Public Transport news

• Richard Branson defends government bailout of Virgin's East Coast rail

  05-01-2018 14:23
  Intervention necessary with losses overwhelming track and train upgrade and investment commitments, says entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has defended the government bailout of Virgin Trains East Coast, saying he and partner firm Stagecoach have lost more than £100m running the route.In the Virgin Group owner’s first public comments on the controversy, he said that the “promise of a huge upgrade” of the line that is set to be delayed meant “a discussion with governm
  
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• 'Mysterious void' hits train services in Cumbria

  05-01-2018 13:20
  Sinkhole opens up on tracks near coastal village of Harrington, prompting emergency repairs – and a novel excuse for train delaysMost commuters are accustomed to unusual reasons for delays to their service – from leaves on the lines to the wrong type of snow – but a “mysterious void” must rank as one of the most bizarre.Railway engineers are trying to deal with a sinkhole that has appeared beside train tracks in northern England in the wake of Storm Eleanor. Continu
  
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• Unbuilt cities: the outrageous highway schemes left as roads to nowhere

  05-01-2018 08:30
  The postwar passion for highway construction saw cities around the world carved up in the name of progress. But as communities fought back many schemes were abandoned – their half-built traces showing what might have beenOf all the mistakes made by city planners in the postwar era, the passion for highway construction has to be one of the most foolhardy. After the early success of systems like the autobahn and freeways, cities everywhere were carved up to make way for giant roads, crashing
  
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• Volkswagen partners with Silicon Valley's Aurora on self-driving cars

  05-01-2018 01:00 via ft.com
  Financial Times -
  
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• UK car sales see first drop for six years

  05-01-2018 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC News - Car sales dropped around 5.6 last year with drivers continuing to shun diesel-powered engines.
  
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• UK car sales fell in 2017 as diesel demand driven down by government crackdown

  05-01-2018 01:00 via cityam.com
  City AM - New car sales have dropped for the first time in years according to preliminary figures, with the decline in diesel pointed to as a key contributing factor.
  
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• Train strike January 2018: When is the RMT walkout and which London rail stations will be worst hit?

  05-01-2018 01:00 via standard.co.uk
  London Evening Standard - Thousands of commuters face a week of mayhem from Monday as Southern, Greater Anglia and South Western Railway staff plough ahead with planned strike action.
  
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• The two rail services in Greater Manchester that were late 468 times last year

  05-01-2018 01:00 via manchestereveningnews.co.uk
  Manchester Evening News - They were the sixth and 10th worst services in the country respectively in failing to get passengers to the final destination on time
  
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• The train that was late more often than any other in the UK last year starts in Surrey

  05-01-2018 01:00 via getsurrey.co.uk
  Other Regional Press - The 9.24am Caterham to London Victoria service was late a staggering 240 times last year.
  
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• The tidy fried breakfast dished up for the first time on a new diesel-electric mainline train

  05-01-2018 01:00 via walesonline.co.uk
  Wales Online - Nine more services a day between Swansea and Cardiff are now on the IET trains
  
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• TfL faces funding crunch as bosses say end of government subsidy isn't sustainable for London

  05-01-2018 01:00 via cityam.com
  City AM - Londons transport funding crunch has been put back in the spotlight after Transport for London (TfL) bosses said yesterday that the withdrawal of government subsidy will not be sustainable for the capital in the long-term.
  
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• Swinney faces grilling over tram debacle

  05-01-2018 01:00 via thetimes.co.uk
  Times Online - Scotlands deputy first minister is to appear before the inquiry into the ill-fated Edinburgh trams project.
  
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• Suffolk's £133m bid for Four Villages by-pass to open in Spring of 2023

  05-01-2018 01:00 via eadt.co.uk
  East Anglian Daily Times - Suffolk County Council hopes to be able to build a new £133m dual carriageway by-pass around four villages in east Suffolk in just over five years time.
  
