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Tuesday, 02 January 2018

Cogitamus

• 🚄 ⛴ 🚛 🚗 Happy New Year ! 🚋 🚲 ✈️ 🚌Everyone at Cogitamus Limited would like to wish all our TransportInfo readers a very happy and prosperous 2018.

BBC News

• Rail fares: Arriva Train Wales ticket price rises by 3.3%Rail passengers across the UK are being hit with the largest fare rise in five years.
• Tesla's Elon Musk promises pick-up truck and new featuresElon Musk promises a pick-up truck and a range of new features for existing Tesla vehicles.
• Volunteers could guard some UK borders, Home Office saysMinisters are
• 2017 'safest year' for air travel as fatalities fallA fatal accident occurred once in every 16 million flights, according to an aviation consultancy
• Rail fares: Commuters 'priced out' by increases, campaigners sayAverage rail ticket prices go up by 3.4% across the UK - the biggest increase in five years.

ITV News

• Islanders can have their say on Jersey's new bus timetableIslanders in Jersey can have their say on the proposed timetable for Liberty Bus to help improve the service.

Financial Times

• UK ministers warned of trouble on railways and NHSSpending cuts left Tories exposed after crashes and health service crises
• Andrew Adonis quits as May infrastructure adviserEx-Labour minister says PM becoming ‘voice’ of Ukip and points to unease over rail franchises
• BA owner IAG to buy insolvent Niki airlineLufthansa pulled out of deal for Air Berlin asset over competition concerns
• Uber’s rise triggers financial crisis at taxi lendersCredit unions at risk of failure as loan losses mount
• France’s northern ports fight to stop hard Brexit Hauts-de-France region has much to lose in the event of a disorderly UK exit from EU
• BBA Aviation appoints Mark Johnstone as new CEO

The Guardian

• New push to make England's longest cycle tunnel a realityCampaigners say they could enhance West Yorkshire’s health and economy by converting an old railway line
• Long queues at US airports as immigration computers go downTwo-hour outage for passport processing on Monday evening not thought to be malicious, authorities sayImmigration desk computers at various US airports went down for about two hours on Monday, causing long lines for travellers entering the United States, according to Customs and Border Protection and posts on social media. Related: Record number of Irish passports issued as Brexit vote spurs demand Continue reading...
• Rail fares: unions and Labour condemn 'staggering' increasePrices will rise by 3.4% on average, sparking protests at dozens of train stations as passengers pay more for less Labour and trade unions have condemned staggering annual increases to rail fares, which come into force on Tuesday, triggering protests at dozens of stations in England. Related: Train fares: UK rail passengers face biggest rise for five years Continue reading...
• 'A rolling walking stick': why do so many disabled people cycle in Cambridge?Cycling may be easier than walking for two-thirds of disabled people, but disabled cyclists often remain invisible to society. Many don’t realise that more than a quarter of disabled commutes in this university city are made by bike
• Tom Watson calls on Chris Grayling to quit over 'grubby' East Coast rail dealLabour’s deputy leader echoes Andrew Adonis’s call for transport secretary to resign over Virgin and Stagecoach bailout. Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, has called on Chris Grayling to resign as transport secretary over what he described as a “grubby backroom deal to bail out the East Coast line”.

The Independent

• Rail fare rises: Season ticket prices have soared by up to 50% since Tories took power in 2010, Labour revealsTrain travel branded ‘unaffordable for the many’ – with commuters paying up to £2,539 more than at the start of the decade

The Telegraph

• Heathrow slashes passenger charges on domestic flights in bid for expansioneathrow has slashed the airport charges for passengers on internal routes, as it expands with a new runway while positioning itself as a domestic flight hub.

