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

Tuesday, 25 February 2020

BBC News

• HS2 college 'financially unsustainable' report findsA college for HS2 engineers that failed to attract enough students has been branded "financially unsustainable".
• HS2 college 'financially unsustainable' report findsThe National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure has been placed under supervision.
• Cycling: Why do fewer women ride bikes in Cardiff?A report finds 70% of women never ride a bike and the ratio of riders to men is 1:19.
• Young drivers 'let down over insurance app faults'Carrot uses phone data to measure braking and acceleration - but some say it often fails to work.

Department for Transport

• Financial health notice to improve: National College for Advanced Transport and InfrastructureA financial health notice to improve issued to National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.
• GTR's Try a Train days help to increase passengers' confidenceGovia Thameslink Railway (GTR) offer an ongoing programme of ‘Try a Train’ events. These provide an opportunity for people who lack confidence travelling by train to visit stations and to experience a train journey.
• Trentbarton provides training for wheelchair and mobility scooter usersBus operator trentbarton offers one-to-one training to help wheelchair and mobility scooter users improve their confidence and travel on buses more regularly.
• Brighton and Hove Buses has employed an Accessibility and Communities ManagerVictoria Garcia is responsible for engaging with disabled people in the local community in Brighton and Hove.
• Blackpool Transport provides fully accessible rail replacement servicesBlackpool has taken steps to ensure that its rail replacement buses are fully accessible.

Financial Times

• Academy to train HS2 engineers faces funding riskAdvanced transport college receives double blow from inspectors’ reports

Times Online

• HS2 engineering college failed to teach students the basics, claims watchdogThe college set up to train engineers for the HS2 rail network has failed to teach students the basics of the job and left them vulnerable to harassment in the classroom, Ofsted found.
• Blackstone set to invest billions in Britain [subscription]An American infrastructure investor with a $14 billion war chest is preparing to pump money into Britain.

City AM

• The TfL junk food ad ban was clearly a recipe for failureToday marks a year since Transport for London (TfL) introduced a ban on junk food advertising anywhere on its network. The post The TfL junk food ad ban was clearly a recipe for failure appeared first on CityAM.

Birmingham Mail

• Stranded passengers get frustrated as all lines out of Birmingham New Street blockedWest Midlands Railway warned passengers that services running through New Street and Aston may be cancelled or delayed and that disruption was expected to last until around 8pm
• Heathrow third runway 'could cost 14,000 jobs in the West Midlands'New study shows expanding Heathrow isn't just bad for the environment - it would mean jobs move south

Birmingham Post

• How Siemens Mobility's £200m new UK train factory will look is revealedNew images accompany detailed planning application for site that could become home to HS2 rolling stock building
• UK regions 'could lose £43bn' due to Heathrow's third runwayResearch published today by think tank New Economics Foundation says 27,000 jobs could also move to London and South East

Bolton News

• Bolton train station lights should all be fixed, Labour saysALL of the lights outside Bolton train station should be replaced, Labour's spokesman for transport has said.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Pacer-operated services to continue for many more years in Bradford district - on Keighley & Worth Valley Railway A rail line in the Bradford district is set to run Pacer-operated services long into the future, it has emerged.

Bristol Live

• Bus services in Portishead to be reduced - due to poorly parked carsThe number of buses serving Portishead Marina is to be reduced following ongoing issues with parked cars blocking the route.

Edinburgh Evening News

• One in six bus stops to be taken out in trial scheme to cut journey times in EdinburghONE in six bus stops on a busy cross-city route are to be taken out of service in a trial scheme to speed up journey times.

London Evening Standard

• Bakerloo strike disruption continues as RMT threatens to target more Tube linesRead more about the Bakerloo line disruption HERE

Wales Online

• Transport for Wales has new Welsh-language announcements and they're laughably badThey insist the problem will be resolved as soon as possible

Cambridge News

• Big changes coming to Cambridge-Stansted train services to reduce overcrowding The government has announced £2.5m in new funding to ease overcrowding

Get Surrey

• Gatwick Airport will have a reduced train service for two years for £150 million upgradeVisitors to Gatwick Airport via train could face potential disruption for the next two years due to timetable changes. A £150m investment is set to double the size of the station as part of an "essential" upgrade that aims to improve accessibility, provide more space and improve facilities.
• DVLA issues warning as WhatsApp driving licence and car tax scams surge by 20% Scammers are targeting unsuspecting customers with links to services that don’t exist and messages of tax refunds - all of which are fake
• Date for reopening railway line between East Grinstead and Lingfield announced There have been two landslips between Dormans and East Grinstead over the past four months

Sunderland Echo

• New Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has been urged to back growing calls for the restoration of a mothballed railway line with hard cash.

