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

Tuesday, 06 January 2015

BBC News

• Northampton railway station to open on 12 JanuaryThe much-delayed £20m Northampton railway station will open on Monday 12 January, the final day of a deadline set by Network Rail.
• Northampton Greyfriars bus station tower to be removed by cranePart of a tower and bridge at a brutalist bus station likened to the "mouth of hell" are to be removed by crane.
• West coast bus link service beginsA new bus service between Aberystwyth in Ceredigion and Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire starts running.
• Bus depot blaze treated as arsonA huge fire at a bus depot which destroyed 30 coaches, five minibuses and a car is being treated as arson.
• Green Party in fares cut pledgeThe Green Party in England and Wales is proposing an average 10% cut in train and bus fares paid for by increased public investment.
• Minister sorry over rail delaysTransport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin apologises over
• Councils face huge road repair billsCouncils across England, including in London, are facing bills of up to £100m to complete huge backlogs of road repairs.
• Further fuel price cuts this weekAll four big supermarkets announce that further fuel price cuts will take effect this week, bringing petrol ever closer to £1 a litre.
• Toyota opens up hydrogen patentsAlmost 6,000 patents relating to hydrogen fuel cells owned by Toyota are being made available to anyone to use royalty free.

Financial Times

• Cheap fuel drives ‘stellar’ US car salesGM and Chrysler see renewed appetite for pick-up trucks and SUVs as petrol prices fall
• Indonesia cracks down on aviation sectorAirlines ordered to brief pilots on weather conditions following crash
• Graft purge snares China Southern CFOChina’s largest airline has lost four top executives in a week

The Guardian

• Christmas rail chaos unacceptable, transport secretary tells MPsPatrick McLoughlin says National Rail completed most engineering work on time despite disruption caused by overruns
• Green party promises 10% cut in rail and bus faresLeader Natalie Bennett would limit £15bn road-building programme to save public transport passengers £1.8bn a year

The Herald

• On your bike: scientists prove that serious cycling can keep you youngNot everyone can emulate Bradley Wiggins, but serious cycling may help to keep you young, scientists have discovered.

The Independent

• Solent ship grounded: Land Rovers, Jaguars and other luxury cars worth £100m could be lost on stricken cargo ship More than £100 million worth of cars including Jaguars, Minis, Land Rovers and a Rolls-Royce could be lost on a cargo ship that ran aground off the Isle of Wight.

The Scotsman

• Edinburgh-Glasgow trains face summer of disruptionCOMMUTERS on Scotland’s busiest rail line will suffer six weeks of disruption this summer, in the first big test for ScotRail’s new Dutch operator, Abellio.

The Telegraph

• Train ticket price rises explainedNoticed a nasty rise in your train fare? The Telegraph explains why ticket prices have increased more than the rate of inflation over the years and where the extra money is going
• Driver's £15 PayByPhone parking ticket costs £5,000Brighton and Hove City Council refunds motorist after they mistakenly enter location code of parking bay as number of hours of stay
• Rail commuters face more delays on return to workPassengers endure long waits on services from London Bridge as passengers face more delays as they contend with another Network Rail engineering work overrun
• Councils face chasm of up to £100m each in budget to fill potholesGovernment figures reveal that council across England have thousands of potholes to fill and a backlog of road repairs

Daily Express

• Passengers facing more rail misery and higher fares after Christmas breakFRUSTRATED commuters faced widespread rail chaos and higher fares as millions returned to work after the Christmas break.

Mail Online

• Indian airports on high alert after security services warn ISIS AND the Taliban are plotting hijack India's Indira Gandhi International airport is on high alert after an anonymous person called Air India offices claiming its flights were being targeted by terrorists.

Network Rail

• Network Rail completes £200m festive upgrade programmeNetwork Rail completed its huge £200m investment programme this morning as major projects at Reading and London Bridge were completed and services restored for this morning's commuters.

