Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Friday, 19 April 2024

BBC News

• New sea defence protects promenade, rail, and roadThe final stage of major new sea defences designed to protect a village promenade has been completed.
• Blindfolded train journey will highlight challengesThe mayor and mayoress of Maidstone are set to take a blindfolded train journey to experience the challenges people with sight loss face.

ITV News

• Doncaster potholes: Labour mayor and Tory MP row over who's to blameThe Mayor of Doncaster and a local Conservative MP are locked in a bitter public row over who is to blame for the lack of repairs to potholes in the city.

Financial Times

• EasyJet targets another bumper summer of record profits Low-cost airline confident about delivering strong performance as Middle East conflict fails to dent demand
• European carbon trading catching less than quarter of airline emissions, data findsWith long-haul flights exempt from charges and carriers given free allowances, large share of flights not covered by system
• Why are American roads so dangerous?Bad driving is probably playing a bigger role in the fatality rate than larger cars and longer journeys

The Guardian

• Only 40 LNER intercity rail services to run on Saturday as train drivers strikeAlmost three in four services between London, Edinburgh and York will be cut in Aslef members' stoppage.
• Shock of the old: 11 transport fantasies that never got off the ground – from jetpacks to swan-powered paraglidershere’s an innocent optimism to transport visionaries. They really thought they could change the world! They absolutely couldn’t! But all respect to them for trying: someone got lucky with the wheel once, didn’t they?

The Telegraph

• Cars to Ukraine scheme launch cancelled ahead of London mayoral election. [subscription]The launch event of Sadiq Khan’s Ulez-cars-to-Ukraine scheme has been cancelled ahead of the London mayoral elections.

Times Online

• Windows fell out of Airbus after damage from film lighting. [subscription]Aircraft had to make emergency landing at Stansted after seals gave way

The National

• Scotland to get 'all modes of public transport' ticket systemTHE Scottish Government has announced it wants to introduce a new Transport for London-style integrated ticket system for public transport.

Local Government

• Council responds to Government commitment on train buildingStatement from the Leader of Derby City Council, Councillor Baggy Shanker, on the Government's commitment to the future of Alstom's train manufacturing in Derby:

Belfast Telegraph

• Public transport workers set to be offered ‘sweeteners’ in bid to resolve pay dispute with TranslinkPublic transport drivers have negotiated several additional bonuses, including one-off payments for zero sick days, in a bid to quash rising tensions with their unions.

Derby Telegraph

• Transport Secretary says people blaming HS2 for Alstom uncertainty are not being 'straightforward'Mark Harper says he is hopeful that thousands of jobs will be saved at Alstom's Litchurch Lane site

Edinburgh Evening News

• ​The thinking on our city transport isn’t joined up- Sue WebberIn parliament debates and council meetings we hear a lot about “joined-up thinking” and “collaborative approaches” and of course plans are always “holistic” and “follow extensive consultation with stakeholders”.

London Evening Standard

• 'Superloop 2': Sadiq Khan unveils plan to double express bus network if re-electedNew routes would reach into areas previously untouched by Superloop services, including Edgware and Havering
• Nearly 1,000 ‘Lycra lout’ cyclists fined in City of London Police crackdownAlmost 1,000 “Lycra lout” cyclists have been fined for jumping red lights during a police crackdown at one of the Square Mile’s busiest road junctions.
• London Overground and Liverpool Street trains to grind to halt for 16 daysTrains between Liverpool Street and Chingford will grind to a halt for 16 days including on the London Overground while a 150-year-old bridge is replaced.

Northern Echo

• Labours calls on Government to save Hitachi jobs in Newton AycliffeKeir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have called on the Government to bring forward procurement to save jobs at the Hitachi plant in Newton Aycliffe.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Government says it's 'perfectly reasonable' for Nottingham tram bosses to ask for more helpThe Transport Secretary says it is "perfectly reasonable" for Nottingham's tram network to ask for more support in recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. Mark Harper defended the Government's £2 cap on bus fares during a visit to Nottinghamshire, despite NET bosses having warned that the scheme was creating an "uneven playing field."

