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

Monday, 16 December 2019

BBC News

• Train driver dies in 'serious incident' at Tyseley DepotRail accident investigators are set to probe what happened at the Birmingham site.
• M4 Swansea crash: Six cars crash in icy conditionsOne lane was closed - causing stationary traffic - and motorists are being warned to take care.
• Conwy Valley Line reopens after upgrade workRail passengers faced more than three weeks of disruption and bus replacements.
• New Robroyston station opens as rail timetables changeScotRail promises improvements to services in the north east, Borders and the Central Belt.

The Guardian

• Greta Thunberg in first-class Twitter spat with German rail firmDeutsche Bahn says activist’s tweet implied she had not been offered a seat on journey homeSwedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has been criticised by a German rail firm for what it said was her implication that she had spent a journey without a seat on an overcrowded train.The teenager tweeted a photograph of herself looking pensively out of the window of her German train on Saturday, writing: “Traveling (sic) on overcrowded trains through Germany. And I’m finally on my way home.â€� Continue reading...
• Staff shortages hit rail services as new timetable takes effectCancellations and curtailments in south of England and between London and Wales. A revised rail timetable promising improved services and more trains across the south of England has been marred by a wave of delays and cancellations that have also affected services between London and south Wales. The railway companies GWR and Transport for Wales cancelled or curtailed a slew of trains on Sunday as the new timetable came into effect.

The Independent

• New rail timetables off to disastrous start with widespread cancellations and delaysNew rail timetables promising more trains and faster journeys have got off to a disastrous start, with widespread delays and cancellations.

The Telegraph

• British Airways pilots forced to wear oxygen masks as plane suffers five 'fume events' in seven weeks

Times Online

• Grumpy bus drivers are our heritage, say Berliners [subscription]It may be an apocryphal tale, but the story about a Berlin bus driver responding to a tourist’s cheerful “Guten Tag” with a less polite “Are you having a joke?” rings true to the millions of commuters on the city’s transport network.
• Chaos on railways as new timetables make their debutA timetable promising more trains and faster journeys has been called “an absolute joke” by passengers who suffered delays and cancellations on its first day yesterday.
• Upstart Indian taxi rival Ola hails cut-price route into London [subscription]An Indian company with deep pockets has promised to wage a price war in an attempt to break into London’s fiercely competitive taxi hailing market.

City AM

• Fiat Chrysler-Peugeot merger: French shareholders look for board controlFrench shareholders are looking for confirmation that they will keep a numerical advantage on the combined board of PSA and Fiat Chrysler if CEO Carlos Tavares leaves after the two companies merge.
• Crossrail opens from Reading to PaddingtonThe new line, under the banner of TfL Rail, marks the largest opening of any part of the Crossrail project, which was supposed to open in December 2018.

Birmingham Post

• Train times reduced between South Wales and LondonGWR’s Intercity Express Trains are taking advantage of infrastructure improvements to run to a fully-electric timetable between Cardiff and London
• Liverpool John Lennon Airport in exciting negotiations with international airlines - and hopes to agree Lufthansa deal 'within two years'The airport is looking to continue its impressive growth

London Evening Standard

• Train driver dies in 'tragic accident' at a Birmingham rail depot

Northern Echo

• New train service pulls into RedcarTHE first passengers travelling directly from Manchester, Leeds and York to Redcar on a TransPennine train arrived at Redcar Central station this morning The service, which arrived at 9.50am before departing for Manchester again at 10.05am, now has hourly journeys taking place each day to Redcar.

Wales Online

• Transport for Wales cancels 30 trains because of lack of staffTransport for Wales has cancelled numerous evening services between Cardiff Central and Cardiff Bay
• More Transport for Wales trains are cancelled on Monday as disruption continues for third dayThe service was hit by a number of cancellations over the weekend and there are more planned for Monday and Tuesday

Yorkshire Post

• Commuters warned of disruption with introduction of new train timetablesCommuters are warned of potential disruption on the country's rail network ahead of Monday's rush hour, despite the introduction of a new timetable with the industry promising more services and new routes following infrastructure investment and upgraded carriages.

Kent Online

• Landslip closes Tonbridge to Tunbridge Wells rail linkTrain passengers were facing disruptions in Kent today after a landslide blocked one line and engineering works closed several others.

Other Regional Press

• New trains with air-con and comfortable seats for new hourly service on Tarka LineA new train timetable for a Devon railway line will also see the introduction of newer, more modern trains.
• New ScotRail timetable promises more trains and seatsMajor improvements to Scotland’s railways, including additional services, more seats on key routes and a new station, will be introduced this week as part of a UK-wide timetable change.
• Rail campaigners group welcomes new timetableRAIL commuters will see their journey times cut with more seating available as a new train timetable comes into force.
• The changes to Coventry’s bus services over Christmas and New YearThere will be alterations to services

C.N.N.

• Boeing may curb the production of 737 Max airplanes, source saysBoeing is considering curbing production of the troubled 737 Max and could announce the decision as soon as Monday after the US markets close, a source familiar with the decision-making process said.

New Civil Engineer

• TfL unveils ‘cautious’ five-year plan after Crossrail lossesTransport for London (TfL) has unveiled a cautious five-year business plan following losses to revenue from the delayed Crossrail project.
• Old Oak development abandons plan to buy Cargiant landThe Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) has abandoned plans to acquire land held by second-hand car dealer Cargiant.

Rail Advent

• Extra LNER Azuma train services begin in Edinburgh, Harrogate and LincolnLondon North Eastern Railway has announced that it has introduced additional services from today.

Railnews

• Major changes as new timetables start The next 48 hours are set to be critical for the railway industry, as many timetables change. Managers will be anxious not to repeat the events of May 2018, when new timetables on Govia Thameslink Railway and Northern proved to be unworkable, for different reasons, and months of disruption followed. This time there is a major focus on Great Western Railway, where three out of four journeys have been retimed in the biggest revision on the network since 1976.

Other News Sources

• Classic buses to recreate services from the pastTHE Winchester-based Friends of King Alfred Buses (FoKAB) has confirmed details of its services for New Year’s Day.