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

Wednesday, 15 August 2018

BBC News

• Lewes MP bombards Chris Grayling with Southern rail complaintsAn MP is receiving so many complaints about the performance of Southern rail that she is sending them on to the transport secretary on a weekly basis.
• RMT angry at Chris Grayling's rail fare index suggestionChris Grayling suggested rail fares and staff wages should be calculated using a lower inflation measure.
• Rail fares rises: Grayling pleads with unions and train firmsChris Grayling asks the industry to use a lower inflation measure for future fare and wage increases.

The Guardian

• The line that ate London: our critic's verdict on the £15bn Crossrail colossusWith its cavernous passageways, 200-metre trains and district-engulfing stations, Crossrail is a momentous architectural achievement. But will passengers just see a blur of beige?
• Grayling proposal could lead to smaller rail fare risesTransport secretary says fares, and staff pay, could be pegged to lower inflation measure

The Herald

• Pursuing railway nationalisation is a fruitless exerciseAS regular as clockwork and the changing of the seasons comes the annual outcry against rail fare increases

Times Online

• Rail workers facing cap on pay rises [Subscription]The transport secretary has caused anger after telling rail unions he wants to stop the industry basing increases including pay rises on inflation linked to the retail prices index.

Network Rail

• £18m investment in rail freight spells good news for construction industryThe environment, the economy and the regional road network are to benefit from an £18m investment in the railway in the Peak District.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Green Party calls on Government to halt rail fair hikeTHE Green Party has called on the Government to suspend rail fair increases for commuters on Northern until the company improves its performance.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Aberdeen Airport £2 drop-off period reduced to 10 minutesBosses at Aberdeen Airport have reduced the amount of time drivers are allowed to spend in the drop-off zone to just 10 minutes.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Campaigners protest in Leeds against hike in rail faresProtests will be held outside railway stations amid mounting anger over an expected 3.5% increase in regulated train fares.

Yorkshire Post

• Protests at Leeds railway station over 3.5 percent ticket increases Protests will be held outside Leeds railway station today amid mounting anger over an expected 3.5 per cent increase in regulated train fares.

Blackpool Gazette

• Airshow rail farce sparks more anger Rail operator Northern has been ridiculed for cancelling Blackpool-bound trains –on the same day it was sponsoring the resort’s Air Show.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Woman spotted crossing railway tracks at Ipswich stationA woman reportedly seen crossing the tracks at a train station has sparked a fresh safety warning about the dangers of railway trespassing.

Kent Online

• Manston Airport: Planning chiefs agree to look at RiverOak Strategic Partners bid to reopen siteGovernment planning chiefs have agreed to take a look at plans to reopen Manston airport four years after it closed.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Up to 50 more battery-powered trams on the way for West MidlandsAs many as 50 new battery-powered ‘Urbos 3’ model trams could be on the way for transport in the West Midlands as part of the combined authority’s £3.4bn investment in transport in the area. Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), the transport branch of the West Midlands...
• New access to York station as part of major brownfield redevelopment plansNew plans including a new access point to York station and the expansion of the National Railway Museum headline groundbreaking proposals of creating 6,500 jobs in the city. A collaborative partnership between Homes England, Network Rail, York City Council and the museum submitted an application...
• Peak District freight sidings get £18m Network Rail boostAn £18m rail investment in the Peak District will come as good news for the construction industry, benefitting the environment, economy and regional road network, Network Rail has said. As part of the Great North Project, the investment will go towards lengthening freight sidings in Buxton...

The Business Desk

• Land sale paves the way for new rail stations after 50 year absencePlans to bring rail services back to Darlaston and Willenhall after an absence of more than half a century have taken a major step forward.

Other News Sources

• Rail fares have risen over twice as fast as wages in past decade, finds TUCRail fares have increased at more than twice the speed of wages since 2008, according to new analysis released today (Tuesday) by the TUC.
• UK rail passengers 'paying ten times more than French counterparts'As rail fare increases are announced, the rail union RMT says that British passengers are paying more than ten times the French equivalent, and rail fares are rising twice as fast as UK wages.
• How to get the railways back on trackBARELY a day goes by without another nightmare rail tale. For the third Sunday running, Northern Rail cancelled dozens of scheduled services as new timetable disruptions persist. That’s the ‘new’ timetable introduced as long ago as May.