Public Transport news

• DVLA disputes £400m revenue loss following abolition of tax disc

  18-08-2016 16:39
  
  Freedom of information request reveals huge drop in vehical excise duty but agency calls the figure ‘misleading’
  The decision to scrap paper car tax discs cost the government more than £400m in revenue in the first 12 months after the change came into effect, official figures suggest.Data obtained by the Financial Times through a freedom of information request shows that in the 12 months following the abolition, from October 2014 to September 2015, the Driver & Vehicle Lice
  
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• Out now: Issue 141 of Passenger Transport

  18-08-2016 15:10 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Issue 141 of Passenger Transport is published on August 19
  Contents include:
    
  LEAD STORYAbellio to pay ‘heroic’ £3.7bn Anglia premium
  Dutch group named as preferred bidder for the new East Anglia franchise – but nine-year deal requires it to pay the government a £3.7bn premium
   
  NEWS
  Shake-up for Britain’s traffic commissioners
  As Beverley Bell reveals she will quit in 2017, plans for a dedicated traffic commissioner for Wales have triggered a
  
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• Abellio to pay ‘heroic’ £3.7bn Anglia premium

  18-08-2016 14:51 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Dutch group named as preferred bidder for the new East Anglia franchise – but nine-year deal requires it to pay the government a £3.7bn premium
   
  383 electric and bi-mode vehicles will be supplied by Switzerland’s Stadler
   
  Abellio has committed to a £3.7bn premium and a 93% performance target in its winning bid for the East Anglia franchise.
  The franchise premium, payable over nine years, compares with a premium of around £3.3bn which Virgin Trains East C
  
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• Now another Welsh bus operator folds

  18-08-2016 14:46 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Financial concerns lead another Welsh operator to shut down
   
  Lewis Coaches of Llanrhystud, south of Aberystwyth, had operated for more than 35 years
   
  Ceredigion-based Lewis Coaches ceased to trade on Friday last week, becoming the third bus operator in Wales to close this summer.Lewis Coaches of Llanrhystud, south of Aberystwyth, had operated for more than 35 years and employed approximately 40 people. Since October 2015 it had run on a commercial basis the 701 daily scheduled coach
  
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• Passengers face a dreadful September

  18-08-2016 14:39 via passengertransport.co.uk
  This is building up to an almighty tussle: three unions against the government. Let us hope Southern has a plan going forward?
    
  I wrote in the last issue (PT140) that Brighton would freeze over before transport secretary Chris Grayling would cave in to the RMT union. Plans to extend driver-only operation on Southern Railway would not, I thought, be abandoned. Nonetheless, it is building up to an almighty tussle – and a ghastly time for passengers whose lives and jobs will be d
  
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• Innovations (Issue 34, Summer 2016)

  18-08-2016 14:33 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Innovations: Practical application of technology in passenger transport.
  Supporting Euro Bus Expo 2016 technology exhibitors
  In partnership with Parkeon
   
  Click on the image below to view Innovations (Issue 34, Summer 2016).
   
   
  If you are viewing the site on a mobile or tablet device, tap here to read the supplement.
  
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• Southern train ceiling collapse leaves commuters shaken

  18-08-2016 12:39
  
  Latest problem to hit embattled operator saw large section of carriage ceiling fall down between Purley Oaks and South CroydonCommuters in south London were given a shock when part of a ceiling collapsed in a train carriage during Thursday morning’s rush hour.The incident happened on a service operated by embattled rail company Southern between Purley Oaks and South Croydon at about 8.25am. Passengers were left shaken but avoided injury.So @SouthernRailUK trains are *literally* falling apa
  
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• World’s largest aircraft Airlander 10 takes off for maiden flight – video

  18-08-2016 09:37
  
  The world’s largest airship, Airlander 10, completed its maiden trip on Wednesday at London’s Cardington airfield. Stephen McGlennan, the CEO of the airship’s manufacturer Hybrid Air Vehicles, says the 92-metre long aircraft ‘is a mixture of aeroplane, airship and helicopter technology’. Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters Continue reading...
  
