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

Friday, 17 August 2018

BBC News

• New steam rail interchange opens in Princes RisboroughA new interchange on a heritage rail line has opened in Princes Risborough, allowing passengers to take a steam train from Chinnor and then board a 21st century train into London.
• Titanic Quarter bus lane tailbacks 'horrendous'The Department for Infrastructure says it is working on solutions following the introduction of a new bus lane.
• London Euston station closed for three weekends in a rowNetwork Rail is urging people not to travel on the West Coast Main Line for the next three weekends.
• New facility at Glasgow Airport to help people with complex needsThe £140,000 facility at Glasgow Airport will support children and adults who need extra space.

The Guardian

• These rail fare rises are a step too far. Why don’t commuters rise up?The unmitigated failure of privatised railways is plain for all to see and passengers are the victims
• Asking staff to pay for rail mess isn’t fareMargaret Prosser is outraged by Chris Grayling’s stating that fares should be eased by the workforce taking a lower-than-inflation pay increase
• Pollutionwatch: roads account for a lot of pollution so why do we need more?While citizens curb car use and get on their bike, infrastructure policy still backs building roads – a source of inescapable pollution

The Independent

• SOUTH WESTERN TRAINS STRIKE: WHEN IS IT AND WHICH SERVICES ARE CANCELLEDStrikes affecting South Western Railway routes will occur on Saturday 18 August

Times Online

• Relax ban and let people vape on buses and trains, MPs urge [Subscription]Bus and train companies should consider letting their passengers vape, MPs have said in a report.
• Ferry operator faces 18-month wait for new ships despite £30m loan [Subscription]Two ships being built for Scotland’s state-owned ferry operator on the west coast have been delayed weeks after the builders received a £30 million loan from the Scottish government.

Bolton News

• Shoppers 'hounded' by beggars and bikes in Bolton town centreAS a consultation on plans to clamp down on anti-social behaviour in the town centre closes today, local democracy reporter Nick Statham looks at the effect of Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs).

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Railway line damaged by tractor and trailer stuck on tracks SPECIALIST technical rescue teams from Cleckheaton Fire Station were on hand to help recover a tractor and trailer stuck on a railway line.

London Evening Standard

• South Western Railway strikes announced amid ticket fares rise meaning bad news for commutersRail commuters today faced a double whammy of ticket price increases and the threat of strikes lasting for months.

Manchester Evening News

• Transport secretary branded 'fantasist' after he blamed council for rail infrastructure delaysTransport secretary Chris Grayling, who has strongly denied any responsibility for the Northern Rail timetable crisis, insists Manchester City Council are standing in the way of rail progress

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Inverness city centre poised for multi-million pound transformation of shopping centre and rail stationThe heart of Inverness is poised for a multi-million pound transformation in the coming months that will bring a “significant” jobs boom.
• Transport chiefs accused of ‘palming off’ Aberdeen rail works disruption onto councilTransport chiefs have been accused of “palming off” responsibility for major disruption caused by the 24-hour rail work in Aberdeen.

Carlisle News & Star

• Stunning murals brighten up Carlisle railway stationCarlisle's most artistic family is brightening up the city again. In the past few years Paul and Tina Leith and their daughter Lydia Leith have painted several public murals.

Other Regional Press

• Rail passenger demand to bring Hipperholme station idea forwardGrowing numbers of rail users – expected to increase further as Calderdale develops – mean more stations will be needed at places like Hipperholme.

Coach and Bus Week

• Putting people firstA desire to work with people led Dan Bassett into the bus industry and on the path to an award-winning career. Naomi MacKay went to meet him
• Hampshire Council plans to introduce 50p bus fee for pensionersBus pass-holders in Hampshire may no longer be eligible for free travel on the county’s buses, should new plans from the county council go ahead.
• Impact acquired by HCT GroupHCT Group has acquired west London operator Impact Group Ltd, its second commercial acquisition.
• Liverpool City Region pantograph trialRichard Sharman attended the launch of the Volvo 7900e trial in Liverpool to find out how the city and Stagecoach will assess the new technology

Global Rail News

• DB says innovative freight train project ‘very promising’ so farA project to design innovative freight wagons, which is being financed by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), DB Cargo and VTG, is producing ‘very promising’ results.

Rail Magazine

• Rail bosses told to utilise spare space to carry freightTrain operating companies and the Department for Transport must “grasp the opportunity” to help expand the volume of goods transported by passenger trains, while gaining an additional revenue source.

Railnews

• Northern extends olive branch to RMTNORTHERN has invited the RMT to take part in fresh talks at ACAS in a bid to end the long-running dispute about on-train staffing.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Operator’s registration issues with smart tachosProlonged specialist fit-out of band buses leads to conflict with EU Regulation 165/2014 requirement
• Panorama ‘deckers first service launchedStagecoach West Scotland has launched the first service of Plaxton’s Panorama double-decker coaches on Volvo B11RLE chassis.
• UK coach and bus demand falls, figures showThe UK’s new coach and bus market declined -3.6% in the second quarter of the year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). This marked the sixth consecutive quarter of decline, with 2,029 vehicles joining UK roads.
• First drivers ‘swap with me’First York bus drivers are learning first-hand how to provide an improved on-board experience for blind or partially sighted customers by taking part in a “swap with me” event.
• Ilesbus eases its way slowly into the UK marketIlesbus is one of the large number of Turkish minicoach and midicoach manufacturers. It has big plans for the UK, including absorption of the former Swansea Coachworks name in the medium term

Aviation Industry

• Canadian exec Smith to take Air France-KLM helmAir France-KLM’s board of directors appointed Air Canada COO Ben Smith as its new CEO, the first non-French national to head the group. The Aug. 16 announcement comes after a months-long search to find a successor to former CEO Jean-Marc Janaillac, who resigned in May over a labor conflict with Air France’s workforce that had sparked 15 strike days between February and June and snowballed into a management crisis. read more

Other News Sources

• Stobart Group: we want to make Carlisle airport work for the countyChief executive Warwick Brady says he’s confident group will deliver
• Better access is top priority at Marks Tey train stationIMPROVING access for passengers at a busy train station by adding new elevators has been confirmed as a top priority for a rail firm.