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

Saturday, 09 March 2019

BBC News

• Hull Trains: New trains for UK's smallest rail firmThe boss of Britain's smallest rail company believes its £60m investment in new trains will improve reliability.
• Fresh calls to reconnect Fleetwood's rail linksResidents and councillors are fighting to reconnect train links to one of the largest towns in England not to be served by the rail network.
• Route canal: Walks on bottom of Caledonian CanalOne engineer described the size and shape of the drained Caledonian Canal as like an
• Warning over Metrolink 'tram-surfing' dangerDozens of incidents have seen people risking serious injury on Greater Manchester's tram network.
• New rail services aim to ease overcrowdingRail bosses promise they have

The Guardian

• Commuters warned of 'teething problems' with new rail timetableRail Delivery Group says lessons have been learned following last summer’s chaotic timetable overhaul

The Independent

• New rail links shelved after 2018 train timetable shamblesDirect trains from Liverpool to Glasgow and more services between Yorkshire and London will not run

Times Online

• Thousands more older drivers ruled medically unfit [Subscription]The number of older drivers banned from the road on medical grounds has increased by almost 150 per cent in a decade, prompting calls for an overhaul of licensing regulations.

London Evening Standard

• New train timetable shake-up a year after changes crippled networkMore train timetable changes are set to come into force on May 19 as more than 1,000 extra services are added in a bid to tackle overcrowding.

Manchester Evening News

• You could be fined £20 if you don't buy train tickets in advance for these routesThe penalty fares will be introduced to a number of train routes across the north

Wales Online

• Train passengers forced to wear coats to shield from the rainCommuters were being forced to dodge a stream of water leaking from a light panel on a train travelling from Swansea to Manchester.

Yorkshire Post

• The Yorkshire Post says: Welcome to life in the real world as Chris Grayling strikes againTHERESA MAY can consider herself fortunate that she made it to North East Lincolnshire to deliver her keynote Brexit speech – it appears some members of the national media travelling from London had a more challenging train journey.
• Tom Richmond: Chris Grayling’s failings exposed again – as he tries to blame Chancellor for ferry farceTWO days after I suggested in this paper that it would be cheaper for Chris Grayling to be paid to stay at home and do nothing, the Transport Secretary is once again appearing to blame others – a familiar fault – for myriad policy failings which are now too numerous to list.
• Yorkshire devolution 'genie is out of the bottle', council leader claims The leader of Leeds City Council has claimed the “genie is out of the bottle” when it comes to Yorkshire-wide devolution, and urged the Government to work together with regional leaders.

Northern Transport Summit 2019

• Northern Transport Summit 2019 [Paid Inclusion] With better transport the linchpin to growth across the Northern Powerhouse, we bring you the third annual summit on this topic, giving an in-depth view of the opportunities and challenges presented by investment in transport. [For an exclusive discount on tickets for TransportInfo readers, please click on the link]

North Wales Live

• Wrexham easyCoach boss banned after wheel came off busThe Traffic Commissioner slammed 'arrogance' of director Andrew Martin in a damning report

Other Regional Press

• Chris Grayling says HS2 will boost Cheshire rail servicesTHE Government’s transport secretary insists HS2 will bring new opportunities to improve local services for Cheshire’s passengers.
• Transport chief slams reduced rail serviceFrequency of trains on Overground route will be cut from one every 15 minutes to two an hour
• Hybrid electric bus on trial in PrestonBus passengers in and around Preston might have spotted a new coach doing the rounds.
• Rail minister pledges to look into calls for direct train service from Hull to Manchester AirportA campaign to re-introduce direct rail services between Hull and Manchester Airport has stepped up a gear. Politicians and business leaders say regular direct trains would persuade more people to consider choosing rail ahead using the M62 to reach the airport.
• EYMS is changing its name and colour of its busesThe operator has announced a £6m investment - with a lot of changes

Rail Technology Magazine

• New May timetable announced as rail bosses insist 'lessons learned' following last year's chaosThe rail industry has confirmed the new summer 2019 timetable, with 1,000 extra services added to relieve overcrowding as rail bosses say they “learned the lessons” of last year’s chaos. A host of timetable adjustments are to come into effect from 19 May, a year on from the...
• SWR and Porterbrook trial new emission-slashing rail technologyGroundbreaking emission-reducing technology is to be fitted to South Western Railway (SWR) train units as part of a new trial aiming to cut down harmful emissions from diesel trains by 80%. Porterbrook is working in partnership with exhaust manufacturer Eminox to carry out the trial, with the...
• West Midlands Rail Executive appoints executive director to deliver regional 'rail renaissance'West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) has announced the appointment of a new executive director. Malcolm Holmes will permanently lead the WMRE after filling the interim role for the last few years, and alongside this will also report to Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) where he is the director...

Railway Gazette

• Northern Class 331s to serve Leeds from May UK: Regional franchisee Northern expects to put its first CAF-built Class 331 EMUs into passenger services between Leeds and Doncaster with the May 19 timetable change, having received regulatory authorisation from the Office of Road & Rail.

The Business Desk

• £60m of bus infrastructure improvements move up a gear£60m of bus infrastructure improvements are set to begin one year after the launch of Connecting Leeds, the council’s transport strategy.

Aviation Industry

• Swedish carrier Braathens to include emissions compensation in ticketsSwedish regional carrier Braathens Regional Airlines (BRA) plans to automatically include “climate compensationâ€� for all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its flights in its ticket prices, from April 1. read more
• SWISS returns first refurbished A340-300 to revenue serviceLufthansa Group subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) operated its first Airbus A340-300 with a completely refurbished interior on its first revenue flight from Zurich, Switzerland to Japan’s Tokyo Narita on March 7. read more

Other News Sources

• Edinburgh commuters brace yourselves – more Scotrail changes are comingScotrail passengers have been warned to expect "teething problems" when train timetable changes across railway networks come into force on May 19.
• Underfire rail operator targets ticketless passengersTrain operator Northern has launched a crackdown on passengers travelling without tickets.
• More train timetable changes due in may in effort to tackle overcrowdingMore train timetable changes are set to come into force on May 19 as more than 1,000 extra services are added in a bid to tackle overcrowding.
• McGill's: Students accuse bus chiefs of discrimination over new day ticketBUS bosses have been accused of ‘age discrimination’ after it emerged returning student ticket prices will not apply to anyone over the age of 22.
• Harrogate Bus Company delivers new eco-friendly schemeThe Harrogate Bus Company has pledged to plant one tree for every 10,000 miles covered by their new fleet of fume-free electric buses.