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

Tuesday, 15 August 2017

BBC News

• Rail fares to rise by up to 3.6%Millions of rail users in the UK will see a 3.6% increase in regulated rail fares from January 2018.
• Franchise row could delay end of 'old and tired railway'A £1bn funding row could lead to a rushed job in getting the "right deal" for the future rail network in Wales, a leading transport expert has warned.
• £1bn funding row threatens 'right deal' for Welsh railA row has erupted between the Welsh and UK governments over the future of the rail network in Wales.
• Ryanair calls for two-drink limit at airportsThe call comes as BBC Panorama finds arrests of drunken passengers has increased by 50% in a year.
• McGill's bus company hints at flotation plansIt follows the appointment by McGill's of former Arriva chief executive David Martin as a non-executive director.
• M8 'missing link' officially openedThe newest section of Scotland's busiest motorway has been officially opened by the first minister.
• Meeting over Glasgow train violence concernsThe multi-agency meeting is to discuss reports of anti-social behaviour on city services to Helensburgh and Balloch.
• Should Nigeria have a national airline?The Nigerian government is investing in a national airline but does the country need one?
• Commuters braced for rises in regulated rail faresJuly's Retail Prices Index - expected to be 3.5% - will be used to set many rail fares from January.

Financial Times

• Global shipping market shows signs of rebound, says brokerClarkson points to ‘fundamental turnround’ in industry after years of over-capacity
• Uber boosts drivers as it tries to retain London licenceRide-hailing app introduces tipping feature amid police concerns over violent incidents
• Shipbroker Clarkson is not singing the same old shantyAfter years of industry overcapacity, supply and demand are at last ‘rebalancing’
• Uber investor Benchmark trades new barbs with KalanickVenture capital firm alleges former chief is trying to deter potential replacements
• Good riddance to airport landing cardsThere are now far better ways to vet incoming passengers than paper forms

The Guardian

• UK commuters brace for rail fares hike of 3.5%Rail commuters will find out on Tuesday how much the cost of season tickets will increase by next year, as trade unions warn that passengers are paying “more for less”.
• The Guardian view on London's garden bridge: a worthless vanity projectIt was supposed to be London's answer to New York's High Line. But it left the gap that really needs bridging as wide as everThe garden bridge project, the superfluous and now abandoned plan to build a Thames crossing in the richest and best connected heart of London, may one day be judged the peak of the capital's narcissistic hubris.
• Airports are failing disabled passengers, and we are tired of it | Elizabeth WrightThe wheelchair assistance I need when taking a flight is badly managed and often delayed. Companies need to treat us the same as able-bodied travellersReturning from Rome after a holiday, my plane taxied to its stand and I waited for all the more ambulatory passengers to disembark. I had wheelchair assistance booked – a much-needed service for someone who, like me, struggles to walk long distances – and the drill was that the disabled had to be last off.Once the other passengers disappeared, I made my way to the front of the plane to wait for the wheelchairs, along with three other people requ...
• 'I've been sworn at, vomited on and touched inappropriately by drunken air passengers'According to tonight’s Panorama programme there have been 387 arrests for drunken air behaviour in the last year, a rise of 50%. The numbers may well be much higher says a former flight attendantWhen you’re trapped in a pressurised metal tube, hurtling through the sky at 500mph, it’s an unusual situation. Certain stresses – not being in control, lower oxygen levels, having your personal space encroached, or just pure excitement for your destination – mean people like to use alcohol to either manage nerves or to celebrate. But what if those drinks affect you more than usual? What if they make y...

The Herald

• M8 'missing link' officially opened by First Minister Nicola SturgeonThe new section of the M8 motorway has been officially opened by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
• Driving expert: Motorway link is safer, greener and good for businessSCOTLAND'S new motorway system will be safer and cleaner as well as boosting business, a roads and driving expert said as the the country's

The Independent

• Waterloo train derails in 'operational incident' at London stationDisruption expected until end of the day but paramedics say no serious injuries

The Scotsman

• New 'missing link' M8 section cuts 20 minutes off journeysMotorists are saving up to 20 minutes in their journey along Scotland’s busiest motorway since an improvement scheme was put in place.
• Ryanair calls on UK airports to enforce two-drink limitRyanair is calling on UK airports to enforce a two-drink limit after it was revealed the number of passengers arrested for drunken behaviour increased by 50 per cent in the last year.

