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

Friday, 03 January 2020

BBC News

• Northern rail: 'Carriages were so full I couldn't move my feet'Passengers in Manchester said they had no sympathy for Northern rail bosses.
• Northern could lose rail franchise, says Grant ShappsThe transport secretary says he is

The Guardian

• Commuters gather at Bolton station in protest over increased rail faresFrustrated commuters gathered outside Bolton train station on Thursday evening as part of a national day of action to protest against increased rail fares.
• Grant Shapps has two ideas for Northern rail. Neither is exactly radical | Nils PratleyThe transport secretary should save the promises to ‘frustrated commuters’ until he has a real planWhat does a transport secretary do on a day when rail passengers are grumbling about annual increases in fares? One diversionary tactic is to put the boot into one of the most unpopular franchises in the country – Arriva-operated Northern rail – to give the impression the government is primed for radical intervention.Thus Grant Shapps talked excitedly on Thursday about how he is not prepared to tolerate Northern’s “completely unacceptableâ€� service. The contract would be “brought to an endâ€� and “f...

Times Online

• ‘Nightmare’ Northern Rail deal to be torn up [subscription]Transport secretary considers temporarily renationalising network; fury as train users hit by above-inflation price hikes
• The Times view on Northern Rail: End of the Line [subscription]The government is right to take a tough stance on failing rail
• Big pay rises for rail bosses behind soaring fares and delays [subscription]The bosses of Britain’s biggest rail operators received inflation-busting pay increases last year despite mounting passenger anger over rising fares and delays on the network. An analysis by The Times shows that the heads of all main rail company ownership groups have enjoyed huge rises over the past 12 months, with the majority on seven-figure packages.

Mail Online

• London Tube is more polluted than the New York subway and Beijing metro, new research shows Researchers found concentrations of fine toxic particles, known as PM2.5, were far greater on the Underground than in the city's most congested areas such as Oxford Street or Hyde Park.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Northern Rail will be stripped of its franchise, says Grant Shapps NORTHERN will be stripped of its franchise, the Transport Secretary said today.

London Evening Standard

• Carers to receive free London travel under new 'companion pass' plan for disabledDisabled Londoners will receive free travel passes for their carers under plans revealed today to make the capital more accessible.
• South Western Railway commuters hit by rail strike farce as hundreds of trains axed because staff off so long they need retrainingHundreds of London commuter trains were axed today — because staff have been on strike for so long they have to be retrained in safety.

The York Press

• York MP Rachael Maskell calls for Northern Rail franchise to be axed YORK MP Rachael Maskell has hit out at the Northern Rail franchise - calling for it to be ‘terminated’ and to brought back into public ownership.
• York- based Northern rail could be stripped of rail franchise York-based train operator Northern could be stripped of its franchise, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said, as fares across Britain rose today by an average of 2.7 per cent.
• Reduced service on East Coast Mainline this weekend NETWORK Rail is reminding passengers that there will be a reduced service on the East Coast Main Line this weekend.

Wales Online

• Trains cancelled, trains leaving early, trains delayed - more anger at Transport for WalesTransport for Wales passengers are angry again today as rail services are delayed by over an hour, trains are cancelled and some leave before the scheduled time. Commuters across Wales returning to work following the Christmas period have been left in frustration, and saying the rail service is even worse than it was last year.

East Anglian Daily Times

• As rail fares rise, we ask Greater Anglia how can you improve trains?Rail passengers have been faced with fare rises averaging 2.6% across Greater Anglia’s network – but at the start of 2020 there are still major concerns about the region’s services.

British Trams Online

• Well, 2020 what have you got for us?Another year, another decade even, is upon us but what does the tram world in the British Isles have in store for us? It is only the first day of the year and a lot of plans for events etc. haven’t yet been made available but we do know a little of what to expect and it will be a year of anniversaries in various locations…

Rail Technology Magazine

• Northern Rail to be stripped of franchise Transport secretary Grant Shapps has said Northern Rail is to be stripped of its franchise following its “unacceptable” performance. This comes off the back of a year of chaos and cancellations across the network, which runs Newcastle to Leeds, Liverpool, Hull, Manchester and Stoke....

Other News Sources

• Network Rail 'hopeful' landslip damaged Epsom line could reopen on MondayThe line has been closed for 18 days, but engineers have been "literally working in people's gardens" to fix the track