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

Monday, 09 January 2017

BBC News

• £1.2bn Cardiff city region findings backedA key report on a £1.2bn deal for south-east Wales is being backed by local authority leaders.
• HMIC to examine Police Scotland plan to take on rail policingA watchdog will inspect British Transport Police ahead of Police Scotland's proposed takeover of the force.
• Belfast International Airport: 'fifth busiest in UK' for domestic travelBelfast International is listed as the fifth busiest airport in the United Kingdom for domestic passenger traffic.
• Metrolink's Trafford Park £350m tramline: Preparation work startsWork along the route of a new £350m tramline to Greater Manchester's Trafford Centre is set to begin.
• Southern strike: GTR boss 'agrees to fresh talks'The boss of Southern rail and a union chief agree to hold fresh talks in a bid to end the crisis on the network, the BBC understands.
• January Tube strike guide: What you need to knowA strike is shutting down most of the Tube network in central London. Here is what you need to know.
• Tube strike: London set to face rush-hour travel chaosRush-hour commuters face travel chaos as a 24-hour strike action hits the London Underground.

Financial Times

• Carmakers steer cautious driverless pathAuto giants differ on how quickly industry can make transition to autonomous
• Morgan Stanley in talks to sell oil tanker stakeNegotiations over Heidmar comes amid Wall Street scrutiny over commodities dealings
• Uber to share more travel data with cities‘Movement’ transit time website is conciliatory move after earlier clashes
• Rail review seeks to unlock funds to reopen linesPotential investors in system complain of bureaucracy and high costs

The Guardian

• London Underground strike kicks off week of tube, air and rail walkouts24-hour tube strike set to cause havoc on Monday with all zone one stations closed in dispute over ticket office closuresRail, air and London Underground services will be hit by strikes this week, leaving many commuters, particularly those in London and the south-east, facing a difficult start to the first full working week of 2017.A 24-hour walkout by London Underground staff is expected to cause havoc on Monday by closing tube stations in the centre of the capital. British Airways flights from Heathrow are expected to be disrupted by a strike among cabin crew on Tuesday, and London’s commute...

The Herald

• Failure to renationalise rail is harming independence claims RMT leaderTHE leader of the UK's biggest rail union has warned that the SNP's failure to renationalise trains was damaging support for Scottish independence.
• 'Hugely disappointing' that higher proportion failed drink-drive testONE in 30 drivers stopped by police during the drink-drive campaign over the festive season were over the legal limit.

The Independent

• CrossCountry allows passengers to change Advance tickets without paying feeRail passengers from Aberdeen to Penzance are set to benefit from the abolition of fees for amending Advance tickets. CrossCountry, which serves England, Wales and Scotland from its hub in Birmingham, has abandoned the £10 administration charge that is common across the rail industry for such changes.

The Telegraph

• Tube strike: How long will the London Underground closure last and which lines and stations are affected?�
• Tube strike: Four million commuters face rush-hour travel chaos

Times Online

• Army of new drivers to defeat rail strikes [Subscription]A national campaign to recruit hundreds of train drivers is to be launched under government plans to combat a wave of industrial action.
• Bus regulation to get red light from ministers [Subscription]Ministers look set to reject calls for the wholesale re-regulation of Scotland’s bus services. They are expected to opt for alternative measures tackling declining passenger numbers, congestion and pollution, and to give councils control over services.
• Rail strikes threaten to spread nationwide as Tube talks fail [subscription]The rail strikes that have caused commuter misery in the south of England are set to spread across the country, it emerged this weekend.

Mail Online

• Tube passengers drop their TROUSERS for No Pants Day ahead of Underground strike Bemused passengers on the tube awkwardly averted their gaze today as hundreds of commuters stripped down to their underwear across London for the bizarre annual tradition.

The Mirror

• Diesel vehicles to splutter out? Experts predict electric cars will dominate market by 2025 as motorists go green Industry chiefs also claim that more than half the people who own cars now will not do so in future as they opt to rent or use a car service instead
• Majority of people want 'unfit' Southern Rail and other franchises to be renationalised The poll comes amid claims strikes, which have caused disruption in the South of England, will spread across the country
• Commuters brave the chill to strip down to underwear in international celebration of silliness People dressed in winter clothes, minus their trousers, before jumping on undergrounds around the world

London Evening Standard

• Tube strike January 2017: Almost all Zone 1 stations to close as unions confirm walkout WILL go aheadLondoners are set to endure major disruption as a Tube strike will go ahead after unions rejected a last-ditch offer to stop the walkout.
• Southern Rail strike January 2017: Passengers warned over travelling during this week's walkoutsCommuters should only get Southern trains on strike days if their journey is vital, the rail company is warning ahead of a week of crippling walkouts on London's transport network.
• No Trousers on the Tube Day: Hundreds of Londoners drop trousers for day of semi-nakednessHundreds of half-naked Londoners left Tube passengers stunned today when they left their trousers at home to mark the worldwide No Trousers on the Tube Day.
• Tube strike: commuters face early morning rush hour travel miseryLondoners battled to work this morning with almost no Tube service due to strike action over job losses and ticket office closures.

Manchester Evening News

• City centre transport changes - how routes for cars, buses and cyclists are affectedTransport bosses are warning drivers and bus passengers to expect more traffic and congestion throughout January and February
• Doubts cast over plans for two new platforms at Manchester Piccadilly train stationA shadow of doubt is looming over plans to expand Manchester Piccadilly after Network Rail’s boss admitted they are looking at the ‘cost-benefit ratio’.

Yorkshire Post

• Tube worker strike causes commute chaosCommuters in the capital face chaos today as London Underground workers stage 24 hour strike action - causing travel chaos for millions of passengers.

East Anglian Daily Times

• ‘Positive’ meeting held over Saxmundham Art Station projectFunding is being sought for a project to turn a station on the East Suffolk rail line into an arts hub following a positive meeting between organisers and Greater Anglia officials.

Reading Evening Post

• Tube strikes: Reading commuters warned London Paddington will have no underground service There is likely to be no tube service at London Paddington and other key interchanges during the walk out

Other Regional Press

• Network Rail told to prove it was ‘good neighbour’ in Oxford row A REVIEW of whether Network Rail has been a ‘considerate neighbour’ to people in North Oxford has been requested by the Government.
• Kirklees Council finally agrees to bus gates investigationInvestigation into £1.2m traffic camera scheme launch
• Jaguar Land Rover sells more than a car a minute in 2016 Jaguar Land Rover sells more than a car a minute in 2016

Railway Gazette

• Germany – China parcels train to run this yearINTERNATIONAL: A pilot eastbound postal service between Duisburg in Germany and Chongqing in China...
• Astra wagons delivered to DB Cargo UKUK: DB Cargo UK has begun taking delivery of 85 open wagons being supplied by leasing company VTG...

Other News Sources

• Aylesbury MP 'disappointed' with latest HS2 reportAylesbury MP David Lidington has expressed his disappointment at the latest special report on HS2 produced by the House of Lords.
• Southern Rail commuters to hold protest mourning 'death of our patience' Organiser Robin Marchant said he wants to hold the protest to let Southern Rail know commuters are "royally fed up"