In The News: 18th August

Click here to listen to the latest news on Tuesday, 18th August 2020

Rail passengers should be offered cut price tickets in a ‘Head Out to Help Out’ scheme to get people back on the trains, a watchdog has said.

In an article in The Daily Telegraph, Transport Focus said the Government should get train companies to offer cheaper tickets, similar to this month’s discount dining out offer.

The call comes ahead of the announcement of July’s inflation figures, used to set annual increases in regulated rail fares, which are forecast to be 1.1 per cent – the lowest in five years.

Around £6,000 has been raised in just four days for the victims of the Stonehaven rail tragedy according to an article in today’s Herald.

Passenger Christopher Stuchbury, driver Brett McCullough and conductor Donald Dinnie all lost their lives last Wednesday morning after a train plunged down an embankment near the Aberdeenshire town.

The funds will be distributed to the families with the help of ScotRail.

Network Rail has awarded the contract to build Soham’s new railway station to J Murphy and Sons Ltd.

The £18.6 million funding package will deliver a new station for Soham after having been without a rail connection for almost 55 years.

With consent secured from East Cambridgeshire District Council in June, early enabling works are expected to begin this autumn to prepare the site for main construction works in 2021.

Click here for more details.

Finally, and bus passengers had a lucky escape yesterday when the roof of the double decker they were on was sliced off when it hit a railway bridge.

The crash happened in Wishaw, Lanarkshire. All three of the passengers were downstairs at the time and no one on board was hurt.

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