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

Wednesday, 19 August 2015

BBC News

• Crime on the railways falls by 11%Crime on the railways fell by 11% in Wales last year, while the number of sexual offences reported rose, new figures show.
• Record number of sex crimes on trainsThe number of recorded sexual offences on trains and at stations has risen 25% to a record level, British Transport Police figures suggest.
• No agreement in rail strike talksTalks being held to avoid walkouts by rail workers at First Great Western (FGW) have ended without agreement.
• Rail fares to rise by 1% in JanuaryRegulated rail fares such as season tickets are to rise by 1% in January, the Department of Transport says.

Financial Times

• Rail fares will rise 1% in JanuaryCapped increase applies to ‘regulated’ tickets only and will add about £24 to average season ticket
• Rail privatisation has workedDespite backing for renationalisation, the sell-off has delivered much of what was hoped

The Herald

• Off-peak rail fares to be frozen for a third year - but other rates to riseOff-peak rail fares are to be frozen for a third consecutive year but peak and cross-border rates are set to rise, ministers have confirmed.
• Crime rises on Scotland's railwaysTHE number of crimes committed on Scotland's railways has risen for the first time in more than a decade.

The Telegraph

• Why rail fares are going up and why the system is flawedRail fares still rise or fall in line with the
• A state-owned railway would be a costly mistakePrivate operators should be allowed to get on with running trains free from government interference

Mail Online

• Where ARE those £15 rail fares, minister? 'Cheap tickets' impossible to find A Mail investigation has revealed there is not one of the £15 tickets available between London and Manchester which Ms Perry mentioned on Radio 4 available in the next three months.

This is Money

• Rail fares have risen THREE TIMES faster than wages - and the only way to stop the squeeze on commuters is nationalisation, campaign group warns A study by the Action for Rail campaign showed that season tickets and other regulated fares had increased by 25 per cent since 2010, while average pay went up by 9 per cent.

Bolton News

• MP blasts 'scandalous rail fares' BOLTON commuters have been left ‘seriously out of pocket’ after rail fares rise three times faster than wages.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Rail groups in Bradford demand service improvements to offset looming fare increases RAIL groups in Bradford want to see services in the district improve to offset another increase in fares.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Calls for Chirk railway footbridge to open - two months after it was built Network Rail says 'technical issues' with the CCTV has delayed the opening of the new bridge, which is part of a £2m project to improve access at the station

London Evening Standard

• Commuter fares will rise one per cent - the lowest increase for five yearsCommuter rail fares will rise by exactly one per cent in January, the lowest increase since 2010.

Wales Online

• Crime on Welsh railways drops 11% - despite rise in sexual offencesOfficials are 'delighted' by the overall drop in crime, which they say has reduced for an 11th consecutive year

Daventry Express

• Seven men charged with graffiting 22 London Midland trainsSeven men are due to appear in court accused of vandalising 22 London Midland trains, including some in Northampton, causing over £6,000 worth of damage.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Rail season ticket costs set to rise by 1% in JanuaryRail commuters are set to see the cost of their season tickets rise by 1% next January following the publication of today’s inflation figures – the lowest increase for many years.

West Sussex Gazette

• Sussex rail fares set to rise by one per cent in 2016Sussex rail commuters will see their fares rise by one per cent in 2016 - in line with inflation.

Other Regional Press

• 7 top tips from Which? to cut cost of rail travel ON the day it was revealed that rail fares have risen nearly three times faster than wages over the past five years, consumer site Which? has offered its top tips for fighting back against rising costs.
• First Great Western defends increases in train fares SWINDON’S railway franchise has reiterated its belief it offers value for money for customers in light of news fares have increased three times as much as wages in five years.
• Western Daily Press published PHOTOS: The West Somerset Railway in 16 picturesGallery created by Western Daily Press
• Rail fares to increase by one per centRail fares are set to rise by 1 per cent in January, it has emerged today.
• Rail fares to increase by one per centRail fares are set to rise by 1 per cent in January, it has emerged today.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Derby train-maker Bombardier appoints new bossDerby train-maker Bombardier has appointed a new managing director. Richard Hunter will take over the role from Noel Travers who has been in post for a year as interim managing director. Mr Hunter, who will also assume the role of head of projects for Bombardier Transportation UK, is currently the firm's president for the Asia Pacific region, where he is responsible for the company's rolling stock and services businesses across Asia and Australia. Based at Bombardier's Litchurch Lane factory in Derby, he will take up his new role from October 1. Mr Travers, who took over from Frances Paone...
• Earnings outstrip rail fare increases for first time in a decadeHardworking families will see an end to inflation-busting hikes in regulated rail fares thanks to a 5 year fares deal that will give passengers more value for money and help households with the cost of living. The move by the government to keep regulated rail fare increases at Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation and no more for the life of this Parliament will save season-ticket holders around £425 each - enough for a new iPad or a weekend break - by 2020. Most journeys in 2014 were made using a regulated fare. Figures released today (18 August 2015) by the Office of National Statistic...

Rail Magazine

• ORR approves Blackpool open access trainsThe Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has approved Great North Western Railway’s (GNWR’s) bid to operate open access services between Blackpool and London

Railnews

• July RPI means 1% rise for regulated fares A rise of 1 per cent in the Retail Price Index last month means that regulated rail fares will be increased by the same amount in January. Rail minister Claire Perry said:
• Rail crime falls, but more sexual offences are recorded British Transport Police has reported that the general level of offences reported on the rail network has fallen, but that the proportion of sex-related incidents has risen by 25 per cent. The sharp rise in reports of sex-related incidents is probably due to a campaign launched two years ago which was intended to encourage such reports, the force said. Incidents of criminal damage also rose slightly, but there were fewer frauds, robberies and thefts.

Other News Sources

• Railways see sex crime, theft and fraud rise - but travel is safer... SEXUAL crime, robberies and instances of fraud on trains in the north of England are on the rise.
• Delayed rail passengers to get instant refunds - here's how to claim if your train is lateNew smart ticketing will make it easier for rail users to claim refunds - but fares are still set to rise next year
• Jeremy Corbyn calls for 'people's railway'Labour leadership frontrunner Jeremy Corbyn has published plans to renationalise the UK’s railway.