jobs.
• Southern rail strike: Rail unions urged to stop 'pointless action'Rail unions are urged to stop their
• Rail boss: Fare hike 'a success story'Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group says increase in rail fare is for investment
• Sweden's best-selling car not a VolvoA Volvo was not Sweden's best-selling car last year, for the first time in more than half a century.
• Train fares rise by an average of 2.3%Passengers face higher rail fares across the UK as average price increases of 2.3% are introduced.

Financial Times

• Norwegian’s plans for new transatlantic routes to help shrink costsAirline plans ultra-low fare of £56 for one-way flight between Edinburgh and New York
• SpaceX to resume rocket flights after explosionSpace company founded by billionaire Elon Musk plans another launch on January 8
• Airbus and Boeing expect turbulence in 2017Aircraft makers struggle to hit sales goals as industry prepares for slowdown

The Guardian

• The driverless car revolution isn’t just about technology – it’s about society too | Jackie AshleyIt could be a bane or a boon. There are ethical issues like the effect on jobs and tax that we need to talk aboutIf there’s one thing 2016 taught us it’s that political predictions are a mug’s game. Predictions about technology and society, however, are at least a little easier. One thing that’s going to rub up against our noses during 2017 is the imminence of the driverless car revolution, which is going to be a big one.Around our house there is a new noise. It’s my voice, in a tone of authoritarian command, saying: “Alexa, stop!” Or perhaps, “Alexa, play the Beach Boys”; or “Alexa, what’s th...
• Rail passengers to stage station protests against fare increasesGroups to protest for two days at stations including King’s Cross and Glasgow Central after fare increase of 2.3% comes into effectCampaigners will be protesting outside train stations in England and Scotland this week in response to higher rail fares coming into effect, as commuters return to work after the festive break.Three campaign groups, We Own It, Action For Rail and Bring Back British Rail have joined forces and organised two nationwide days of action in England on Tuesday and Scotland on Wednesday and are calling for an end to the “rail rip off”. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Rail services “simply not good enough” as fares riseRAIL fares across Scotland will rise from today, with Scotland’s transport minister claiming performance on the trains network during 2016 “was simply not good enough”.

The Independent

• Sadiq Khan scraps London 'Boris buses' in latest blow to Boris Johnson's mayoral legacyCritics have suggested Mr Johnson’s legacy after eight years in office has failed to take hold
• The passenger pays too big a price for the future of our railwaysRegular rail users are right to question whether such a significant rise in fares can be justified at a time when services have become more unreliable

The Telegraph

• Train carriage evacuated as scorpion crawls from passenger's bag
• Southern Rail 'should freeze fares to rebuild trust' until strikes are over

Times Online

• Train pain forces 200,000 to quit jobs [Subscription]More than 200,000 people have given up work as a result of rising rail fares, research suggests. Pollsters for Sainsbury’s Bank also found that 77,000 commuters were considering quitting their jobs in the next two years and that more than 600,000 people had changed jobs in the past three years to reduce the cost of getting to work.
• Rail franchises’ timetable subject to delays — to boost operators’ profits [subscription]The changeovers of four of the largest rail franchises have been delayed by up to a year as transport officials admit that they are having to alter terms and conditions to enable train operators to make big enough profits.
• Rail fares six times higher than in Europe [subscription]Rail commuters are paying up to six times as much as their counterparts in Europe after the latest round of inflation-busting fare increases.

Daily Record

• As our train system goes off the rails, fatcat controllers make sure it's full steam ahead for their rising bonusesSeason ticket holders getting a free week is hardly compensation for all the other rail users who are going to get hit hard in the pocket.

Mail Online

• Britons spend six times more on rail fares than Europeans do A study by Action For Rail found UK workers will spend an average of 14 per cent of their income on a monthly season ticket in some parts of the country, after higher fares kicked in.

The Mirror

• Translink debit card system on trains cost almost £2m to implementThe huge profits raked in by rail firms are used to pay fatcat wages and dividends as passengers have to deal with overcrowding and delays
• UK rail fares take up 14% of our pay.. in France it’s just two per centFares  here have gone up over 50% in the last ten years while earnings have only gone up 24%

Network Rail

• New platform at Cardiff Central station is officially opened as part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade PlanA new platform at Cardiff Central station, designed to help ease congestion, has officially been opened today (Monday, 2 January). Network Rail Chief Executive Mark Carne, Route Managing Director of Network Rail Wales Andy Thomas and the project team were joined by guest of honour Ken Skates AM, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, to witness one of the first trains departing from the platform at the opening event this afternoon.
• Vision to transform rail travel in the north a step closer after Christmas workNetwork Rail is delighted to announce the vital work to transform train travel in the north has completed on time and is thanking passengers and the local community for their patience.

