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

Monday, 01 July 2019

BBC News

• Ford Bridgend: New taskforce to hold first meetingIt will discuss supporting the 1,700 workers losing their jobs in Bridgend and securing new investment.
• Glasgow Queen Street station upgrade will 'benefit commuters'Network Rail says the upgrade at Glasgow Queen Street station will lead to a greener approach to rail travel.
• MPs call for five-year fund to tackle potholesMore money is needed to tackle the "severe risk" posed by potholes on local roads in England, according to a Commons transport committee report. "Most people won't have to go further than the local shops to spot a pothole that poses a risk of injury or damage," said Labour MP Lilian Greenwood.
• UK seeks new no-deal Brexit freight planThe hurried procurement process as the UK prepared to leave the EU on 29 March cost taxpayers £85m.
• Electric cars: New vehicles to emit noise to aid safetyThe EU rule for new models follows concerns cars put pedestrians at risk because they are too quiet.
• Network Rail bids for part of British SteelThe train track firm wants to take over the railways division of the insolvent UK steelmaker.

ITV News

• Northern introduces new trains in North WestNew trains are being introduced in the region today by rail operator Northern. Nine new trains will come into service on routes between Cumbria and Liverpool and Manchester Airport.

The Telegraph

• Britain's potholes are 'national scandal' that would take a decade to fix [subscription]Britain’s pothole crisis has been described as a “national scandal” by MPs as they say the “make do and mend” approach taken by councils has led to a £10 billion backlog that would take a decade to fix.
• Scrapping HS2 would be a national embarrassment. Boris must commit to keeping it on track [subscription]S2 seems to divide people as much as Brexit, and Tory party activists, like the public at large, usually have settled and noisy opinions for and against the country’s first new railway north of London for over 100 years. Jeremy Hunt has given HS2 his unequivocal support, while Boris Johnson has spoken of the need for another review of its economic benefits. No doubt his ear will have been ached by the groundswell of opprobrium in the Home Counties for this ambitious new rail project.
• British trucks face being turned away at Dover under French 'no deal' Brexit plans [Subscription]ritish trucks will not be able to board ships in Dover in a "no deal" Brexit if they do not have the correct customs paperwork, following a deal between the Port of Calais and Channel shipping lines, the head of the Road Haulage Association has told the Telegraph.

Times Online

• EPA to buy first electric vehicle after ‘dieselgate’ [Subscription]The state’s environmental watchdog will buy its first electric car later this year after revealing that the vast majority of its vehicles are diesel-fuelled. The Environmental Protection Agency, which is responsible for overseeing greenhouse gas emissions and which vowed to green its fleet almost three years ago, has put out a €250,000 tender for six electric vehicles.
• ‘National scandal’ of potholes puts cyclists at risk [Subscription]The state of local roads is a national scandal that has caused rising numbers of cyclists to be injured and cars to be damaged, according to MPs.
• Northern’s Pacer trains are even late to scrapyard [Subscription]They are the transport that every commuter dreads seeing. The Pacer trains, built in the 1980s but still used across northern England, were meant to disappear by the end of this year.

City AM

• UK readies for no-deal Brexit with fresh freight plansThe government is asking transport firms to make an offer to provide extra freight capacity that would be used in the event of a no-deal Brexit at the end of October.

Daily Record

• Transport watchdog reveals Scotrail satisfaction boost so far this yearThe East Kilbride to Glasgow Central line has caused problems for commuters due to lack of carriages and cancellations.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• How to share your views on plans to scrap printed bus timetablesTRANSPORT chiefs in West Yorkshire are moving ahead with a controversial plan to stop printing bus timetables.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyside train link to Wales blasted as plans for 'Metro-style' service between Liverpool and Wrexham revealedA train service connecting Merseyside with Wales has been described by the region's transport boss as "awful", with new plans revealed for a "Metro-style" service from Liverpool to Wrexham. Cllr Liam Robinson, chair of Merseytravel, said the line connecting Bidston, Wirral, with Wrexham is the "forgotten child of the city region's railway network", and that it must improve.

Yorkshire Post

• Pledge to scrap Pacer trains this year set to be broken due to defects with Northern’s new fleetTRANSPORT ministers are facing new embarrassment after confirmation that they will almost certainly break a promise to scrap the North’s notorious Pacer trains by the end of the year.

Other Regional Press

• Lifeline thrown to village bus passengers who feared being cut offResidents who face losing their bus services between Scothern and Lincoln have some reason to be cheerful as an alternative timetable has emerged.
• Half day replacement bus service cost Tyne & Wear Metro more than £8,000Police are still investigating the attempted theft of cable from Metro line, as Nexus counts the cost of offering replacement bus service.

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 ramps up use of gagging ordersMore than 100 contractors, consultants and public bodies were asked to sign secretive non-disclosure agreements (NDA’s) with High Speed 2 Ltd (HS2 Ltd) in 2018 alone, New Civil Engineer can reveal.

Rail Magazine

• EXCLUSIVE: Porterbrook shifts new business approach to ‘think like the user’New technology, rethinking the on-board offer for passengers, and thinking like the user are the influences behind Porterbrook’s new way of working, Chief Executive Mary Grant revealed at Rail Live on June 20.

The Business Desk

• Midlands Connect to ask government for £25m to bring forward Rail HubRail Minister Andrew Jones has backed the submission of Midlands Connect’s £2bn Midlands Rail Hub proposals designed to transform connections between the East and West Midlands, during a visit to the region.

Other News Sources

• £74,000 campaign to replace Ryedale busA key transport service in the Ryedale area is embarking on a massive fundraising campaign to buy a new minibus.
• University of Derby lifts lid on new £1.4m rail research and innovation centreThe new facility aims to help rail supply chain firms and their workforces
• New trains to set off from Barrow todayNEW and improved trains will be waved off from Barrow today in a special ceremony. Featuring free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, and seat reservation systems the new Northern trains will be in operation on the Furness Line from today.