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

Tuesday, 09 August 2022

BBC News

• Network Rail opens consultation on new Waterside passenger lineNetwork Rail has opened a consultation on reintroducing a passenger service on a freight-only line. The nine-mile Waterside track in Hampshire closed to passenger trains in 1966 but the plan would see services run from Southampton to a new station in Hythe.
• Avanti West Coast suspends sales and cuts timetablesA train operator has slashed its timetables and suspended ticket sales due to "severe staff shortages". Avanti West Coast will run as few as four trains per hour from Sunday to halt the short-notice cancellations which recently disrupted its operation.

Financial Times

• UK's west coast mainline axes almost half rail servicesAvanti angers unions by blaming unofficial strike action for its cutting London trains to northern cities from 7 to 4 per hour

The Guardian

• Aslef says Avanti West Coast is lying after firm blames service cuts on strikesTrain drivers union speaks out as London to Manchester service scaled back to one an hour. The train drivers union Aslef has called Avanti West Coast 'lying cheapskates' after the rail operator slashed its intercity timetables, blaming unofficial strike action. Avanti, which runs services on the west coast mainline between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow, has suspended ticket sales and said it would run as few as four trains an hour from Sunday to try to cut the growing number of short-notice cancellations experienced in recent weeks.
• Reinstate climate change minister role, says green Tory Chris SkidmoreMP and head of party's Net Zero Support Group spends much of his time campaigning on climate emergency. The next prime minister needs to reinstate the role of minister for climate change, according to the head of the influential Conservative Net Zero Support Group.

Times Online

• Train drivers slash Avanti West Coast services with unofficial work-to-rule [subscription]Avanti West Coast has slashed train journeys and suspended ticket sales because of “unofficial strike action” by its drivers. The operator, which connects London to Scotland and the north of England, said it would run as few as four trains an hour from Sunday in an effort to stop the short-notice cancellations that have plagued its operations in recent weeks. It usually operates up to seven an hour.

Network Rail

• Network Rail wants your views on plans to reintroduce passenger services on the railway between Southampton Central to Marchwood and Hythe, HampshireNetwork Rail is inviting communities along the Waterside area, on the edge of Southampton Water and the New Forest, to find out more about proposals to run passenger services on the freight-only railway for the first time since 1966.

Manchester Evening News

• Salford gets £3m for raft of road schemesProjects will boost safety for cyclists and walkers

Sheffield Star

• Government confirms plans for railway station at Doncaster Sheffield Airport but it hangs in the balanceA long-running campaign to see a railway station at Doncaster Sheffield Airport could finally become a reality after ministers confirmed the project is in the pipeline.

Yorkshire Post

• Government approves plans for new railway station at Doncaster Sheffield Airport - even though terminal might closeA long-running campaign to see a railway station at Doncaster Sheffield Airport could finally become a reality after ministers confirmed the project is in the pipeline.
• Why there needs to be a committment to a vision for better railways in Yorkshire - Ben StillCommitted rail investment into West Yorkshire is higher now than it has been for decades.

Chester Standard

• Train firm slashes number of services between Chester and London EustonA TRAIN operator is slashing the number of services between Chester and London Euston from next week. Avanti West Coast normally runs five train services from Chester to London Euston and vice versa each weekday.

Oxford Mail

• Latest application submitted as part of Oxford station plansAN APPLICATION has been submitted as part of plans to expand Oxford Railway Station. Submitted to Oxford City Council, the application concerns work to build an additional platform at the station.

South Wales Argus

• Major railway works to close Ebbw Vale to Newport lineNEW and longer platforms are among a series of extensive upgrades to be carried out at two railway stations on the Ebbw Vale Line later this year.

Other Regional Press

• Latest application submitted as part of Oxford station plansAN APPLICATION has been submitted as part of plans to expand Oxford Railway Station.
• Major £5m Heckmondwike bus station revamp plans revealedThe plans would see a whole new building constructed on the site
• Luton Airport: Inquiry into expansion plans to be heard at town hall in SeptemberThe plans were called in by two secretaries of state with the inquiry set to last six weeks
• Timber train to Kronospan made permanent after trials on Cambrian lineWELSH timber to be permanently carried on the main route through Powys after trials were deemed successful.
• Peterhead is venue for public meeting on Buchan Railway visionThe public are invited to learn more and have their say on the vision to connect the Buchan towns to Aberdeen by rail this week.
• Red wheel award shows that heritage railway is on the right trackThe world’s first preserved railway, The Talyllyn Railway, celebrated the award of a National Transport Trust "Red Wheel" when AM Mabon ap Gwynfor, the local Member of the Welsh Senedd, performed the unveiling.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Call for evidence from UK government to support supply chainAs a part of the government’s effort to tackle the global driver shortage, views are being sought on how to make it easier to land a successful career in logistics to bolster the UK’s supply chain.  The views submitted by members of the public and industry professionals will help answer important questions and assist the government with ongoing research into how post-Brexit freedoms are used to remove red tape and create opportunities for people across the country.   Some of the potential options set out in the call for evidence, include creating a formal regi...

New Civil Engineer

• How the pandemic could permanently change the way rail projects are plannedDuring the early stages of the pandemic Network Rail used the quieter period with fewer trains operating to accelerate some engineering work with the use of longer blockades and a new survey has looked into the public preferences for continued use of this approach.
• Network Rail launches regional trial of geofencing to improve trackworker safetyAs the Rail Accident Investigation Branch announced an investigation into a near miss with trackworkers at Paddington station last month, Network Rail’s latest board minutes reveal that its trackworker safety taskforce is trialling new technology in the Southern region to improve trackworker safety.

Railway Technology

• Grant Shapps calls for driverless tubesSecretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps is calling for the London Tube to become more like its European counterparts and welcome driverless trains, coming after the recent Department of Transport bail out of the TfL.

Other News Sources

• ‘Green’ aviation: Luton Airport joins carbon capture studyAlthough responsible for just 2% of the air transport sector’s total carbon emissions, airport operators have increasingly sought to decarbonise their operations.
• UK travellers set to dump £207,000,000 in toiletries and makeup at airport security this summerUK travellers are paying the price for overpacking a suitcase, according to research. The nationwide study, carried out by Next, reveals an eyebrow-raising insight into British packing habits – especially considering the current cost of living crisis.
• Doncaster Council: Peel Group looking at all options to keep airport openDoncaster Council has provided an update on the situation at the city’s airport, amid an ongoing six-week consultation on operations at Doncaster Sheffield (DSA).
• Help bring Great British Railways to BrumHelp bring Great British Railways to The leaders of the three largest political parties at the city council have written a joint letter to the people of Birmingham.

News from Europe

• Europe’s airport staff continue to strike over low pay and working conditionsAcross Europe, airport and airline staff have been striking, causing severe disruption to summer travel.