Birmingham Post

• Jaguar Land Rover wins trademark battle over Defender Luxury car maker takes action against a Canadian company which named its new off-road vehicle Defender

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Huge surge in prosecutions over untaxed vehicles THERE has been a huge surge in the number of Bradford drivers successfully prosecuted for having untaxed vehicles.

London Evening Standard

• London to Edinburgh Virgin train delayed by escaped scorpionPassengers on a train from London to Edinburgh were delayed after a scorpion got loose in one of the carriages.
• Rail fare increase: London train cost rise 'a kick in the teeth' after Southern chaosLondon commuters are faced with a rise in rail fares as average ticket prices increases of 2.3 per cent were introduced across the UK.
• Sadiq Khan axes new 'Boris bus' Routemasters on London streets in cost-cutting driveSadiq Khan has quietly axed new Routemasters from London streets in a bid to make savings to the capital's transport budget.
• Heathrow expansion: Government spent 'eye-watering' £10k a day on consultants over third runwayThe Government has been slammed for spending an average of £10,000 per day on consultants and law firms to decide if a third runway should be built at Heathrow.

Manchester Evening News

• Commuters to start 2017 in GRIDLOCK as three major road projects are launchedMetrolink, bus lane and a developer's scheme all hitting city centre

The York Press

• York MP condemns soaring rail fares SOARING train fares have been condemned by York Central MP Rachael Maskell as she called for a new way of running Britain’s railways.

Wales Online

• A bus discount scheme for young people will be scrapped just 18 months after it was launched The decision will impact on thousands trying to travel to jobs, education and training
• A new platform is opening at Cardiff Central station today which could help ease congestionPlatform eight is part of a £300m project aimed to modernise the Cardiff and Valleys network

Yorkshire Post

• YP Letters: Spending thousands on cycle lanes in Leeds... to benefit the fewFrom: Andrew Kilburn, Alandale Crescent, Garforth, Leeds.
• Andrew Vine: Freeze our train fares until service is up to standardTODAY’S return to work isn’t going to do anything to ease the post-Christmas blues for rail commuters shivering on platforms and wishing it was still the bank holiday.
• Caroline Flint: Rail links put us on right lines for aviation’s successI GENUINELY believe that 2017 could mark a change of fortune for South Yorkshire and for England’s regions.Strangely the catalyst for this was the announcement in October that Heathrow airport will get a new runway.

Blackpool Gazette

• Resort rail fares rise as services hit by upgradeFylde coast rail passengers will see massive investment in 2017 but will pay the price with an average 2.2 per cent rise in fares.

North Wales Live

• Wirral line users braced for disruption as track renewal works get under way No rail services at all between Wirral and Liverpool for six weeks
• 13 things you need to know about getting the bus from Wirral to LiverpoolPassengers are facing six months of disruption during loop line works

Peterborough Telegraph

• Passengers on Peterborough train ‘sealed off’ after police called to deal with escaped scorpion.Rail passengers en route from London to Edinburgh were delayed at Peterborough after a scorpion was spotted on the train.

Plymouth Herald

• Campaigners slam plans to cut Plymouth rail servicesNew rail timetables will cut services and make them less attractive for Plymouth passengers, campaigners say.

Other Regional Press

• Labour councillor calls for nationalisation of railways TRAIN operators should be brought back under public ownership, a Labour councillor has said.
• Rail passengers set to voice anger over 'unfair' fare rise CAMPAIGNERS outraged about rising rail fares will voice their anger during protests at the county’s stations today.
• Trade union campaigners protest at Weymouth and Dorchester stations against "rip-off" rail fares as costs increase TRADE union campaigners are today protesting against rail fare hikes at some of South West’s train stations - including Weymouth and Dorchester.
• How safe are our roads? Research reveals crashes cost Dorset �200million over just three years CRASHES in Dorset cost the county more than �200million in three years according to a road safety organisation.

Rail Magazine

• Mail Rail trains start running through tunnelsLondon’s new underground railway attraction is one step closer to the finish line, after the Mail Rail trains made their first journeys through the tunnels.

Other News Sources

• Scottish Government threaten to strip Abellio of Scotrail franchise after abysmal performance statsThe firm have been hit with £1.5million in fines for failing to meet standards since taking over the contract in 2015.
• Learner drivers set to be allowed onto Hampshire motorways LEARNER drivers will be allowed to practise on motorways for the first time, if a government plan to improve road safety is given the go-ahead.
• Bus lane fines triple in just one year THE number of motorists fined for driving in bus lanes has more than tripled in just one year.