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

Monday, 07 August 2017

BBC News

• Repairs made to 'seagull-damaged' Carlisle Station roofA £14.5m project to revamp the roof of Carlisle's historic railway station, which has in-part been damaged by seagulls, is nearing completion.
• Waterloo station: Commuters hit by engineering upgrade workThousands of commuters are facing severe disruption after engineering works at the UK's busiest train station closed almost half of the platforms.
• Metro vision faces 'many problems' in cutting cars on roadsCarriages should start running on the new South Wales Metro by the mid-2020s, a transport expert has predicted.
• 'Dynamic Cardiff bus station key to metro success'The former bus station was demolished as part of the Central Square development with work on a new one held up.
• Cardiff bus station: Fears planned hub is 'too small'The planned new bus station in Cardiff could be

ITV News

• Railway station to be officially opened by Transport SecretaryThe new Cambridge north rail station will be officially opened today by the Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling.

Financial Times

• London cycle seizures put spoke in wheel of rental schemeWandsworth council takes 130 oBikes off roads, describing them as ‘yellow plague’

The Guardian

• Waterloo rail works to affect tens of thousands of commutersImpact will be felt across southern England as 10 platforms are shut at Britain’s busiest station, which serves 270,000 customers a dayTens of thousands of commuters in southern England will find their journey times substantially increased as they head into work on Monday morning as a result of major works at Waterloo station. Ten platforms have been shut at Britain’s busiest station, which serves about 270,000 customers a day, including 130,000 during the morning rush hour, and the knock-on effects will be felt across large parts of the South West Trains network. The work to extend four platf...

The Herald

• Westray accesses European funds for harbour improvementsORKNEY is to receive £1.7 million of European funding to build a new harbour wall on the island of Westray in a development local leaders say will safeguard the local fishing fleet for generations.
• Half of trains arriving at Scotland's busiest stations are lateScotRail misses punctuality targets at nearly 60 per cent of stations

The Telegraph

• Waterloo rail chaos: Why engineering works are crippling Britain's busiest station

Times Online

• Holidaymakers pay 14 times more to use costliest airports [Subscription]Flights to popular holiday destinations this summer are up to 14 times more expensive at some British airports than others.
• Delays vanish as passengers are waved through security control [subscription]The overcrowding that was predicted to clog European airports on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year failed to materialise as British travellers were waved through passport control with only cursory checks.
• Revealed: £1bn of overspending that Crossrail bosses tried to hide [subscription]Some of the biggest contracts on the Crossrail project, Europe’s largest undergound construction scheme, cost up to 255% more than they were meant to, documents reveal.
• Electrification of the railways get shock treatment [subscription]If it is not about picking winners, then nor should industrial strategy be about creating losers. The past few weeks have been a great advertisement for why cabinet government should be scrapped

Reuters News

• Directors step up loans to small UK construction firms to plug gapThe directors of small British construction businesses are lending them more money to plug a funding gap as banks set tighter lending criteria and major contractors delay payments, a survey showed on Monday.

Daily Record

• Labour Party claims ScotRail trains fail to arrive on time at nearly 60 per cent of stationsTransport spokesman Neil Bibby says real scale of delays is being masked by five-minute grace period.

Mail Online

• British travellers face fresh queues at Barcelona airport Passengers waited an hour to clear security at the city's El Prat airport as workers and bosses met to try to negotiate a deal.

Birmingham Mail

• How Birmingham's rail connection is among SLOWEST in UKThe journey speed from Birmingham to London averages just 56 miles per hour, when waiting times for connection are included in the total journey time

Birmingham Post

• Motorways through the West Midlands could be covered by TUNNELS or canopies and this is whyThe canopies may be tested on hotspot A roads, too

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Signalling problems in Skipton lead to commuter misery as trains cancelled or delayed by up to 30 minutesTHERE has been misery for rail commuters this morning as signalling problems led to trains to and from Bradford being cancelled or delayed.
• Removing speed bumps not the answer to reducing air pollution, warns Green PartyTHE Green Party in Bradford has criticised a Government proposal to remove speed bumps to help reduce air pollution.

