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

Wednesday, 27 March 2024

BBC News

• Isle of Wight MP calls for independent regulator for ferriesAn independent regulator for ferry services must be introduced, an MP has said.
• Council spending on special needs transport doublesCouncil spending on school transport for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has almost doubled in the last five years, BBC research has found.
• Electric buses: Reading to get 24 new double-deckersA town is to get its first electric bus fleet after securing £4.7m in funding from the government.
• Early work under way to reopen disused rail lineAn MP says early preparatory work is under way to bring a disused rail line back into use.
• Little-used 'ghost station' could be demolishedA number of railway stations are kept open only because it would be more expensive to close them.
• Council spending on special needs transport doublesThe rising cost of getting children to school is a key driver of current pressure on council budgets.
• Greens pledge 'fairer' road charges for driversZoe Garbett says London should be affordable and would consult on other ways of charging motorists.
• Calls to regulate e-scooters as pedicab law comes inLabour say the government is
• European flying car technology sold to ChinaThe Slovakian AirCar, built with a BMW engine and run on normal fuel, will now be made in China.

ITV News

• Kirklees Council plans to cut funding for SEND school transport by £1.65mA cash-strapped council is looking to cut school transport funding for children with special education needs by £1.65 million.

Financial Times

• The Baltimore bridge disaster: what happened and who will pay?Collapse will cause economic damage and bring new focus on quality of US infrastructure

The Guardian

• Baltimore bridge collapse: at least six missing as Biden laments terrible accidentMayor says rescue efforts continuing after cargo vessel hit Francis Scott Key Bridge, sending vehicles into the water. A frantic search-and-rescue effort continued on Tuesday hours after a major bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, snapped and collapsed when a container ship collided with it in the early morning, sending a number of vehicles into the water.

Nation. Cymru

• Decision to change eligibility for free secondary school transport called inA council’s decision to make changes to eligibility for free secondary school and college transport has been “called in” to allow decision makers to reconsider the move.

Northern Echo

• Shadow Transport Secretary says Hitachi can be secured - Louise Haigh MPLouise Haigh, is Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, raised the crisis at the Hitachi factory in the House of Commons last week. Writing for The Northern Echo she says 'with the stroke of a pen' the Governmenet could vary the existing contracts to keep the factory open.

The York Press

• Pickering group installs free eBike chargers at Dalby ForestPickering Town Community Interest Company (PTCIC)have installed two eBike chargers at Big Bear Bikes and Dalby Forest Cycle Hub.

Yorkshire Post

• Better connectivity and transport will be a key part of the North’s economic transformation - Martin TugwellTransport leaders in the North of England have set out their vision for the region with a plan that aims to realise our potential as a thriving, socially-inclusive, sustainable region.

Bucks Free Press

• Arriva bus services axed in Bucks and new routes createdBuckinghamshire bus services are set to be cut while new routes are added in a major local shake-up.
• New dual carriageway to cost £147m Bucks CouncilA new mile-long dual carriageway will cost £147 million to build, Buckinghamshire Council has said.

Other Regional Press

• North Yorkshire Council urged to invest more in public transportA council set to pump £3.5m into boosting bus services in the hope more people will start using them has been urged to consider investing more money into restoring services for some of the county’s most vulnerable residents.
• 50p bus travel in Telford to mark launch of new app which shows arrival times even for delayed servicesA council is cutting the cost of bus travel for a week to celebrate the arrival of an award-winning public transport app.
• Council and MP welcome Bank Quay Northern Powerhouse Rail stationENSURING Warrington Bank Quay becomes a Northern Powerhouse Rail station would boost the wider regeneration of that area.
• Oxfordshire to implement AI to reduce road trafficOxfordshire's roads will be used to trial AI to automate decision making in traffic control rooms.
• £7m highway maintenance project to start this springNearly 100 roads in Oxfordshire are set to benefit from a £7 million highway maintenance programme.
• Coventry's tram plans 'still going ahead' amid reports of delaysCoventry's Very Light Rail scheme reportedly had a bid for funding rejected last year

British Trams Online

• Plans approved for new stop on Tram-Train lineSupertram services on the Tram-Train route to Rotherham Parkgate will soon have another stop to call at following the approval of plans to construct one at Magna Science Adventure Centre.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Logistics trade associations unite in call for dedicated Government ministerHeads of the UK’s leading logistics trade associations are urging the next government to recognise the value the sector provides to the economy and appoint a dedicated minister for logistics with cross-departmental responsibilities.

Coach and Bus Week

• More to be done to improve satisfaction, says Transport FocusAccording to a new report by Transport Focus, 80% of those travelling by bus say they are satisfied with their last journey.

Railnews

• Why Adessia could be Alstom Derby’s Great White HopeThe warnings are getting louder (writes Sim Harris). Alstom’s managing director for its works at Litchurch Lane Derby has said that ‘time is short’, after production of the order for Arterio units for South Western Railway came to an end.

Railway Gazette

• Fitch says rolling stock lessors are resilient to economic challengesEUROPE: Rolling stock lessors in Europe are benefiting from continued rail traffic recovery and have resilience to higher interest rates, adequate leverage and long-term funding profiles, according to a report from Fitch Ratings.

Sustrans

• People want a shift in funding from driving to improving walking, cycling, and public transportOur Walking and Cycling Index 2023, the largest independent survey of active travel in the UK, has revealed that a majority (56%) of people want to see a shift in investment in road building schemes to funding options for walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport. This election year, we're calling on all political parties to recognise this evidence as the view of the public, and to prioritise active travel and public transport.

Aviation Industry

• Review of environmental protections and legislation in civil aviationRight at the end of 2023 the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) released a review of the state of environmental protection relating to civil aviation in the UK.

Other News Sources

• Trenitalia Billion-Euro Investment in Greener Transport with 40 New Frecciarossa TrainsTrenitalia, a principal entity within the FS Group’s Passenger Division, is actively engaged in making transportation more sustainable and fostering eco-friendly growth in the mobility industry.