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

Friday, 02 January 2015

BBC News

• Transport minister calls for transfer of air tax powerTransport Minister Derek Mackay has called for control over air passenger duty (APD) to be devolved to Holyrood immediately.
• Rail customers in driver's cab probeAn investigation is launched over claims train passengers were forced to travel in the driver's cab for part of their journey because of overcrowding.
• Airport's long-haul flights aimAttracting long-haul flights to Cardiff Airport is one of the aims for its bosses in the year ahead in a bid to boost passenger numbers.
• Tram delays New Year fireworksManchester's New Year fireworks are delayed for several minutes - after a tram pulled into a safety area on the stroke of midnight.
• Passenger arrested over plane dramaA plane is forced to make an unscheduled landing at Manchester Airport after a passenger became disruptive.
• Rail firms agree cheapest ticket dealRail passengers are to be told if they can get cheaper tickets for their journeys, following an agreement in principle by rail companies.
• Crowds join London's New Year paradeThousands of people take part in London's New Year's Day parade, which this year celebrated the transport network.
• Busy Tube platforms to closeTube passengers are set to have their journeys disrupted for almost a year as Central Line trains cease stopping at Tottenham Court Road.
• Three supermarkets cut petrol pricesThree major UK supermarkets are to cut the price of petrol and diesel by 2p per litre from Thursday.
• Rail fare rises come into effectRail fares in England and Wales rise by an average of 2.2%, which the industry says is the lowest increase for five years.
• Network Rail 'has questions to answer'The chair of the Transport Select Committee has said Network Rail has questions to answer about disruption over the weekend, some of which is still going on.

Financial Times

• Problems stack up at US Pacific portsLabour dispute and huge new container ships cause hold-ups

The Guardian

• OBE for Network Rail manager after Christmas chaos in LondonDavid Ward gets New Year honour for services to industry despite outcry over Network Rail’s late-running engineering works
• Commuters hit by rush-hour chaos as rail fare increases kick inTravellers experience lengthy delays on west coast routes and in East Anglia on first day of higher prices
• British commuters ’spend more on rail travel than Europeans’Campaigners say British worker on average salary will spend 17% of wages on tickets once new fare rises come into effect
• Train was so crowded ’passengers rode in driver’s cab’Arriva Trains Wales investigates incident that allegedly occurred on one of last Saturday’s services
• Britain’s rail industry blame game: all fingers point at the governmentRegulated fares such as season tickets have risen by over 20% during this parliament, while wages have gone up less than 7%
• Driverless cars to be tested in UKBristol, Coventry, Milton Keynes and Greenwich will host trials putting UK at forefront of automated vehicle technologyThe future of motoring will accelerate into view this year in Bristol, Coventry, Milton Keynes and the London borough of Greenwich.Driverless cars are to be tested in all those locations in trials that will put the UK at the forefront of automated vehicle technology. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Ferry firm spends £300,000 sending staff to Germany STATE-OWNED ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne has spent almost £300,000 on flights, hotels and expenses to send its staff to Germany for the newest vessel in its fleet.
• Rail companies ordered to highlight best ticket priceRail companies will have to tell passengers in the future there are cheaper fares available when they book tickets to travel after a deal was struck by the government and operators.
• Virgin Trains advises Scots not to travel as flooding causes havoc to rail servicesHUNDREDS of Virgin Trains passengers were advised to cancel plans to travel south from Scotland as flooding caused chaos to cross border travel.

The Independent

• 'Rip-off railway': Government accused over runaway fares for packed and aged trains The Government has created a “rip-off railway” where fares have increased by nearly four times the rate of wages and passengers suffer overcrowding and outdated trains, Labour and campaigners warn today.

The Scotsman

• Rail firms forced to stop ‘hiding’ cheap faresRail passengers are to be told by train companies if they can get cheaper tickets for their journeys, following an agreement by rail companies.

The Telegraph

• Train ticket price rises explainedNoticed a nasty rise in your train fare? The Telegraph explains why ticket prices have increased more than the rate of inflation over the years and where the extra money is going
• Rail firm apologises after 'dodgy' email sparks phishing scam fearsThe email sent by East Coast offering refunds to victims of Christmas travel chaos asked for bank details
• Rail fares: rush-hour chaos as rise comes into effectPassengers on a main London to Scotland route endure delays as season ticket-holders come to terms with increases of up to 2.5 per cent

Daily Express

• Call to force lower booze limit on bus and lorry driversSCOTLAND’S tough new drink-drive limit could be cut even further for lorry and bus drivers.

Daily Record

• Slash drink-drive limit for bus and lorry drivers, say new SNP proposals MINISTERS revealed they will study proposals from an SNP backbencher that would slash the limit even further for bus and lorry drivers.

Mail Online

• Rail commuter delayed more than 60 times in a year claims back £1,000 Tom Burridge makes the 50minute journey from Colchester to London every day for work, spending £5,800 a year on a season ticket.

This is Money

• Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco cut petrol prices again Asda was the first to announce its fuel price cut but it wasn't long before the other major supermarkets announced matching price cuts.