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• 'We can't afford to fix the roads', council chief admits

  18-08-2016 02:00 via bucksfreepress.co.uk
  
  Bucks Free Press -Cash spent on running five different councils has meant the county council doesnt have the money to improve roads, leader Martin Tett has said.
  
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• Uber launches legal challenge over new London taxi rules

  18-08-2016 02:00 via cityam.com
  
  City AM - Uber has launched legal action against London's transport regulator over new rules that threaten to limit its business in the capital, City A.M. can exclusively reveal.
  
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• Uber is taking legal action against London's transport regulator over tough new laws

  18-08-2016 02:00 via uk.businessinsider.com
  
  Other News Sources - Uber is taking legal action against Transport for London (TfL), the organisation that regulates public transport in the British capital, because of new laws set to be introduced that could hurt the company.
  
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• Theresa May: My plan to build a 'Midlands Engine' and create more good jobs in Birmingham and beyond

  18-08-2016 02:00 via birminghammail.co.uk
  
  Birmingham Mail - Writing for the Birmingham Mail, Prime Minister Theresa May says supporting Birmingham and the Midlands will be a key part of her industrial strategy
  
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• Study shows Oxford to Cambridge Expressway improvements could boost the economy

  18-08-2016 02:00 via gov.uk
  
  Department for Transport - Study setting out the case to improve connections between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge launched.
  
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• Study shows A1 improvements could create safer, quicker and more reliable journeys

  18-08-2016 02:00 via gov.uk
  
  Department for Transport - Study stating case to upgrade key parts of the A1 in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire released.
  
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• ScotRail unveils first two fully revamped Class 320s

  18-08-2016 02:00 via railtechnologymagazine.com
  
  Rail Technology Magazine - ScotRail has this week rolled out the first two refurbished examples of the seven Class 320 trains set to run on cross-Glasgow services via Glasgow Central Low Level. It first announced late last year that the seven trains, owned by Eversholt Rail and previously operated by London Midland, would...
  
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• Rail strikes threatened by unions 'would be illegal under new laws'

  18-08-2016 02:00 via standard.co.uk
  
  London Evening Standard - Industrial action threatened across the national rail network by two union ballots would be illegal under the Governments proposed new legislation, it was claimed today.
  
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• Police appeal for bystander who jumped onto London underground tracks to save man who fell off platform

  18-08-2016 02:00 via telegraph.co.uk
  
  The Telegraph -
  
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• Paddington station developer: I'll open up beauty of listed terminus

  18-08-2016 02:00 via standard.co.uk
  
  London Evening Standard - The developer behind plans to transform the area around Paddington Station has said he wants to do a Kings Cross to Brunels masterpiece by opening up long-hidden views of the beautiful Grade I listed terminus.
  
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• Night Tube: Staff fling vegetable soup in carriages during dress rehearsal for launch

  18-08-2016 02:00 via standard.co.uk
  
  London Evening Standard - Tube staff threw open cans of vegetable soup around London Underground carriages in a dress rehearsal for the launch of all-night services this weekend.
  
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• Night Tube service: Eight new night bus routes to launch to coincide with 24-hour Underground start date

  18-08-2016 02:00 via standard.co.uk
  
  London Evening Standard - Eight new night bus services are to be launched this weekend to help Night Tube passengers complete their journey home.
  
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• Night Tube launch: 24-hour Tube service 'isn't just for revellers', London Underground boss warns

  18-08-2016 02:00 via standard.co.uk
  
  London Evening Standard - The 24-hour Tube will transform the capital's night-time economy when it launches this weeked, London Underground's boss said today.
  
