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

Wednesday, 02 January 2013

BBC News

• Above inflation London fare hikeAbove inflation fare rises come into force on London's transport network.
• Businesses urge 'crossrail' planA business lobby group has unveiled plans for £200m Cardiff
• Tolls 'no deterrent to tourism'As tolls on the Severn crossings rise with the arrival of the new year, a transport export warns there is not enough evidence to support their reduction.
• Third man held over police car bombA third man is arrested by detectives investigating the attempted murder of a policeman after a
• VIDEO: Rail passengers hit by fare risesAbove-inflation rail fare increases have come into force in England, Wales and Scotland amid claims that fares are going up three times faster than average earnings.
• Rail travellers hit by fare risesAbove-inflation rail fare increases have come into force in England, Wales and Scotland amid claims that fares are going up three times faster than average earnings.
• Emergency landing after oil leakA plane bound for Edinburgh was forced to make an emergency landing at Luton Airport on Hogmanay, it has emerged.
• VIDEO: Boy dies after empty car crashA two-year-old boy dies following a collision between his buggy and a vacant car.
• Arsonist search after car attacksPolice in Oldham are hunting an arsonist after eight cars were torched in the early hours of New Year's Day.
• Investigation into flood-hit roadAn investigation is to begin into the cause of flooding along a section of the A595 near Whitehaven in Cumbria.
• Tube cleaners in strike over payLondon Underground station cleaners begin a 48-hour strike in a dispute over pay.
• VIDEO: Train restorers discover carriageRestorers working on one of the UK's most iconic trains, the Brighton Belle, have found an extra carriage.
• Police to monitor tunnel runningRallies held by car enthusiasts in part of east London are to be monitored by police following complaints from residents.
• Tourist hit by bus in London diesA Spanish tourist who was struck by a bus with her children in central London dies.

Financial Times

• New York hubs reflect size of regional marketThe differences between the two aviation markets mean New York™s dual-hub system is unlikely to provide a blueprint for London™s future
• Gatwick chief warns against airport hubPassengers would be best served by Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted each having two runways, says chief executive Stewart Wingate
• Shadow banks tap into distressed shippingPrivate equity and hedge fund investors are buying ships and purchasing loans from European banks that have financed the sector in the past
• Bombardier targets bus market entryCanadian maker of aircraft and rail equipment plans two commercial trials of electric-powered vehicles
• High cost of rail travel causes outcryCBT research shows the cost of an average fare has jumped by 40 per cent in the past decade, far outstripping the 18 per cent rise in wages

The Independent

• Drivers predicted to lash out at 20mph slowdown zonesMotoring organisations hit back at the spread of 20mph speed zones which they claim could make exasperated motorists drive badly.Related StoriesRiver search for teenage boy who jumped from Cornwall ferry called offFrom grainy CCTV to a positive ID: Recognising the benefits of surveillance'Secrecy' of social workers makes them look ˜idiotic™ Social workers must ˜explain more™ after Ukip caseCricket mourns Christopher Martin-Jenkins, Test Match Special's revered voice of the English summerMothers spend a third of their salary on childcare

The Telegraph

• Commuters who travel during rush hour peak face steeper fare riseRail commuters who travel in the height of the rush hour face steeper fare rises under proposals being considered by ministers.

Daily Record

• Scots encouraged to cycle more ahead of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014 As the Scottish Government invests £53million in Scotland's cycle paths, the Transport Minister is urging us all to get on our bikes as a way of getting around.

Mail Online

• Inflation-busting train fare rises start today as it emerges prices have nearly DOUBLED in a decadeRail fares will go up by 3.9 per cent on average but some will see increases as high as 10 per cent. The soaring fares have prompted angry demands for urgent ticket price cuts.
• Fighting in Aleppo shuts down city's airport as Syria's viscious civil war shows no sign of slowing in 2013Syrian rebels have stepped up their attacks on airports in the Aleppo province in an attempt to curb President Bashar Assad's deadly air strikes, closing the Aleppo International Airport.

The Mirror

• EasyJet plane makes emergency landing on New Year's Eve after oil leakNew Year™s Eve travellers aboard the Airbus A319 had to strap themselves in as the pilot shut down an engine

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Outrage over price hike for rail fares Local rail users™ groups have backed claims from a campaign group that this week™s rail fare rises come at a time of œno perceptible improvement in services.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Flooding closes roads and rail lines in North WalesFLOODING closed train lines and roads as 95mm of rain fell in just two days.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh trams step up gear as ads go out to recruit driversTRAM drivers are being sought to work on the city’s new network, as transport chiefs prepare to begin recruiting the workforce.

Journal Live

• Concrete barriers fitted on collapsing Rothbury roadCONCRETE barriers have been erected next to a major landslide after reports that motorists were moving bollards keeping them off unstable ground.

Liverpool Post

• Merseyrail ticket prices to increaseCOMMUTERS on some Merseyrail services were facing a fare increase of almost 5% as they returned to work today after the Christmas break.

London Evening Standard

• Call for end to big rail fare hikesCampaigners have urged an end to above-inflation rail fare rises amid widespread anger at continuing increases.
• Rail fare hikes come into effectThe mid-winter is set to be bleaker for millions of rail travellers as inflation-busting fare rises take effect.