Times Online

• Only the private sector can ensure a smooth road ahead for drivers [Subscription]Today’s the day when millions of us commit to fresh starts and bold new resolutions, whether to eat more healthily or to make another determined effort to give up smoking. It would be wonderful if the first day of the year were also marked by our politicians undertaking to do something radical and challenging.
• River buses end quiet life for houseboaters [Subscription]Life on a riverboat conjures up an image of a tranquil existence, with owners being rocked to sleep by the lapping of the water. Yet that does not ring true for some river dwellers.
• Don’t pander to Adonis in reshuffle, May is told [Subscription]Theresa May has been warned against sacking her transport secretary in the aftermath of the resignation of Lord Adonis.
• Rail fares five times higher than in Europe [Subscription]Rail commuters face paying up to five times as much for journeys as passengers in the rest of Europe after the biggest fare rises since 2013.
• Let electric cars use bus lanes, says TD - Ireland [Subscription]The government should offer more incentives to convince motorists to switch to electric cars, a TD has said.
• Fare rises mean commuters lose 13% of salary getting to work [Subscription]Rail commuters face spending a far greater proportion of their income on fares than anyone else in Europe after the biggest price rises since 2013.

City AM

• Heathrow is rolling out stricter environmental charges for airlines while cutting domestic passenger chargesHeathrow Airport announced today it is getting stricter with environmental charges to propel airlines to use cleaner and quieter aircraft.
• UK commuters spend a way bigger chunk of their salaries on rail fares than other Europeans as ticket prices are hiked across UKCommuters are being welcomed back to work after the festive period with an average rail fare rise of 3.4 per cent, which comes into effect today.

Mail Online

• Average train in Britain was built 21 years ago Industry figures reveal Britain's trains are 21.1-years-old on average, the oldest since current records began, Office of Rail and Road (ORR) statistics show.
• Rail bosses get multimillion pay despite strike misery A Daily Mail investigation reveals some UK executives could earn as much as £5.4million despite a year plagued by engineering works, poor service and terrible strike disruption.
• Rail commuters are paying £2,500 more for season tickets As passengers are hit today with the biggest fare increases in five years, a report reveals the cost of some season tickets has soared by as much as 50 per cent since 2010.

Network Rail

• Network Rail successfully completes £8 million upgrade in SouthamptonSouth Western Railway passengers are able to travel through Southampton again after Network Rail successfully completed £8 million of track renewal work on schedule over the Christmas period.
• London Bridge is open! Final section of massive new concourse and five new platforms open to the public as historic redevelopment begins countdown to completionLondon Bridge station reopened today after ten days of major engineering work, marking the countdown to completion of the £1bn redevelopment after more than five years of work. The final section of the huge, modern new concourse and the final five platforms opened for the first time, allowing Cannon Street trains to resume calling at the landmark new station.

Belfast Telegraph

• Rail commuters ‘held to ransom’ as season ticket prices rise faster than wagesFares will go up by an average of 3.4% on Tuesday, the biggest increase since 2013.

Birmingham Mail

• How rail commuters spend five times as much here as in EuropeOne route from Birmingham has seen the price of season ticket rise by £2,500 since 2010

Birmingham Post

• 'Dads Army' style volunteers could patrol Britain's borders Home Office looking into plans to use volunteer staff at smaller ports

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• REVEALED: Rise in drivers wrongly parking in disabled parking spaces THE number of drivers fined for wrongly parking in disabled parking spaces in the Bradford district has increased in each of the last three years, the Telegraph & Argus can reveal.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Gwynedd bus company ceases operating with new services set to startPenygroes-based Express operated an extensive network of services in the Caernarfon, Bangor and Blaenau Ffestiniog area

Edinburgh Evening News

• Bus lane hours extension not the route to go It is well known what a great bus service Lothian Buses is and the company has won many awards over the years in recognition of their record as the lead transport provider in the city.

Northern Echo

• 'Exploding vehicles and utter chaos': Aycliffe couple speak after fleeing Liverpool Arena car park fire A NORTH-EAST couple told last night how vehicles exploded in a blazing car park as they ran to escape the scene on New Year's Eve.

The York Press

• Rail users in York face steep fare hike misery RAIL passengers in York were returning to work today after the festive break to find themselves facing some of the country’s steepest fare rises.

