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

Saturday, 26 August 2023

BBC News

• Cambridge congestion charge plans revised after consultationPlanners propose car drivers will only be charged during peak hours in Cambridge.
• Rail services across England hit as 20,000 staff begin strikeRMT members walk out over pay and working conditions, disrupting many people's bank holiday travel plans.

Financial Times

• Schiphol Airport counts cost of operational improvementsEuropean hub had more long-lasting problems with disruption and staffing than rivals
• RMT makes bid to end rail dispute as workers stage new walkoutIndustry plays down chances of a breakthrough, as Mick Lynch writes to train bosses to seek ’way through’impasse

The Guardian

• Drivers warned of copycat websites overcharging for Ulez feeWhich? advises drivers paying London ultra-low emission zone fee to make sure they’re using official TfL websiteDrivers are being ripped off by copycat websites that add extra fees to the ultra low emissions zone charges in London, consumer champion Which? has warned.As Ulez expands across all boroughs in the capital from Tuesday, Which? has found a series of identical, unofficial websites targeting people trying to pay the charge. This has led to drivers paying more than the £12.50 daily fee. Continue reading...
• Heathrow visitors told to beware of new charges under Ulez expansionUnsuspecting drivers could be caught out when scheme extends to all London boroughs from TuesdayThe expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) to cover all of London means that from Tuesday travellers setting off for Heathrow airport will have to pay the daily charge for the first time if they use an older, more polluting car to get there.While people who regularly drive into the capital will probably be aware of the rollout of the scheme, the motorists most likely to be caught out are those making a rare visit to the airport when they go on holiday or those dropping off and picking up fr...
• Rail strike to disrupt bank holiday travel as 14m cars hit UK roadsSome operators will run no trains and others a reduced timetable, while weather will be sun and showersHolidaymakers and festivalgoers face disruption this weekend as the latest train strikes threaten to derail bank holiday plans.The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union is staging a strike on Saturday, with 20,000 workers expected to take part, in a dispute over pay and working conditions. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Beleaguered Cairngorm railway shuts for safety reasonsTHE UK's highest railway has been shut for safety reasons - less than two weeks after a leading Scottish Government economic development agency settled a court action against constructors and designers over structural problems.

Times Online

• British Airways to require photo ID for domestic flights [subscription]Policy change means passengers must bring documentation to the airport if they wish to travel
• Schiphol: ’World’s worst airport’ is on course for turnaround [subscription]Schiphol, the Netherlands’ international gateway which was dubbed the world’s worst airport this summer, said it is finally getting its act together after a chaotic restart following the end of Covid-19 travel restrictions.
• UK weather: Bank holiday weekend could be a washout [subscription]Temperatures forecast to reach only the high teens
• Ulez expansion: Do Sadiq Khan’s ’toxic air’ claims stack up? [Subscription]We examine how likely the zone is to improve air quality in London and how dangerous the pollution is

Daily Express

• 'Cynical' union targets bank holiday weekend as 20,000 rail workers go on strikeRail services across England will be crippled today by strike action

Daily Record

• Scots Easyjet passengers 'forced to sleep on floor' after airline cancels Corfu flightsScots passengers were left to sleep on floors at the airport after flights were cancelled and delayed because of staffing issues.

Mail Online

• Spirit Airlines to pay out $8.25M after class-action lawsuit over bag fees of up to $100 designed to 'trick and trap consumers'Spirit Airlines has agreed to pay up to $8.25million to settle a class action lawsuit by passengers over sneaky bag fees of up to $100.
• No getting away from the jams! Traffic forms tailbacks on Britain's motorways with 14million journeys expected this August Bank holiday weekend - and there are nationwide rail strikes tomorrowThe biggest share of journeys made over the weekend is expected tomorrow, with over 3 million journeys being made, according to the RAC.
• Bank Holiday getaway chaos begins: Airports brace for their 'busiest day' since Covid while families hoping to beat the morning rush get stuck in long queues at Dover and on the M25 as more than 14 million journeys expected this weekendMotorists across Britain were told to avoid major roads between 10am and 7pm today, and the RAC estimated more than 14million leisure journeys will be taken by car this weekend.

Sky News

• Train strike to hit major events such as Notting Hill Carnival and Reading and Leeds festivalsRail services across England will be crippled today because of another strike in the deadlocked dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

Birmingham Mail

• Residents living on 'Fast and Furious' racetrack where driver hit 120mph - and proudly chalked it on floorBoy racers speed along main roads in Quinton leaving residents fearing if they will crash into their homes

Birmingham Post

• Wrightbus creates 360 jobs as clean bus rollout gathers paceThe company is holding a recruitment evening in September to fill the roles

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Passengers stranded at tiny Welsh station for hours with no toilets or food after train is cancelledService was cancelled mid-journey and customers told to wait for a replacement bus - which never arrived
• How Red Arrows pilot's amazing calmness averted tragedy at Rhyl Air Show 2022Squadron Leader Gregor Ogston kept calm and carried on when a bird collided with his jet shattering the cockpit canopy

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Newcastle route in the running to be named country's top bus tour titleToon Tours is one of two open-top services run by the city's Go-Ahead Group to make the final of the national competition

The York Press

• First York unveils new fleet of electric buses in YorkA NEW fleet of electric buses has been unveiled outside Clifford's Tower in York.
• Haxby Station will be built in Towthorpe Road, says councilHaxby’s new railway station looks set to be going on Towthorpe Road after all.

Other Regional Press

• Somerset Council subsidises four bus routes until MarchSomerset Council has stepped in to save four sus services with low passenger numbers.
• SWR services on September 1 as RMT and Aslef members strikeSouth Western Railway (SWR) has confirmed its strike day services for Friday, September 1 and Saturday, September 2
• ’We won't give up - our county needs Eurostar!'The fight to bring Eurostar back to Kent is not over yet - as a campaign to restore services gains support from almost 30,000 people.
• Westham and Southill lifeline bus route saved....for nowA trial bus service described by residents as a 'lifeline' has been extended until next Summer

Railnews

• Ticket office closure responses approach half a million The number of people who have responded to controversial ticket office closure proposals in England has topped 460,000, according to the passenger watchdogs Transport Focus and London TravelWatch. The consultation period was extended to 1 September at the end of July, and the proposals have triggered a determined reaction from passengers and politicians, who often argue that closing nearly all ticket offices will discriminate against people who cannot use ticket vending machines and who may not have access to smartphones or the internet.

Other News Sources

• Land Rover celebrates 75th birthday with exhibition in ArundelPetrol heads are preparing to celebrate 75 years since the birth of the world’s best loved off roader.

EIN News Subscription

• Boeing Reportedly Ready To Resume Deliveries Of 737 MAX Aircraft To China … Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air experienced fatal accidents, which both saw all passengers … lost market share against its European rival Airbus. However, as reported by … destined for China. According to data from Airfleets, the largest of the …
• Rail strike to disrupt bank holiday travel as 14m cars hit UK roads … Friday, thousands of air passengers were affected when British Airways and easyJet cancelled … . BA cancelled 50 domestic and European flights, to and from destinations … travelling on Friday. The traffic data firm Inrix predicted that the …