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

Wednesday, 01 February 2017

BBC News

• Cross-country commuters to save 'hundreds of pounds'Passengers using cross-country train routes could theoretically save up to £260 a journey, under a trial scheme to simplify fares.
• Over 400 Routemasters to be recalled due to rear-door faultMore than 400 buses need upgrades due to a fault with the rear door.

The Guardian

• Rail firms ordered to improve provision of accessible toiletsMinister says there will be clearer information and quicker repairs after Paralympian went public about her ordeal
• Wheelchair user refused space on bus days after supreme court rulingKirsty Shepherd was denied access to bus despite court ruling that drivers should ask passengers to make space for wheelchairsA wheelchair user was refused space on a bus because a pushchair was on board, days after the supreme court ruled that drivers should ask passengers to make space for wheelchairs. Kirsty Shepherd, 34, was denied access to a bus travelling between Wakefield and Leeds in West Yorkshire on 23 January, when the driver said the space usually occupied by a wheelchair user was being used by a woman with a pushchair. Continue reading...
• Air pollution crisis ‘plagues’ UK, finds UN human rights expert‘Silent pandemic’ of air pollution affects UK children and there is no indication protection against toxic waste will be retained after BrexitAir pollution is a crisis that “plagues” the UK, particularly children, according to the UN’s special rapporteur on hazardous substances and wastes.Baskut Tuncak, who was appointed by the UN human rights council and completed a 15-day mission to the UK on Tuesday, said there was an “urgent need for political will by the UK government to make timely, measurable and meaningful interventions”. Continue reading...
• Overhaul of UK train ticket pricing to be trialled in MayScheme aimed at making cheapest tickets easier to buy will wipe out overpriced routes and flag up if two singles are cheaper than returnAn overhaul of Britain’s rail fares is to be trialled to make it easier to buy the cheapest tickets and eliminate overpriced routes.Some fares for long, connecting journeys will be removed from the system as cheaper alternatives exist, in a bid to negate the need for split ticketing to save money.

The Huffington Post

• Split Ticketing Rail Fares To Be Made More Accessible function onPlayerReadyVidible(e){'undefined'!=typeof HPTrack&&HPTrack.Vid.Vidible_track(e)}!function(e,i){if(e.vdb_Player){if('object'==typeof commercial_video){var a='',o='m.fwsitesection='+commercial_video.site_and_category;if(a+=o,commercial_video['package']){var c='&m.fwkeyvalues=sponsorship%3D'+commercial_video['package'];a+=c}e.setAttribute('vdb_params',a)}i(e.vdb_Player)}else{var t=arguments.callee;setTimeout(function(){t(e,i)},0)}}(document.getElementById('vidible_1'),onPlayerReadyVidible); An overhaul of Britain’s rail fares is to be trialled to make it easier to buy t...

The Telegraph

• End of rip-off rail fares as ticket pricing system gets overhaul

Mail Online

• Wheelchair user blasts bus driver who 'refused her' Kirsty Shepherd, from Wakefield, was told by an Arriva driver (not pictured) that she could not get on despite there being room. This came just days after the Supreme Court ruled wheelchairs have priority.
• MPs hit out at diesel charges warning they may be illegal Local authorities in London, Birmingham, Nottingham, Derby, Leeds and Southampton are thought to be considering drastic measures to crack down on diesel to improve air quality.

The Mirror

• Brit drivers spend FOUR DAYS every year desperately looking for a parking spacePeople who park badly are the most annoying thing for drivers on the UK's roads
• Rail firms ordered to improve disabled toilet access after top Paralympian wet herself due to inadequate facilities Team GB wheelchair racer Anne Wafula-Strike said she was "robbed of her dignity" after she was forced to urinate in her seat

Birmingham Mail

• Petrol prices rise to TWO YEAR high Diesel is also at its most expensive level since December 2014, at £1.23 per litre

London Evening Standard

• TfL Tube strikes 2017: Crisis talks held ahead of three days of walk outs planned for next week Crisis talks were taking place today to try and prevent three days of Tube strikes threatening to cause major disruption to Monday morning peak time services.
• Southern Rail in new row with unions over staff safety licencesA fresh row has flared on Southern Railway after union leaders accused the company of planning to strip staff of their safety licence.
• HS2 set to go ahead after House of Lords oppose bid to block long awaited rail projectAn eleventh-hour bid to derail the high-speed rail project has failed in the House of Lords.
• Rail fares overhauled to help customers find cheapest ticketsAn overhaul of Britain's rail fares is to be trialled to make it easier to buy the cheapest train tickets.