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• Stephen Glaister has been reappointed as the chair of the Office of Rail & Road for one more year but a new person will take over in 2019.

  05-01-2018 01:00 via theconstructionindex.co.uk
  Other News Sources - The Office of Rail mp; Road (ORR) is the statutory regulator for the UK rail network. It also monitors the performance of Highways England in its management of the strategic road network in England.
  
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• Stansted Airport staff told me I 'don't look ill enough' to be disabled

  05-01-2018 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC News - Nathalie Allport-Grantham says she was refused help with boarding her flight despite having serious health conditions that mean she needs to use a wheelchair.
  
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• South West MPs back campaign to reinstate regular Exeter to Okehampton rail services

  05-01-2018 01:00 via theexeterdaily.co.uk
  Other Regional Press - Devon County Councils campaign to re-establish regular rail services on the Exeter to Okehampton line has won the support of an influential group of South West MPs.
  
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• Smart motorways failing to punish middle-lane hoggers

  05-01-2018 01:00 via thisismoney.co.uk
  This is Money- Poor motorway lane etiquette - a major bugbear for motorists - is going unpunished despite middle-lane hogging qualifying as 'careless driving' and carrying a £100 penalty.
  
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• Saga shakes up travel operations and axes insurance broking chief

  05-01-2018 01:00 via cityam.com
  City AM - Saga today announced a boardroom shake-up, restructuring travel operations hit by Britain's biggest airline failure.
  
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• Ryanair reveals Porto as third connection hub

  05-01-2018 01:00 via feedproxy.google.com
  Aviation Industry- Irish LCC Ryanair has named Porto International Airport, in northern Portugal, as its third connection hub. read more
  
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• Ryanair passenger who tried to flee plane by climbing onto the wing "ashamed" of his actions - and blames claustrophobia

  05-01-2018 01:00 via mirror.co.uk
  The Mirror -Romuald Graczyk faces a fine of £40,000 for forcing open the emergency exit at Malaga Airport
  
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• Revealed: When you can use contactless payment to board a bus in West Yorkshire

  05-01-2018 01:00 via yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk
  Yorkshire Evening Post - Contactless bus payments for First passengers in West Yorkshire will start on January 18 as part of the firms efforts to speed up its journey times.
  
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• RAC warns the 'good times of lower cost fuel appear to be over' as prices reach three year high

  05-01-2018 01:00 via telegraph.co.uk
  The Telegraph -
  
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• Pledge to improve rail services

  05-01-2018 01:00 via shropshirestar.com
  Other News Sources - The chief executive of Arriva Trains Wales has pledged to making improvements to the company's performance on the line from Shrewsbury through Mid Wales.
  It follows complaints about the service on the Cambrian Line, taken up by Montgomeryshire Welsh Assembly Member, Russell George.
  
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• Petition calls for Scotrail to stop skipping train stops

  05-01-2018 01:00 via glasgowlive.co.uk
  Other News Sources - More than 700 have signed the petition appealing for Scotrail to stop cancelling part of routes last minute
  
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• Matthew Ashton appointed area managing director for Yorkshire Tiger

  05-01-2018 01:00 via ciltuk.org.uk
  Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport - Yorkshire Tiger is pleased to announce that Matthew Ashton has been appointed area managing director. Matthew is the first person to come through the Arriva graduate programme and successfully make board position after he joined the general management graduate scheme in 2011. This fast-track programme aims to develop managers and provide them with an extensive understanding of the operational issues and needs within the bus industry.In his most re
  
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• Latest stage of signalling upgrade in West Yorkshire fast approaching

  05-01-2018 01:00 via networkrailmediacentre.co.uk
  Network Rail - The latest work to upgrade signalling in Huddersfield and Dewsbury will take place later this month as part of the Great North Rail Project, with passengers advised to check before they travel.
  
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• Is Britain's rail franchising system fit for purpose?

