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

Wednesday, 08 January 2020

BBC News

• Network Rail says extreme weather is causing landslipsNetwork Rail say climate change is to blame for the number of landslips disrupting services across the South East.
• Could congestion charges solve Cardiff's pollution?Measures to tackle congestion in Wales' capital are planned amid concern over pollution levels.
• Cardiff council congestion plans amid pollution fearsThere is a belief that plans could include a congestion charge on motorists to improve air quality.
• CES 2020: Manta5's electric bike rides on waterAfter nearly a decade's research, a hydrofoil water bike has gone into mass production.
• Arran ferry campaigners call for bad weather facilities to be restoredCampaigners say services to Arran are vulnerable because a key port of refuge is out of action.
• CES 2020: Sony announces electric car conceptThe electronics giant unveiled the
• Aston Martin warns on profits but Rolls-Royce sales surgeThe carmaker says profits are set to nearly halve, but luxury rival Rolls-Royce sees record sales.
• TransPennine Express to refund season ticket fare riseSome rail operators have been under pressure from the government to get their house in order.
• Carlos Ghosn: Nissan inquiry a 'gross perversion'Mr Ghosn is set to speak to media on Wednesday in Lebanon after his surprise escape from Japan ahead of his trial.

Financial Times

• Uber/Hyundai: not fareShareholders need plans that are grounded in reality
• Carmakers move from cars to building cities at CESToyota, Daimler and Hyundai unveil bold visions of the future at world’s largest tech show
• South Western Railway under threat of renationalisationAccounts for UK’s second biggest commuter service raise questions over future

The Guardian

• South Western Railway may be nationalised after firm loses £137mAccounts show joint venture between FirstGroup and MTR could go bust before end of 2020. The strike-hit South Western Railway (SWR) franchise faces the prospect of nationalisation after its accounts revealed significant doubt that it could see out the year without going bust.
• Cancelling HS2 would fail new Tory voters, Boris Johnson toldWest Midlands mayor says rail project could make or break the future of region. The Conservative mayor of the West Midlands has told Boris Johnson cancelling HS2 would fail the new Tory voters who returned him to No 10 last month believing he would bring prosperity to their region. As the government prepares to publish a review into the future of the high-speed railway line, Andy Street said abandoning the project would deliver a hammer blow to the West Midlands from which it could take a decade to recover.

The Telegraph

• Rolls Royce no longer just for chauffeured CEOs as custom-made SUVs attract celebrities and influencers who get rich younger

Times Online

• Boris Johnson orders cabinet to axe swathe of projects [subscription]Boris Johnson has warned his cabinet that it is “time for the slaughtering of sacred cows” as he vowed to cull the pet projects of his predecessors Theresa May and David Cameron.
• South Western Railway in danger of renationalisation [subscription]One of the country’s biggest rail operators is at risk of renationalisation within 12 months because of crippling financial losses.
• Uber’s electric flying taxi project ‘ready for take-off in three years’ [subscription]Flying taxis could take to the skies within three years after new plans to halt crippling levels of congestion and air pollution in cities.

City AM

• Tfl set to cut hours of London Overground ticket officesTransport for London (TfL) has confirmed it will cut the hours of London Overground ticket offices after an ongoing row with the rail union.

Birmingham Post

• Airport updates passengers after uncertainty of flights from Cornwall to LondonFlybe and Newquay airport have been tight-lipped about the future of the service
• First new Merseyrail train leaves Swiss factory on its way to the Liverpool City RegionThe new trains are coming

Bolton News

• TransPennine Express 'apologises' to passengers with refundTRAIN passengers can claim back the cost of this year’s fare increase under a new compensation scheme.
• Greater Manchester bus consultation ends todayDON'T miss the chance to have your say on how buses are run.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• LEEDS: Proposed rail station ‘too far’ from Leeds Bradford AirportA senior politician in Leeds has claimed a planned rail station serving Leeds Bradford Airport would be “too farâ€� from the site.
• Works to Bradford Beck will be one of benefits of road scheme - Council bosses told THE renaturalisation of parts of Bradford Beck is one of the benefits of a multi million pound road improvement scheme - Council bosses were told.

London Evening Standard

• South Western Railway admits it could lose franchise after recording losses of £137m Strike-hit train operator South Western Railway has admitted it could lose its franchise contract after recording a loss of £137 million.
• No Trousers On The Tube Day 2020: When is the ride, which tube lines are involved and how to participateEver sat on the hot, sweaty London Tube and felt inclined to strip off? Chances are you're not alone and even better – there's a day specifically designated to this every year.

