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

Thursday, 03 February 2022

BBC News

• South Western Railway to restore timetable after Omicron cuts, PM saysSouth Western Railway (SWR) is set to restore services cut back due to the spread of Omicron.
• Brighton Main Line to close for nine days for £15m worksThe Brighton Main Line will shut for nine days this month for a major £15m upgrade.
• Tesla recalls cars that may roll past stop signsThe firm will disable a feature in its self-driving software that lets them slow down but not stop.
• Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone: PM and mayor clash over plansBoris Johnson and Andy Burnham both claim the other has made a proposed emissions scheme

ITV News

• Greater Manchester Clean Air Zone charges should be abandoned, Mayor Andy Burnham saysGreater Manchester's Clean Air Zone should no longer charge high emission vehicles who do not meet specifications, Mayor Andy Burnham has said.

Financial Times

• British Airways has a nostalgia problem The premium service the airline can offer will inevitably disappoint, but is the right approach

Times Online

• Low traffic shows workers prefer to remain at home [subscription]Jack Cousens, the AA’s head of roads policy, said: “It is beginning to look like car travel will settle close to 10 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, almost its own version of long Covid. With more employers allowing hybrid working, the shape of traffic has changed too with quieter morning and evening rush hours. The legacy of Covid may be that it got drivers into habits that will endure, such as online shopping.”
• Electric cars not as eco-friendly as you think, says George Eustice [subscription]Wear from brakes and tyres, which creates fine polluting particles, may be greater than in petrol or diesel vehicles because of the weight of the battery in electric cars, Eustice added. Typically, electric vehicles weigh about 20 to 30 per cent more than their petrol and diesel counterparts.

City AM

• Which? slams Ryanair and BA over poor refund policyConsumer group Which? has slammed Ryanair and British Airways (BA) over their refund policies, lambasting their inadequate approach to customer service. The carriers finished at the bottom of Which’s annual survey after 1,100 passengers expressed their discontent and awarded Ryanair a customer score of 55 per cent, while BA managed to grab a 63 per [...] The post Which? slams Ryanair and BA over poor refund policy appeared first on CityAM.

i News

• Tory MP advises Andy Burnham ’don’t bite the hand that feeds you’ amid Northern anger over transportThe Tory MP for Lincoln, Karl McCartney, asked Mr Burnham: ’Do you understand the meaning of the phrase ’do not bite the hand that feeds you’?’

Birmingham Post

• Hull Trains to return to full timetable as half-term hitsOpen access operator had reduced services after Omicron corononavirus variant stifled demand
• Ryanair branded worst short-haul airline for handling refunds during Covid-19 pandemicBritish Airways was ranked the second lowest of five airlines for refund satisfaction

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• £23m bid could see zero emission buses rolled out across West YorkshireA NEW fleet of zero emission buses could be rolled out in Bradford if a £23 million bid to Government is approved.
• Clean Air Zone cameras could be used to fine Bradford's danger driversCAMERAS being installed as part of Bradford’s Clean Air Zone could be used to tackle dangerous driving in hotspot areas of the city.

Manchester Evening News

• Andy Burnham blasts Tory MPs' suggestion that Manchester 'should be grateful' for scaled-back rail plansAndy Burnham has clashed with MPs over the government's rail investment plans for the North, accusing the Tories of suggesting "Manchester should be grateful for what we are given".

Nation. Cymru

• Wales will ’benefit significantly’ due to HS2 says Michael GoveWales will “benefit significantly” due to HS2, Michel Gove has said, as the country misses out on £4.6 billion of funding.

The York Press

• Lendal Arch cycle path under Lendal Bridge in York closedA RIVERSIDE route popular with walkers and cyclists has closed again just months after reopening.

Yorkshire Post

• Bringing HS2 services to Leeds 'absolutely essential', says Patrick McLoughlinBringing HS2 services to Leeds is "absolutely essential", new Transport for the North chairman Patrick McLoughlin has told MPs.

Other Regional Press

• Clydebank rail station ticket office: consultation deadline not extended despite pleasA CONSULTATION on proposals to close Clydebank railway station's ticket office, and to slash the opening hours of similar facilities elsewhere, has closed - despite pleas for an extension.
• Wales missing out on billions of pounds for railway improvement say membersThe Welsh Railway Network is being short-changed by £5 billion because of lack of investment, members of the Senedd have said.
• Dorset trains disrupted due to crack in railway lineA CRACK in the railway line is causing disruption to trains between Bournemouth and Brockenhurst this afternoon.
• Around £3.4m less spent resurfacing Dorset roads last yearAROUND £3.4m less was spent resurfacing roads across Dorset in the last financial year compared with pre-pandemic levels, figures show.
• More than 200 jobs as £100m electric car facility to open in CoventryRide-sharing app Ola is one of India's leading electric vehicle makers

Business Live

• Andy Burnham warns the North risks having 'second-best train services for 200 years'Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has claimed the North risks having train services that are "second-best for 200 years".

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 reveals modified plan for automated people mover between Birmingham Airport and Interchange StationHS2 Ltd has submitted new plans for its automated people mover (APM) between the HS2 interchange station and Birmingham Airport to Solihull Council.

Rail Advent

• Equivalent of 22 years cleaning work completed in 10 months on Transpennine Express networkTPE’s incredible cleaning teams have worked tirelessly to keep their services and stations as clean and safe as possible through the North and into Scotland.

Other News Sources

• Rail industry responds to Levelling-Up White PaperDarren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association, said: “The Levelling Up White Paper published today is welcome, and it is particularly positive to see transport connectivity and rail services recognised within it
• Campaigners welcome fresh hope for Oxford to Witney railwayHopes are high for a group campaigning to re-establish an Oxford to Carterton railway that funding will be approved for a study to determine if a new line is possible.
• Local MP presents petition in Parliament for East West Rail Aylesbury linkAylesbury MP Rob Butler has (today) presented a petition in the House of Commons calling for funding to be approved for the construction of the Aylesbury link of East West Rail.