Holiday Cottages Blog

Articles and info on holidays and cottages in the UK and Ireland

Archive for category Transport

Google Maps to show train travel details

Jan 23

Posted by elisa in News, Rail, Tips, Tourist Board, Transport, Tube | No Comments

Courtesy of thetrainline.com Google Maps has now launched information and timetables for mainland Britain. Now train travellers are able to search to journeys across the country here with more than 2,500 stations and 170,000 trips nationwide at their fingertips, in addition 8,000 bus stops and over 250 tube stations. The website also gives users full information on walking directions and some bus timetables for connections, as well as the opportunity to click through to thetrainline.com to book tickets.

Searching for travel information across Greater London was already possible but now internet and mobile users have access to timetables and train information for routes across the whole country.

Richard Rowson, Product Development Director at thetrainline.com said: “We’re delighted to be providing train travel information through Google Maps for the first time. We want to make sure that consumers are always able to consider rail options when making a journey and this innovation will help train travellers nationwide to do that by planning their route more easily. This is a fantastic partnership and demonstrates what two market leading brands working together can achieve.”

Ed Parsons, Google UK’s geospatial technologist, said: “Google Maps seeks to provide a wide range of relevant local information, and public transport station and schedule information is definitely a part of that. It is great to be able to partner with companies like thetrainline.com and have their schedule information available in Google Maps for the whole of Britain. This means we can reach and help a larger number of people with useful national rail train information.”

Google Maps is available in over 50 languages, so as London gets set for the 2012 Olympics and an even bigger influx of tourists, it is hoped that this technology will help them to find their way around the city and country.

Christopher Rodrigues, VisitBritain Chairman said: “We want to encourage visitors to explore the whole of Britain. With the Olympics less than 200 days away Google’s new initiative is exciting news. Millions of visitors plan their itinerary using Google maps and this additional information will act as a catalyst and inspire them to discover all that is wonderful about our great country.”

 

High speed rail gets the go ahead

Jan 10

Posted by elisa in News, Transport | No Comments

The high speed rail line between London and Birmingham has been approved to go ahead by Transport Secretary Justine Greening, despite wide spread opposite from Tory MPs, councils and countryside groups.

The 250mph line which is due to be completed in 2026 is the first stage of the project and will cost £16.3 billion. The second stage will run two more lines from Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester, and eventually it is envisaged that the lines could extend to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

There has been opposition against the cost of the project and its effect on the landscape that it travels through; such as the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty where less than two miles of track will be visible. However, the route will consist of 28 miles of tunnels and 40 miles of cuttings in order to reduce noise levels to those close by.

“This is not in any way a vanity project, this is a key and vital investment in Britain’s future,” said Greening. The Government also argues the project will generate £44billion of benefits to the economy over 60 years.

The journey from London to Birmingham will take 45 minutes, a 39 minute reduction from the current time, and a trip from Birmingham to Paris will take three hours instead of the current four.

 

Happy birthday Fastnet

May 5

Posted by jason in Ireland, Transport, Wales | No Comments

Fastnet Line, the company which runs the Cork to Swansea ferry route, celebrated the first anniversary of operations on 10 March. The first sailing on the route since 2006 took place on this date in 2010 when the Julia set sail from Swansea to Cork.


The re-establishment of the route has given a boost to tourism on both sides of the Irish Sea, with Fastnet Line exceeding its targets for vehicles and passengers in a highly successful first season. More than 80,000 people travelled on the route between March and December 2010 in a year which saw the importance of access by sea emphasised during the volcanic ash cloud crisis.

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Review of 2010

Jan 5

Posted by elisa in art, Articles, Coast, Cottages Search, Devon, Events, Exhibitions, family days out, Festivals, Food and Drink, Fun, Group holidays, Holiday advice, News, North West, Rail, shopping and culture, Surveys, Tips, Tourist Board, Transport, Wales, Walking, Weather, West Country, Yorkshire | 1 Comment

2010 was a year jam-packed with travel related news stories, festivals and events. I’ve taken the liberty of collating some of Holiday Cottages’ best blog posts over the year to give an overall review so you don’t have to go searching for them yourself!

