Public Transport news

• A new vision for railways that's rather short-sighted

  06-12-2017 20:32
  The government’s proposed model will just add more complexity to an already baffling franchise system
  The transport secretary, Chris Grayling, unveiled his “new vision for our railways” a week ago and gained a few favourable headlines for the modest commitment to reopen a few lines closed in the Beeching cuts of the 1960s. Forget that crowd-pleasing diversion, however, because it’s not what the rail industry is talking about.Instead, rail bosses are dumbfounded that Stage
  
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• RPI no longer fit for deciding rail fare rises | Letters

  06-12-2017 19:54
  Hetah Shah of the Royal Statistical Society says that people’s incomes and outgoings should both be linked to a single index, CPI, which commands ‘national statistic’ status and is credible for uprating purposesThe shadow transport secretary, Andy McDonald, is on the right tracks. The annual rises in rail fares should be decoupled from the retail prices index (RPI), as he argued in his Guardian article (This hefty train fare rise is yet another Tory betrayal of passengers, theg
  
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• Stagecoach hopes to retain East Coast rail after 2020 despite bailout

  06-12-2017 19:37
  Labour calls for transport group to be banned from bidding again, warning of an impending crisis in railway industry
  Stagecoach has said it hopes to continue running the East Coast rail route after 2020, when it will exit its current contract three years early with a potential £2bn shortfall for the taxpayer. Labour said the firm should be barred from bidding again, amid warnings that the effective bailout on its Virgin Trains East Coast franchise could cause a crisis across the rail indus
  
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• Storm Caroline forces cancellation of all trains in Scottish Highlands

  06-12-2017 18:18
  Potential gusts of up to 90mph trigger transport disruption as Met Office warns flying debris could endanger lifeAll train services in the Scottish Highlands will be cancelled on Thursday morning after forecasters predicted Storm Caroline would bring potentially life-threatening winds of up to 90mph.ScotRail will suspend its morning services from Aberdeen to Inverness, and from Inverness to Wick and to Kyle of Lochalsh, as well as the famous West Highland line service from Glasgow Queen Street t
  
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• Train in pain: are noise-filled carriages bad for your health?

  06-12-2017 17:45
  We live amid an ever-increasing hail of sound – yet quiet rail coaches are under threat. Perhaps we are becoming afraid of silenceSeven years. That’s the minimum prison sentence that should apply to people on public transport who listen to music through their phone speakers (also known as “sodcasting”) – with two years for banal phone conversations that never end.For many, the news that South Western Railways is thinking of getting rid of quiet carriages will not be
  
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• YEP Says: Charges are start of clean air in Leeds

  06-12-2017 01:00 via yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk
  Yorkshire Evening Post - Plans to charge high-emission buses, taxis and HGVs for coming into the city centre are the first step towards a Clean Air Zone but we have to be careful who will pick up the tab.
  
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• Wizz Air passenger numbers grow

  06-12-2017 01:00 via buyingbusinesstravel.com
  Buying Business Travel - Airline revenue also up year on year
  
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• West Coast services help to bolster Virgin Rail

  06-12-2017 01:00 via thebusinessdesk.com
  The Business Desk - Half year profits have fallen at Virgin Rail Group despite a strong performance from the West Coast Mainline service operated by the company on behalf of the Department for Transport.
  
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• Virgin Trains East Coast staff balloted for strike action

  06-12-2017 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC News - If members agree on industrial action, strikes could take place early in the new year.
  
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• Urgent action needed to avoid Brexit airline disaster

  06-12-2017 01:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  Aviation Industry- If the UK fails to establish traffic rights for airlines before it leaves the European Union (EU), it would be a disaster, the head of IATA said Tuesday.read more
  
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• UK rail prices to rise by above-inflation 3.4

  06-12-2017 01:00 via ft.com
  Financial Times -
  
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• Transport infrastructure efficiency strategy

  06-12-2017 01:00 via gov.uk
  Department for Transport - Describes 7 challenges that the Department for Transport and its delivery bodies will address to improve transport infrastructure efficiency.
  
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• TransPennine Express to invest £7m in new servicing depot in Scarborough, creating 15 jobs

  06-12-2017 01:00 via gazetteherald.co.uk
  Other Regional Press - TRAIN company TransPennine Express is to invest £7million in constructing a new train servicing depot in Scarborough.
  
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• Trains on the only direct route from Kirklees to London set for upgrade

  06-12-2017 01:00 via examiner.co.uk
  Other Regional Press -Grand Central is refurbishing its 180 Class trains
  
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• Train passengers hit by biggest rise in fares in five years

  06-12-2017 01:00 via examiner.co.uk
  Other Regional Press -Anger as rail fares set for big increase from January
  
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• Train fare price hike is a kick in the teeth say rail unions see how much your Greater Anglia season ticket will cost

  06-12-2017 01:00 via eadt.co.uk
  East Anglian Daily Times - Rail passengers in Suffolk and Essex are bracing themselves for the largest hike in fares in five years.
  
