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

Friday, 03 September 2021

BBC News

• HS2 revamp for Birmingham's Curzon Street stationRestoration work starts on Birmingham's Grade I listed Curzon Street building.
• M4: Drivers asked for views on tolls for older carsThe idea of tolls for some drivers on two of Wales' busiest stretches of road has been raised by Welsh government.

Financial Times

• US regulator grounds Virgin Galactic fleet over Branson space flight anomalyFAA began probe after learning spacecraft veered out of designated airspace during founder’s July launch

The Telegraph

• Rail cuts will hit London's recovery, bosses warn [subscription]Cuts to commuter rail services threaten London's faltering recovery from the pandemic, business leaders have warned the Transport Secretary.

City AM

• A carbon tax will allow capitalism to save the climateThe Extinction Rebels are back at their barricades. This week, they smashed windows at JP Morgan's offices and blockaded London The post A carbon tax will allow capitalism to save the climate

Birmingham Post

• Train operator launches free service in bid to simplify business train travelWest Midlands Trains says the service will save companies money and time when booking train travel

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Former Brexit Party candidate claims Brexit has helped "cripple" taxi industryA FORMER Brexit Party candidate has blamed the UK's departure from the EU for helping to cripple the taxi industry.
• Maintenance of key Bradford cycle route described as 'unacceptable'A TOWN Councillor and keen cyclist has said that it is “unacceptableâ€� that a multi million pound cycle way has been allowed to become overgrown and “difficult to use.â€�
• Train passengers offered journey updates via WhatsAppRAIL passengers can now receive alerts by WhatsApp when their train is delayed or cancelled.

Bristol Live

• Bristol named the worst city for dangerous driving in the UKAlmost one in five (19 per cent) of UK drivers say they don’t know the rules for driving after having a drink
• Petition launched to save ‘vital’ bus service after funding axedMany communities are still unaware that the well-used cross-boundary lifeline has been cut

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• New rail service from Newcastle to Edinburgh to stop at these Northumberland stationsThe Newcastle to Edinburgh service will be launched in December by TransPennine Express and will operate five times each weekday in both direction

Sheffield Telegraph

• ''Time for action' on Sheffield buses as new website lets passengers complain about city services easilyA Sheffield MP says that bus services in the city have deteriorated while the cost of tickets has risen - and they should be brought back into public ownership.

Kent Online

• What will Kent's rail services be like as people return to work? Network Rail and Southeastern reveal their plansRail bosses say "optimistic" predictions suggest passenger numbers will return to around 80% of pre-pandemic levels, as the return to the office continues for many.

Lancashire Telegraph

• Council outlines plans for town centre bus cameras with penalties of up to £90A council has outlined plans to install town centre bus lane cameras to deter drivers who flout the law by driving in designated bus lanes.

Other Regional Press

• Haverfordwest's proposed £8m new public transport interchangeA NEW £8m 'transport interchange' is being planned for Haverfordwest The £8m scheme forms part of the South West Wales Metro project and will provide a new transport hub, integrating all transport modes.
• ScotRail, Network Rail Scotland, and British Transport Police encourage face coverings use and are calling on Strathspey and Badenoch passengers across the rail network to wear one unless they are exempt to help stop the spread of coronavirusScotRail, Network Rail Scotland, and British Transport Police (BTP) are calling on passengers across the rail network to wear a face covering, unless they are exempt.
• Network Rail to carrying out major track upgrades on key rail route to North WalesRail passengers on a key route connecting North Wales to the North West will soon benefit from railway lines which are better protected from flash flooding.
• New Workington bus service hits roadA new bus service that will serve local residents in the Workington area has hit the road.
• Shrewsbury 'Green Horseshoe' bus route could bolster 'Mini-Holland' bidA new bus route around a town's suburbs to ease hospital parking and traffic woes could move a step closer this month.
• New services announced as Harrogate Bus Company gets back to normalHarrogate’s leading bus operator The Harrogate Bus Company is bringing back night buses linking the town with Leeds and Knaresborough and it has also announced improvements to its services to a Harrogate secondary school.

Coach and Bus Week

• Passenger celebrates key milestone with 50th myTrip operatorPublic transport app and website provider Passenger has announced that Guildford-based operator Safeguard Coaches is the 50th operator to sign up to its national app and website solution, myTrip.
• CPT Cymru backs calls for Welsh Government to restore confidence in public transportTransform Cymru is asking the Welsh Government to ensure continuing Covid-19 guidance around risk-assessments does not single out public transport as a greater risk than other areas of society
• Electrification perfection?The Mercedes-Benz eCitaro made its UK debut at ITT Hub in June of this year. Richard Sharman takes the very first example for a drive to see if this three-pointed star is as good as its diesel forerunners
• Transdev first to trial eCitaroThe operator is undertaking in-service trials of the new eCitaro as part of a move to switch its entire Harrogate fleet to electric power
• First of new Orkney fleet to arrive in OctoberStagecoach Bluebird and the Highlands has confirmed the first five vehicles for its new fleet for Orkney will arrive in October. The investment of £5.4 million in 34 new buses is a result of an enhanced partnership between Stagecoach and Orkney Islands Council covering an eight-year period from 2021 through to 2029.

