Category Archives: Transport

All Eurostar trains into and out of London cancelled due to flooding

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Southeastern trains on same route also affected, while windy conditions expected to sweep UK

Thousands of travellers faced disruption to their new year plans after all Eurostar trains in and out of London were cancelled on Saturday after “unprecedented” flooding in a tunnel on the line.

There were no high-speed services running between London St Pancras international and Ebbsfleet international in Kent on Saturday, and Southeastern trains on the same route were also suspended. A total of 41 Eurostar trains were cancelled.

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Two dead and 15 injured after five-car crash near Lithgow in NSW

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The Great Western Highway is closed in both directions and is expected to remain a crime scene for some time

Two people are dead and more than a dozen have been injured in a multi-vehicle crash west of the Blue Mountains in NSW.

Emergency services were called to the scene of the five-car crash on the Great Western Highway at Wallerawang, 15km north of Lithgow, just before 1pm.

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Two people dead and a dozen injured after multi-car crash in NSW – as it happened

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Tasmanian yacht Alive is in the box seat to take out Sydney to Hobart yacht race’s overall honours, with skipper Duncan Hine confident the 66-footer has a winning time on the board.

Hine and his crew finished the 628-nautical-mile blue water classic yesterday afternoon as clubhouse leaders on handicap time.

It’s a waiting game. We’re looking good, though. I believe we could do it again, but the reality may be different. Now we wait with bated breath to see if anyone can beat our time.

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Keep UK trains running at Christmas and save engineering works for January, say campaigners

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‘It doesn’t have to be this way’: Britain’s transport networks again grind to a halt during festive period

There was a familiar sense of misery for many travellers in the week before Christmas as hundreds of trains were cancelled, motorways were closed and ferry passengers queued for miles waiting to board their ships.

But it doesn’t have to be this way, transport campaigners say, as politicians and transport bosses have the power to ease some of the problems facing travellers.

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Christmas getaway travel disruption likely to continue through weekend

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Weather warnings issued for drivers and London’s King’s Cross and Paddington stations will be closed

Christmas getaway travel disruption is expected to continue throughout the weekend, with millions of car journeys under way and major London railway stations due to close on Sunday.

The AA estimated that 16.4m car journeys will take place on Saturday and warned of “lengthy jams”.

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Labour warns of ‘Christmas chaos’ on the trains after record payouts for delays

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Three rail companies saw their highest ever number of payments to passengers for delayed services in November

In analysis that might not come as news to rail passengers already stranded this festive season, Labour have warned of potential “Christmas chaos” on trains after data showed a record level of payouts for rail delays in November.

Three train operating companies – Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway (GWR) and East Midlands Railway – saw their highest ever number of payments to passengers for delayed services last month, above pre-Covid levels, the party said.

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Rightwing Tory MPs criticise Rishi Sunak’s ‘weakness’ over family visas U-turn – UK politics live

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The government says it is still planning to increase salary threshold to £38,700 but Tory backbenchers have called the move ‘deeply disappointing’

Regulated rail fares in England will rise by nearly 5% in March, PA Media reports. PA says:

The Department for Transport has set a cap of 4.9% for increases to most fares regulated by the government, which include season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak return tickets on long distance routes and flexible tickets for travel around major cities.

July’s RPI measure of inflation, which is traditionally used to determine annual fare rises, was 9.0%.

Having met our target of halving inflation across the economy, this is a significant intervention by the government to cap the increase in rail fares below last year’s rise.

Changed working patterns after the pandemic mean that our railways are still losing money and require significant subsidies, so this rise strikes a balance to keep our railways running, while not overburdening passengers.

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Christmas getaway disruption continues amid Dover, road and rail delays

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Eurostar and Eurotunnel services resume on Friday but drivers face 60-minute queue for French border controls

Christmas getaway disruption was continuing on Friday with long queues for cross-Channel journeys, motorway closures and train cancellations on one of the busiest days of the year for travel.

In the late afternoon the Port of Dover in Kent said it was taking about 60 minutes to process cars before French border controls.

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Eurostar cancellations add to disruption on storm-hit rail network

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Last-minute Eurotunnel strike by French unions in Calais halts services as Storm Pia causes travel problems across country

Passengers are suffering fresh disruption in the Christmas getaway after severe weather left rail lines blocked around Britain, while a strike by French Eurotunnel workers has halted Eurostar trains and cross-Channel shuttle services.

Strong winds from Storm Pia, including gusts of up to 80mph in northern Britain, have blown down trees on tracks around the country.

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Avanti West Coast cancellations and delays prompt calls for urgent review

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Transport for the North says service is deteriorating fast, with fewer than half of trains running on time

Northern political and transport leaders have called on the UK government to urgently review Avanti West Coast’s operations amid a renewed surge in intercity rail cancellations and delays.

The intervention came as it emerged that morale at the train operating company has plummeted to the point where only 3% of staff say they feel valued, according to an internal Avanti survey seen by the Guardian.