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• New rail depot for Suffolk/Essex border

  18-08-2016 02:00 via eadt.co.uk
  
  East Anglian Daily Times - A multi-million pound new rail maintenance workshop is set to be built near Manningtree as part of the new Abellio franchise to run trains in the region for the next nine years.
  
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• New government keeps regional transport plans on track

  18-08-2016 02:00 via transport-network.co.uk
  Other News Sources - Theresa Mays new government is progressing plans to deliver statutory sub-national transport bodies in the North and the Midlands in the next two years, giving assurances to the key bodies that the programme is on track.
  
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• Manchester to Sheffield Trans-Pennine road tunnel routes shortlisted

  18-08-2016 02:00 via gov.uk
  
  Department for Transport - Five routes have been shortlisted today, 18 August 2016, for the Trans-Pennine tunnelthe most ambitious road scheme undertaken in the UK in more than 5 decades.
  
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• Major English alliance calls for east-west improvements

  18-08-2016 02:00 via transport-network.co.uk
  Other News Sources - A major alliance of councils has called for a range of measures to be included in infrastructure plans for the CambridgeMilton KeynesOxford growth corridor, including developing first mile and last mile travel options and better east-west connections.
  
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• Long-awaited Night Tube service launches this weekend as London Underground boss says it is 'not just for revellers'

  18-08-2016 02:00 via telegraph.co.uk
  
  The Telegraph -
  
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• London Night Tube: Passengers 'will be safe', say police

  18-08-2016 02:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News - Passengers will be as safe on London's Night Tube as they are on the daytime service, police say ahead of the service's launch.
  
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• London commuters being ripped off by 'stealth tax' on fares, watchdogs say

  18-08-2016 02:00 via standard.co.uk
  
  London Evening Standard - Rail passengers are being fleeced out of hundreds of pounds a year by a Government stealth tax on fares, watchdogs revealed today.
  
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• Homage to the dash to get the last weekend Tube

  18-08-2016 02:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News - With the introduction of overnight Tube services, making a dash to get the last train will soon be a thing of the past on Fridays and Saturdays.
  
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• Frog Bikes says 'fantastic attitude' of workers is key

  18-08-2016 02:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News - With unemployment continuing to fall, BBC Wales looks inside a new factory making children's bikes in Pontypool, which is creating full-time work for 50.
  
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• Ford reveals driverless taxi plan

  18-08-2016 02:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News - Ford plans to release self-driving cars that will be used as a taxi service in five years' time.
  
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• Driverless taxis hailed as next big thing in transport Subscription

  18-08-2016 02:00 via thetimes.co.uk
  
  Times Online - Self-driving Ford cars without steering wheels or pedals will roll on to the roads by 2021, the carmaker has said.
  
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• DfT change of heart over sustainable Island Line

  18-08-2016 02:00 via railmagazine.com
  
  Rail Magazine - Campaigners on the Isle of Wight say they have convinced DfT to drop plans for the islands rail service to become a self-sustaining business.
  
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• Department for Transport backs Willmott Dixon scheme

  18-08-2016 02:00 via constructionnews.co.uk
  
  Other News Sources - The Department for Transport has awarded a further £11m towards a £30m transport improvement programme in Lincoln.
  
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• Coventry would be relegated to an "intermediate" station if plans are approved

  18-08-2016 02:00 via coventrytelegraph.net
  
  Other Regional Press - Proposals to cut the number of inter-city trains through Coventry are wholly unacceptable, West Midlands transport chiefs have told the Government.
  
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• Authorities investigate after Tesla car catches fire

  18-08-2016 02:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News - Tesla is working with the French authorities after one of its electric cars burst into flames shortly after a loud bang was heard while it was travelling at high speed.
  
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• Airlander finally takes to the skies at Cardington

  18-08-2016 02:00 via bedfordtoday.co.uk
  
  Other Regional Press - The maiden flight of the giant Airlander turned into a king-size anti-climaxwhen it had to be cancelled at the last minute on Sunday.
  
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