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• The Yorkshire Post Says: A train of thought - how rail fare rises will curb social mobility

  06-12-2017 01:00 via yorkshirepost.co.uk
  Yorkshire Post - Even though the largest hike in train fares for five years was widely anticipated because of the current rate of inflation, and even though more money than ever before is being invested in the railway industry, the average 3.4 per cent rise in the New Year will not find universal favour.
  
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• The airline industry is on course for record profit in 2018

  06-12-2017 01:00 via cityam.com
  City AM - Airlines are on course to increase profits again in 2018, a major industry body has said.
  
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• Thameslink certain that infrastructure will finish on time despite project delays

  06-12-2017 01:00 via railtechnologymagazine.com
  Rail Technology Magazine - The director behind the Thameslink Programme has today defended the project and reassured passengers that the infrastructure will be completed to schedule, despite the roll-out of other parts of the project being delayed. In an exclusive interview with RTM, Mark Somers, rail systems project...
  
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• South Western Railway could axe quiet train carriages

  06-12-2017 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC News - A train operator could be about to signal the end of quiet carriages on its services.
  South Western Railway has said conductors are often unable to enforce the rules on board trains.
  
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• SNCF orders prototype EMU and tram-train traction transformers

  06-12-2017 01:00 via railwaygazette.com
  Railway Gazette - FRANCE: National railway SNCF has awarded Mitsubishi Electric Corp a contract to supply prototype...
  
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• Significant Flaws Cited in London Heathrows Planned Third Runway

  06-12-2017 01:00 via airlinegeeks.com
  Other News Sources - An independent safety review into London-Heathrows North-West Runway (NWR) scheme has raised a number of concerns about the proposal. The report, commissioned by Heathrow Hub and compiled by Ebeni U.K., an aviation and engineering safety consultant, was published on Monday.
  
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• SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT DEBATES INTER-ISLAND FERRY SERVICES

  06-12-2017 01:00 via rmt.org.uk
  RMT - As Scottish Parliament debates inter-island ferry services shipping union RMT sets out key demands.
  
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• Rail unions blamed for rising train fares Subscription

  06-12-2017 01:00 via thetimes.co.uk
  Times Online - Train fare rises could slow in coming years by pegging future increases to a lower inflation rate provided rail unions ease their wage demands, The Times has learnt.
  
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• Rail fares rise of 3.4 is a cruel joke

  06-12-2017 01:00 via railnews.co.uk
  RailNews.co.uk -Rail fares are to rise by an average of 3.4 per cent at the start of January. Regulated fares will go up by 3.6 per cent, in line with the Retail Price Index in July this year. Critics have described the forthcoming increases as a 'cruel joke' and a 'chill wind', but train operators said the money was needed for investment.
  
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• Passengers evacuated 'very close to' live rails on London Overground train

  06-12-2017 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC News - The train was carrying 450 passengers when it suddenly stopped before reaching a station.
  
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• Passenger watchdog urges National Rail passengers to renew their season tickets now to beat the January fare rise

  06-12-2017 01:00 via londontravelwatch.org.uk
  London TravelWatch - London TravelWatch has expressed disappointment at the 3.6 increase in National Rail fares which takes effect on 2 January. The watchdog urges passengers to renew their season tickets before then to avoid the 2018 price rises.
  
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• Passenger train collides with a freight train in Germany

  06-12-2017 01:00 via dailymail.co.uk
  Mail Online - The horrific smash occurred near the Meerbusch-Osterath station, on the outskirts of Dusseldorf in the west of the country.
  
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• Oxford to work with rivals Swindon to unlock rail and transport links

  06-12-2017 01:00 via oxfordmail.co.uk
  Other Regional Press - OXFORD has pledged to work with historic rivals to unlock rail routes to cater for thousands of new homes in the coming decades.
  
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• ORR: Train performance improving but still not hitting targets

  06-12-2017 01:00 via railtechnologymagazine.com
  Rail Technology Magazine - Train performance in England and Wales has improved but is still some way short of hitting both Network Rail and regulatory targets. The ORRmp;rsquo;s Network Rail Monitor report for the last six-month period also shows that there has been significant underspend on both renewals and enhancements...
  
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• North American traffic recovery boosts October passenger growth

  06-12-2017 01:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  Aviation Industry- Global air passenger traffic grew 7.2 year-over-year (YOY) in October, largely recovering from the weather-related slowdown seen in September, according to IATAs October Air Passenger Market Analysis. read more
  
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• 'No trains' at Kenilworth's new railway station 'until 2018'

  06-12-2017 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC News - A town's fifty-year wait for a railway station continues amid a row over when trains can run through it.
  