January started with testing out my culinary skills at the Ashburton Cookery School in Devon.

A survey in February showed high speed rail was more important to people than airport expansions.

The Shambles in York was voted most picturesque street in March. There was also trouble on the railways with a Network Rail threatened strike.

Easter was a staycation preference in April.

There were many family fun festivals between May and August.

Even before the Royal wedding announcement we found out how the Royals are key to UK tourism.

27 West Country beaches were awarded blue flags in August, showing that the West Country is a great place to visit!

We were given tips on how to give tourists a better welcome during the Olympics.

Taxing times for holiday rental businesses.

The famous Exmoor Food Festival was in October, tickling visitor’s taste buds!

Bonfire Night had many events to travel to, including the flaming barrel run in Ottery St. Mary’s!

It got very cold in November and December as part of the big freeze.

The year ended with a little early Christmas cheer for the travel industry!

So there’s a pick of the Holiday Cottages blog coverage of events and news over the year. For travel news pertaining to outbound travel don’t forget to check out our sister site’s blog, Villaseek. There will be a run down of the year’s news on there very soon also!

Rail ticket price hikes for the new year

Dec 31

Posted by elisa in News, Rail, Transport, Weather | No Comments

With the new year comes more cuts and higher prices unfortunately. There is a Government loophole which means rail travellers will see huge price rises on the most popular routes as companies take advantage.

From the new year, train operating companies are allowed to raise fares across the board by 5.8% but the Government has not stipulated which routes it will allow price rises on and which price drops, so of course companies can now raise prices on popular routes and cheapen the less popular ones.

The hardest hit will be those travelling with First Capital Connect as there will be price hikes of 46.2% on some routes. A monthly ticket from Hornsey to Stevenage will rise from £194.40 to £284.20.

Virgin Trains will put up the cost of an average season ticket by 5.8%, Southeastern will put fares up by 12.8 % while Southern will boost the cost of a season ticket from Eastbourne to London by 7.8%.

In a time when weather conditions are bringing travel to a standstill, trains and planes are cancelled and also criticised for their lack of preparation to prevent cancellations, it is a shame that such large price increases are going to be implemented.

If you have any comments on this price increase, please leave them below.

Snow updates on Villaseek

Dec 22

Posted by elisa in News, Transport, Weather | No Comments

If you aren’t already aware of our sister site Villaseek and it’s blog, make sure to check it out for information and updates relating to outbound tourism.

The past couple of weeks have been full of stories and updates of the recent snowy weather conditions affecting flights and trains. Heathrow is having a particularly bad time at the moment as it had claimed earlier in the year that it was ready to keep running throughout adverse snow conditions, but unfortunately it has not been able to live up to its claims and has had to shut or run severely reduced flight schedules from the first fall of snow.

All these stories and more are on the Villaseek blog!

Winter driving advice

Dec 18

Posted by elisa in News, Tips, Transport, Weather | 1 Comment

This weekend is the busiest for last minute Christmas shopping trips and for people travelling home for the festive holiday; but as a fresh blanket of snow covers the UK there are fears of travel chaos and an increased risk of collisions on the roads.

Yesterday’s blizzards already brought in 331 insurance claims for the AA, a 10% increase overall. Of all claimants, 51% in Scotland and 34% in Wales say their collision was because of snow or ice.

Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance advises on how to limit your risk on the roads: “If the police in your area are advising drivers not to travel then it is sensible to heed that advice and monitor the situation locally. During the run-up to Christmas, plan your journey to take account of the latest local forecasts and try to stick to main roads, which are more likely to be gritted.

“If the road surface is icy, our advice is to try to keep a gap of 10 seconds between yourself and the vehicle in front to minimise the risk of you sliding in to the car in front.”

He points out that tail-end crashes, especially at road junctions and roundabouts, are the most common type of winter claim, followed by collisions with parked cars. He adds that cars fitted with winter tyres are less likely to lose traction on snow and ice.

