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

Tuesday, 29 December 2015

BBC News

• Bosses quizzed about 'joke' serviceRail bosses are to be quizzed about train services in the South East which have been branded an
• Train firm apology over cancellationsA train company apologises for cancelling services on one of the busiest post-Christmas shopping days.

Financial Times

• Volvo gears up for first bond issueChinese-owned carmaker considers tapping capital markets in potential precursor to IPO

The Guardian

• Western oil firms must innovate or dieCompanies such as Exxon, Shell and BP could stop exploring and provide equipment, knowhow and technologies to oil-producing countriesNow that oil prices have settled into a long-term range of $30-50 a barrel (as described here a year ago), energy users everywhere are enjoying an annual income boost worth more than $2tn (£1.34tn). The net result will almost certainly accelerate global growth, because the beneficiaries of this enormous income redistribution are mostly lower- and middle-income households that spend all they earn.Of course, there will be some big losers – mainly governme...

The Herald

• 75,000 passengers fly into Edinburgh Airport ahead of Hogmanay celebrationsA record-breaking 75,000 passengers are expected to fly into Edinburgh Airport ahead of the capital's world-famous Hogmanay celebrations.
• Football fans who cause disorder on trains to be targeted by new Transport Police unitA new unit of uniformed and plain clothes police officers is being deployed across Scotland's rail network.

The Telegraph

• Letters: An additional runway at Heathrow is merely a stop-gap measureSIR – The hopeless saga of Britain’s new runway grinds on. Whatever the perceived economic benefits of building an additional runway at Heathrow, several intractable problems were not adequately addressed by the Airports Commission.
• Government in talks to boost mobile coverage on trainsOperators and infrastructure providers developing plan to cover 19,000 miles of track and deliver PM's 'free WiFi' pledge
• Commuters suffer as rail repairs hit the return to workTransport campaigners complain the public is paying the price for 'past neglect' of basic maintenance on railways

Times Online

• Heathrow starts fight over bill for Crossrail link [Subscription]Travellers could be hit with a surcharge as airport demands £40m a year from operator of flagship London project

This is Money

• Department of Transport balks at Heathrow Airport's demand for £40m-a-year to use part of its Express line for Crossrail Heathrow Airport is reported to be clashing with the Department of Transport over an annual £40millio payment to link Crossrail to its stations.

Conservative Party

• Judy Terry: Don’t expand Heathrow – boost regional airports insteadHow I tire of the criticism and abuse directed at David Cameron. You expect the Opposition to misrepresent the facts, but when business leaders and Conservative backbenchers weigh in, using words like ‘hypocrite’ and ‘coward’ to the media, it’s different.

Birmingham Mail

• Hidden Spaces: Elan Valley Aqueduct's tunnels deep underground If the Edgbaston Waterworks were the key to the industrialisation of Birmingham then the Elan Valley Aqueduct was the lock that was opened.

Bolton News

• Trains running again between Bolton, Horwich and Chorley after landslip removed TRAINS are running again between Bolton, Horwich and Chorley after a landslip was removed.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Railway line closed for days by flooding The Conwy Valley line disappeared under water as homes also flooded in Beaumaris

London Evening Standard

• Tube workers using fake names to protect against stalkers and 'fixated' passengersLondon Underground workers are using fake names on ID badges to protect themselves against stalkers and harassment from passengers.
• New Year's Day parade boss: Airlines 'crippling' tourism with sky-high feesAirlines flying passengers into UK from the US accused of profiteering
• Freight train carrying thousands of litres of sulphuric acid derails in AustraliaA massive 26-carriage freight train carrying up to 200,000 litres of sulphuric acid has derailed in Australia.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottingham Post published John Flynn: Why can't older people's bus passes be more flexible?John Flynn from Burton Joyce argues that there could be more flexibility in older people's bus passes. I suppose that there are arguments about whether concessionary bus passes should be issued at all. Concessionary bus passes are currently issued to two main groups, the elderly and the disabled, and different considerations apply to each group. One school of thought is that if a person wishes to travel on a bus, then they should pay the full fare, just like everyone else. On the other...
• Nottingham Post published Robert Howard: Time to end 'The Twirlies' on buses?Robert Howard, a blogger from Beeston, says bus travel concessions should be aimed at the young, not the old. There is not a bus driver in the land who has not heard someone, somewhere, ask, "Am I too early?". Over the decades this has morphed into, "Am I twirly?". The origin of concessionary bus fares can be traced back to the late-1920s, and by 1955, a total of 26 municipal transport undertakings were offering some form of concessionary travel to residents in the...

Wales Online

• Severn Bridge tolls are about to rise again to �6.60 a car from January 1 Drivers who use the Severn Bridge and Second Severn Crossing regularly say it is an unfair burden on workers and businesses

North Wales Live

• 'Drunk' young men filmed on citybikes in Mersey tunnel Cycling is allowed between certain hours, but one Merseytravel figure wants the rules reviewed

Other Regional Press

• Passengers reminded of disruption expected over festive period BUS and train�passengers are being reminded of changes to travel services today.
• Flooding: Rail services disrupted by bad weather across West YorkshireTrain services expected to be hit until Tuesday evening
• Buses badly damaged by blaze at EllandTwenty firefighters called to bus depot for late-night blaze

Railway Gazette

• Polish passenger information consolidatedPOLAND: In an effort to integrate, standardise and simplify the provision of passenger information...
• Handheld vehicle tag reader introducedRFID: Mobile computing specialist Trimble has introduced a rugged, handheld computer with an...

Other News Sources

• Heathrow or Gatwick? It's make your mind up time for David Cameron - Lillian Greenwood MPFew policy problems have proved to be as intractable as providing new airport capacity – but the case for action is overwhelming.