London Evening Standard

• Cyclists' fury after more than 100 oBike hire cycles are seized in clampdownFurious cyclists have criticised a London council's decision to seize more than 100 hire bikes from the borough's streets.

Manchester Evening News

• In an extraordinary feat of engineering the swoosh bridge was installed during the early hoursThe project to link Manchester’s two main railway stations is also due to open up new routes across the north

Sheffield Star

• Fleet of stolen bikes returned to speedway club in Sheffield thanks to eagle-eyed residents Staff at Sheffield Cycle Speedway Club were left devastated last month when bikes - worth up to £350 each - were taken from a container at Graves Health and Sports Centre, in Norton.
• Opposition gathers to protest Government decision to scrap rail electrification in SheffieldA union campaign to reverse the Government's controversial decision to scrap electrification of railway lines in Sheffield, other parts of the North, the Midlands and Wales is being stepped up.

Wales Online

• Splott Road bridge in Cardiff will close for a month to get ready for electrificationSplott Road bridge in Cardiff will close for a month to get ready for electrification

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• A third of trains are lateAround a third of all trains in the West Midlands are either late or cancelled, it has been revealed.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds MP demands ‘urgent improvements’ with 20 questions for transport chiefsA Leeds MP is pressing for urgent improvements to bus and rail services in the city after hundreds of people revealed their travel woes in a survey carried out by the politician.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Rail travellers given reassurance over Felixstowe-Ipswich passenger servicesRail bosses say a multi-million pound scheme to create a passing loop to increase the number of freight trains on the Felixstowe-Ipswich line will bring benefits for the resort’s passenger services, too.

Other Regional Press

• Villages set for railway station upgrades as part of Northern schemeHOLMES Chapel railway station is among a number across east Cheshire due to undergo improvement work as part of a Northern scheme.
• Harlow MP to meet Greater Anglia chiefs but says Crossrail 2 is 'tough call' for town Harlow's MP has demanded better rail services to London but admitted getting Crossrail 2 is a "tough call".
• ScotRail misses targets as trains continue to run late at Glasgow stationsTRAINS are failing to meet punctuality targets in Glasgow stations, analysis has revealed.
• SPEED BUMPS: Could they really be removed from our roads?SPEED humps could be flattened on Oxfordshire’s roads as part of a plan to reduce emissions levels throughout the country.
• Manchester Airport is 'filthy and shambolic' - passengers slam airport which is due major upgrade Travellers criticise long security queues and outdated facilities
• M62 motorway closures planned for next week Roadworks are planned for between J27 at Gildersome and J26 at Chain Bar
• As cash-strapped council tries to save £1.85m, here's how communities are fighting back against controversial cuts to bus servicesCommunities are working together to find more transport solutions for locals, after controversial cuts were made to bus services across Dorset.

Construction Enquirer

• Crossrail confirms £1bn extra cost of major contractsCrossrail has revealed cost overruns of £1bn on completed major contracts on the job.

The Business Desk

• Chamber demands meeting with Transport SecretaryTransport Secretary Chris Grayling is being urged to reconsider his decision not to electrify the Midland Main Line railway.

Other News Sources

• Interview: Chinese bike-sharing scheme transforms European city experienceChina has, for decades, been associated in the minds of Westerners with a common image of bicycling workers and residents filling the streets. But in the 21st century, Chinese technology has made bicycles part of the Internet of Things (IOT).
• London Waterloo update: 120,000 ice lollies to be given out to passengers during works 120,000 ice lollies and 524,160 bottles of water will be distributed to rail users during the three-and-a-half week upgrade
• First on-site college at a major UK airport gets the green lightA unique project that will boost the skills and economy of Essex took a major step forward today after London Stansted Airport and Harlow College received planning permission from Uttlesford District Council for a new £11 million technical skills college at the airport.
• More union talks to end Southern Rail disputeTALKS aimed at resolving one of the longest disputes in the rail industry will be held today.