The York Press

• Videos: York cabbies release footage of Uber drivers breaking one-way rules MISTAKES by Uber drivers on York’s roads have been captured on camera by rival taxi drivers.

Other Regional Press

• VIRGIN TRAINS WARNS AIR PASSENGER DUTY AXE WILL HIT RAIL SERVICESAround a third of Edinburgh to London rail journeys could be lost to air travel if air passenger duty (APD) is abolished, according to Virgin Trains.
• COLUMN: On yer bike - 'Cyclists are not part of the problem' Not just a slap of paint
• 'New Oxford to Bristol rail line’ discussed by MPs ‘EXCITING’ plans to open a ‘new rail line’ west of Oxford going to Bristol have been discussed by MPs.
• Plans for buses to make U-turns at Frideswide Square 'unsafe and could cause traffic chaos' PLANS for buses to make U-turns at one of Oxford's busiest junctions are dangerous and could cause traffic chaos, it is claimed.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Nexus to invest �35m in modernisation work in 2017Nexus is to invest £35 million in Metro modernisation work in 2017. The work will involve major projects to renew and replace Metro’s ageing infrastructure, including track and overhead lines. It forms part of the £350m Metro all change modernisation programme, the scheme to secure Metro’s long term future over eleven years. The modernisation programme is now into its sixth year. Major Metro renewal projects in 2017 include: Track replacement work between Wallsend and St James The start of a five year scheme to replace 300km of overhead power lines Track r...
• Edinburgh Airport launch Consultation 2 on Airspace Change ProgrammeEdinburgh Airport has launched the second stage of its public consultation on the Airspace Change Programme (ACP). The ACP is about the way in which Edinburgh Airport intends to grow, ensuring that it continues to be able to support Scotland’s economy and jobs in a safe and effective way. The existing flight paths used by aircraft rely on the 1950s technology of ground-based radio beacons. Any new flightpaths changes would be introduced using well-established and more accurate form of navigation called Area NAVigation (RNAV). RNAV uses a combination of satellite and ground-based navigati...

Rail Magazine

• NR seeks fourth track north of HuntingdonA fourth track on the East Coast Main Line north of Huntingdon is on the cards.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Fake rail tickets in the age of the dark web and ‘smart’ payments An investigation has revealed that forged train tickets are being sold at a fraction of their retail price on the dark web and then used at UK rail stations. Is this a passing phase or the start of a new form of fraud?
• Solar-powered trains: will the UK seize the moment? A new project underway has set out to explore the possibility of connecting solar panels directly to train tracks on the UK network. If successful, the Renewable Traction Power project could help speed-up the rail sector’s decarbonisation agenda and …
• West Yorkshire to agree �3bn 'whole route ethos' investment in ECMLThe West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) is soon expected to agree to plan its part in investing £3bn in a ‘whole route ethos’ of upgrades to the East Coast Main Line (ECML), as authorities prepare to pave the way for HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR). The combined...
• Welcome to the UK Rail Industry AwardsSir Peter Hendy hosts UKRIA 2017: the rail industry awards rewarding significant contributors to the industry. Brought to you by Rail Technology Magazine, UK's rail industry media leader.

Railway Gazette

• Knorr-Bremse completes purchase of Vossloh Electrical SystemsKNORR-BREMSE: The sale of Vossloh AG's Electrical Systems business unit to Knorr-Bremse Systeme f�r...

Aviation Industry

• Delta, American swap gates at LAX in ramp-up to terminal upgradesDelta Air Lines swapped four gates with American Airlines at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Jan. 31, the first visible element of Delta’s infrastructure upgrade at LAX. read more

Other News Sources

• Rail services for Hemel Hempstead improve over the last four years - but have dropped compared to six months agoRail users are less satisfied with services than they were six months ago, according to the latest National Rail Passenger Survey.
• New railway station in Cambridge could be built without public moneyWork is ongoing to develop a business case for the new station, but investors say their preferred scenario would be to develop the site themselves
• Station deal struck: Express service to call at Morley and improvements for commutersTransPennine Express has announced that more of its Manchester to Leeds services will call at Morley by May 2018.And train operator Northern has also confirmed that it will be investing in improvements at the neglected station.