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

Friday, 10 May 2024

BBC News

• Croydon trams damaged by unknown debris on trackTfL says large parts of the network are closed and all passengers should expect major disruption.
• Boeing whistleblower says plane bodies had defectsA former quality inspector for Spirit AeroSystems claims he found many defects on parts due for shipping.
• Great Victoria Street: Station closing after 200 yearsBelfast’s city centre railway station will close on Friday to make way for the opening of a new public transport hub later this year.

ITV News

• Mayor signals the end of London’s Boris Bus in new mission to clean-up the capital’s airSadiq Khan has signaled the end of the road for London’s “Boris Bus” in a new mission to clean-up the capital’s air.

Financial Times

• Air India Express cancels flights for second day after crew stage mass sick leaveDisruption comes as Tata Sons works to overhaul airline it purchased in 2022
• Activist wins board seats at railroad Norfolk Southern but fails to oust CEOAlan Shaw keeps his job after investor Ancora led campaign focused on cost cuts at US group

The Telegraph

• Transport Secretary open to backing tough new laws on dangerous cyclists. [subscription]Mark Harper says he will consider proposals that could bring penalties in line with those imposed on convicted motorists
• Rail commuters applaud fake fine threats to combat luggage on seats [subscription]Train operators say guards are ‘empowered’ to make space for those unnecessarily forced to stand

City AM

• IAG: British Airways owner’s profit takes off ahead of bumper summer British Airways' owner the IAG has said it is

This is Money

• Ford confirms it will cull another of its best-selling petrol cars next year to accelerate its shift to EVs despite demand slumpFord will go ahead with plans to kill off another of its hugely popular petrol models after 2025 to accelerate its switch to electric vehicles.

Labour Party

• Developing a Sustainable Transport Strategy for Westminster – Please let us know your viewsThe Council has launched consultation on developing a Sustainable Transport Strategy for Westminster.

Local Government

• Year in review: Climate Change, Transport and SustainabilityCouncillor Carmel Swan, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainability, looks back on one year of leadership in Derby
• New Digital Slinky transport service is just a click awayFlexible way to get around that can be booked and used by anyone in the Somerton and Langport areas

Network Rail

• Progress being made on accessible footbridge at Cwmbran station as significant milestone is reachedNetwork Rail has successfully installed the lift shafts and staircases on platforms 1 and 2 at Cwmbran station as works to make them fully accessible for the first time continue to progress.
• Happy 86th birthday to Leeds City station, which opened in May 1938.To celebrate, let’s take a look at some of the major station improvements we’ve made in recent years – all designed to improve your experience.

Birmingham Post

• Sustainable travel platform secures £1.2m in new funding roundBirmingham-based You Smart Thing has struck the deal with the West Midlands Co-Investment Fund alongside other investors
• Andy Burnham gives strongest hint yet on new tram linesLabour politician was re-elected as mayor with nearly two-thirds of the vote

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh airport considers city-centre luggage check-in to encourage use of public transportPassengers flying from Edinburgh Airport could be offered the option of city-centre check-in point for their luggage as a way of encouraging them to get a bus or a tram to the airport instead of driving.

London Evening Standard

• Transport for London pays out thousands in device clash refunds after passengers overchargedPassenger watchdog TravelWatch has warned that refunds it uncovered could be ‘the tip of the iceberg’

Bucks Free Press

• Huge milestone for HS2 as half of tunnels completedConstruction of the giant network of tunnels for HS2 has now passed the halfway point, marking a significant milestone for Britain’s new high-speed line.

Cambridge News

• Calls for motorway speed limit to be raised to 100mph - and 80mph on dual carriagewaysMore than 26,000 people across the UK have signed the petition - including hundreds in Cambridgeshire

South Wales Argus

• Transport for Wales are increasing its services on Rhymney line - Hefin David, MS for CaerphillyLast week I had the pleasure of welcoming the Influencing and Informing Engage to Change (IIETC) team to sit in on First Minister’s Questions, enjoy lunch and to take a guided tour of the Senedd building.

