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

Tuesday, 12 December 2017

BBC News

• West Midlands Trains takes over rail franchiseWest Midlands Trains takes over rail franchise from London Midland.
• Rise in airport passenger numbersEdinburgh and Glasgow airports also report record passenger numbers for November.

ITV News

• Biogas bus cutting emissions between Huntingdon and CambridgeA biogas powered double-decker bus is being trialled on the Guided busway between Huntingdon and Cambridge.

Financial Times

• Middle Eastern disrupter airlines fly into heavy turbulenceRegion’s big carriers face challenges to their role as ‘superconnectors’

The Guardian

• We know polluting cars are killing us. So why do we put up with it?f petrol and diesel vehicles were invented today, what possible justification would there be for allowing unchecked ownership? Knowing all we do about the damage wrought by burning fossil fuels – both to our immediate health and to the long-term viability of our habitat – it would seem an act of obscene, destructive decadence. The idea of driving a monstrous, tank-like 4x4 a distance you could easily walk or cycle, and then sitting outside a school (a school!) with the engine still running, guzzling petrol and burping out poison into the surrounding air, would be seen as actively malevolent.
• BA cancels more than 100 Heathrow flights after snow and iceDisruption affecting up to 50,000 BA passengers raises fresh questions about airport’s preparedness for winter

Times Online

• Debris of modern life clogging waterways [Subscription]China has been waging what it calls a war on pollution since 2014 and is trying to clean three of the world’s most plastic-polluting rivers (Jamie Fullerton and Didi Tang write).
• Employment boom ‘set to hit the brakes’ [Subscription]Recruitment will slow sharply in the coming months as employers’ optimism about Britain’s immediate prospects wanes, a closely watched survey has warned.
• ‘Raise £20m and cut traffic by charging people to park at work’ [Subscription]Glasgow should consider imposing workplace parking charges to discourage people from driving to the office, the head of an organisation set up to transform the city centre has said.

City AM

• Oh, balls: Sir Richard Branson reignites five-year-old bet with Willie Walsh promising a "knee in the groin"One of the most high profile rivalries of the skies was reignited yesterday, threatening the manhood – and perhaps the pockets – of Britain's two largest airline personalities.
• Tube delays: Disruption on several Underground lines across LondonThere are delays on four Tube lines this morning, with commuters facing disruption on the Central, Circle, District, Piccadilly and Metropolitan lines.

Mail Online

• Rail firms selling tickets for trains that are cancelled As millions make travel bookings for the festive period, the rail industry has been accused of failing to warn passengers about disruption that will be caused by planned engineering works.

Birmingham Post

• This is what you can expect from new train franchisePassengers should expect decent service and complain  if service is not up to scratch says Japanese investor

Bolton News

• New half-hourly trains are relief for commutersCOMMUTERS at a busy railway station have two reasons to celebrate this week.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Leaked plans reveal high-speed rail line for Bradford RAIL links in Bradford look set to receive a huge boost as part of the multibillion-pound Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) project.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Peace protesters urge council to ditch £500,000 cash handout to drone airport The campaigners say it is 'immoral' for Gwynedd to support Llanbedr's 'military development'
• Peace protesters urge council to ditch £500,000 cash handout to drone airport The campaigners say it is 'immoral' for Gwynedd to support Llanbedr's 'military development'

London Evening Standard

• Drivers who forgot to refuel sparked 400 hours of traffic jams in Blackwall TunnelHundreds of hours of traffic jams are being caused by drivers who run out of fuel in the Blackwall Tunnel.
• Waterloo station delays: Huge crowds at London's busiest commuter hub as South Western Railway trains cancelled or delayedCommuters were caught up in huge crowds at London Waterloo as trains were cancelled or delayed following a fire.
• Londoners puzzled as TfL posts string of Twitter messages in binary codeLondoners were left puzzled after Transport for London's main traffic Twitter account shared a string of messages completely full of 0s and 1s.

Sheffield Star

• Mad Friday warning for train users in South YorkshireA warning has been issued for Mad Friday revellers to take extra care on the railway in South Yorkshire.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Crash-for-cash fraudsters ‘costing UK motorists £5m a day’Crash-for-cash fraudsters are fuelling a compensation culture which is pushing car insurance premiums to record levels and costing motorists £5m a day, as promised government reform stall.

