Category Archives: Transport

Further Eurostar cancellations hold up Paris 2024 passengers

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The rail operator has pulled four of 15 trains from its Saturday schedule, affecting more than 3,000 people

Eurostar passengers hoping to catch the start of the Paris Olympics have continued to face difficulties after an arson attack in France caused train cancellations.

People travelling by Eurostar from London to Paris on Friday were asked to postpone trips if possible after the rail operator cancelled one in four trains over the weekend as a result of arson attacks that lead to widespread disruption to France’s high-speed rail network hours before the start of the Olympics.

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London Eurostar passengers asked to postpone journeys after arson attack

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High-speed rail services have been disrupted, hours before Olympics opening ceremony, by ‘acts of malice’

Eurostar passengers travelling from London to Paris on Friday were asked to postpone trips if possible, with trains delayed and cancelled after arson attacks took place on high-speed rail lines hours before the start of the Olympics.

Most services were leaving St Pancras International station on time but journeys were expected to be prolonged by at least an hour in France. Two afternoon departures have been cancelled.

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EasyJet forecasts record-breaking summer as profits jump

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Strong results follow drop in European airline stocks this week after Ryanair reported profit plunge

The budget airline easyJet is predicting a record-breaking summer of travel after profits jumped 16% in its most recent quarter of trading.

The bumper figures come only two days after the rival no-frills carrier Ryanair reported a plunge in earnings and a poor outlook for the holiday getaway season, pushing down many European airline stocks.

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US ‘committed’ to Aukus regardless of who is president, admiral says – as it happened

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‘Tumultuous’ coverage must not worsen post-3G, farmers say

Telcos face the ire of rural Australians if the 3G network shutdown goes awry and are being warned they will be held publicly accountable for any fallout, AAP reports.

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Luxury ute tax loophole costs Australians $250m a year, researchers say

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The Australia Institute says tax exemption on ‘commercial vehicles’ with no testing requirement is incentivising people to buy utes instead of EVs

A loophole in Australia’s tax law is in effect subsidising the price of luxury utes such as Ram and Chevrolet SUVs, costing taxpayers more than $250m a year in forgone revenue, an analysis has found.

The research from the Australia Institute centres on the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) – introduced in 2000 for imported cars partly to protect the domestic industry that existed at the time – and an exemption that applies to certain utes.

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Sydney commuters face travel woes all week as light rail workers strike for better pay

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All inner-Sydney light rail lines are due to grind to a halt during peak hours from 8am to 10am and 4pm to 6pm from Monday to Friday

Sydney commuters are expected to face major peak-hour disruption for an entire week with light rail workers shutting down tram services over pay and conditions.

All inner-Sydney light rail lines are due to grind to a halt during peak hours from 8am to 10am and 4pm to 6pm, from Monday to Friday, after the union decided to ramp up its industrial action.

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‘Bedlam’ in UK as air and rail travel hit by global IT outage

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More than 3,000 flights cancelled worldwide after problem affecting Microsoft Windows

Passengers have described “bedlam” at UK airport check-ins after a global IT outage on what was due to be the busiest day for flying since the start of the Covid pandemic, while train networks have also been disrupted.

More than 3,000 flights have been cancelled worldwide after Microsoft Windows operating systems used by airlines, airports and some air traffic systems were affected.

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Uber told to pay banned Sydney driver $10,000 after failing to prove passenger’s complaint

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Exclusive: Rideshare company failed to gather evidence that driver with near-perfect rating had breached its code of conduct, tribunal finds

Uber has been ordered to pay $10,000 in damages to an Australian driver after it permanently banned him from working due to a passenger complaint but failed to gather evidence that he had breached its code of conduct.

The ruling from the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal related to Uber’s conduct when terminating the driver’s account af a trip in last August.

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EU biometric checks for foreign travellers delayed again

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Digital border system that will require fingerprint and facial scans postponed until November

The date for the introduction of the EU’s new entry-exit system has been pushed back again until November, allaying fears of long queues at the border during the October half-term holidays.

The launch of the new biometric checks for foreign travellers, including Britons, entering the EU, has been delayed from 6 October until at least 10 November, with many smaller airports yet to have facilities in place.

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Cabin crew had to scoop human waste from toilets after AFL team’s plane ran out of water, union says

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Transport Workers Union outraged at conditions on National Jet Express flight to Perth chartered by Fremantle Dockers

Cabin crew were forced to scoop human waste out of onboard toilets and other passengers were left to urinate directly into basins, a union says, after a charter flight carrying an AFL team ran out of water, making flushing impossible.

The National Jet Express (NJE) plane was chartered by the Fremantle Dockers to fly the team to Perth after their loss to Hawthorn in the Tasmanian city of Launceston on Saturday. It reportedly ran out of water just 30 minutes into the four-hour flight.

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M25 weekend closure: drivers told to expect ‘incredibly busy’ routes

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Roadworks mean stretch between junctions 10 and 11 will be shut from 9pm on Friday to 6am on Monday

Drivers have been warned to expect delays this weekend as part of the M25 shuts down for the third time this year.

