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

Sunday, 11 August 2019

BBC News

• Dover: Ferry passengers stuck at sea due to high windsThe Port of Dover says it is
• Public ownership an option for Ferguson shipyardThe Scottish government says it is considering nationalising the beleaguered Ferguson shipyard.

ITV News

• Carlisle Airport runway closed due to floodingCarlisle Lake District Airport has closed its runway and diverted flights to Newcastle International Airport after flooding.

The Guardian

• Train feels the strain: passengers slate £150m Caledonian SleeperWith luxury double rooms, en suite showers and a breakfast service which includes smoothie bowls and eggs royale, the relaunch of the renowned Caledonian Sleeper just over 100 days ago seemed to have elevated the train service to the highest standards of luxury and convenience.
• 'I never slept a wink': an ill-fated trip on the Caledonian SleeperOne of the relaunched train service’s customers explains why she will never use it again
• 'I never slept a wink': an ill-fated trip on the Caledonian SleeperOne of the relaunched train service’s customers explains why she will never use it again
• UK energy watchdog demands answers after major power cutOutage caused travel chaos and cut electricity to almost 1m people in England and Wales

The Independent

• Severe weather causes travel misery for thousands of air passengers with delays throughout weekendPassengers at Luton, Gatwick and Heathrow have been worst affected

The Observer

• The Observer view on Britain’s blackoutLast week’s widespread disruption illuminated the brittle nature of our infrastructure

The Scotsman

• Muggle scenic rail routes facing fines over lack of magicThey were supposed to boast delicious local food and drink, “tourism ambassadors” and Harry Potter-style butter beer tasting

Times Online

• Fightback begins over the parking ’highwaymen’ [subscription]Almost 7m motorists were fined last year using details bought from the DVLA — that may be breaking the law
• An inconvenient truth about electric cars [subscription]How can we switch to electric cars when there still aren’t enough places to charge them? Nick Rufford reports
• London’s looming ban on dirty cars [subscription] Save For drivers in the capital, a hazard looms: the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez). Inside the zone, which currently covers central London, drivers whose vehicles don’t comply with EU limits on emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulates must pay a £12.50 daily charge (£100 for lorries).
• Ferguson shipyard set for public ownership [subscription]The Scottish government is expected to announce this week that the ailing Ferguson shipyard on the lower Clyde will be nationalised, as it seeks to secure the future of 350 jobs.
• Network Rail must be beefed up, says review chief Keith Williams [subscription]A review of the railways by the former boss of British Airways has recommended a huge increase in Network Rail’s powers, putting it at the heart of a powerful new organisation.
• Britons to be ’nudged’ towards electric cars [subscription]The transport secretary has bought his own Tesla and is splashing out on charging points to fuel a revolution on the roads
• Go on, abolish interrailing. It’s a once‑in‑a‑lifetime experience, but that’s once too often for me [subscription]You may have assumed it happened a long while ago, but last week Britain officially went off the rails. And then, a day later, got back on them again. Did you ever go interrailing? Before there were budget flights to whisk young people to full-moon parties in Thailand, where they could drink fishbowls full of Sex on the Beach before trying to have full sex on a beach, there was the interrail pass.

Daily Record

• Scots train passengers stuck on tracks for EIGHT hours in power cut mayhemPassengers travelling from Edinburgh to London were left in limbo after a major power cut brought travel chaos.

London Evening Standard

• West Coast Main Line closed due to flooding the day after passengers faced chaos due to major power outageRail commuters were facing further delays today as severe downpours compounded travel chaos sparked by a major power cut in England and Wales.

Sheffield Telegraph

• 'Government must be held to account' for huge power cut that left 1 million people without electricity, claims union leaderThe Government must be held to account for last night’s widespread powercut that left almost a million people across England and Wales without electricity, a transport union leader has said.

Yorkshire Post

• Transport: The dead battery in the Northern Powerhouse – David BehrensOne of the attractions of living in the North was always supposed to be the ease and affordability of getting to work. I, for instance, used to be able to glide comfortably from Ilkley to Leeds, by train or car, while those at Goodge Street Station were still queueing for the lift.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Dualling work set to double port cargo on the rail networkBritain's premier container port says it is preparing to double the amount of cargo it sends by rail once dualling of part of the Felixstowe-Ipswich line is fully complete.

Train Operators

• Specialist helps to make Greater Anglia's new “game-changing” trainsThe first of Greater Anglia’s brand-new trains have now entered service, with much improved accessibility features - thanks partly to an access and inclusion professional who tested wheelchair accessibility as one of the final performance and safety tests.

Other News Sources

• Pensioners may lose cheaper bus and rail fares in West Yorkshire say campaignersCut-price bus and rail travel for older people is under threat, claims a campaign group. The Campaign for Better Transport West & North Yorkshire Branch says off-peak concessionary fares are under review by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA).
• Campaigners call for better disabled access to Church and Oswaldtwistle Railway StationHyndburn MP Graham Jones visited the station with the regional director of Northern, Chris Jackson
• More support for campaign to reopen Totton to Fawley branch lineCAMPAIGNERS calling for a Hampsire railway line to be reopened say support for the idea is growing. The Totton to Fawley branch line closed to passengers in the late 1960s but continued to serve Marchwood Military Port and Fawley oil refinery.