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

Friday, 11 February 2022

BBC News

• Ferries delayed again after cabling blunderHundreds of electrical wires installed on a ferry at Ferguson shipyard are found to be too short.

ITV News

• 'Passenger numbers surge' on London transport as commuters return to the officeLondon's Tube trains and buses are getting busier, but many commuters still work from home on Mondays and Fridays, according to transport bosses.

Financial Times

• Uber shares rise on robust delivery servicesRideshare service reports strong demand despite brief knock because of Omicron virus variant

The Guardian

• Pollutionwatch: ultrafine particles from aircraft engines endanger livesGrowing evidence suggests tiny particles can affect the heart, lungs, blood pressure and risk foetal growthThe clear blue skies of the first lockdown are being crisscrossed by contrails once again. These white lines are caused by ice crystals that form on the huge numbers of tiny, ultrafine particles that come from aircraft engines. Ultrafine particles are far smaller than the wavelength of light, but contrails are a rare example of them being made visible.

Times Online

• Time to ditch the car sin taxes and pay as you drive [subscription]So-called “sin taxes” are, by design, primarily intended to change behaviour. The revenue generated is of course welcome, but if sin taxes are truly successful they will divert people away from certain activities and, as a result, revenue generated will decline
• Women-only carriages ’would make ScotRail trains safer’ [subscription]Ministers have been urged to consider creating female-only ScotRail train carriages after vowing to make the network safer for women. Jenny Gilruth is determined to make public transport “safer and more enjoyable” for women
• Furious police warn ’cash grab’ levy on work parking may endanger public safety [subscription]Only NHS properties, GP surgeries and hospices will be exempt, along with blue badge holders.

City AM

• Britain’s very first 100mph battery-diesel hybrid train leaves Marylebone station in London todayBritain’s very first 100mph battery-diesel hybrid train is entering passenger service to cut carbon emissions and boost air quality.

The National

• Great British Railways: Union flag influences logo for new public bodyA PROPOSED new logo for the body overseeing rail infrastructure across Britain has been revealed.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Rail users asked to tell of their experiences on local networkRESIDENTS of West Yorkshire have been asked to talk about issues they have experienced with the region's rail network.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• A55 roundabouts removal project scrapped by Welsh Government with 50mph limit proposed insteadNew climate focused roads review panel recommended that the £55 million scheme is pulled

Nation. Cymru

• Welsh minister announces commission to look at transport schemes in the north of WalesA new transport commission that will “develop a pipeline of transport schemes” for the north of Wales has been announced today by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters.

The York Press

• Will York scrap its cycle lanes?Now that the new Highway Code directs all cyclists should occupy the centre of their part of the road, will City of York Council be removing all cycle lanes throughout its network of roads?

Bucks Free Press

• Smart motorway drama as Reading near-miss caught on cameraOver the course of the last few weeks, the Newsquest Bucks and Berks team have asked our readers whether you feel safe on smart motorways.

Other Regional Press

• Cyclist slams Winsley Road bike lane as ‘utterly pointless’PLANS to install a £250,000 cycleway lane on the B3108 between Bradford on Avon and Winsley have been described as “utterly pointless” by an experienced cyclist.
• HS2 ramps up work on UK’s longest railway bridge over Colne ValleyWork on the UK’s longest railway bridge ramped up this week as HS2 began producing 1,000 enormous concrete segments.
• £8 million approved to roll out 20mph project across OxfordshireCommunities that want to reduce the speed of their roads from 30mph to 20mph will find it easier after an £8 million budget was agreed to accelerate the process across Oxfordshire.
• Aberconwy MS slams decision to scrap plans to remove A55 roundaboutsTHE MS for Aberconwy, Janet Finch-Saunders, has criticised the Welsh Government’s decision to scrap plans to remove roundabouts on the A55 in Llanfairfechan and Penmaenmawr.
• New transport commission to develop ’pipeline’ of transport schemes for north Wales announcedA new transport commission that will develop a pipeline of transport schemes for north Wales has been announced today by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters.

British Trams Online

• In Pictures: More work on the Blackpool Tramway extensionWe are back up at the old Wilko’s site which will be the terminus of the Blackpool Tramway extension to Blackpool North Station in this latest pictorial update as we see that there has been some further work – some of it may appear that its a bit of a backward step but there has also been good progress on the tramstop which now features shelters.
• Warnings in Edinburgh of extra costs for Council to make-up fares shortfallIf you’ve travelled on any form of public transport over the past couple of years you can’t have failed to notice that passenger numbers have had a drastic fall as a result of a certain global pandemic.

Coach and Bus Week

• ’Levelling Up’ white paper launchedOn 2 February the Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove unveiled the Government’s ’Levelling Up’ white paper. This document sets out a plan to transform the UK by spreading opportunity and prosperity to all parts of it.
• Brighton & Hove and Metrobus introduce new discounts for people returning to workBrighton & Hove and Metrobus are offering an introductory special weekly capped rate of just £19 for the next few weeks when paying for journeys using tap-on, tap-off contactless payments. Passengers will receive a discount on fares depending how often they travel

New Civil Engineer

• Alternative road taxes needed to fund rail electrification pipeline, MPs claimA future rolling programme of rail electrification will face funding challenges if motoring tax alternatives are not found once more drivers switch to electric vehicles.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Stagecoach buses honour Queen’s Platinum JubileeStagecoach South has unveiled two themed buses to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this year.
• Electric retrofit startup Kleanbus grows team ahead of launchBattery-electric bus retrofit startup Kleanbus has further grown its team with the appointment of Dan Marcus as a corporate and strategic advisor ahead of commercial roll-out of its offering in the spring.
• Cardiff Bus and OmniBASE improve battery-electric scheduling efficiencyCardiff Bus is to use changes to Omnibus vehicle scheduling software OmniBASE to improve the scheduling efficiency of its battery-electric buses.
• FlixBus international routes to and from UK set for returnFlixBus will again reintroduce international routes to and from the UK to its scheduled coach network from 12 February.
• New diesel coach sale end date: Ministers to call for evidenceThe government is likely to issue a call for evidence as it seeks views on setting an end date for the sale of new diesel-fuelled coaches, Under-Secretary of State for Transport Baroness Vere told the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) Bus and Coach Conference in her keynote address on 25 January. 
• Road pricing report largely welcomed by industry bodiesDevising a road charging mechanism to replace fuel duty (FD) and vehicle excise duty (VED) is “urgent” and a recommendation for such a transition should be developed by the end of 2022, the Transport Committee has said in a report on road pricing that has largely been welcomed by the industry.
• Oxford P&R network at risk if England bus funding ends in AprilThe head of Go-Ahead Group subsidiaries Oxford Bus Company (OBC) and Thames Travel has warned that a lack of confirmed funding for bus services in England beyond 5 April leaves those businesses’ networks “on a cliff edge” that would even see the withdrawal of Oxford’s entire park-and-ride provision, among other cuts.

Transport Infrastructure News

• Northern leaders urge reassessment of rail plansFive mayors have called for a fresh examination of proposed railway improvements across the north of England after accusing the Government of failing to adequately assess the Integrated Rail Plan’s impact on the wider economy.

RMT

• Union to meet new Transport MinisterOn the day unions meet new Transport Minister to discuss Scottish Government plans for a ’National Conversation’ about a ’New Beginning’ for ScotRail, RMT reveals that a survey of ScotRail ticket office staff found that 99% believe that cuts to ticket offices will worsen passenger safety.