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• Nissan to trial robo-taxis in Japan

  06-12-2017 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC News - Self-drive taxis will be tested in Japan next spring and could be on the roads by early 2020s.
  
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• More Liverpool to London train services on the way

  06-12-2017 01:00 via liverpoolecho.co.uk
  Liverpool Echo - Former Merseyrail boss's new company says Liverpool-Birmingham service will extend to London
  
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• MoD bans Philip Hammond from using its planes Subscription

  06-12-2017 01:00 via thetimes.co.uk
  Times Online - The chancellor has been banned from using a fleet of RAF jets and helicopters until the Treasury settles a bill with the Ministry of Defence, The Times has learnt, amid a growing spat between two cabinet ministers.
  
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• Lyft raises target for latest funding round to $1.5bn

  06-12-2017 01:00 via ft.com
  Financial Times -
  
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• Leeds rules out diesel charge to spare low-income families Subscription

  06-12-2017 01:00 via thetimes.co.uk
  Times Online - Diesel car and van drivers will escape any charges in Leeds after the city council ruled out targeting them in a clean air zone that will instead penalise older buses, lorries and taxis.
  
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• Inquiry into £1.1 billion M4 relief road to resume today

  06-12-2017 01:00 via southwalesargus.co.uk
  Other Regional Press -THE public inquiry into the proposed £1.1 billion M4 relief road around Newport has resumed today.
  
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• If passengers dont pay for rising rail fares, who does? Subscription

  06-12-2017 01:00 via thetimes.co.uk
  Times Online - The annual increase in rail fares set out yesterday prompted predictable anger from passengers. Its not hard to see why. Overcrowding is getting worse, delays have risen sharply and upgrades to Britains creaking Victorian rail infrastructure are often painfully slow.
  
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• High-Speed Trains for Scotland move one step closer

  06-12-2017 01:00 via scotrail.co.uk
  Train Operators - High-speed trains (HSTs) connecting Scotlands seven cities are another step closer as the ScotRail Alliances welcomed the arrival of its second train this week.
  
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• Feasibility study will explore impact of high-speed rail station for Bradford

  06-12-2017 01:00 via thetelegraphandargus.co.uk
  Bradford Telegraph & Argus - A STUDY is being commissioned into the feasibility of bringing high-speed rail to Bradford.
  
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• Fears raised for taxi drivers jobs if Leeds Clean Air Zone £12.50 daily charge introduced

  06-12-2017 01:00 via yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk
  Yorkshire Evening Post - FEARS have been raised that taxi drivers jobs could be under threat if Leeds City Councils proposals to introduce a Clean Air Zone in the city come to fruition.
  
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• Fares upset highlights funding dilemma subscription

  06-12-2017 01:00 via thetimes.co.uk
  Times Online - The latest increase in rail fares announced today prompted predictable derision from passenger groups. Its not hard to see why.
  
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• Fairoaks Airport: Opponents of garden village drafting alternative proposal for controversial site

  06-12-2017 01:00 via getsurrey.co.uk
  Other News Sources - No Fairoaks New Town wants to get residents' views on its own proposals for the airport outside Chobham
  
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• Electric black cabs hit London's roads

  06-12-2017 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC News - The new cab costs £55,599 up from £45,000 for the newest petrol equivalent.
  
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• Eddie Stobart is the 100th Northern Powerhouse partner

  06-12-2017 01:00 via ciltuk.org.uk
  Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport -Eddie Stobart has announced it is the 100th partner of the Northern Powerhouse, a campaign to boost the local economy through investment in skills, innovation, transport and culture. To celebrate the partnership, Eddie Stobart welcomed the Minister for the Northern Powerhouse, Jake Berry, to its headquarters in Appleton, Warrington, where a new co-branded trailer was unveiled. As part of the Ministers visit, he was taken on a tour of Eddie Stobarts
  
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• DEBATE: Is an average price increase of 3.4 per cent in rail fares for 2018 justified?

  06-12-2017 01:00 via cityam.com
  City AM - Is an average price increase of 3.4 per cent in rail fares for 2018 justified?
  
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• Coventry to Leicester rail link won't arrive any time soon, says campaigner

  06-12-2017 01:00 via coventrytelegraph.net
  Other Regional Press - Coventry Rail Action Group warning that planned new line will not be a priority for Government
  
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• Could tubes, trains and trams go solar?

  06-12-2017 01:00 via energylivenews.com
  Other Regional Press - Rail, tube and tram networks could be connected directly to trackside solar panels for subsidy-free clean energy.
  
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• Commuter hell as bus route to station is axed

  06-12-2017 01:00 via braintreeandwithamtimes.co.uk
  Other Regional Press - COMMUTERS feel like they have been hung out to dry by the cancellation of a vital bus route which connects them to a train station.
  
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