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

Tuesday, 22 December 2015

BBC News

• Christmas rail works: 'Plans in place' to stop repeat of last yearRail passengers facing disruption over the festive period have been promised measures are in place to stop a repeat of last year when overrunning work left thousands stranded.
• Scotrail unveils £475m improvement planTrain operator Scotrail announces a £475m programme, pledging new trains, thousands of extra seats, more at-seat power points and better wifi.
• Cycle hire bikes to get laser lightsLaser lights are to be installed on bikes in London's cycle hire scheme to make them more visible.
• Sleeper trains halted by strikeStrike action on rail sleeper services operated by Serco between stations in Scotland and London begins later.
• VIDEO: Rail regulator receives super-complaintTrain companies are making it too difficult for delayed rail passengers to receive compensation, consumer group Which? has argued.

Department for Transport

• Rail passengers in north Cambridgeshire set for bigger say in servicesPassengers in north Cambridgeshire will have more say on how local rail services are run, after the government’s decision today (22 December 2015) to designate the ‘Hereward’ Line as a community rail service.
• Transport Secretary unveils major boost for Crewe economyPatrick McLoughlin opens £26.5 million dual carriageway commemorating local figure David Whitby.
• Government unveils host of measures to further improve road safetyNew measures to help learner drivers and punish dangerous drivers.

Financial Times

• Commuters in dark about rail compensationConsumer group Which launches ‘super-complaint’ against regulator

The Herald

• More seats promised as major overhaul of ScotRail fleet gets underwayA MAJOR upgrade of the ScotRail fleet has got underway in a move which will see 180 extra carriages added to the fleet within three years.
• Firm fined �200,000 for safety failings that led to worker's death on Tay Rail BridgeA FIRM has been fined �200,000 after a rail bridge worker was gassed to death as a result of a catalogue of safety failings.

The Scotsman

• Brian Wilson: Flying for Scots has become lottery Residents of Scotland’s islands are not unaccustomed to travel vagaries around the festive period. Generations of ferry travellers have kept an anxious eye on barometers and forecasts to gauge the likelihood of making it home for Christmas or “the bells”.
• ScotRail announce £475m investment in fleetA £475 million ScotRail programme to improve train capacity, accessibility and wifi has been announced.

The Telegraph

• Unfair rail fine or unused train tickets? Six ways you can claim compensationMillions of rail passengers are missing out on delay payouts, research shows. A passenger campaigner explains exactly how to claim
• Someone has decided to put mistletoe on the London UndergroundA journey on the tube entails physical contact with too many strangers already, and one person has decided to add to the experience

Network Rail

• West Coast Main Line runs full service after flood repairsPassengers are benefiting from the return of a normal timetable on the West Coast Main Line today (Monday 21 December) after Network Rail fully reopened the section that had been badly damaged by flooding north of Carlisle.

Birmingham Mail

• Which is Birmingham's least popular railway station?And find out how many passengers share the weekly commute from your local West Midlands station.

Birmingham Post

• Paris-style electric car sharing coming to the UK Bluecity will mimic the Autolib scheme running in Paris

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh trams use up 12 per cent, surpassing targets MORE than five million passengers have used Edinburgh’s trams in the network’s first calendar year, the Evening News can reveal.

Liverpool Echo

• Stagecoach invests �2m in new buses on its North Liverpool 19 route The services stops close to both Liverpool and Everton FC on matchdays

London Evening Standard

• YouTube star's shock as Uber driver 'watches videos at the wheel' during journeyA YouTube star has told how he was left in fear for his safety as his Uber driver watched videos during a journey through west London.
• Thousands of London buses set to run on meat waste from 2016A third of London's buses will run on fuel made from meat from next year, transport bosses have revealed.
• Bus ticket inspector punched and kicked during attack in IslingtonA bus inspector was punched and kicked in a shocking attack after asking a passenger for his ticket.
• Fare dodgers urged to buy tickets...or risk devastating Star Wars spoilersThe London Underground's ever-imaginative employees have thought up a novel way to clamp down on fare dodgers.

Sheffield Star

• Transport chiefs blame severe road works for bus network chaos Transport chiefs have blamed severe road works as a reason why Sheffield’s bus network has descended into chaos.

Sheffield Telegraph

• Sheffield bus operator announces service plans for ChristmasA Sheffield bus operator has released details of its Christmas and New Year services so passengers can plan their festive journeys.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds passengers facing festive shutdown on rail and buses Public transport users are facing a festive shutdown of rail and bus services in Leeds and the rest of West Yorkshire.

Crewe Chronicle

• Transport Secretary opens Crewe Green Link Road The new road has been named David Whitby Way in memory of the co-driver of the train hijacked during the so-called Great Train Robbery in 1963

Plymouth Herald

• Government report on Plymouth airport to be published early 2016 A MINISTER has said the findings of a Government study into the future of the former Plymouth City Airport site will be published in the New Year.

The Shields Gazette

• New harbour master appointed at Port of TyneThe Port of Tyne has a new harbour master after Captain Alan McPherson was appointed.