Rail Business Daily

• Go-Ahead pledges to spend at least £250m annually with small businessesThe Go-Ahead Group has set out a strategy to increase spending with small and medium sized businesses across all 12 of its UK bus and rail operating companies.
• Bryony Gordon, Rebecca Adlington, Jason Fox and Dr Rupy Aujla among the star line-up for Rail Wellbeing Live 2021Mental health campaigner and best-selling author Bryony Gordon, double gold Olympic medallist swimmer Rebecca Adlington, Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins star Jason Fox, and Dr Rupy Aujla, a GP and founder of The Doctor’s Kitchen website feature in the health and wellbeing speaker line-up for this year’s Rail Wellbeing Live.
• Trainline Partner Solutions hires Liz Emmott as Director of Global Distribution and Business SolutionsTrainline Partner Solutions (TPS), Trainline’s B2B arm and a leading distributor of global rail content, has announced that Liz Emmott has been appointed as Director of Global Distribution and Business Solutions. In this newly created role, Emmott will be responsible for leading the growth of Distribution and Business Solutions.
• Rail industry helps commuters return after the summer holiday with launch of new WhatsApp serviceUK rail passengers returning after the summer holidays can now access customised real-time travel information for their journeys through WhatsApp, the most popular private communications service in the world.
• New and improved Denmark Hill station delivers first “carbon positive” upgrade on rail networkA new entrance, more comfortable waiting facilities, sheltered platforms, better lighting, a brand new 85-space cycle hub, and intriguing public art are just some of the benefits for passengers in the new £7.5m extension to Denmark Hill station – the first carbon positive upgrade of its kind at a station in Europe.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Go-Ahead commits to increasing its spend with SME suppliersThe Go-Ahead Group has set out a commitment to increase its spend with SME suppliers across all 12 of its UK bus and rail operating companies. The step is aimed at helping those enterprises to recover from the pandemic while also benefiting customers, and it should see the group spend at least £250m per year with those businesses from 2022.
• Modal shift prioritisation by TfN is imperative, says CPTThe Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has underlined the urgent need for modal shift to be prioritised in its response to a Transport for the North (TfN) consultation on the sub-national transport body’s forthcoming decarbonisation strategy.
• Delaine places new Enviro200 in service on first day of 71-plateDelaine Buses has continued a longstanding tradition and placed a 71-plate bus into service on the first day of the new registration mark, 1 September, with the latest addition taking the form of an Alexander Dennis Enviro200.
• Omnibus Society invites contributions to pandemic projectThe Omnibus Society has invited operators, their employees and passengers to share their experiences of the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The work will form part of a project that the Society has christened The COVID Journey and it will “create a record for future generations” of how the coach and bus industry and its people navigated the period.
• Real-time solar-powered bus timetable info introduced to NewcastleSolar-powered digital bus information has been introduced to Newcastle in what Go North East is calling a “customer information revolution”.
• Shift towards cashless is cutting dwell time at Go-AheadDwell time at bus stops is being reduced as passenger increasingly opt for cashless payments, Go-Ahead has revealed.
• Morebus reinstates partnership with Bournemouth Town PastorsGo-Ahead subsidiary Morebus has reinstated its partnership with Bournemouth Town Pastors to provide the organisation with complimentary transport on its buses.

Transport Times

• Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic flights grounded after debut ‘mishap’ [subscription]Virgin Galactic has been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration pending investigations into a “mishap” that occurred during Sir Richard Branson’s debut passenger trip to space.

Other News Sources

• Aberdeenshire Council launches demand-responsive transport appAberdeenshire Council has launched a free app aimed at providing passengers, including those with disabilities, with better access to public transport and shorter waiting times.
• Transport for London opens rapid charging hub in WoolwichTransport for London has opened a new rapid charging hub in Woolwich which will allow eight electric vehicles to fully charge in 20-30 minutes.
• Transport for London, HS2 & Network Rail join Rail Supply Group’s export schemeTransport for London (TfL) has joined Network Rail and HS2 in supporting the Rail Supply Group’s export reference scheme.
• Bus firm moving to new depot in HayesBUS company Abellio London is to move to a new depot in Dawley Road, Hayes.

News from Europe

• City at a crossroads: Transport revolution underway on streets of ParisParis is famous around the world for its beautiful sights and towering monuments, but it's also somewhat infamous for its driving culture. Parisian drivers are the first to admit that manoeuvring the streets can be quite a harrowing experience. Over the years, Paris's authorities have taken steps to limit traffic in the French capital and encourage alternative modes of transport like cycling. The idea is to make the capital safer while also cutting air pollution, yet this has sparked growing rage among drivers. We take a closer look in this edition of French Connections.
• Train sets off on 20,000km trip across Europe to promote rail travelThe 'Connecting Europe Express' pulled out of Lisbon station today on a five week journey that will stop in more than 100 towns and cities.