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

Monday, 20 August 2018

BBC News

• Taxi-hailing firm Ola starts operating in WalesOla, which hopes to rival Uber, starts operating in Cardiff, Newport and Vale of Glamorgan.
• First upgraded InterCity train arrives in ScotlandScotRail says the first of 26 upgraded high-speed trains will enter service
• UK investigates WW2 shipwreck looting claimsThe defence secretary says he is

ITV News

• 100,000 seats 'lost' to Northern Rail passengers through Sunday cancellationsDisruption to Northern Rail services over the last four Sundays has meant around 100,000 seats have been "lost" to passengers in the North West, according to the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester.
• Drivers urged to check vehicle height after 'eight bridge strikes in seven days'Network Rail in Wales and Borders is urging HGV drivers to check the height of their vehicles after eight bridge strikes - when a lorry that's too big hits a bridge – in just seven days.

The Independent

• Passengers take the strain as train firms slash services for engineering worksOur travel correspondent sets out on a journey of discovery between Manchester and London The juxtaposition on the concourse at Manchester Piccadilly station was unfortunate. Beside a poster warning of three weekends of rail chaos was the message: “Please walk.”

The Scotsman

• Demand for answers over controversial rail police mergerOpposition parties and unions have demanded clarity from the Justice Secretary after it emerged that the Scottish Government is considering scrapping the controversial planned merger of the British Transport Police with Police Scotland.

Times Online

• Head of rail firm receives £16,000 rise despite delays [Subscription]The head of one of the rail companies blamed for recent disruption has received a £16,000 increase in his pay package. Leo Goodwin, managing director of TransPennine Express, which runs one of the worst-performing services in the country, received a package worth £360,000 in the last financial year.
• Bill of £1bn to fix thousands of bridges that can’t take heavy loads [Subscription]Almost 3,500 bridges across the country are thought to be too weak to bear the heaviest vehicles allowed on British roads.

Network Rail

• Aberdeen-Inverness line reopens on-time for customersThe railway between Aberdeen and Dyce reopened as planned this morning (Monday, August 20) after Network Rail engineers successfully completed a 14-week-long upgrade.

Bolton News

• No trains for nine days out of Bolton from this week BOLTON will be completely without a train service for nine days as national bosses attempt to finish long-term upgrades.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• 'Large increase' in line-side fires among challenges faced by railwayTHE heatwave over June and July has posed stiff challenges for volunteers on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. (K&WVR)

London Evening Standard

• Drivers 'could be fined for going 1mph over the speed limit'Motorists could face fines and possible penalty points for driving at 1mph over the speed limit under new police plans, it was reported today.
• The Tube map that shows exactly where all trains are at any time on the London UndergroundA web developer has created a fascinating map that details exactly where every Tube train is on the London underground network at any given time.

Manchester Evening News

• Oxford Road bus lanes have raked in £10m with almost a thousand drivers caught out every dayAnd as the watchdog describes some signage as 'inadequate', we reveal where appeals are most successful

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Rail tracks open between Aberdeen and Dyce, as upgraded train arrivesTrains will run from Aberdeen to Dyce today for the first time since a massive improvement project began on the tracks in the middle of May.

Other Regional Press

• Highlands and Islands could benefit from Heathrow expansion
• Rail fare rises add ‘insult to injury’ says Hartlepool MP Hartlepool MP has says rises to rail fares would be adding insult to injury for passengers.
• Cheshire rail fare increases an insult to commuters says TUCRail fare increases affecting Cheshire are an insult to hard-pressed commuters, the TUC believes.

Rail Magazine

• ScotRail receives first refurbished High Speed TrainThe first ScotRail High Speed Train arrived in Scotland on August 17, some six months later than planned.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail to build new bridleway bridge across Felixstowe branch lineNetwork Rail has received permission to construct a new bridleway bridge across Felixstowe branch line to deliver a safe public route across the railway while allowing rail freight to carry more goods and enhancing reliability for passenger services.

Other News Sources

• Airport passenger data reveals year-on-year increase through terminalStansted Airport had its busiest July ever with more than 2.7 million passengers travelling through the airport, according to new figures.
• 5 Minutes With… Ian Wright, head of insight at Transport FocusOne of the big challenges from an insight point of view is that the rail sector often doesn’t know who its customers are, and if it does, knows very little about them. This may well change as ticketing become more digital.”
• Stand changes in place for £400k Huddersfield Bus Station overhaulSome bus stands will be closed with services transferred to alternatives for the work