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

Sunday, 20 August 2017

BBC News

• Great Western Rail upgrades affecting south Wales beginRail upgrade works affecting people travelling between south Wales, Bristol Parkway and London Paddington have begun.
• South Western rail franchise: Clash with union over second person on trainsThe new South Western rail franchise holder insists two staff members will be on board each train.
• Northern, Southern and Merseyrail strikes set for SeptemberThe RMT said no progress had been made over the future of the role of guards, due to safety and job loss fears.

The Guardian

• UK rail fare rise 'will force key workers to quit city jobs'Cost of commuting unfairly penalises public sector staff and part-time workers, warns unionPlans to hit rail commuters with the biggest fare rises in five years will force many key workers, including nurses and teaching assistants, to quit their jobs, the biggest public-sector union Unison warned on Saturday. Anger at the 3.6% increase to regulated fares, including commuter fares and season tickets, spilled over last week after it was revealed that the rises would come into effect in January.

The Herald

• £80m Edinburgh Airport extension to make it quicker to board flights by next yearPASSENGERS can expect to get through Edinburgh Airport quicker once a new £80 million extension is complete next year.

The Independent

• An American writer took the Tube for the first time and fell in loveHe really, really likes it. He likes it so much he wrote an article about how London is a “transportation paradise” compared to his current home of New York.

The Observer

• Better subsidies would make rail fares more affordable … just in time for BrexitBritish trains are not bad, but they are savagely expensive at peak time. Travel costs are one of many factors future employers will be weighing up

The Scotsman

• Glasgow looks to Venice with water taxi service to airportA Venetian-style entry to Glasgow is in prospect with plans for a water taxi service from the airport.

Times Online

• Uber drivers commit most minicab offences in London [subscription]Almost two-thirds of people accused of minicab driving offences in London work for Uber, according to police.
• Rise in British road deaths partly blamed on mobile phones [subscription]Ministers are braced for new figures showing a rise of up to 10% in the number of people killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads last year.
• Helicopter shuttle service plan has Scilly Isles in a whirl [subscription]With their turquoise seas, golden sands and subtropical climate, the Isles of Scilly are as close to paradise as it is possible to get in the UK.
• I huff and puff uphill and a geek glides serenely by [subscription]San Francisco is the hub of a mobility revolution, with cargo robots, hydrofoil drones and even motorised skateboards joining electric cars
• Bus lanes to get priority with land grab plans [subscription]The National Transport Authority (NTA) plans to compulsorily purchase land for bus lanes, including residents’ front gardens, as part of its €1bn overhaul of the Dublin bus network.

Reuters News

• India investigates after fourth big train accident in past year kills 23NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India began investigating on Sunday a train crash in which 23 people were killed, the fourth major accident over the past year on the world's fourth biggest rail network which is grappling with chronic under-investment and over-crowding.

Birmingham Post

• Eurostar train becomes virtual classroom for future rail engineersRetired engine refitted and brought to Birmingham's new National College for High Speed Rail

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Airport rail link still on council’s agendaAmbitious plans for a new rail link between Aberdeen Airport, the new AECC and the city centre have not been forgotten and could be funded through a second City Deal, the council leader has said.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Staffordshire 'forgotten' in rail shake-upA Staffordshire business leader has claimed that the county has been ‘forgotten’ as plans to transform the rail network across the West Midlands forge ahead.

West Sussex Gazette

• Network Rail helicopters crack down on trespassingHelicopter crews have stepped up patrols on the south east’s railway lines as trespassing hits a six-year high.

Other Regional Press

• Fresh strikes to hit Merseyrail train servicesUnion bosses have announced there will be three more days of industrial action hitting Merseyrail trains services in September in an ongoing dispute over the company's plans to remove on-board guards from its trains.
• Fresh strikes to hit Merseyrail train servicesUnion bosses have announced there will be three more days of industrial action hitting Merseyrail trains services in September in an ongoing dispute over the company's plans to remove on-board guards from its trains.
• South Western franchise passes from South West Trains (Stagecoach) to new operator First/MTRResponsibility for the South Western franchise passes from South West Trains (Stagecoach) to new operator First/MTR at 1:59am tomorrow (Sunday).
• South West Trains to become South Western Railway as £2.4bn railway takeover beginsPASSENGERS will spot very little difference when a British and Hong Kong partnership take over the running of a Hampshire rail franchise this weekend in a £2.4bn deal.
• Fresh strikes to hit Merseyrail train servicesUnion bosses have announced there will be three more days of industrial action hitting Merseyrail trains services in September in an ongoing dispute over the company's plans to remove on-board guards from its trains.

Other News Sources

• 800 trains and 100,0000 passengers heading to Surrey and Gatwick disrupted by rail track trespassersA helicopter will be patrolling south east trespassing hotspots this weekend (August 19-20)
• London Waterloo upgrade: South West Trains adds extra day of disruption following derailment Passengers are being advised to make alternative travel arrangements over the bank holiday weekend