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

Thursday, 19 August 2021

BBC News

• Birmingham SEND transport service cancelled over DBS checksBirmingham City Council has just two weeks to find a new provider before the new term.
• Strangford: Ferry fumes 'a risk to health' of staff and passengersStaff working on the Strangford II vessel reported dizziness, headaches and chest conditions.

Financial Times

• Commuters set to suffer sharp rise in UK rail fares next yearPassenger groups urge ministers to encourage more workers to return to office by freezing ticket prices
• Senators call for consumer watchdog probe into Tesla’s self-driving claimsCarmaker accused of endangering lives by overstating vehicles’ autonomous capabilities

The Guardian

• Rail passengers in England and Wales could see biggest fare rise since 2012Commuters could face 4.8% increase in January as campaigners call for price freeze to help cut emissionsRail fares in England and Wales are on track to rise at their fastest rate in a decade unless ministers decide to prevent steep price increases to encourage commuters back on to trains.Annual increases in rail fares are usually governed by the July retail prices index (RPI), plus another 1%. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Wednesday that RPI for July was 3.8%, meaning prices could rise by 4.8% in January. That would be the steepest increase since 2012.

The Independent

• Rail passengers ’face largest fare hike in a decade’Rail passengers could see their ticket prices rise by 4.8 per cent next year – the largest rise in a decade – despite calls for fares to be frozen.

The Telegraph

• Train passengers may face bumper ticket price rise next year

Times Online

• Backlog leaves drivers facing five-month wait for licencesMotorists are facing potential delays of almost five months for new driving licences because of a backlog at the agency responsible for issuing them.
• Rail passengers face biggest fare rise in a decade [subscription]Rail passengers could face the biggest fare rise in a decade with more than £150 added to the cost of a full-time season ticket.

Daily Record

• Scots train workers to be given 'utility vest' and 'puncture proof' trousersUnion bosses have hit out saying the 'new' uniforms are just the equipment they have been missing during the pandemic

The Mirror

• Fury as 'shambles' 11ft wide cycle path is larger than 9ft road lane it runs next toThe cycle path, on Wimborne Road West in Wimborne, Dorset, which is 11ft 2ins across, has been created by drastically narrowing the width of a busy B-road alongside it

Network Rail

• Work ramps up as Network Rail upgrades track and signalling over August Bank Holiday ready to connect Midland Main Line with new Brent Cross West stationNetwork Rail is continuing to make progress on essential railway upgrades over the August Bank Holiday to improve journeys for passengers and prepare for services to call at the new Brent Cross West station.

Sky News

• Rail fares look set for sharp increase as used car prices soar, new inflation data suggestsThe CPI rate of inflation fell to 2% in July, but that seems to reflect a comparison with last year when the reopening of the economy after the first lockdown lifted prices - and masks a hit in the pocket facing commuters.

Belfast Telegraph

• Translink to trial late night bus service in BelfastA trial of late night public transport services is expected to get underway later in the year, Translink chief executive Chris Conway has said.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Anglesey parents fear kids will be stranded after school bus rules revampThe authority has scrapped the previous system of ‘selling’ empty bus seats to children choosing to attend alternative schools

The York Press

• Cycle network in and around York gets £949,000 boostCOMMUNITIES in York are set to benefit from a £949,000 investment from the Department of Transport for the National Cycle Network.

Oxford Mail

• 'Put passengers before profit', says Oxford MP as train fares set to be hikedAnalysis by the Labour Party found that a season ticket from Oxford to London Paddington that cost £3,880 in 2010 is projected to increase to £5,810 next year - a 50 per cent increase in the last 12 years.

Other Regional Press

• Calls to bring new Great British Railways' headquarters to Darlington - the birthplace of railwaysThe public body will own the infrastructure, collect fare revenue, run and plan the network and set most fares and timetables

Train Operators

• New discount scheme launched for rail passengers in NorfolkA scheme designed to add value for rail passengers and support local business has been launched in Sheringham with plans to expand the initiative to other towns over coming weeks.

New Civil Engineer

• Scots roads dualling key to economic recoveryHighland Council and its partners have highlighted the importance of progressing the plans for dualling of the A9 by 2025 and A96 by 2030.
• Highways England accelerates switch to lower carbon asphaltsHighways England is accelerating the use of warm mix asphalts (WMAs) as standard across its supply chain as part of a drive toward net zero carbon emissions.
• Former transport minister calls for A27 plans to be scrappedFormer transport minister Norman Baker has spoken out against plans for a new dual carriageway from Polegate to Lewes which would destroy areas of “beautiful Sussex countryside”.
• HS2 | Cutting platforms at Euston will be a ’permanent constraint’ on the whole railwayRailway engineers and timetable experts have cast doubt on HS2 Ltd’s plans to cut the number of platforms at Euston station while maintaining a 17 train per hour service.
• 15 historic rail structures added to Highways England’s controversial works programmeFifteen “previously unthreatened” structures have been added to Highways England’s controversial works programme to maintain heritage rail assets.

Railnews

• Government postpones rail fares rise decision Transport secretary Grant Shapps has postponed any decision about rail fare increases next year, in spite of the fact that the RPI increase for July was announced today. Campaigners are calling for a fares freeze.

Other News Sources

• Train passengers could be hit with the largest fare rise in a decadeRail passengers in England and Wales could face ticket price hikes of up to 4.8% next year, which would make it the largest rise in a decade. Meanwhile, those in Scotland could see increases of 3.8% if fares continue to be linked to July's retail prices index (RPI) measure of inflation.