The Telegraph

• Cyclist who killed pedestrian in high speed crash said people had 'zero respect' for those on bikes, court hears
• London Waterloo South West train 'derailment': Passengers warned to avoid station

Times Online

• Drivers pay penalty for councils’ £1.5bn parking bonanza [subscription]Councils are raising more than £1.5 billion a year from parking, two thirds of which is as a result of penalty charges, a study has revealed.
• Unions protest as rail fares rise is revealed [subscription]Rail workers are to stage protests today telling passengers that they are paying “more for less” as details of how much rail fares will rise next year are released.

Mail Online

• Ryanair calls on UK airport bars to impose drinking limit The budget airline has already stopped people flying from Glasgow and Manchester to Alicante and Ibiza from bringing any alcohol on board the aircraft at all to improve behaviour.
• How councils are raking in £1.5billion a year on parking A report from the RAC found total income from on-street tickets and permits totalled £483m, a further £338m came from on-street penalty charges and £682m from off-street charges and penalties.
• Train fares set to rise 4% in biggest price hike for years Millions of rail users will find out how much more they will have to pay from next year when officials reveal the latest figures, with a season ticket from Portsmouth to London potentially costing £5,247.

The Mirror

• "All they care about is sales": Ryanair steward leaks crew's alcohol targets after airline demands two-drink limit at airports An anonymous employee claims the airline 'only cares about sales' after it announced earlier they want a clamp-down in alcohol sales to combat drunken behaviour on flights
• Freeze train fares and take railways in to public ownership, say campaigners Fury mounts as rail passengers face a near 4% rise in regulated fares in the New Year

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham protest over new rail faresTrade union workers warn passengers will pay 'more for less' as government reveals the level of price rise for train tickets

Birmingham Post

• Birmingham protest over new rail fares Trade union workers warn passengers will pay 'more for less' as government reveals the level of price rise for train tickets

Bolton News

• Extra £2 million to be spent on fixing potholes BOLTON’S budget for repairing potholes and back streets will increase by £2 million.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• We want justice after brutal attack, says cab firm boss A BOSS at a cab firm has issued a new appeal over an horrifying attack which left one of his employees with a cracked skull.
• EXCLUSIVE: 'Vital' study backs case for high-speed rail to come to Bradford THERE is a “compelling caseâ€� for a high-speed rail station to be built in Bradford, a study by a global consultancy firm has found.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus releases YouTube video promoting world's 'most successful' aircraft group The A320 family has more than 300 customers and 13,000 orders

Liverpool Echo

• Plane passengers won't be happy with the new rule Ryanair wants to introduce The airline wants the rule to be enforced at all airports
• Network Rail use thermal imaging cameras to try to find Bailey the cat Bailey has been missing for five days

London Evening Standard

• British banker left 8,500 miles from home after getting on wrong flightA British banker trying to fly home to Essex says he boarded the wrong plane and ended up in Las Vegas – despite airport staff checking his boarding pass three times.
• TfL accused of failing to boost safety after cyclist's deathTransport chiefs were today accused of ignoring a coroner's call for safety improvements at a notorious junction where a cyclist was killed.
• Uber passengers can now tip their driversUber passengers will be able to tip their driver without having to hand over cash, under a series of improvements announced by the cab booking firm today.
• Ryanair calls for two-drink limit at UK airports as investigation reveals spike in drunken behaviourRyanair has called for a two-drink limit after an investigation revealed the number of passengers arrested for drunken behaviour has risen by 50 per cent in one year.
• Drunken arrests on flights surge as airline staff tell of sexual harassment by passengersA former cabin crew manager has told how she was repeatedly sexually harassed by drunken passengers on board flights to and from the UK.
• Rail season ticket cost to rise 'by hundreds of pounds' when price hikes are unveiledRail commuters are braced for eye watering fare rises of around 3.5 per cent next year, adding hundreds of pounds to the cost of season tickets.