  05-01-2018 01:00 via ft.com
  Financial Times - New complaints about rising train fares have brought a bigger question into focus
  
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• Heathrow cuts domestic airport charges

  05-01-2018 01:00 via buyingbusinesstravel.com
  Buying Business Travel - Hub 'wants to promote UK routes'
  
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• Guest column: HS2 plans for South Yorkshire are unacceptable Sir Kevin Barron MP

  05-01-2018 01:00 via retfordtoday.co.uk
  Other Regional Press - The Government has admitted that a comparison of housing demolition figures used to help justify changing the HS2 route through South Yorkshire was wrong by at least 40 per cent.
  
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• First fare hikes, now potential strike action set to cause rail disruption

  05-01-2018 01:00 via dorsetecho.co.uk
  Other Regional Press - Dorset rail passengers hit by fare increases in the new year are now being warned of further potential strike action which will cause disruption.
  
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• First fall in car sales in five years blamed on fears over diesel ban

  05-01-2018 01:00 via theguardian.com
  The Guardian - Industry says government has created uncertainty over an eventual ban on diesel cars, with sales dropping 17 in 2017UK car sales declined in 2017 after five years of rapid growth, with the industry blaming government for a collapse in consumer confidence in diesel vehicles.Total sales for last year were 2.54m new vehicles, a decline of 5.6 on 2016, with diesel sales dropping 17. Despite the decline, 2017 sales remained near the highest on record. Continue reading...
  
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• ES Views: London Bridge looks great, now improve the service

  05-01-2018 01:00 via standard.co.uk
  London Evening Standard - Your congratulations in your leader column January 2 to Network Rail on the successful completion of the London Bridge station redevelopment are somewhat premature.
  
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• Edinburgh Waverley opens extended platform as electrification prep continues

  05-01-2018 01:00 via railtechnologymagazine.com
  Rail Technology Magazine - Preparation works for the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) will continue over the Christmas period with track improvements through Edinburgh Waverley station and Princes Street Gardens. Work on the extension of Waverlys platform 12 was completed this weekend, making it...
  
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• EasyJet passenger numbers fly - but cancellations are on the rise too

  05-01-2018 01:00 via cityam.com
  City AM - Low-cost airline EasyJet said today passenger numbers picked up last month - but so did the number of cancellations for December.
  
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• Delivery firm CitySprint kicks off hydrogen van trial in London to help clean up the capital

  05-01-2018 01:00 via cityam.com
  City AM - CitySprint is trialling a hydrogen van in the capital as one of the first steps to establishing a completely emission-free fleet in London by 2020.
  
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• Custom House DLR station to reopen next week after Elizabeth Line revamp to tackle overcrowding

  05-01-2018 01:00 via cityam.com
  City AM - Custom House DLR station will reopen to passengers next week after work to revamp the station ahead of the arrival of Elizabeth Line services later this year.
  
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• Chronically ill passenger refused help to board plane

  05-01-2018 01:00 via dailymail.co.uk
  Mail Online - Nathalie Allport-Grantham, 23, said she was accused by workers of 'wasting their time' when she asked for assistance at Stansted on her way to Nice in France.
  
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• Chris Graylings gimmicks have failed rail users Subscription

  05-01-2018 01:00 via thetimes.co.uk
  Times Online - The transport secretarys decision to bail out Virgin and Stagecoach shows his inability to see what the network needs
  
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• Britain's worst rail services revealed - including one that was late 240 times in a year

  05-01-2018 01:00 via mirror.co.uk
  The Mirror - Our failing trains are exposed as weekly ticket prices rise up by an average of 3.4 - the biggest increase in five years
  
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• Bosch acquires five per cent stake in digital mapping firm Here in smart city and homes drive

  05-01-2018 01:00 via cityam.com
  City AM - Bosch said this morning it was acquiring a five per cent stake in digital mapping firm Here for an undisclosed price.
  
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• Aston Martin DB4 model built after 55-year gap

  05-01-2018 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC News - The company has started production of 25 of the classic cars, which have been sold in advance for £1.5m each.
  
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