Winter tyres are made from a rubber compound that performs better at temperatures below plus 7 decrees C and tests show that cars fitted with them stop in a much shorter distance on snow and ice than those with conventional tyres. If such tyres are to be used, it is vital that all four wheels are so fitted.

So the message of the moment is to monitor the weather locally, to plan your journeys in advance, try to use main roads, and take it easy on the roads – rushing in such weather will not do anyone any favours!

Rail travel over flight travel

Sep 17

Posted by elisa in Flights, Rail, Transport | No Comments

A boost in figures for intercity rail travel over the past 18 months has prompted the chairman of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) to comment that domestic air travel could become “the choice of the minority” with some cities not linked by air at all.

The figures show that from 2008 to 2010

•from Birmingham to Edinburgh, market share has gone up from 14% to 31%

•from London to Manchester, market share has gone up from 69%  to 85%

•from Birmingham to Glasgow, market share has gone up from 15% to 27%

•from London to Glasgow, market share has gone up from 12% to 21%

Total journeys by rail on the ten most popular domestic air routes between 2006 and 2009 went up by 31% while air travel dropped by 20%.

ATOC director of corporate affairs Edward Welsh remarked on the figures: “If these trends continue, we can expect domestic air to become the choice of the minority, with flying between some cities disappearing altogether.”

The volcanic ash chaos could skew the figures for part of 2010, however they still show that the rail market share continued at a higher level after the disruption, indicating that people stuck to rail as their preferred choice and did not all return to catching flights.

Welsh continued: “It is clear that a fundamental shift in the way that people get around the country is taking place. Ever greater numbers of people choosing rail travel to get between our big cities is good news for the environment, and shows the importance of the railways in supporting the economy.

“The volcanic ash cloud led to a spike in rail journey numbers as train operators laid on extra services to get people around the country. But this merely accelerated a trend seen in recent years, most notably last year, when tough financial times led people to opt for the train.

“Considerable improvements have been made on the railways in the last few years to cut journey times, run more frequent services and to make services even better for passengers.

“Rail passenger satisfaction has never been higher, punctuality has never been better, the number of complaints has never been lower and investment in rail has never been more sustained – which all adds up to great value for money.”

Have you changed from air to rail travel over the past year or so? If so, what prompted the change?

Largest rail ticket price rise since privatisation

Jul 20

Posted by elisa in News, Rail, Transport | 1 Comment

In an attempt to cut the £5million rail industry subsidy, the Department of Transport want to allow train companies to charge up to 10% more for travellers season and saver tickets.

Currently, train companies are allowed to charge prices of 1% over next month’s retail price index; but this method may be at risk which will mean that companies could charge a far higher rate.

In a quote in the Telegraph, Anthony Smith, chief executive of Passenger Focus, the rail watchdog, said the rises would penalise commuters.

“This is a return to the bad old days of double-digit fare rises. It will hit commuters and season ticket holders hardest, passengers who have no choice but to travel by train – they are a captive market,” he said.

Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, has suggested that perhaps better-off people who are entitled to free travel at the moment start paying again in order to help tackle Britain’s financial problems.

Coalition puts replacement of 125 old Intercity trains in jeopardy

Jul 7

Posted by elisa in News, Rail, Transport | No Comments

As part of the spending cuts that the new coalition government are making, the £7.5bn project the previous government were planning on spending on replacing 125 Intercity trains could be scrapped. This could lead to passengers continuing to travel on 30+ year-old trains on some of Britain’s most popular routes.

The announcement of this review was made by Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond. If this goes ahead, around 12,500 jobs that the previous government said would have been safeguarded by the project are also in jeopardy. The contract, obtained by consortium Agility Trains, stated that 70% of the project would be done in Britain with a new factory built in one of three locations, either Sheffield, Ashby de la Zouch in Leicestershire or Gateshead.

A quote from the consortium in the Telegraph newspaper said:

“We have expressed our commitment to continue working with the Department for Transport to respond to the points in the report, and to find an affordable solution which meets the government’s objectives.”