Wirral Globe

• New MP calls for safeguarding of bus services to Arrowe ParkLess profitable bus services to Arrowe Park Hospital should run as loss-leaders, rather than being axed.

Other Regional Press

• Cornwall Airport Newquay is getting a new bossCornwall Airport Newquay welcomed 456,678 passengers in 2019 and has five new routes planned for 2020
• St Helens company lands major security project with world’s leading airportThe newly opened Jewel complex at Singapore’s Changi Airport is receiving the highest standards of perimeter protection, thanks to St Helens-based manufacturer of road blockers, bollards and vehicle barriers, ATG Access.
• Cowley-built Mini Electric launches on UK marketA CAR factory at the heart of Cowley's identity has ushered in a 'new era' as the Mini Electric hits the market.

Buying Business Travel

• Luton Airport Express train service proposedEast Midlands Railway (EMR) has launched a consultation on proposed changes to its December 2020 timetable, which includes the introduction of a Luton Airport Express service.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Longer trains and more seats for passengers across the MidlandsThousands of passengers will benefit from improvements on CrossCountry trains including over 20,000 extra seats a week, thanks to a £2.5 million government investment announced by the Rail Minister. Passengers travelling from Birmingham to Nottingham, Leicester and Cardiff will start to see longer trains on some services from May 2020 delivering more than 5,000 more seats each week. A further 15,000 seats per week are planned to be in place from mid-2021, including to and from Cambridge and Stansted Airport to support the region’s commuters, businesses and leisure travellers. Mor...
• Railway passenger growth reaches 11-year high in WalesThe number of passengers using railway stations in Wales has grown by the largest amount in more than a decade. More than 57.4m people used stations in Wales in 2018-19, up 9.4% from 52.5m the previous year, the largest rise since 2007-08. Much of the growth occurred in the area surrounding Cardiff, with valleys and suburban stations seeing large rises. Swansea, Bangor and Rhyl stations were among the 20 busiest, but increases were modest compared to the south east. The figures, released by the Welsh Government, measure the number of entries and exits to railway stations over a 12-month pe...
• Coronavirus outbreak to cost airlines almost £23.7bnAirlines stand to lose £23.7bn of revenue this year due to the coronavirus outbreak, the global airline industry body has warned. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts demand for air travel will fall for the first time in more than a decade. Airlines in China and other parts of the Asia Pacific region are expected to take the vast majority of the impact. It comes as carriers around the world have been forced to reduce flights. In total, airlines in the Asia Pacific region are set to see a $27.8bn revenue loss in 2020, while those outside Asia are expected to los...

Rail Technology Magazine

• £2.5m government funding set to improve CrossCountry Announced today (Feb 24th) by the Rail Minister a £2.5m investment is set to benefit passengers across CrossCountry rail services. From May 2020, passengers travelling from Birmingham to Nottingham, Leicester and Cardiff will start to see longer trains on some services, delivering more...
• Improvement work begins across three level crossings in Staffordshire Network Rail improvement work will begin this week on three level crossings in Staffordshire. Engineers will be replacing the older barrier gates and their components with new ones at Caverswall level crossing in Stoke-on-Trent, Hockley level crossing in Uttoxeter and Alrewas level crossing in...

Railnews

• New Worcestershire station opens A new station has opened in Worcestershire. The first train to call at Worcestershire Parkway yesterday morning was the 08.28 GWR service to London.

Other News Sources

• Boris Johnson has promised “London-style” bus services for other cities. So where’s the money coming from? | CityMetricBoris Johnson will have to do some work to improve buses. Quite a bit, if we are going to see the “London-style” services outside of the capital that he promises.
• Airport gateway scheme takes step forward in bid to bring 5,000 jobs to cityWork is underway to create a new business park near Coventry Airport which could bring 5,000 jobs to the city.
• Birmingham Airport invests over £100,000 in bespoke customer feedback systemBirmingham Airport has invested over £100k in a bespoke customer feedback system available in 80 different locations across the airport site.