Wales Online

• How your rail fare will go up as rail passengers face biggest rise in five yearsRail passengers travelling will today be hit with the biggest fare rise in half a decade.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Yorkshire transport 2018: Contactless payments and better-trained bus drivers on our roads Better-trained bus drivers, contactless payments and improvements to some of the region’s worst congestion hotspots are among the developments expected on Yorkshire’s roads in 2018.

Other Regional Press

• Children face six-mile walk to school if bus to Attleborough Academy is axedChildren face the prospect of a six-mile walk to school beside a fast and busy road if their school bus is axed, it has been claimed.
• More than 400 signatures on petition to save number 12 bus serviceMORE than 400 people have signed a petition to save a bus service which could be cut due to a threat to its funding from a cash-strapped council.
• Petition to extend Fleetwood tram service along disused rail line launched A petition has been launched calling for a new study to be commissioned looking into a tramway extension from Fleetwood to Poulton along the currently disused railway line.
• Rail commuters face their biggest increase in fares in five years from todayRAIL commuters will today face their biggest increase in fares in five years.
• 'Eye-watering' fare increase as annual train ticket rises above £5,000A TRAIN season ticket from Oxford to London will rise above £5,000 from today as eye-waterin rail fare increases come into force.
• 'Eye-watering' fare increase as annual train ticket rises above £5,000A TRAIN season ticket from Oxford to London will rise above £5,000 from today as ‘eye-watering’ rail fare increases come into force.

London Mayor Watch

• Sadiq confirms unlimited Hopper bus fare is coming this monthLondoners will soon be able to make unlimited bus and tram journeys within an hour for the price of a single fare, after Mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed a long awaited update to his Hopper ticket will roll-out this month.

Buying Business Travel

• Eurostar agrees deal to offer Amazon video programmesTrain operator gives passengers access to Amazon’s exclusive TV shows
• IAG closing in on Niki purchaseBA owner in pole position to buy Air Berlin’s Austrian brand
• Uber boosted by major new investmentTaxi app set for cash injection from new consortium of investors

Construction Enquirer

• VolkerFitzpatrick-Kier JV wins £119m Luton airport rail linkLondon Luton Airport has picked a VolkerFitzpatrick-Kier team to deliver the main civils package for its planned new light railway system.

Rail Magazine

• Talks continue on Cumbrian Coast Line tractionDiscussions regarding the reliability of locomotive-hauled trains on the Cumbrian Coast are ongoing, with no decision made as to their replacements.

Railnews

• London Bridge is back in businessTHE last part of the modernised London Bridge station opened at 05.00 today, completing a five-year £1 billion project to improve the station on an unprecedented scale.
• London Bridge is back in business The last part of the modernised London Bridge station opened at 05.00 today, completing a five-year £1 billion project to improve the station on an unprecedented scale. The station is London™s oldest terminus, but it has changed many times since it opened in 1836, It was rebuilt more than once in the nineteenth century but also needed repairs after it was damaged by bombs in World War 2. The resulting complex remained inefficient and unattractive until major reconstruction was authorised as part of the Thameslink Programme.

Aviation Industry

• BA owner IAG set to take over NIKIBritish Airways parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) is believed to be on the verge of taking over NIKI, after the administrator handling the Austrian carrier’s insolvency process said Thursday that only one of four bidders remained. read more

Other News Sources

• Ready for take offLeeds Bradford Airport is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance under its new chief executive and industry veteran, David Laws. Bryce Wilcock reports.
• Parents pay thousands in ‘daft’ charges for empty seats on council school bus servicesParents in Norfolk have paid more than £200,000 for empty seats on council school bus services.
• Truthall Station taking shape at the Helston RailwayThe Helston Railway, who are based down in Cornwall, has reached a milestone on their building of Truthall Halt station.
• Work begins on new trains for Transpennine Express in JapanTransPennine Express passengers are one step closer to traveling in brand new trains, as Hitachi begins to build the Intercity Fleet in Japan.
• Rail bosses slammed for fat cat pay deals Rail bosses have been criticised as news emerged of the bumper pay deals they will pocket with some executives receiving £5.4 million despite a year of train delays and fair hikes.