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

Saturday, 11 February 2017

BBC News

• Closures as completion of north-London rail line work delayedA London rail route faces more closures after Network Rail admitted it failed to complete work on the line on time.
• Crossrail 2 is a 'threat to Soho's soul' says Stephen FryStephen Fry, who is the chairman of Save Soho, warns the area
• French carmaker Renault reports record revenuesA revamp of Renault's model range helps the carmaker overtake rival Peugeot Citroen.
• One-fifth of rail passengers buy wrong tickets from machinesThe rail regulator says firms should refund people who overpay for tickets from self-service machines.

The Guardian

• Fifth of rail passengers buy wrong ticket from machines, says regulatorAlmost 20% of study’s mystery passengers either paid too much for journey or paid too little, risking penalty fare

Times Online

• Electric cars mean UK could need 20 new nuclear plants [Subscription]They are seen as an antidote to the wave of pollution clouding Britain’s biggest cities. Within the next few years, it is hoped that a fleet of electric cars will clear the air by driving diesel and petrol engines off urban streets.
• No-frills mini trains offer route to reopening lines that Beeching shut [Subscription]A new generation of “no-frills” trains is being manufactured under plans to open up little-used branch lines closed by Dr Beeching in the 1960s.
• Passengers stranded at stations [Subscription]Rising numbers of passengers were stranded on platforms last year after more than 100,000 late-running trains skipped stations to make up time.

Office of Rail and Road (ORR)

• Rail Regulator calls for ticket machine price guarantee The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is calling on train operators to refund passengers after its new research showed that overall 1 in 5 mystery shoppers selected a more..

London Evening Standard

• Bakerloo line extension: Everything you need to know about TfL's �3.1bn Tube plan for south-east LondonTransport for London has set out detailed plans for a �3.1bn extension of the Bakerloo Line - from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham - in a public consultation.
• British Airways cabin crew announce four-day strike amid pay disputeBritish Airways cabin crew will stage a fresh four-day strike in a dispute over pay.

Manchester Evening News

• More than a thousand jobs up for grabs at Manchester Airport The airport is hosting an employment fair as it prepares for its busiest ever summer

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Councillors saddle up for decision on cycle superhighway extensionSenior councillors in Leeds were today set to run the rule over multi-million pound plans for an extension to Leeds’s cycle superhighway.

Other Regional Press

• Reviving a ‘forgotten’ Lancashire rail route dream Read more at: http://www.fleetwoodtoday.co.uk/news/reviving-a-forgotten-lancashire-rail-route-dream-1-8379821Campaigners on track to try and restore parts of old Garstang to Knott End line Read more at: http://www.fleetwoodtoday.co.uk/news/reviving-a-forgotten-lancashire-rail-route-dream-1-8379821
• Poor rail links leaving people ‘abandoned’ at stationRAIL passengers are being left at stations in the freezing cold and forced to walk home in darkness due to poor links between arriving trains and connecting buses.

Bus and Coach.com

• Bus stop codes gathering real-time data

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New support for British spaceportsThe government is looking to push forward commercial spaceflight activity in the UK with a series of grants totalling £10m. The money is aimed at consortia that want to start launching satellites - and even people - from British soil. Previous feasibility work has already identified a number of aerodromes that might make suitable spaceports - from Cornwall to Scotland. Ministers also intend to introduce supporting legislation. As the law stands, the rocket planes and other launch systems currently in development around the world would not be able to operate out of the UK. The legislation...
• Bakerloo line extension to support new housing and jobsThe extension of the Bakerloo line has progressed further with the opening of a new Transport for London (TfL) consultation that sets out detailed proposals for station locations along the proposed route beyond Elephant & Castle.  The Bakerloo line extension, to Lewisham via Old Kent Road and New Cross Gate, is vital to meeting the needs of the Capital's growing population, which is expected to increase from 8.7 million today to reach over 10 million by 2030.  It would support growth in south east London through new housing, improved connectivity, increased transport network capa...
• British Airways flights return to Birmingham and BristolBritish Airways is to start flying from Birmingham and Bristol airports again with the launch of four new summer-only routes to popular European sunspots.  From May the airline will begin direct flights from both Birmingham and Bristol to the popular Spanish destinations of Malaga, Ibiza and Palma and to the Italian city of Florence.  They will operate on modern Embraer 190 jet aircraft, with spacious cabins and two abreast seating so every customer can have an aisle or window seat.  The new return flights from both airports will operate once a week at weekends. British Airways ...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail and LU dominate at this year's UKRIANetwork Rail and London Underground (LU) dominated this year’s UK Rail Industry Awards (UKRIA), taking home three trophies each for their contribution to the railways.  At the event, hosted by RTM, the infrastructure owner won the Environmental & Sustainability award for its high...

Railnews

• New ORR clampdown on ticket machines The Office of Rail and Road has called for a new price guarantee for passengers who buy tickets from vending machines, after its own mystery shppers inadvertently chose a more expensive ticket than they needed in more than seven cases out of each hundred purchases. In other cases they risked a penalty fare by choosing the wrong ticket. Train operators are now being urged to refund passengers who fail to understand the ticket machines, as well as improving the standard of information about the range of tickets available.

Other News Sources

• Choose life, choose a career… choose buses?Stuffy, traditional and facing extinction. Why should young people join the bus industry, and why should those who still have a choice decide to stay? Alex Warner offers his view   A familiar sight?: The dyed-in-the-wool, uninspiring attitudes of some ‘old farts’ can have a debilitating effect   Firstly an apology to Arriva’s bus big boy, Kevin O’Connor, for inadvertently suggesting that he rather than I am 45, as opposed to 40 in my ‘Travel Test’ with him last month (PT151). Not that our Kev has complained – it’s just I’ve been feeling guilty ever since. To be honest, I’ve bee...
• Stephen Fry says Crossrail 2 is a 'threat to Soho's soul'Actor and presenter and general legend Stephen Fry has shared his concerns that Crossrail 2 plans could pose a threat to Soho's 'authentic soul'. Fry, who is the chairman of community group Save Soho said: 'Soho is not just a metropolitan enclave... it is a focus, a magnet for the young, creative and open-minded around the country'. He added: 'The new threat to Soho's authentic soul coming from Crossrail 2 is a real and urgent issue.'