Manchester Evening News

• If Piccadilly expansion isn't signed off, rail chaos will 'continue endlessly into the future' - and the Ordsall Chord has made things WORSEGovernment has long been dodging questions on its broken promise to expand Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations. Northern leaders are now set to tell ministers they have no choice - do it, or we suffer bad services forever

The York Press

• Northern launches 10p sale - but unions blast it as a gimmickMore than 180,000 advanced tickets are available for as low as 10p for adults and 5p for children, according to the firm.
• Haxby could get a train station again - 90 years after last one shutHAXBY could get a train station again - as council leaders plan to put £50,000 towards researching the plan.

Bucks Free Press

• Online speeding course launched to emphasise the importance of road safety to Bucks driversTransport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) has launched a new online e-learning module, designed to help drivers be fully aware of the speed limit for their type of vehicle and the type of road they are driving on.

Cambridge News

• There's going to be no trains (or a reduced service) from Cambridge or Peterborough to London King's Cross for eight weeksA reminder has been issued about the timetable changes

Leeds Live

• Transport secretary and HS2 chief heading to Leeds for crunch talksTransport for the North are hosting a big event in Leeds with politicians set to quiz those in charge of rail and road networks

Other Regional Press

• Thousands sign petition to stop St Albans Road approved plans More than 3,000 people have signed a petition calling for a scheme of 1,000 plus homes and a 28 storey tower to be stopped.
• Not all commuters entitled to three per cent discount on London Northwestern train fares Not all commuters travelling on London Northwestern Railway trains will be entitled to a discount on their season tickets.
• Advert for £52k Northern train driver job: 'Unfortunately every day does not run smoothly'Arriva, which faces being stripped of Northern franchise, advertising £52k a year driver job

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Changes to some London Overground ticket offices to be introducedThe hours at some London Overground ticket offices will start to change over the next few weeks to better match the times customers use them. These changes reflect the way customers now pay for their travel as many people choose to use contactless payments and mobile devices instead of paper tickets. Currently fewer than two per cent of London Overground journeys involve a ticket sale from a London Overground ticket office, with sales through ticket offices having reduced by a million compared with 2016. With the significant reduction in office-based ticket sales, it had been proposed that t...
• TfL and Santander launch a year of celebrations to mark ten years of London’s flagship cycle hire schemeThis year, Transport for London (TfL) and Santander will celebrate the tenth anniversary of cycle hire in the capital, with a series of events, competitions and offers throughout 2020. TfL launched London’s flagship cycle hire scheme on 30 July 2010 across eight London boroughs with 315 docking stations. Now there are more than 12,000 bikes available from 781 docking stations. In the past decade users have made more than 87 million hires, with over 10 million hires in 2019 for the fourth year in a row and 34,500 hires on Christmas Day. New docking stations around parks and extra capacit...

Rail Advent

• First electric train services run to Cardiff CentralRail passengers in South Wales are benefitting this week from the first electric trains to service Cardiff Central following the completion of electrification works on the railway between Cardiff Central and London Paddington.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Northern welcomes new link between East and West YorkshireRail Operator, Northern Railway, is celebrating the improved links between East and West Yorkshire today (Dec 19) following the introduction of a new service on the network, providing a direct service between Halifax and Hull. The new route comes as part of Northern’s newly published...
• ORR sets £25.9m charges for HS1 asset maintenance Train operators using the High Speed 1 (HS1 Ltd) rail line from London to the Channel Tunnel will be expected to pay a collective £25.9m per year for asset upkeep, renewal and replacement. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has decided today that the long-term cost of maintaining the...
• Electric rail services underway for South Wales passengers This week rail passengers in South Wales are benefitting from electric services for the first-time following Network Rail’s successful completion of electrification of the railway between Cardiff Central and London Paddington. Electrification between the two capital cities means thousands...

Other News Sources

• Take a trip on London Underground’s Watford North CurveThis weekend (11th-12th Jan) is a chance to ride a short stretch of London Underground track that’s not often used.
• £500k Lancaster Railway Work BeginsThis project will see a steep railway embankment reinforced at Holmrock on the Furness Line to the south of the Kent Viaduct. This will increase reliable journeys in the area and forms part of the Great North Rail Project. It will include the strengthening of a slope and a new piled retaining wall to protect the track from future movement.
• South Western Railway boss admits 'service has not been good enough' Mark Hopwood promises 'honesty' for strike-hit commuters following a long-running dispute with unions about guards
• 'Material uncertainty' over whether South Western Railway can continue to operate, says auditor Deloitte said that SWR faces "material uncertainty" over whether it can continue operating
• Brighton cabbies prepared to break rules in protest at new rankTaxi drivers have vowed to break rules in protest at a controversial new rank.