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

Sunday, 28 July 2019

BBC News

• Pilot agreed for 'Uber-style' Tees Valley bus servicePlans to pilot a "Uber-style" bus service in areas of Darlington, Hartlepool and Redcar and Cleveland have been approved.
• Shuttle train service in bid to boost Somerset tourismA new shuttle train service has started between Taunton and Bishops Lydeard in an attempt to help boost tourism.

The Guardian

• Boris Johnson pledges £3.6bn boost for deprived townsBoris Johnson pledged a £3.6bn boost for deprived towns as he sought to shift the political spotlight from Brexit to the domestic agenda in his first major speech as prime minister.
• HS2: hated by some, halted in parts, but still making progressAt Old Oak Common in west London, work is well under way, but the controversies around the high-speed line may multiply with Boris Johnson as prime minister

The Independent

• Boris Johnson talked about 'inventing a bus' during a speech in ManchesterBoris Johnson has given his first major speech as prime minister about his future plans for the UK, which included mentions of 'buses' and 'electric planes'.
• Man punches 12-year-old child on train, police sayPassengers had to restrain 'increasingly aggressive' man on 'extremely packed train'

The Telegraph

• Boris Johnson vows to transform local buses as he delivers major speech on transport infrastructure [subscription]Boris Johnson has pledged to begin making improvements to the bus system throughout the country "as a matter or urgency" as he focuses on "the local services people use everyday".
• Caledonian Sleeper profits guaranteed by Scottish government [subscription]he Scottish government has guaranteed the operator of the Caledonian Sleeper will turn a profit - or it will have the option to walk away from the troubled train line.

Times Online

• PM pledges new rail link for north [Subscription]Boris Johnson used his first speech outside London as prime minister to promise a multibillion-pound rail investment, known as Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), and better and more frequent buses across the UK.
• Dundee airport chiefs are high on London City service [subscription]Hopes for a revival of regular flights from Dundee to the heart of London are rising as Dundee city council considers bids for the extension of a subsidised service to the capital.
• Boris unsheathes his rocket and it’s full steam ahead [subscription]It is barely 11am, but I am already staring down the barrel of Boris Johnson’s giant, oiled machine. It is a glistening item so mighty and forbidding that at one point it “ran over the secretary of the board of trade”, he booms.
• Battle-weary Scottish ferry franchise bids are listing towards the finish line [subscription]The plot of Scotland’s ferry services is thickening, as if it were a classic tale of derring-do on the high seas.
• Whitehall fails its own late-pay test [subscription]Ministers already employ the outsourcers that keep their suppliers waiting for cash

Bristol Live

• Bus frequency to double starting with 'worst' routes under deal being negotiated with FirstFirst would double the frequency of buses on each key route in the deal that's being negotiated

Liverpool Echo

• Liverpool bus changes are coming and people don't have much time left to have their sayBus users who want to have their say over huge changes to the way routes come in and out of the city centre only have one week left to voice their views.

London Evening Standard

• Visually impaired woman whose cane is kicked 'every single day' urges Londoners need to take careA visually impaired woman whose white cane is repeatedly kicked by hurried commuters is urging people to pay more attention to those with sight problems.

Manchester Evening News

• Bus regulation, affordable housing and £3.6bn for 'left behind towns' - but has Boris done his sums?Entering the Museum of Science and Industry this morning to hear Boris Johnson speak, five years after George Osborne unveiled his northern powerhouse vision in the same building, you could be forgiven for expecting some degree of deja vu.

Yorkshire Post

• We need high speed rail across all of the North, leaders warn Boris Johnson after Leeds to Manchester pledgeBoris Johnson was today urged to commit to funding a high speed rail network across the entire North of England after using his first major policy speech as Prime Minister to throw his support behind a new route between Leeds and Manchester.

Blackpool Gazette

• Cleveleys MP Maynard returns to rail roleBlackpool North and Cleveleys MP Paul Maynard is returning to his former transport role as part of the changes brought in by new Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

North Wales Live

• A55 danger points removed to get tractors on to ancient Roman roadThe scheme by Jones Bros will also reduce flooding on the stretch between Abergwyngregyn and Bangor
• Airbus reveals cabin of the future in dazzling new videoAirspace Cabin Vision 2030 includes family compartments and personalised gaming tech

Other Regional Press

• Commuters demand better train service to villagePEWSEY commuters have called on Wiltshire Council to support its bid to shake up train times and improve services from their station. Campaigner Colin Gale went to the council's new leader to ask for backing in talks with Great Western Railways.
• Bus company announces it is withdrawing rural services in GloucestershireA Gloucestershire coach company has been forced to withdraw its services permanently from later this year.
• MP calls for action on Crewe's 'disgraceful' bus stationLaura Smith MP: "It is a disgrace that this eyesore is the first thing anybody would see if they travelled into Crewe by bus."

Bikebiz

• TfL sets out plans for walking and cycling improvementsTfL has set out the next steps for walking and cycling improvements in West London, which include a new seven-kilometre cycle route and new pedestrian crossings.

Other News Sources

• LETTER OF THE WEEK: Western Rail Link to Heathrow really is a ‘no-brainer’, says Richard BenyonThis week’s Letter from Westminster comes from Newbury MP Richard Benyon. He writes: I have written before about the Western Rail Link to Heathrow (WRLtH) and the good news is that it looks as if this small but vital addition to our rail network will actually happen. The less good news is that by current estimates it might take until 2027 to be up and running.
• Forsee Power to equip electric buses in the city of LondonForsee Power, the French specialist in smart battery systems for urban mobility, is gaining traction in the UK market via CaetanoBus, a manufacturer selected by operator Abellio to equip two electric bus routes in London.
• Does the appointment of new MPs give hope for the UK’s transport industry?The UK has appointed a new prime minister and with it a new Tory cabinet, but what does this mean for their respective departments?

EIN News Subscription

• How Portsmouth is racing to clean up the city's air pollution problems … of NO2 than the EU safe level of 40 … wind catchers that act as air conditioning, sea-water harvesting … like central heating systems and transport have had little progress.  … to improve transport, including greatly improved public transport and restrictions …