North Wales Live

• Crunch vote on bus strikes takes place TODAYAnnouncement will be made tonight on whether strikes will continue
• Easyjet brings three new routes and new jobs to Liverpool airportNew sunshine destinations from John Lennon Airport

Other Regional Press

• Bedford loses intercity train services: Mayor blasts ‘Betrayal’ while MP demands urgent answers The decision to scrap intercity rail services between Bedford and St Pancras during the rush hour has been blasted by the town’s bosses.
• Councils back union campaign against driver only trainsWest Yorkshire Combined Authority is supporting rail union RMT

Train Operators

• Virtual ticket agents help Greater Anglia passengers at ticket machinesRail passengers in East Anglia who have a query while using a ticket machine can now press a button which will put them straight through to a real person who can help them buy tickets and find the best fares.

Rail Technology Magazine

• First passenger train runs across historic Ordsall ChordThe first passenger train has travelled across the iconic Ordsall Chord. The 08:40 Northern service departed from Victoria station to Oxford Road, then back to Victoria before going on to Leeds on Sunday morning. The historic centre piece of the Great North Rail Project joins Manchester’s...
• Solar panels could provide 'significant amount' of UK's future rail powerSolar panels could meet a significant amount of the energy needs for future electric trains, according to a new report. Research from Imperial College London’s Energy Futures Lab and climate change charity 10:10 found that connecting solar panels directly to the railway network would...
• Yorkshire authority supports union opposition to DOO trainsThe RMT has today welcomed support in their opposition to driver only operated (DOO) trains on Northern Rail services. The union has received support from West Yorkshire Combined Authority,  which covers Leeds, Bradford, York, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield councils, for its campaign to...
• Strood station reopens after £2m improvementsSoutheastern has reopened Strood station following its £2.59m upgrade. The work is part of the National Station Improvement Programme (NSIP) and Medway Council’s plans to regenerate the area. The new station features a much larger booking hall, a new waiting room and improved...
• West Midlands Trains and London Northwestern launch first servicesThe new West Midlands franchise officially launched this weekend as West Midlands Trains and London Northwestern began operations. The new operator is a joint venture between Abellio, JR East and Mitsui which won the contract from London Midland in August. Splitting the franchise into two...

Railway Gazette

• Vivarail to open production facility in County DurhamUK: Next month Vivarail is to open a plant on the Spectrum Business Park at Seaham in County Durham...

Aviation Industry

• London Gatwick to boost capacity with larger pierLondon Gatwick Airport plans to more than double the size of its North Terminal’s Pier 6 to keep pace with the airport’s growing number of passengers. read more
• Lufthansa Group reports 32% growth in November Lufthansa Group airlines transported 10.1 million passengers in November, an increase of 32% compared to the year-ago month. read more

Other News Sources

• New Lancashire bus services to help local economyLancashire's reopened bus services will help the local economy.
• Train ticket prosecutions hit six year high in West YorkshireProsecutions for fare-dodging passengers have hit a six year high. Two people a day are caught travelling without a ticket in West Yorkshire, Ministry of Justice figures reveal.
• MAYOR PRESENTS BOLD PROPOSAL FOR DARLINGTON STATIONThe Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen today presented an ambitious case to the Transport Secretary to transform Darlington Station into a modern rail hub.
• Virgin Trains launches industry's first train driver apprenticeshipMore than 1,200 hopefuls applied to join the industry’s first train driver apprenticeship scheme launched by Virgin Trains.
• East Midlands drafts rail masterplanIt might be overshadowed by its West Midlands neighbour, which continues to press for great devolution and has positioned itself at the centre of Britain’s high-speed rail route maps, but quietly the East Midlands is making significant strides forward for its 2033 showcase.
• Southern Rail commuters in East Surrey hit by sudden overnight price hike Passengers who use Southern-only season tickets from four stations have seen a sudden overnight increase
• 'Limited budget' forces Surrey County Council to 'prioritise' which roads to salt this winter Surrey County Council uses different forms of technology to decide which roads must be salted
• Stagecoach East trials Britain's first biogas-powered double-decker busStagecoach East is trialling Britain's first biogas-powered double-decker bus on the Guided Busway A and B services between Huntingdon and Cambridge.