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Wednesday, 20 August 2014

BBC News

• Campaign for Better Transport calls for fare changesRegulated rail fares will rise by 3.5% from January next year, following the release of July's inflation figures.
• Minister says coalition has brought a 'rail renaissance'The rail minister, Claire Perry, has defended the cost of rail fares which have risen by 25% since 2010.
• HS2 and the new North-South divideHS2 - the proposed high speed rail link from London - is supposed to help bridge the North-South divide. But the debate surrounding the controversial project has arguably opened up a divide between councils in the North, who welcome the scheme, and those further south which do not.
• Operators bid to run rail networksThe shortlist of companies bidding to run rail networks in the north of England is announced by the government.
• Rail fares to rise 3.5% for 2015Regulated rail fares in England will rise by 3.5% in January 2015, following the release of inflation figures for July.

Financial Times

• Rail fares to rise 3.5% in JanuaryIncrease in regulated fares will take the total rise since 2010 close to 25% compared with an increase in average wages of just 6.9%
• Rail franchise shortlists releasedFirstGroup and Stagecoach are seen as well placed to succeed after shortlists for Northern and TransPennine Express rail franchises are announced

The Independent

• Rail fare rises are a legacy of decades of underinvestmentBarely had the rail fare increase for England and Wales next year been revealed, than a pro-public transport pressure group rushed out a news release condemning the rises.

The Telegraph

• How to beat the train fare risesVideo: Kate Palmer, at London Victoria, explains how passengers can avoid the 2015 price rises
• Avoid soaring train fares by booking in advance, rail minister saysClaire Perry, the rail minister, says that people should not just 'rock up' to the station, but avoid high fares by booking tickets in advance
• To put the railways back on track we must first rip out the wasteMore competition, not further subsidies, is the key to reforming this antiquated industry, believes Allister Heath

Mail Online

• Transport Minister defends rip-off rail prices (set to rise ANOTHER 5.5% next year) Claire Perry's remarks came after it was revealed ticket prices were set to rise by 5.5 per cent in January – despite wages falling for the first time in five years.

Network Rail

• Talking Statues at London Paddington stationVisitors to London Paddington station can listen to the statues of The Unknown Soldier and Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the first time.
• REDHILL - No rail services to London Bridge for nine days and no Thameslink route commuter serviceSignificant changes to rail services from Redhill start this Saturday and last for nine days, as work to rebuild London Bridge station continues.
• Major changes to London Bridge train services begin this SaturdayA nine-day part-closure of London Bridge railway station begins this Saturday, with no First Capital Connect or Southern trains calling at the station until Monday, 1 September.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Rail ticket hikes spark concern among Bradford passengers CONCERNS have been raised in Bradford after it emerged that rail passengers will face average season ticket price rises of 3.5 per cent in January following the announcement of the latest inflation figures.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Rail passengers in Wales face fare increase of up to 3.5%Welsh Government still to decide costs of travel in Wales and Borders franchise

London Evening Standard

• Rail commuters face fare hike six times the rise in wages Rail commuters into central London today faced inflation-busting hikes of up to hundreds of pounds in the cost of their annual season ticket.

Manchester Evening News

• Trams begin tests at Manchester Airport as take-off looms for new Metrolink lineFirst trams arrive at the airport station ahead of the service opening this year ... 12 months ahead of schedule.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Bidders for northern rail franchises are announcedThe names of companies hoping to run rail services in the north of England from 2016 have been announced.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Companies bidding to run Leeds trains revealedTHE six companies vying to run local and commuter rail services into Leeds were announced this morning.

Yorkshire Post

• Airport service call as rail firms lodge their bidsBIDDERS for the franchises to run local and commuter trains in Yorkshire have been urged to restore a direct service between Hull and Manchester Airport.

Doncaster Free Press

• VIDEO: Protest over rail fare rises at Sheffield stationProtesters gathered at Sheffield station to spread the word about rail fare rises and campaign against private ownership of the railways.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Suffolk/Ipswich: MP Ben Gummer to lead the calls for no 3.5% rail fare increasesIpswich MP and rail campaigner Ben Gummer is to lead the battle by commuters against possible rail fare increases next year.

Other Regional Press

• Plan to cut Cleethorpes to Manchester direct express train service is right off track, says Labour candidate Peter Keith LABOUR'S parliamentary candidate for Cleethorpes has described the suggestion that North East Lincolnshire could lose its direct train service to Manchester Airport as "ill-considered". Read more: http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/Plan-cut-Cleethorpes-Manchester-direct-express/story-22787238-detail/story.html#ixzz3AvBkVplQ
• Train fare rises criticised by Portsmouth passengersCONCERNS have been raised by rail passengers who face higher fares from January.
• Rail unions call for fair fares after warning that Teesside train commuters face rise of 3.5%Unions gather Thornaby railway station to call for fair fares and public ownership of railways, saying passengers are paying price of privatisation
• Railway closure over bank holidayPeople planning a bank holiday get away are being urged to check before they travel because the West Coast main line will be closed.
• VIDEO: Campaigners call for renationalisation of Dorset's railways CAMPAIGNERS are calling for train services to be renationalised.

London TravelWatch

• London TravelWatch expresses concern at proposed above-inflation fare risesLondon TravelWatch has expressed concern that rail passengers in and around London face average fare rises of 3.5% in the new year following the release of July's inflation figures*.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Transcore to Showcase Products at InnoTrans 2014 Transcore's 70-year history of developing innovating transportation systems has created a vast portfolio of solutions.
• Future Rail: Issue 18 In this issue: The EU’s efforts to form a free trade agreement with Japan’s rail industry, new safety regulation for crude oil transport in the US, a super-luxury train, a futuristic concept for vertical rail hubs, the booming market for rail passeng…

Railnews

• Northern and TransPennine shortlists revealed The Department for Transport has published the shortlists for the next Northern and TransPennine Express franchises, which are due to be awarded in Octiober 2015 and start in the following April. It said the bidders will 'be expected to show how they will make the most of the government™s £1billion investment programme for the rail network in the north of England, which will provide faster and more reliable journeys, more capacity, better trains and improved connections for passengers across the region'.
• 'No decision yet' on January's fare changes The announcement today of the Retail Price Index for July has been seen as a key indicator of how much rail fares are likely to rise in January. Demonstrations against the expected increase are taking place outside more than 40 major stations this morning. The RPI for July is traditionally used as the benchmark, but it is not yet known what the exact formula will be for 2015.

Railway Gazette

• Northern and TransPennine Express franchise shortlist announcedUK: On August 19 the Department for Transport announced the six bidders which have been prequalified to submit ‘innovative and ambitious proposals’ to operate two passenger franchises in northern...

Other News Sources

• Fair fares? Cost of rail tickets rises as wages stagnateRail passengers will have to pay an extra 3.5 per cent for their season tickets in January on top of the big increases they have seen since the last election.
• Rail fares to rise 3.5% in 2015Prices could rise 5.5% on some routes