Other Regional Press

• A WYTHALL school has joined Network Rail’s Lord Peter Hendy, Central route director Denise Wetton, and The Tree Council, to plant new trees in the school’s grounds as part of a new collaborative partnership.Since 2023, as part of a broader partnership with local groups, businesses, and West Midlands Railway, Network Rail staff have volunteered their time to assist students in developing the school’s grounds and introduce hundreds of new trees and plants, which will help to promote biodiversity and allow local wildlife to thrive.
• WORCESTER’S Marc Mayliss has been announced as the County’s new Transport chief.Coun Bayliss has replaced Redditch’s Coun Mike Rouse, who has stepped back for ‘personal reasons.’
• MP Seely outlines case for ferries inquiry in a letter to the transport secretaryIsle of Wight MP Bob Seely has complained about Wightlink and Red Funnel services to the Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper MP.
• Councillor proposes transport system for Hemel Hempstead similar to the tubeHertfordshire councillors are discussing transport options to facilitate the town’s growth
• North Shields Transport Hub in the running for six construction industry awardsNorth Shields Transport Hub has been shortlisted for four prestigious industry awards for its design and green credentials. It is now in the running for a further two, on top of three awards the project already picked up last year.
• Shropshire has 'lost more miles of bus routes than any other county in England' - MPMore miles of bus routes have been lost to Shropshire than any other county in England over the past eight years, an MP has claimed in a parliamentary debate.
• Demolition work begins to build brand new £15m Harlow transport hubThe project costs around £15m and is being funded partly through Harlow's £23.7m Towns Fund investment from central Government
• St Neots station Try a Train event for SEND teenagersCambridge and Peterborough-based teenagers with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have been shown the ins and outs of travel at St Neots station.
• Locals say 'no' to huge £4M Exmouth investmentMore than £4 million of Government cash set to be spent on pedestrian and cycling improvements in Exmouth hangs in the balance after residents opposed part of the scheme
• Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and Labour parliamentary candidate Jack Abbott call for rail junction improvements in Haughley and ElyA business leader says it is ‘beyond bizarre’ that a rail junction upgrade which would boost the Suffolk economy has not yet been agreed.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Additional funding available to improve truckstopsLorry drivers across England could benefit from more parking spaces, better welfare facilities and safer rest areas as the Government opens up bids for more funding to improve truckstops. On Tuesday 7 May, Roads Minister Guy Opperman has confirmed that truckstop operators in England will be able to bid for up to £315,000 each to markedly improve their facilities. Upgrades could include new showers and restaurants, as well as better lighting and secure fencing around rest areas so drivers can feel safer and sleep with greater peace of mind. The measures could also create new parkin...

Coach and Bus Week

• One year in: Highland Council bus pilot ‘a success’The Highland Council’s decision to run its own bus services is saving money and allowing it greater scope, it says, one year after the first buses arrived
• First takes over Hovertravel’s HoverbusSolent hovercraft service operator Hovertravel has awarded First Bus Solent a contract to operate its Hoverbus service, which connects the hovercraft’s Southsea terminal, from where it offers a crossing to and from the Isle of Wight, to a number of bus stops across Portsmouth.
• Wrightbus unveils European growth planThe Northern Irish firm has plans to double its workforce and ramp up production to 26 buses per week

Construction News

• Fifteen firms on track for £3.5bn of rail workNetwork Rail has named a raft of big-name contractors on a panel to deliver £3.5bn of infrastructure works in the East of England. The operating body appointed 15 firms including Morgan Sindall, Amey and Bam to its Eastern Routes Partnership (ERP). The framework will deliver…

Rail Advent

• Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Transport given tour of the Global Centre of Rail ExcellenceLast Friday, 3 May, the Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport, Ken Skates, was given a tour of the site in South-West Wales where the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) is under construction.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• First Bus Scotland gains political backing for Project 75 workVarious MSPs have signalled their backing for the Project 75 campaign that was launched by First Bus Scotland in 2023. It highlights how one double-decker can take up to 75 cars off the road and encourages the public to choose bus more often.
• CPT urges Mayors to prioritise coach and busThe Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has written to the nine recently elected Mayors in the North and Midlands of England to urge them to prioritise coach and bus in their policy decisions.
• Stagecoach Yorkshire debuts Yutong battery-electric fleetStagecoach Yorkshire has unveiled the first of 23 Yutong battery-electric buses for Rawmarsh depot in Rotherham.
• First Bus Scotland gains political backing for Project 75 workVarious MSPs have signalled their backing for the Project 75 campaign that was launched by First Bus Scotland in 2023. It highlights how one double-decker can take up to 75 cars off the road and encourages the public to choose bus more often.

Other News Sources

• ‘Significant’ changes to South Western Railway Guildford and Woking trains to London as timetable revisedTrains from Portsmouth Harbour are being changed by SWR as a new timetable is announced
• Rail companies are using access stats from mystery shoppers who pretend to be disabledRail companies are using evidence on the accessibility of their rail services that has come from “mystery shopping” exercises carried out by freelance workers pretending to be disabled, Disability News Service can reveal.
• Train companies admit inflating stats on pre-booked rail assistanceFigures passed to the rail regulator by train companies have repeatedly inflated the success of the industry’s pre-booked passenger assistance service, potentially adding weight to the push to close ticket offices and cut station staff.
• Transport sector leaders call for cross-sector collaboration on Clyde MetroLEADING transport industry figures have called for cross sector collaboration and a customer-centric approach to the Clyde Metro programme.
• Green hydrogen production hub could decarbonise transport and power hospitalsGreenPower has won approval to build a production and distribution centre at the Glenshellach Industrial Estate in Oban, Argyll and Bute.
• Network Rail appoints 15 suppliers to £3.5bn Eastern region partnership frameworkNetwork Rail has appointed 15 suppliers to its £3.5bn Eastern Routes Partnership (ERP) framework, which covers buildings, civils and geotechnical works.