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

Wednesday, 16 August 2023

BBC News

• Hull Paragon Station: Safe space opens in former shopA safe space for vulnerable people has opened in an empty shop at Hull's Paragon Station.
• In pictures: Crewe's railway transformation marked in exhibitionThe impact and influence of the railway industry on Crewe is being marked with an exhibition.
• Birmingham Airport cuts free parking drop-off time by 10 minutesA Birmingham Airport taxi driver criticises the time drivers now have to drop passengers off.
• New breakdowns hit Highland's Corran Ferry serviceThe car ferry MV Maid of Glencoul was out of action over the weekend before breaking down again.
• Rail fares in England to rise below inflation again in 2024Fare increases in 2024 will again be held below the rate of inflation, says government.

Department for Transport

• Northampton and Lamport Railway Boughton extension: Transport and Works Act orderApplication for the approval to modify the 1995 Order allowing for amendments to the description of the railway, along with the construction of a level crossing.

Financial Times

• Europe's airlines clash with Italian premier over planned fare capPrice ceiling is latest stand-off between corporate world and Giorgia Meloni's government

The Guardian

• Fixing vandalised LTN infrastructure costs London councils more than £850,000Bollards and cameras are being deliberately damaged in protest at measures designed to improve air quality and road safety. London councils are having to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers money repairing vandalised bollards and cameras designed to help improve air pollution and make roads safer.Data obtained by the Guardian under the Freedom of Information Act shows more than £850,000 worth of damage has been caused to low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) infrastructure in the capital since 2020.
• A car-free jaunt to the Lake District to hike a stretch of the coast-to-coast trailGreat public transport in the Lakes means easy access to the famous trail

The Independent

• Heathrow and Gatwick climb league table of the world’s busiest airportsAt last, league tables in which UK airports are moving up. According to just-released data from the aviation schedule analyst OAG, Heathrow and Gatwick are improving relative to the global competition (compared to figures in 2019).
• Heathrow and Gatwick climb league table of the world’s busiest airportsAt last, league tables in which UK airports are moving up. According to just-released data from the aviation schedule analyst OAG, Heathrow and Gatwick are improving relative to the global competition (compared to figures in 2019).

The Telegraph

• Tory rebellion over ticket office closures grows. [subscription]Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands, says there are 'too many concerns unanswered' and that the proposals will not benefit passengers

i News

• Majority of public including Tory voters want water and rail nationalised, poll suggestsEXCLUSIVENeither of the main political parties is in favour of reversing the wave of nationalisations which has taken place over the past four decades

Sky News

• Next rail fares rise will be below RPI rate of inflation, government vowsIt comes after ministers made a similar move last year. However, it still led to ticket prices increasing by 5.9% - the biggest hike in more than a decade.

Birmingham Post

• Hull Trains breaks daily passenger record to get KR fans to WembleyMore than 7,000 journeys made on Saturday as Challenge Cup Final and key football fixtures combine with Humber Street Sesh
• Motorhome maker Erwin Hymer swings to loss as semiconductor supply issues biteThe manufacturer said lingering impacts of Covid had weighed on its performance

London Evening Standard

• Next year’s English rail fares rise will be below inflation, says GovernmentRPI for July will be published on Wednesday and is expected to be around 9%.

Wales Online

• More than £1m in business secured for Wales' aerospace industryOne Vale of Glamorgan-based business signed deals worth £450,000

Yorkshire Post

• Calder Valley railway line: Eletrification of railway and more trains among priorities for usersElectrification of the Calder Valley line, more trains, linking up public transport and completing new station, gateway and access schemes are top priorities for Calderdale rail users.

Plymouth Herald

• Council 'must reclaim Plymouth airport for aviation' Tories sayConservative chief Andy Lugger calls on Labour leader Tudor Evans to confirm council will not build on the 113-acre site

Other Regional Press

• Southampton Airport: Runway extension to 'unlock potential'The first plane that has taken flight from Southampton Airport’s runway extension marks the ’unlocking of potential’ in the area, according to Eastleigh's MP.
• Watford Junction to London Euston rail works in picturesNetwork Rail has shared images showing its progress so far on the Watford Junction to London Euston upgrade work.
• Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski asks Home Secretary for more to be done to stop railway fare dodgersShrewsbury & Atcham's Conservative MP, Daniel Kawczynski, said he had written to the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, after the experience on Sunday.

C.N.N.

• Train fares are up to 30 times more expensive than planes in Europe, says GreenpeaceAs Europe swelters in a heat wave, and the climate crisis accelerates, many travelers are looking towards trains rather than polluting planes. But those wanting to make their travel more carbon-conscious face hefty bills. According to a new report, taking a long-distance train in Europe can cost nearly 30 times as much as flying.

Rail Advent

• Successful first trip for Tesco double-stacked rail freight containerTesco last week took delivery of a new rail container which can carry double-stacked pallets, so increasing the volume of goods it can transport by rail.

Other News Sources

• Charities line up to support London Luton Airport expansion plans at open hearingsBut resident described "the blighting of homes and villages at both ends of the runway"
• Councillors including Deborah Saw and Caroline Topping respond to government petition calling for free trains for the elderlySeveral local councillors have responded to a recent petition calling for older person’s bus passes to cover free train travel.
• Record rail use during Cycling World Championships shows public ready for peak fare removalThe Scottish Greens have thanked workers on Scotland’s Railways as they helped 3.5 Million people travel across Scotland in the past 2 weeks.
• Rail union boss Mick Lynch speaks to packed meeting in Wigan about ticket office closuresRail workers’ union boss Mick Lynch addressed a packed meeting in Wigan as part of the ongoing campaign to halt the proposed closure of most ticket offices.
• Southeastern's 'Trainbow' high speed train re-enters service after interior makeoverThe first of a fleet of Britain's fastest passenger trains has re-entered service on Southeastern’s flagship route between London St Pancras and Kent following a big interior makeover.
• Railway passing loop plan for Far North Line a 'significant step' towards improved reliability of Highland servicesA "SIGNIFICANT step" in the fight to improve rail service reliability on the Far North and Kyle lines has been hailed by campaigners – after engineers signalled that long-called for improvement works may finally be in the offing.

News from Europe

• Portugal has launched a mega-cheap monthly rail passThe new National Rail pass is only €49 for unlimited travel across the country each month
• France increease taxes on airline tickets to support trainsFrance is planning to increase taxes on airline tickets to support investments in train infrastructure, aiming to make rail travel more appealing.
• More people prefer to travel by train instead of plane in Spain, boosted by arrival of new high-speed rail operatorsIncreased competition from private operators Iryo and Ouigo has help boost passenger numbers by 76%, with four out of every five passengers preferring to let the train take the strain between Madrid and Barcelona