Metro

• 8% of your income is spent on rail ticketsRail commuters will spend an average of eight per cent of their income on a season ticket this year, research shows. Thousands of others have swallowed 50-90 per cent season ticket fare rises in the last decade. The average season ticket will increase by 4.2 per cent from today with some unregulated fares set to [...]

Sheffield Star

• Petition to back rail reopeningDON Valley Railway is launching a petition to help its campaign to restore passenger train services between Sheffield and Stocksbridge.

The York Press

• Extra cash needed for Park&Ride expansion CITY leaders are to be asked to earmark up to £750,000 more in possible funding for a York congestion-busting project after contractors™ costs rose.

Wales Online

• Wales 'should aim to have a public transport system as good as Switzerland's'Wales should aim to have a public transport system as good as Switzerland, a writer and historian has argued.
• New Year price rise misery for Welsh road and rail commutersWelsh commuters struggling with stagnant wages face a raft of price increases on the roads and railways.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Jaguar boasts record sales as recruitment drive prepared Jaguar Land Rover today revealed it will post record sales figures this month as it prepares to start recruiting for its £355m engine factory in Wolverhampton.
• Work on £355m i54 Jaguar Land Rover factory moves ahead JLR bosses today revealed they have made œexcellent progress on the new £355 million engine factory on the i54 business park.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Wacky racers hir road for 2013 Sharslton Soap Box DerbyDo it yourself racers let the good times roll to signal the start of the New Year in a West Yorkshire village.

Yorkshire Post

• Bikes to clear pavements of ice and snowLEEDS City Council is to use specially-adapted quad bikes to clear city centre pavements in treacherous winter conditions.

Blackpool Gazette

• State-of-art trams are success story for resortBLACKPOOL’S state-of-the-art new tram system was undoubtedly one of the main successes for the town in 2012.

Crewe Chronicle

• UK & World News: Councils considering 20mph zonesMillions of drivers are facing the prospect of reduced speed limits in towns and cities across England and Wales, according to new research.

Daventry Express

• Long Buckby trains among the most crowdedTHREE of the top 10 most overcrowded trains in England and Wales run through Long Buckby, figures have revealed.

East Anglian Daily Times

• ESSEX: Concerns over dangerous drivers after increase in number of deaths on roads in EssexPOLICE have raised concerns over the number of dangerous drivers in the county after new figures revealed a rise in the amount of people killed in road crashes in 2012.
• Free bus travel for jobseekersBUS companies running most services in the region are offering free travel to long-term jobseekers during January.

The Shields Gazette

• Bikes worth £40,000 stolen last yearpedal pinching ... Inspector Peter Sutton with stolen bikes at South Shields.

Other Regional Press

• journalwells published Road closures due to flooding across Somerset could cause...Article
• Western Morning News published Road collapse forces 23-mile diversion in North DevonMotorists were forced to take a 23-mile diversion after a section of road collapsed into floodwater in North Devon. The unsafe...
• Row over Severn Bridges tolls as charges rise again today THE Welsh Government was today accused of failing to support the Welsh economy by not raising the levels of Severn Bridges tolls with Westminster.
• Commuters get free MOT for their bikes in LeamingtonCYCLISTS can give their bike a New Year’s MOT with a free service at Leamington train station.

Campaign for Better Transport

• Transport barriers to youth employment31 December: New research shows how transport can be a barrier to finding employment. read more

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Government supports new train orders The government has backed Southern Railway in its bid to complete two major train orders, the Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed.Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin revealed that the company has procured 40 carriages from Derby-based manufacturer Bombardier.In addition to this, the authorities have supported Southern Railway's attempts to purchase 116 electric carriages with the option for a further 140.Mr McLoughlin said this will not only boost capacity on the UK's rail network, but will also secure British jobs."The deal for the 40 new carriages, helped...

Global Rail News

• India™s longest railway tunnel opensThe third longest railway tunnel in Asia has opened in India through the Pir Panjal mountain range. At 11.2 km, the tunnel which connects Kashmir Valley to Banihal town, is the largest in the country. On December 28, the first train travelled along the line in a trial run, ahead of the start of service [...]

Railnews

• New Year fare increases trigger protests JANUARY fare increases on most National Rail routes have triggered protests, with unions staging demonstrations today. The increases average 3.9 per cent, according to ATOC, although some routes could theoretically see increases as high as 9.2 per cent.

Other News Sources

• Rail commuters set for another year of fare misery and service cuts, unions warnAs people prepare for the first day back to work, rail campaigners are today (Wednesday) warning that commuters face yet another year of inflation-busting fare increases and service cuts.
• Scots urged to get on their bikes as new Action Plan announcedTransport minister Keith Brown announces £53m of investment in Scotland's cycle network.
• Greenford flyover latest London structure to be closed for urgent repairs The A40 Greenford flyover has been closed over the entire Christmas and New Year period to allow Transport for London engineers to carry out urgent repairs to its expansion joint.
• TfL boss knighted in Queen's New Year Honours listLondon transport commissioner Peter Hendy heads the list of engineers recognised in the Queen™s New Year™s Honours for 2013, earning a knighthood for services to transport and the community.
• Jobseekers to get free bus travel in January JOBSEEKERS will be given free bus travel for the first month of 2013 as part of a scheme by the Go Ahead Group-owned companies Wilts & Dorset, Bluestar and Southern Vectis.
• Cash boost for pothole repairs in Sussex Potholed roads will be repaired and improved thanks to a multimillion pound funding boost.