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

Friday, 30 December 2016

BBC News

• Edinburgh trams running three-quarters emptyEdinburgh's £776m tram network is running at an average of 25% capacity, new figures show.
• London commuters back TfL rail devolution plan, poll saysMost Londoners believe suburban rail routes should be controlled by Transport for London, a poll finds.
• New railway station near Aberystwyth 'would boost economy'A new railway station in Ceredigion would have a big impact on the regional economy, a Labour AM member says.
• Cardiff-Swansea rail disruption due to upgrade worksRail disruption continues for a second day in south Wales due to restrictions because of re-signalling work at Cardiff Central.

Department for Transport

• Plans to let learner drivers have motorway driving lessons revealedLearner drivers will be allowed to have driving lessons on motorways with a driving instructor in a car fitted with dual controls.

Times Online

• Edinburgh trams deserted as angry commuters stay away [subscription]The Edinburgh tram system, which is forecast to cost close to £1 billion, is running at only 25 per cent capacity, figures show.
• Young drivers face 120 hours of lessons [subscription]Learner drivers could be made to spend up to 120 hours behind the wheel before sitting their test under government plans to cut accidents, The Times has learnt.
• Chinese bridge builders reach new heights [subscription]China opened its latest record-breaking megastructure yesterday: a four-lane bridge, the highest in the world, over the Nizhu River 565m below. The bridge in the Beipanjiang valley, southwest China, links Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, cutting journey times from five hours to less than two.
• Electric cars need to make economic sense [subscription]Sir, As the owner of an electric vehicle (EV), I read Graeme Paton’s article, “Crackdown on rip-off charges for electric cars” (Dec 28) with interest. For EVs to become more than a niche play, the creation of a seamless public charging network is essential. The approach thus far is a disparate mess. Consequently, most people will only ever undertake short journeys (30-40 miles), where they can be assured of getting back home on a single charge. It is too complex to plan a medium distance journey: there are no assurances of a working or compatible charger, the cost of the electricity, or the rate at which it will be dispensed.

Daily Record

• Edinburgh trams running at only 25% capacity after years of chaos and staggering �776million bill The poor figures come as a public inquiry investigates a number of major problems that blighted the trams project.

Network Rail

• Transport Minister views unique £1m snow-clearing trainTransport Minister Humza Yousaf visited the ScotRail Alliance’s Perth depot recently to view a unique severe weather engineering train that will help keep Scotland’s railway running this winter.

London Evening Standard

• Ministers face pressure over suburban rail routes as poll shows commuters back Sadiq Khan's planThe Government faced mounting pressure to devolve London's suburban rail routes as a new poll revealed most passengers back the plans.

Sheffield Star

• Roadblock for �300m Meadowhall expansion plans over traffic congestion fearsPlans for a £300 million extension to Meadowhall face months of delay over traffic congestion fears.

Wales Online

• Network Rail apologises for delays and replacement buses but warn there's more to come There is further engineering work planned at Cardiff Central on Friday morning

Yorkshire Post

• YP Letters: Threat from high-speed rail linkI, and others, have campaigned to publicise the major issues surrounding the recently confirmed high-speed train link that is going to cut through a number of towns and villages, not to mention countryside of outstanding beauty, if it does go ahead.

Other Regional Press

• More cash for roads AN EXTRA �15 million is to be invested into the busiest roads, rail lines, bus routes and other transport options across Wales, it has been announced.
• People 'misled' over plans for Western Relief Route PEOPLE were ‘misled’ over the viability of a road scheme which could unlock the potential of a community, a committee meeting heard.
• Commuters facing train fare increases between Cambridge and London in the New YearFares are set to increase by an average of 2.3 percent across the country from January 2.

Airportwatch

• VW is way behind on promise to fix its cheating cars [Subscription]More than 900,000 cars on Britain’s roads still have illegal software designed to cheat emissions tests a year after Volkswagen promised to remove the “defeat devices”.

Other News Sources

• New York's incredibly expensive new subway explains why we can't have nice thingsAs President-elect Donald Trump is about to take office having promised a burst of infrastructure spending, it's worth taking a look at the newest, shiniest piece of infrastructure in Manhattan and what it says about why it's so hard to get anything big built in major American cities.
• 9 scenic spots for trainspotting in the UKTrains have never been so popular. Well, they've never been so popular on TV.
• Busiest rail hub outside LondonBirmingham New Street Station has been declared the busiest rail hub in the UK outside London. Data from the Office of Road and Rail shows it as the seventh-busiest in the country.
• Armed police on London Underground for first time on New Year's Eve amid terrorist attack fearsPolice carrying weapons patrolled the Tube after the 7/7 London bombings in 2005 as a temporary measure.
• Scottish Government urged to fast-track NE rail upgradesThe Scottish government is being pushed to fast-track North East rail improvements, almost one year on from the announcement of the City Region Deal.