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

Wednesday, 20 March 2024

BBC News

• Over 20 routes to benefit from new bus servicesExtra bus services in North Yorkshire which will be paid for using £3.5m from the scrapped northern legs of the HS2 rail project have been given the go-ahead.
• Rail firm hoping to take on 300 new staffRail operator Northern has begun a recruitment drive to take on more than 300 new staff.
• Potholes leave nations' roads at 'breaking point'A new report says the rate of pothole repairs in England and Wales has reached an eight-year high.
• Minister says meeting A5 families 'heart-breaking'John O'Dowd says he is determined to deliver road upgrade after meeting campaign group Enough is Enough.
• Disruption expected during tram and train strikesRolling strikes and engineering works are due to take place in south London next week.

The Guardian

• Campaigners warn over failure to curb Europe’s ‘runaway’ transport emissionsThe failure to tackle Europe’s “runaway” transport emissions could lead to the sector pumping out nearly half of the continent’s planet-heating pollution by 2030, a report has found.

The Herald

• QTS names new managing director as founder steps upScottish rail contractor QTS has today named its new managing director to take over from founder Alan McLeish who sold the business in 2018 in an £80 million deal.

Times Online

• Driver and pilot safety rules could mean lift-off for Seeing Machines. [subscription]Safety regulations that mean cars will be fitted with technology to monitor drivers for tired, distracted or erratic behaviour means that Seeing ­Machines’ time is coming, its boss has said.
• Councils could be stopped from making profits out of traffic fines. [subscription]Analysis by the RAC found that a fifth of the 100 most profitable yellow box junctions are potentially not compliant with traffic sign regulations

City AM

• Dubai airport chief: Without a third runway, Heathrow will be left behind“The players are shifting” in the jostle between global airport’s for market share, according to Gatwick’s former boss and the current head of Dubai Airport.

Birmingham Post

• Jaguar Land Rover to recruit 250 engineers for electric vehicle workThe engineers will be based at factories in Gaydon and Whitley in the West Midlands
• Metrolink expansion plans could be decided ‘by middle of the year’, Andy Burnham saysNetwork could be extended south to Stockport and north to Bolton and Atom Valley
• Port of Port Talbot in line for £80m investment from the UK GovernmentABP said it has plans to invest £1bn in the port to create a leading UK hub for floating offshore windfarm assembly and manufacturing
• Up to 500 new EV charging points to be installed across SolihullEuropean operator Qwello has won the brief to boost capacity for drivers of electric vehicles across the West Midlands borough

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford bus station closure question yet to be answeredWest Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has still not provided the Telegraph & Argus with information about the closure of Bradford Interchange’s bus station - more than 40 days after a formal request was submitted.
• GBRf reveals why Class 69 locos are being used in West YorkshireA railway company has revealed why a batch of innovative locomotives that were once a rarity in West Yorkshire have become a frequent visitor to local rails in recent months.

Manchester Evening News

• A brand new train station has been proposed for Greater Manchester£32m plan would cut journey times into city centre by 30 minutes

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Northumberland Line rail fares to link to Tyne and Wear Metro Pop card in 'game-changing' moveThe integrated system between the Northumberland Line and the Tyne and Wear Metro will allow young people to travel from Ashington to Sunderland for just £1

South Wales Argus

• Transport for Wales adds Ebbw Vale line to 'pay as you go'Railway passengers in South East Wales are now able to use a ‘tap in, tap out’ service on four services across the country, with the Ebbw Vale line now included.
• Senedd petition calls for free bus transport for under 22sTHE Senedd’s petitions committee took evidence on the feasibility of Wales following Scotland’s lead by making buses free for under-22s.

Other Regional Press

• New funding for bus services ahead of planned reformThe Welsh Government has announced that support for the bus industry in Wales will continue with £39m confirmed for the year ahead.
• Free City Centre bus service welcomes Sheffield’s first electric busesAs the old saying goes, ‘you wait for one bus to arrive then two turn up at once’. Well Sheffield City Council can do better than that, with four electric buses set to begin service in the city centre free for passengers to use.
• First Bus has unveiled major plans for Glasgow servicesThe travel company has announced it will be increasing three of its services from March 31.

Rail Advent

• New trains soon to start running on Birmingham railway lineWest Midlands Trains soon to introduce Class 730 trains on Cross City Line.
• Battery train begins trial in West LondonGWR says the technology could change the way non-electrified lines are operated

Rail Magazine

• Porterbrook acquires Electrostar fleetPorterbrook has taken ownership of 30 Class 379 Electrostars which it intends to lease to Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to run on the Great Northern route.
• Multi-million-pound improvement work over Easter bank holidayNetwork Rail engineers are gearing up for a £90 million programme of work over the Easter bank holiday long weekend.
• Multi-million-pound improvement work over Easter bank holidayNetwork Rail engineers are gearing up for a £90 million programme of work over the Easter bank holiday long weekend.
• New box wagons order is a boost to UK’s rail freight capacityThe new wagons, ordered in conjunction with Porterbrook, will be ready later this year to transport bulk construction materials such as ballast and stone.
• Labour, railways and the General ElectionLabour’s headline policy on rail, reiterated at last year’s party conference in Liverpool, is to end the franchising system and reinstate public operation on a rolling basis, as each contract expires.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• ‘Exceptionally difficult’ warning for bus fare increases after £2 capIt will be “exceptionally difficult” for the bus industry in England to return to fare scales at commercial levels when the government-funded £2 cap comes to an end, an independent operator has warned.

Other News Sources

• Five new rural bus routes to operate in OxfordshireFive new bus routes will be servicing rural areas in Oxfordshire from next month.
• Cardiff bus announce new app for adults on school run in April 2024Cardiff Bus has announced the launch of a new app exclusively for travellers on the school run-on routes in Penarth and Llandough.
• HS2 funds can’t solve UK’s £16.3 billion pothole problemThe Asphalt Industry Alliance’s annual report suggests UK roads are at “breaking point”, despite extra cash promised by the government
• Tunnelling to HS2 station at Euston to start next yearTBMs will be delivered to Old Oak Common ahead of job beginning in 2025
• Major works to make Glasgow train services more reliableMajor works to make Glasgow train services more reliable are set to take place over the Easter weekend.
• UK: GWR Commences Fast-Charging Battery-Powered Train TrialGreat Western Railway has officially commenced its fast-charging battery-powered train trial on the Greenford branch line.