London Evening Standard

• Disused Peckham rail track could be London's very own 'High Line' A disused rail track in Peckham could be turned into London’s first elevated green space under plans to create a version of the New York High Line.
• Thick fog leaves passengers stranded on runway on board plane for 12 hours Hundreds of airline passengers told how they were allegedly left stranded on tarmac for 12 hours without food or information when their flight was delayed by thick fog.
• Andrew Adonis: The future of south London’s rail network has to be orange The next Mayor of London should turn South London orange — by incorporating London’s local and suburban main line services into the successful Overground network. This would hugely improve London transport and boost jobs, housing and regeneration.
• Ryanair soars after a charm offensive boost Michael O’Leary’s charm offensive at low-cost airline Ryanair continues to pay off as it has revealed that it carried 20% more passengers in December.
• Simon Calder says: How to fly with a bike and avoid sky-high costs on the train I’m hoping to take my Brompton folding bike on a British Airways flight from Heathrow to Newcastle. I know you’ve got one — do you check it in or take it on board? — Katie Bates
• Letters to the editor: Rail passengers need a new deal Last November, Sevenoaks Rail Travellers’ Association made the case to Southeastern to freeze fares on the Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells route. The rebuilding of London Bridge means that from next Monday half of our mainline services to London Bridge will be cancelled or diverted. Southeastern’s response was to raise fares by the maximum 2.5 per cent.
• Commuters face 'dangerous overcrowding' at London Bridge station as engineering works cause major disruption Rail commuters faced "dangerous overcrowding" at London Bridge station this evening as engineering works caused major disruption.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Big cuts agreed for travel centres across South YorkshireTravel centres are to close, paper timetables will be scrapped and jobs are set to be lost after transport plans to save £7.6m were agreed.

This Is Local London Network

• No weekend trains in or out of Wimbledon as £7m repairs begin The travel nightmare begins as all trains are cancelled at Wimbledon station at weekends until February

Yorkshire Post

• Oldest working steam bus in the country goes up for sale on eBayThe oldest working steam bus in the country has been put up for sale on eBay for £185,000.
• Roads “not fit for 21st century” as repair backlog tops £780mTHE REPAIR backlog to fix the “crumbling” road network across vast swathes of rural Yorkshire and our towns and cities tops more than £780m, The Yorkshire Post can reveal, as the Government is warned our roads are not fit for the 21st century.

Burnley Express

• Can you help solve train Euros theft?British Transport Police officers are appealing to the public for help after a substantial amount of foreign currency was stolen from a pensioner’s bag.

Carlisle News & Star

• Flight to Australia cheaper than Carlisle to London return train trip A first class return train ticket from Carlisle to London is now more expensive than a flight to Australia.

Doncaster Free Press

• Dearne MP's Passenger Power plan sparks rowPlans by a Dearne MP to reorganise the way bus services are run has sparked protests from transport bosses.

Other Regional Press

• New £20 million railway station will definitely open next MondayThe new £20 million railway station in Northampton will definitely open next Monday, London Midland has confirmed.
• Disabled Ann Egan, from Winchester Way, Rainham, shocked when British Transport Police arrive after joking she would shoot Network Rail workersA disabled woman who joked she was going to shoot railway workers after they kept her awake was shocked when police turned up on her doorstep.
• Southern Rail delays mean commuters facing chaos and crowds tonight at London Bridge Railway StationKent commuters are tonight facing long delays and
• Labour campaigners join rail commuters at Marsden Railway Station to highlight rail fare hikesDay of protests at railway stations as countdown begins to General Election

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair passenger numbers jump 20%Irish carrier posts strong growth for December

Other News Sources

• THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY OF NOI BAI INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL (T2) WELCOMING THE FIRST PASSENGERSIn the morning of 4th January 2015, Noi Bai International Termianl (T2) and VIP Department Guests, Noi Bai International Airport, which has the investment of nearly 18,000 billion of Japanese...
• American Airlines Submits Application To U.S. Department Of Transportation To Serve Tokyo's Haneda Airport From Los AngelesAmerican Airlines today formally submitted an application to the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) proposing to operate daily, year-round, nonstop service between Los Angeles...