Other Regional Press

• Stagecoach investigating after second bus crash in a month Bus company Stagecoach has confirmed it has opened an investigation after a bus crashed into a parked car in Cleethorpes over the weekend - the second collision involving the company this month.
• Million-pound bus interchange is unveiledThe first bus picked up passengers from Hemel Hempstead’s new million-pound transport hub this morning (Monday, December 21).
• Southern should improve immediately or lose rail franchise says MP Southern should be stripped of its rail franchise unless it shows ‘immediate improvement’, an MP has demanded.
• �1 million upgrade to railway in Northamptonshire over ChristmasTravellers using the railway face a diversion over the Christmas weekend as engineers work on a £1 million improvement scheme.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Network Rail to upgrade line between London and Gatwick AirportPart of Network Rail's Railway Upgrade Plan includes a project to replace a section of railways between London and Gatwick Airport and replace�a bridge on the Brighton Main Line. From now, there will be no trains between Croydon and Redhill from 10pm on Christmas Eve through to 4th January 2016. To ensure there are minimal passenger disruptions during this time, there will be a mixture of diversions and rail replacement buses. Speaking on the upgrade to this area, Network Rail route managing director Alasdair Coates said that the company's
• One third of London’s buses to run on waste fats and oils Almost a third of London’s bus fleet will soon be running on a greener blend of diesel, resulting in a huge reduction in CO2 emissions of 21,000 tonnes each year which comes on top of the 48,000 tonne CO2 reduction from 2013 levels as a result of the introduction of lower emitting buses such as hybrids. Two bus operators, Stagecoach and Metroline, have signed deals with Argent Energy to supply them with B20 green diesel. The cleaner burning fuel is made from blending diesel with renewable biodiesel from waste products, including cooking oil and tallow from the meat processing trade.&nbs...
• Rail media vote Institute of Railway Research for top award The Institute took the award for the SUSTRAIL project which aims to boost the quantity of freight carried by rail AFTER participating in an EU-funded research project that led to a breakthrough design for an eco-friendly freight train of the future, the University of Huddersfield’s Professor Simon Iwnicki has collected an award from one of the world’s leading rail industry publishers. He heads the Institute of Railway Research (IRR) that is based at the University and which was one of the Europe-wide participants in a multi-faceted project named SUSTRAIL, which had the goal of bo...
• All Santander Cycles to be fitted with Blaze Laserlights to improve cyclist safetyThe Mayor of London, Boris Johnson MP, Transport for London (TfL), and Santander UK have today announced that all 11,500 Santander Cycles will be fitted with Blaze Laserlights over time from early 2016.  After a successful trial with overwhelmingly positive feedback and strong independent test results, the lights will provide a bigger, brighter presence on the road and early warning of a cyclist’s proximity. The project is largely funded by Santander UK as part of the partnership with TfL.  The Blaze Laserlight projects the symbol of a bicycle shape six metres in front of the...
• Freightliner to improve rail fright competitionLeading real freight provider Freightliner has said that it will help strengthen competition in its sector. This is according to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which is going to investigate complaints into the lack of competition in the sector, reports Logistics Manager. The ORR will be looking into the transport of deep-sea containers by rail from two years ago throughout its investigation. So far, the ORR has found that arrangements between Freightliner and its customers appeared to be limiting competition with rail freight companies. It has been found that Freightliner has been limiting...
• TramForward welcomes the development of two light rail schemes in Scotland.TramForward welcomes the development of two light rail schemes in Scotland. TramForward welcomes the decision taken by the Glasgow and the Clyde Valley City Deal Cabinet to help fund four major infrastructure projects in Greater Glasgow - including an airport public transport link. The Cabinet approved funding of £1.1m towards a project to connect Glasgow city centre with Glasgow Airport via Paisley Gilmour Street station. The Airport Access Project will involve either a tram-train link or a light rail line developed. TramForward also welcomes the development of an outline business ca...
• Network Rail's �1m West Coast upgradeSome of the 20,000 Network Rail staff working on the company's Railway Upgrade Plan will be upgrading the West Coast main line at Weedon. The improvements to the main line at Weedon are set to see an uplift in the reliability of the railway travel through the area. The investment by Network Rail will total �1 million and its focus is to benefit its passengers as the money will be spent on replacing more than 2km of drainage under the track at Weedon. Passengers will benefit as these changes will reduce the need for speed restrictions on the line and will provide a more reliable service on what...

Rail Technology Magazine

• Alstom delivers first X’Trapolis train to South Africa Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has received the first of 600 X'Trapolis Mega commuter trains ordered from Alstom at the Wolmerton depot in Johannesburg.
• TfL gets approval for Bank Tube station upgrade Transport for London (TfL) has received approval from the UK Government to begin work on the £563m upgrade of London Underground's Bank Tube station in 2016.

Aviation Industry

• Etihad expands codeshare with Russia’s S7 AirlinesThe deal will cover eight additional destinations from the airline's Moscow hub.

Other News Sources

• Network Rail offers £20m of wheelset work at Holgate depotNetwork Rail is considering hiring a partner to set up a facility at its Holgate depot in York to carry out the overhaul and assembly of its fleet’s wheelsets.
• Blackburn’s new £4.7million bus station moves step closer to completion THE glass panels surrounding Blackburn’s new £4.7million bus station are now almost complete – and that means it is now on target to open at Easter, 15 months later than planned.
• Which are the busiest and least well used railway stations in Surrey?Figures released by the Office of Rail and Road showed Surrey's busiest station had more than 8m passenger journeys in a single year
• Road safety measures are a positive step forward, says FTAThe Freight Transport Association has reacted positively to the range of measures set out by the Government today to improve road safety, which ...
• CTI appoints CEOTMC names Clive Wratten as its new chief executive
• Heathrow and Gatwick express services disrupted over ChristmasFast trains will be suspended over the festive period due to engineering works