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

Sunday, 19 December 2021

BBC News

• Crossrail: Warning over Woolwich station funding shortfallGreenwich Council needs to find another £8m to pay its share of funding for the Woolwich station.
• Tube strike: Five lines hit by second 24-hour driver strikeThe walkout on five lines could lead to little or no service in some places, transport bosses warn.

ITV News

• Welsh Government 'considering its options' as rail passengers face fares increaseThe Welsh Government says it is "considering the options available to us" after the the UK Government announced that train passengers will be hit with the largest fares rise in nearly a decade next year.

The Herald

• Built by hand, Scotland’s newest steam train is rolling down the tracks. Eventually.It’s a long time to wait for a train, but if you happen to have around 15 years on your hands, Scotland’s newest steam locomotive is definitely on its way.

The Scotsman

• SNP's Ferguson shipyard debacle demands an independent inquiry – Brian WilsonThe “turnaround director” appointed by the Scottish government to sort out the debacle at the Ferguson shipyard it now owns is to depart with nothing much turned around apart from his bank balance.
• Public transport is facing a Covid-fuelled crisis - Professor Iain DochertyAs Omicron restrictions cause another fall in rail passengers, Scotland’s leading transport expert Professor Iain Docherty, of the University of Stirling Management School, says Covid has already brought ScotRail to its knees, and new thinking will be needed to keep it on track.

The Telegraph

• Travellers face public transport nightmare before Christmas [Subscription]Travel chaos is looming over Britain ahead of the scramble to get home for Christmas, as the new wave of omicron infections threatens to knock rail services off schedule.

Times Online

• TfL loses its lustre as Sadiq Khan’s battle for cash goes to extra timeOnce a model for bus and rail funding, London’s public transport system has ended up in desperate need of cash, write Jon Yeomans and Nicholas Hellen

City AM

• Pandemic-induced private jet boom offsets Air Partner’s travel challengesAir Partner expects its profit before tax to be “materially” ahead of market expectations this year, despite ongoing pandemic restrictions battering the travel industry.
• Chaos at Dover as people rush to reach France ahead of travel deadlineThousands of people waited through the night at the Port of Dover to reach France ahead of looming new travel restrictions. The post Chaos at Dover as people rush to reach France ahead of travel deadline appeared first on CityAM.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• West Yorkshire Mayor 'yelled at' for wearing mask on trainTHE mayor of West Yorkshire has said she was “yelled at” and called an “idiot” by a fellow train passenger for wearing a mask.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• ScotRail services in the north-east disrupted as staff member falls illRail services to Aberdeen are facing a day of disruption after a member of onboard staff fell ill.

The York Press

• Haxby station would be "an expensive folly"THOSE who think a railway station at Haxby would be successful are living in Cloud Cuckoo Land.

Other Regional Press

• Rail fares across Scotland to go up by almost 4% next monthFrom January 24 regulated fares at both peak and off-peak times will increase by 3.8%. The announcement comes as the rail operator ScotRail seeks to address financial challenges resulting from the covid pandemic.
• Rail users across south Wales urged to plan before travelling this ChristmasRail passengers are being urged to check before they travel on trains across the Christmas period with planned engineering works taking place throughout Wales.

Rail Advent

• Three new railway stations to be built in south BirminghamThree new railway stations are to be built ready for the resumption of passenger services on the Camp Hill line in south Birmingham.
• c2c’s Smartcard can now be used for discounted and cheap weekend ticketsFor some time, rail operator c2c’s own Smartcard has been limited to use with standard fare tickets, but it can now be used for discounted fare tickets as well.
• New Taxi-Bus service connects two Anglia hotspots with Greater Anglia stationsA brand new taxi bus service connects two tourist hot spots with the closest Greater Anglia station making day trips by train even easier.

Other News Sources

• Magtec reaches milestone in rail decarbonisation projectThe rail industry’s first conversion of a diesel multiple unit to a low-emission electric hybrid drive has reached a major milestone this week with Rotherham-based Magtec’s innovative self-charging battery technology fitted to a rail vehicle and now ready for initial testing on the track. The £4 million Class 165 Hybrid DMU project aims to reduce carbon and gaseous emissions, while addressing local air quality and noise pollution issues.