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

Monday, 04 February 2019

BBC News

• Rail staff issued with body cameras to record assaultsRail staff are being issued with body-worn cameras in a bid to cut the amount of abuse they're having to face.
• Buses: Does falling use mean they are only for big cities?The number of bus journeys taken across Great Britain is falling, with about 90 million fewer in 2017-18 than the year before.
• Nissan chooses Japan over UK to build new X-Trail carThe carmaker will make its new X-Trail overseas despite first pledging to produce the model in Sunderland.

The Guardian

• Economic benefits of local buses eclipse unrealistic HS2 targetImproving Birmingham’s buses would boost productivity more than cutting train time to London
• Nissan warns of Brexit concerns as U-turn at Sunderland confirmedCarmaker will not build new X-Trail in UK, saying uncertainty about future is affecting firms

The Independent

• Ryanair: The budget airline heading for oblivion or European domination?Simon Calder, The Independent’s travel correspondent, has been following the much-criticised airline for three decades but wonders if we are all a bit too mean about it

The Telegraph

• Minister backtrack on trains Wi-Fi Ministers are quietly retreating from Theresa May's election pledge to end the problem of patchy mobile phone signal and WiFi on train journeys, the Sunday Telegraph can disclose.

Times Online

• Tram users sent off rails buying tickets [subscription]Faulty ticket machines on Scotland’s only tram system have had to be repaired nearly 1,500 times.
• 1,000 trains cancelled due to ScotRail staff shortages [Subscription]The number of trains cancelled in Scotland because of staff shortages has more than doubled in six years amid claims that companies are operating the UK network on the cheap.
• Rail crew shortages lead to 35,000 train cancellations [Subscription]The number of trains cancelled because of staff shortages has risen almost fivefold in six years amid claims that companies are running the network on the cheap.

City AM

• Former Stobart boss Andrew Tinkler makes capital injection offer for ailing airline FlybeFormer Stobart chief executive Andrew Tinkler has made a capital injection offer for ailing airline Flybe as it prepares to complete a proposed sale to a group led by Virgin Atlantic.

Bolton News

• Bus services across Bolton have been renumberedBUS routes across the borough have been renumbered to simplify routes for passengers.
• Train station platforms across Bolton are being expanded after passenger complaints of no seatsSTATIONS across Bolton are making room for bigger and better trains by cleaning up platforms left unused for more than twenty years.

Edinburgh Evening News

• Fury as faulty Edinburgh tram ticket machines repaired nearly 1,500 timesThe machines don't give change and have a minimum spend for card payments that's higher than the single fare.

London Evening Standard

• Nissan boss confirms X-Trail will be made in Japan, not Sunderland due to Brexit 'uncertainty'Car firm Nissan has confirmed that the next-generation X-Trail, planned for its Sunderland plant, will instead be made in Japan.

Northern Echo

• Hurworth ampaigners call for Arriva to rethink bus timetable changesVILLAGERS are calling on a bus operator to rethink its proposed changes to the timetable which will leave them with a limited number of travel options.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• New bus gate to be installed in AberdeenA new bus gate will be installed near Aberdeen University after a consultation ended with no objections.

Wales Online

• How Metro plans for Cardiff Bay need a rethink and could bring together more of the cityConnecting the centre of Cardiff with the Bay has been part of regeneration plans for the city since the 1990s. Network Rail's South Wales Metro will improve the connectivity between the two, however Professor Mark Barry of Cardiff University feels the current plans do not go far enough.

Yorkshire Post

• 'Better transport links needed to the Yorkshire Dales and other National Parks'Countryside campaigners have called for better and more affordable transport links to National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty to ensure poorer families in large swathes of England can enjoy the benefits of “our finest landscapes”.

Other Regional Press

• Bus services 'could stop after Brexit' amid concerns over driver recruitmentBus services in Shropshire could grind to a halt after Brexit day on March 29, an expert has warned.
• Could Greater Anglia’s new commuter trains face months of delays?New trains planned to revolutionise suburban travel in Essex and on the line to Ipswich could be delayed – forcing Greater Anglia to continue using older electric units on the routes.
• What the £70bn Northern Powerhouse transport plan means for northern LincolnshireThe plan aims to bring improved road and rail connections and has benefits for people in the Grimsby and Scunthorpe areas
• Chichester Railway Station changes a 'recipe for disaster' warns taxi driver However, Chichester resident Jim Rendall, a taxi driver of 11 years, said the north rank gets 'very congested for hours' so taxi drivers will be caught up in heavy traffic during busy periods.
• Could new Halifax bus station be built on Royal Mail delivery office Halifax’s new bus station will not be built on the site of the town’s current Royal Mail delivery office, says a senior Calderdale councillor.
• Bus services set to continue across CambridgeshireBus services across the county will be discussed at the Economy and Environment Committee meeting on Thursday (February 7).
• Metro Mayor James Palmer approves formation of new bus task force that will look into rural bus services in CambridgeshireMetro Mayor James Palmer has approved the formation of a new bus task force that will look into the provision of bus services in Cambridgeshire.
• Why more bus lanes are right for our townBen Wakerley is managing director of Warrington's Own Buses and writes a regular column for the Warrington Guardian

New Civil Engineer

• East and Midlands roads fail to meet maintenance standardsHighways England roads in the Midlands and the East of England have missed road maintenance targets, according to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
• Heathrow Southern Rail and DfT at loggerheads about track accessPlans for a southern access rail link into Heathrow are stalling because the Department for Transport (DfT) unable to agree track access arrangements, New Civil Engineer can reveal.

Rail Advent

• Major £9m upgrade to the Aberdeen – Dundee railway line to beginNetwork Rail has announced that its engineers will be delivering a £9m programme of track and level crossing enhancements between Aberdeen and Dundee over six weekends in February and March.

Railway Gazette

• 3D printed components to be tested on passenger trains3D PRINTING: Rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains, engineering consultancy ESG Rail and 3D printing technology company Stratasys have collaborated to use additive manufacturing to produce four train interior components meeting the standards required for use on UK rolling stock.

Other News Sources

• Labour member: Cheshire East bus cuts affecting vulnerableCUTS to Cheshire East’s supported bus network have delivered value for taxpayers – but it comes at a cost to vulnerable residents, an opposition member insists.
• Staff ’morale has gone off the cliff', says Crossrail bossMark Wild admits one of key tasks is to “corral” staff to finish late-running scheme
• No new carriages until 2021 for trains to BirminghamRAIL passengers travelling between Worcestershire and Birmingham are being warned to expect two more years of scenes like this on their peak-hour commutes while new carriages are built to lighten the load.