Major roads in the south-east will be “incredibly busy” this weekend as National Highways closes a section of London’s orbital motorway for roadworks in both directions between junctions 10 and 11 in Surrey from 9pm on Friday to 6am on Monday, the AA said.

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Labour summons bosses of worst-performing train operators to meetings

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Network Rail route directors will also attend next week as UK government aims to reform railways quickly

Labour has summoned the bosses of some of the worst-performing train operators, including Avanti West Coast and TransPennine, for meetings next week as it seeks to rapidly reform the railways and reset industrial relations.

The transport secretary, Louise Haigh, will bring in Network Rail route directors to attend all talks with the train companies, signalling the move towards an integrated railway.

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Police seek Sydney woman’s partner over alleged stabbing death – as it happened

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Australians feel ‘crushing burden’ from humanitarian crises

Many Australians are feeling a “crushing burden” as they see images from multiple humanitarian crises around the world, a prominent charity says.

I think sometimes people see this stuff on the news or read about it in the newspaper and they feel like they have to carry this burden on their own shoulder, and so they have nothing in between crisis and themselves.

And they look at something like what’s happening in Gaza and Israel, what’s happening in Ukraine, what’s happening now in Sudan, and think how can they possibly make a difference? What can they possibly do to make that situation better? And so it feels like a crushing burden.

Abortion is a very personal choice, and every Queenslander deserves the level of support and care we are offering with this investment.

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Half of Australians in the five largest cities live too far from public transport to ditch cars

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Climate Council analysis finds 7 million people living in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide face huge barriers to public transport

One in two residents of Australia’s five largest cities do not live within walking distance of public transport that is frequent enough for them to ditch their reliance on cars, new analysis has found, with lower-income suburbs worse off in all but one city.

The Climate Council analysis has revealed that more than 7 million people living in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide face huge barriers in choosing any transport option besides driving, leaving them with little choice but to consistently spend more money getting to work and moving around in general.

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‘Million dollar views, baby’: Victorian minister praises train station’s ‘fantastic’ Dandenongs vista

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On a morning when the Dandenong Ranges were largely obscured by clouds, Danny Pearson says ‘lots of caffeine’ was driving his enthusiasm

According to Victoria’s transport infrastructure minister, this is a train station with “million dollar views, baby”.

At a press conference on a cloudy Friday morning, Danny Pearson was ebullient in his praise for the views commanded by the new elevated platform at Croydon – to the point that his enthusiasm itself was questioned by reporters.

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Teen accused of driving stolen Jeep in fatal Melbourne crash faces court as three males remain on the run

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Boy, 17, charged over driving an allegedly stolen car in a fatal crash that killed a 28-year-old man in Burwood

A teen accused of driving a stolen Jeep that killed another driver was checked on by police hours after the crash and found in bed with a doona pulled up to his chin, police allege.

Police are relying on a pair of white shoes, a phone call and an accusation by a young female co-accused to prove the 17-year-old was behind the wheel during the deadly crash.

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Are Australia’s public transport discounts for seniors too generous? Are they fair?

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School and tertiary students receive concessions, but their fares are still more than three times those offered to seniors in some states

It’s the uncomfortable question few politicians would dare to ask. Are generous travel discounts afforded to Australia’s older citizens, especially self-funded retirees who are not means tested, sustainable? Moreover, are they fair?

Seniors have long enjoyed heavily subsidised public transport fares across Australia. But as the population ages, public finance strains and a cost-of-living crisis weighs disproportionately on younger generations, some are suggesting a rethink.

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Melbourne’s airport rail link hits more turbulence after mediation falters

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Airport operator says it will fight for more costly underground option despite expert report’s findings

The long-promised train to Melbourne airport appears to have hit yet another snag, after the prolonged and bitter standoff between Victoria and the airport that has delayed the line for years intensified, despite government-imposed mediation.

The train project – which would be funded by the federal and state governments – has stalled over the state’s insistence it would only finance a cheaper above-ground train station instead of the costlier underground option demanded by the airport.

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Bus driver charged over Brisbane crash that killed 18-year-old Tia Cameron abused outside court

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Insults hurled at Lindsay Selby, who has not yet entered a plea, while leaving Brisbane court after being charged over a fatal CBD bus crash

A bus driver charged after a Brisbane CBD crash in which 18-year-old Tia Cameron died has been abused while leaving court.

Lindsay Francis Selby, 70, was also targeted by some of Cameron’s supporters outside Brisbane magistrates court on Wednesday in heated scenes.

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Australia’s first high-speed rail link could ease house prices and widen the dating pool, UK expert says

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Prof Andrew McNaughton also warns plan to build Sydney-Newcastle route is ‘doomed’ to fail unless a shorter stretch to Gosford comes first

Ensuring Australia’s decades-long high-speed rail project maintains enough support to be built requires the public to be constantly reminded of its benefits, such as easing property prices, providing better job opportunities and even widening the dating pool, a British expert has urged.

Prof Andrew McNaughton, the chair of the UK’s Network Rail High Speed, also warns that the Albanese government’s push to build high-speed rail along Australia’s east coast, starting with a Sydney-Newcastle section, is “doomed” to fail unless planners split the first stage into an even smaller, achievable stretch to Gosford.

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