Wales Online

• Exactly what Wales' new transport minister said as he signalled a major change in 20mph lawKen Skates has taken over the transport brief in the Welsh Government and has given his first significant comments on the nation's controversial 20mph law

Other Regional Press

• Future of defunct Midge Hall station 'in the hands of locals', government minister suggestsHuw Merriman was speaking in the Commons in response to a debate secured by South Ribble MP Katherine Fletcher on the subject of reinstating the defunct boarding point, which closed more than 60 years ago.
• South Bristol public transport ‘disjointed’, says councillorA Lib Dem councillor for Hengrove and Whitchurch Park has said that her greatest concerns in the ward are healthcare services and transport links.
• Mayoral candidates urged to accelerate rollout of shared transportCandidates in the North East mayoral election have been urged to make travelling faster, greener and cheaper by committing to bolster the provision of shared transport.
• SNP unveil plans for TfL-style integrated public transport systemTHE Scottish Government has announced it wants to introduce a new Transport for London-style integrated ticket system for public transport.
• Powys: Heart of Wales railway service cuts a 'bitter blow'Plans to reduce the number of trains running on Powys' Heart of Wales line have been described as a “bitter blow”.
• The Greater Manchester town that could get 'game-changing' new train stationA plan for a new train station for Rochdale is closer to becoming a reality.
• ScotRail confirm seven more trains to service Dunfermline every daySEVEN more trains per day will stop off in West Fife from June after ScotRail revealed timetable improvements.
• Trams could stop more cars clogging up Portsmouth’s roads - claim as parties set out their vision for better busesTrams have been mooted as a way of stopping more cars clogging up Portsmouth’s roads.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Cornwall’s bus investment encouraging patronage riseA focus on investing in buses in Cornwall is encouraging patronage to rise, according to Cllr Richard Williams-Pears, transport portfolio holder at Cornwall Council. Writing on the Campaign for Better Transport’s blog, he says the council’s investment has maintained a ‘largely stable local bus network’. He notes this is in ‘direct contrast’ to many other rural local authorities.
• Stagecoach’s Martin Gibbon becomes CPT Cymru ChairMartin Gibbon, Managing Director of Stagecoach South Wales, has been appointed as the Chair of the Confederation of Passenger Transport Cymru’s Bus Commission.
• Stagecoach East Midlands adding Lincoln night journeysStagecoach East Midlands is to introduce night-time journeys to its Lincoln network from 22 April 2024.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Accessible information Regs and rail replacement: The latest hurdleThat requirements for onboard announcements as laid down in the Accessible Information Regulations (AIR) will likely capture rail replacement work meeting the local service definition is another difficulty in that part of the coach and bus industry, and for bodies responsible for procuring those services.
• Keith Watson is appointed Wrightbus Director of Sales for UK and IrelandWrightbus has appointed Keith Watson (pictured) as its new Director of Sales for the UK and Ireland.
• Stagecoach East drivers recognised by Green Road schemeStagecoach East has announced 157 drivers have been awarded Green Road Fleet Elite status in recognition of exceptional standards.

Other News Sources

• Proposed lifeline for Derby train factory gets Chamber supportSecretary of State Mark Harper has pledged possible investment for ten new trains at Derby’s Alstom train factory, following a campaign led by Marketing Derby and backed by over 200 East Midlands Chamber members and over 300 Derby Bondholders.
• RIA welcomes potential for progress on train ordersThe Railway Industry Association (RIA) have welcomed the potential for progress on rolling stock orders in the UK.
• OFF THE RAILS: Secretary General of the AERRL, Carole CouneIn this week’s ‘Off the Rails’, I spoke to the Secretary General of the Association of European Rail Rolling Stock Lessors, Carole Coune.
• Swisspod announce new €7M funding round for hyperloop transportHyperloop technology is currently under development, with Swisspod's systems undergoing testing in Switzerland and India.
• 250,000 seats a day on the WCML?In the Parliamentary debate on the cancellation of HS2 phase 2, Transport Minister Mark Harper claimed that what remains of HS2 will deliver “a massive increase in capacity to the West Coast Main Line (WCML)” by providing 250,000 seats a day. This figure was subsequently repeated by the Prime Minister and Rail Minister who advised that it applies “across the primary long-distance operator on the West Coast.”
• Train tracks triumph - new findings show that trains are up to 80% cheaper than planes for domestic travelTravelling by rail can be up to 80% cheaper on similar routes than flying, eliminating the burden of baggage fees, seat selection charges and airport transfer fees, a new report by Rail Delivery Group has found.