Bridge shut by blaze to open next month

to see action due to the price increase.

Rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: “It’s tempting to say fares should never rise, but the truth is that if we stop investing in our railway then we’ll never see it improved.”

Rail delivery group director Robert Nisbet added: “No one wants to pay more to get to work but by holding rises down to no more than inflation, Government is ensuring that money from fares continues to cover almost all of the day-to-day costs of running rail services.

“This means private sector and taxpayer money can go towards improving services for the long term.”

According to the Trades Union Congress, rail fares have increased at twice the rate of wage rises since 2009. A BRIDGE which has been closed since an arson attack in June is not expected to reopen until next month.

Repairs to the fire-damaged bridge on Longmoor Lane, in Sandiacre, have started, with resurfacing work set to follow ahead of a planned early September reopening.

The bridge was badly damaged when a van was set on fire underneath it and abandoned in the early hours of Monday, June 10.

Structural surveys carried out by Derbyshire County Council after the fire showed that it was structurally unsafe and has been closed to traffic since then.

The land under the bridge is owned by the Derby and Sandiacre Canal Trust and the Trust has agreed that the council can fill in under the bridge.

The council is also taking the opportunity to resurface stretches of Longmoor Lane while the road closures are in place. The work will be completed in three phases, with temporary road closures and traffic lights due to be in place during off-peak times from next Monday.