Manchester Evening News

• Ryanair want to change the rules over what you can drink before a flight In a bid to reduce the amount of drunken incidents in airports, Ryanair propose a new rule which limits how much alcohol can be sold to passengers

Yorkshire Post

• Fully-electric bus trialled in York in bid to cut emissions A new fully-electric double decker bus is being trialled in Yorkshire, in a bid to lower public transport emissions and cut air pollution.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Rail passengers to get first signs of next year’s likely fare increasesThe first indication of likely rail fare rises next year should become clear today when the inflation figure for July is published.
• Threat of East Anglian rail strike rises as guards vote on industrial actionThe threat of a rail strike in East Anglia has risen after the union representing train guards called for a ballot on industrial action over the future role of guards.
• No trains between Bury St Edmunds and Peterborough for ‘days’ after freight train derailment near ElyTrain operator Greater Anglia has suspended all services between Bury St Edmunds and Peterborough after a freight train derailed on Monday afternoon. Disruption is expected to last a “number of days” due to the nature of the repair work.

Reading Evening Post

• This is why learner drivers will soon be allowed on Britain's motorways The Government hopes new legislation will be passed by Parliament next year
• Cyclists have been given their own highway code to make the roads safer The AA has released a dedicated highway code book especially for cyclists

Other Regional Press

• Andy Mellors of First MTR South Western Limited attempts to reassure passengers about possible changes to Weymouth-London Waterloo lineA rail boss has attempted to reassure passengers that changes to the Weymouth-Waterloo service will bring about improvements for Dorset residents.
• Union calls for meeting with new rail franchise holder to protect staffUNION leaders are calling for urgent talks with a new rail franchise holder in a bid to protect staffing.

Rail Magazine

• Waterloo Upgrade TimelapseNetwork Rail has released this timelapse video showing the Waterloo works after six days.
• Charity charter marks Class 68s’ Anglian farewellGreater Anglia's Class 68 tour to raise funds for EACH charity.

Rail Technology Magazine

• RMT to ballot members over extending DOO dispute to Greater AngliaRMT has today moved its new dispute with Greater Anglia forward as the union announced it will be balloting its members over the possibility of industrial action against the operator. The dispute relates to the roll-out of driver-only operated (DOO) trains across services, something the union...
• Passengers paying more for cost of the railway than five years agoTrain companies operating margins as a proportion of revenue are now lower than they were when franchising began, statistics released by the Rail Delivery Group have shown. The organisation stated that around 97p of every pound collected from train fares goes back into running and improving the...
• TfL on Crossrail delay: new train roll-out 'all about confidence' The roll-out of Crossrail’s new trains was delayed earlier this year to ensure they would not experience any problems when they entered service in order to maintain the confidence of the public, staff and TOCs, RTM was told today.   The new trains were due to begin running on tracks...

Railnews

• Rail industry braces for fare increase decision The size of January™s fare increases on National Rail should be known today, when the Retail Price Index for July is announced. The announcement is being accompanied by RMT demonstrations at stations around the country. Campaigners have already been protesting at what they expect to be the largest increase for several years, at a time when pay levels are falling behind inflation. RPI has been used for many years as a base for annual increases in government-regulated fares, but critics point out that this statistic has become discredited.

Railway Gazette

• High speed rail promoter Texas Central selects planning and construction contractors USA: Privately-financed high speed line project promoter Texas Central has appointed Fluor...

Aviation Industry

• Ryanair calls for new measures as drink disturbances rocketIreland-based low-cost carrier (LCC) Ryanair has called for strict limits on the amount of alcohol passengers can be served at UK airports, following a spike in the number of people arrested for drunken behavior at airports or on flights. read more
• CEO: Cobalt Air to install onboard Wi-FiCyprus-based airline Cobalt Air is to fit its fleet of Airbus A320-family aircraft with an onboard Wi-Fi system to allow passengers to download content onto their personal electronic devices. read more
• US Lessor ACG reports $891 million benefit from tax status conversionCalifornia-based aircraft lessor Aviation Capital Group’s (ACG) tax status conversion in late March provided a substantial tax benefit to its overall equity, propelling ACG to an $887.5 million net profit for the first half of 2017, compared to $37.6 million in net profit for the same period in 2016. read more

Other News Sources

• 'Passengers paying more for less' - rail fares have increased at double the rate of salaries since 2010 New commuters to London could be spending 20% of their salary on an annual rail ticket
• Consultation on major improvements to A27 branded a shamA CONSULTATION on plans to improve a major road has been condemned as a “shamâ€�.
• Railway bosses to impose increased fares for next yearCOMMUTERS are set to be hit with the largest increase in fares since 2012.