Birmingham Post

• Turkish Airlines to increase flights from Birmingham Airport The number of flights between Birmingham and Istanbul will rise from ten a week to 12 from March 29

Bolton News

• No speed bumps for 'dangerous' road A LEADING councillor has defended Bolton Council’s decision not to put speed bumps on a ‘dangerous’ residential road in Farnworth, despite two fatal accidents.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New motorway junction part of £1 billion transport deal A NEW motorway junction improving Bradford's links with Huddersfield is one of the schemes approved in a £1 billion transport deal.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Ffestiniog Railway volunteers to celebrate 50th anniversary of a unique projectFifty years ago the first sod was cut on an unique piece of railway engineering

London Evening Standard

• Virgin Atlantic plane drama pilot: 'I was just doing my job' An air pilot forced to land a Virgin Atlantic jet after a major landing-gear fault has said “I was just doing my job”.
• Commuters facing year of disruption due to Tottenham Court Road station works Commuters are facing almost a year of disruption at one of London's busiest stations from Saturday.

Northern Echo

• Anger as rail fares rise RAIL passengers in the North-East will have to contend with season ticket rises of up to 2.5 per cent from today (Friday, January 2), with the latest annual increase meaning some fares will have risen well over 20 per cent in the last five years.The Janu

Sheffield Star

• Increased rail fares come into effect across South YorkshireIncreased fares will come into effect for rail passengers today - as campaigners demand a ’fairer approach’ from Government.

Wales Online

• Welsh rail commuters face ticket price rises of 2.5% from todayFares on Arriva Trains Wales will rise by 2.5% or a minimum of 10p, following Welsh Government rules

Yorkshire Post

• Doncaster rail college set to take big step forwardPLANS to create the first national college dedicated to educating the next generation of rail engineers in Yorkshire looks set to take a major step forward next week.
• Rail chiefs urged to ‘do it right’GREATER accountability is needed to ensure chaotic scenes at London railway stations this festive period are not repeated in Yorkshire, a transport chief and Leeds councillor has claimed.
• How safety became an important message on railwayFOR MANY these days talk of health and safety conjures up fears of overzealous bureaucracy but over a century ago it was a very different story on Britain’s railways.
• Rail firms forced into fares fairness pledgeRAIL companies have been ordered to make sure passengers always have access to the cheapest fare as a fresh round of fare rises comes into force today.

Burnley Express

• Padiham pupils' train treat YOUNG 'train spotters' were given the ride of their lives after becoming involved in the opening efforts for Burnley's revamped railway station.

Doncaster Free Press

• Increased rail fares come into effect across South YorkshireIncreased fares will come into effect for rail passengers today - as campaigners demand a ‘fairer approach’ from Government.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Greater Anglia working to improve value from ticket machinesRail travellers using ticket machines should find it easier to get the best-value fares by March this year after talks between the industry and the government.

Peterborough Telegraph

• High praise for crew after Virgin Atlantic plane dramaAn airline passenger says the pilot and crew of a plane that was forced into an emergency landing were “cool as ice cubes” throughout.

Other Regional Press

• Concerns over Pill bus services RESIDENTS of Pill have launched fresh complaints about the bus service from the area to the city centre, despite Newport Transport making changes to the service earlier this year.
• Portsmouth-London rail season ticket charge risesThe cost of an annual rail season ticket between Portsmouth and London rose above £4,900 today.
• Watchdog calls for passenger to be compensated after train delays and cancellationsA watchdog has called for passengers to be compensated after train operator Thameslink apologised for delays and cancellations caused by a shortage of drivers.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New Year honours announced for transport sectorA variety of luminaries across the transport industry have been recognised in the Queen’s New Year honours for 2015, which was released on December 30th.
• Survey shows attitudes about public transportA study carried out by insurance company Direct Line has found some of the most common - and the most bizarre - reasons people avoid using public transport. Overall, 14 per cent of the 2,002 respondents said they never used public transport, with a further 18 per cent only using it once or twice in a year. The most common reason for avoiding public transport is concerns about hygiene, with 11 per cent saying it was why they did not use it. However, some respondents said they simply disliked sharing space with other travellers. This is also a worry for those who do use public transport, agreed ...

Aviation Industry

• Delta becomes world's No. 116 largest companyDelta Air Lines Inc. passed Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. to become the world's No. 116 largest company ranked by market capitalization, according to The Online Investor.

Other News Sources

• Smart Airports promise travellers fewer trip hazards and less stressSmart airports are set to revolutionise the passenger experience as airports invest in beacon, NFC, mobile and wearable technologies.
• Huppert calls for rail fares to be made more affordableCambridge MP Julian Huppert has continued his campaign to reduce rail fares, and has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) in Parliament ahead of the latest increase coming into effect, saying that rail fares are already too high and need to be reduced in real terms, to make train travel more affordable for commuters and other railway users.
• Virgin plane drama pilot: "just doing my job" The pilot who dramatically landed a Virgin Atlantic jet after a major landing-gear fault forced it to turn back has said he was just doing his job.