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2023 the deadliest year on Australia’s roads in more than half a decade, data shows

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Peak motoring body demands end to governments’ data secrecy as road death toll reaches 1,253

This year was the deadliest on Australia’s roads in five and a half years, with the road death toll reaching 1,253 – the highest since 1,270 people were killed in the 12 months to March 2018, according to the nation’s peak motoring body.

Upon releasing the data, the Australian Automobile Association accused governments of kicking road safety “down the road” after federal, state and territory transport ministers met a fortnight ago to discuss their next five-year partnership on road infrastructure projects but failed to make progress on data transparency when it comes to road deaths.

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Marles will ‘make right decision in Australia’s interest’ over deploying navy vessels to Red Sea, Farrell says – as it happened

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Up to 49 tonnes of illicit drugs prevented from reaching Australia

Australian federal police and international law enforcement partners have prevented up to 49 tonnes of illicit drugs from reaching Australia throughout the past financial year.

The AFP cannot overstate the amount of harm that 29 tonnes of methamphetamine could have caused to the community if it had not been intercepted by law enforcement.

On average, close to 12,000 Australians are hospitalised from methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin use every 12 months.

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Cutting corners on ebike Christmas gifts could be ‘disastrous’, experts warn

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Authorities say lithium-ion battery fires happen every week across Australia and poorly built buys could lead to new wave of damage

Choosing the wrong electric bike or scooter could be a fatal mistake this Christmas, experts have warned, amid a rising number of house fires caused by faulty batteries.

Authorities have warned that lithium-ion battery fires are happening every week and a new wave of damage could be unleashed early next year due to poorly built Christmas purchases.

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Cheshire East council says it faces bankruptcy due to HS2 link cancellation

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Local authority covering some of richest areas in England says it spent £11m preparing for rail line

A council in one of the wealthiest parts of the UK has warned it faces potential bankruptcy due to the “devastating” impact of cancelling the northern leg of HS2.

Leaders of Cheshire East council in north-west England said the authority had spent £11m preparing for the high-speed rail link, and this would now have to be written off. Most of this money – £8.6m – had been funded by borrowing and would now have to be funded from the council’s already stretched revenue budget.

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More than 520 NSW taxi drivers disciplined in six months for overcharging or refusing to use their meter

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Exclusive: Freedom of information documents reveal which cab companies have received most complaints, with one getting more than 300 in six months

More than 520 taxi drivers in New South Wales have been disciplined for refusing to use their meters or overcharging, with authorities progressing more than 300 cases against just one operator in six months.

As the NSW taxi watchdog warns of an expected uptick in rogue behaviour from new taxi drivers entering the workforce, Guardian Australia can reveal the new taxi fare hotline has been flooded with hundreds of complaints in its first six months.

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Albanese’s high-speed rail body yet to appoint CEO or begin planning any train projects

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Opposition accuses Labor of achieving ‘absolutely nothing’ towards its fast rail ambition

Six months after its establishment, the Albanese government’s high-speed rail body is yet to appoint a chief executive or begin planning any train projects, as the opposition accuses it of achieving “absolutely nothing” towards its fast rail ambition.

Labor took its renewed push for high-speed rail along Australia’s east coast to the 2022 election, along with a commitment of $500m for planning and early works for the first stage of the corridor from Sydney to Newcastle.

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UK’s Christmas getaway traffic will peak earlier than usual, AA predicts

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Friday 22 and Saturday 23 December expected to be the busiest days on the roads

Festive getaway traffic is expected to peak earlier than normal this year as Christmas Day falls on a Monday.

The AA predicted that Friday 22 December and Saturday 23 December will be the busiest days on the UK’s roads in the festive period.

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Watchdog calls for investigation after thousands trapped in trains in London

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Network Rail’s chief executive, on board one of the stranded trains, describes it as a ‘painful experience’

London’s passenger watchdog has called for an investigation after thousand of people were trapped on trains on Thursday evening when power lines were damaged.

Passengers, who were given little information during the ordeal, were stuck for more than three hours on dark, cold trains – including on Elizabeth line trains, which have no toilets and rely on the overhead lines for power.

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Transurban hits back at claim it is ‘hiding in the shadows’ amid commuter anger over Sydney’s $3.9bn Rozelle interchange

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Exclusive: Private tolling giant defends itself against Inner West mayor’s accusation it is ‘staying stubbornly silent’ as road users vent frustration

Private tolling behemoth Transurban has spoken out amid community anger over the bungled opening of Sydney’s $3.9bn Rozelle interchange as it finds itself in a stoush with the Inner West council mayor over who should fix the mess.

Transurban used its first public comments since the “spaghetti junction” opened on 19 November to defend its conduct in the wake of widespread commuter frustration, particularly among people who live on the Balmain peninsula.

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Passengers trapped on cold, dark trains as travel chaos hits west London

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Faulty electric cables cause hours of disruption for passengers and many people are still trapped onboard trains

Hundreds of passengers have been stuck on cold, dark trains in west London for hours as travellers suffered significant delays due to damaged overhead electric cables.

All trains have been stopped between London Paddington and Reading, Network Rail Western confirmed. Great Western Railway said disruption was expected on the London Paddington to Reading line until the end of Thursday. The disruption also affects the Elizabeth line.

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