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

Wednesday, 16 February 2022

BBC News

• Storm Dudley: Rail services cancelled as 80mph winds forecastJourneys will stop from 16:00 on Wednesday when the worst of the storm is expected to hit.
• Warrington bus lane fine warning after new signs installedMotorists in Warrington previously had fines refunded amid complaints about unclear signage.
• Cycling and walking schemes in Salford and Bury receive fundingA scheme to support cyclists and walkers in Salford receives £4.1m, while a similar one in Bury gets £1.1m
• Airbus workers vote for strike action in pay rowWorkers at two plants could walk out in March unless a better deal is offered, a union says.
• Car industry calls for electric charge watchdogManufacturers call for a regulator to monitor electric car charging prices and charge point rollout.

Financial Times

• Rail commuters anger at flexi fare pricing Flexi tickets can prove costlier than other types of daily fares

The Guardian

• ScotRail services to end at 4pm on Wednesday as Storm Dudley approachesMajority of Scottish rail services to stop running trains as country braces itself for stormThe vast majority of train services in Scotland will end at 4pm on Wednesday as the country braces itself for the first of two storms.ScotRail announced on Tuesday its services would end early on Wednesday in preparation for Storm Dudley. The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for the north of England and the central belt and south of Scotland. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Islands are under threat from failing ferry service [subscription]The Ferries Community Board said the persistent inadequacies of Calmac, the Scottish government-owned company, had been “hugely challenging” for island residents struggling to access “crucial services such as health and education” and for businesses “trying to recover or simply continue to exist”.
• Virgin Galactic space flight tickets on sale for £331,000 [subscription]If you have cash to burn and long to soar to the edge of space, today is the day to dust off your cheque book — tickets for the first Virgin Galactic tourist flights are going on sale.
• Glasgow’s council leader Susan Aitken reverses from ’parking tax’ into toll roads [subscription]Councils are being handed powers to raise much-needed revenues by charging employers for each parking space they provide to staff. The only similar system in the UK is in Nottingham, where employers with 11 or more spaces are charged £428 a year per space.
• As CalMac ferries sink ever deeper, the main players are jumping off [subscription]Last September the Scottish government’s finance and economy secretary joined a meeting of the board of Ferguson Marine to talk about the state of its two unfinished and long-overdue ferries for CalMac. We only know this now because the government-owned yard finally got round recently to publishing the bi-monthly minutes of its board meeting for July and September last year. Nothing has yet appeared on its website for any subsequent board deliberations.

City AM

• Heathrow chief says fares row no good for either side of debateDESPITE a very public feud between airlines and Heathrow over the airport's passenger fees, the airport's boss has told City A.M. that co-operation will see both sides come out stronger.

Daily Record

• Contractor appointed to design and build new low carbon transport hub in PerthA contract award notice published online shows Perth and Kinross Council has agreed to pay Glasgow-based Emtec Energy almost £615,000 to progress the project at Broxden Park and Ride on its behalf

The National

• Will road tolls return to Scottish transport? The story so farOVER a decade after their abolition, the spectre of bridge tolls is causing controversy in Scotland once again.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Expanded free bus travel would need to be funded from Council TaxDISCUSSIONS are under way with bus operators to enable bus pass holders to travel more cheaply around West Yorkshire at early peak times, councillors heard.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus Broughton workers vote to take strike action over 'unacceptably low' pay offerStaff could strike as early as next month at the 4,000 worker wing factory unless a deal can be reached

Manchester Evening News

• LIVE: Metrolink services cancelled as line fault continues - latest updatesTransport for Greater Manchester previously said this was due to overhead line faults.

The York Press

• Work begins on £25m bid to transform York Railway StationWork has started on a £25million scheme to transform the front of York railway station.

Yorkshire Post

• Yorkshire’s bus crisis: Act now to prevent this collapse of key services – Andrew VineIN my corner of Yorkshire, the old cliché about waiting ages for a bus only for two to turn up at the same time doesn’t usually apply.

Other Regional Press

• Pledges on Glasgow free public transport and reopening venues could swing budget dealTalks are ongoing over a deal to pass Glasgow City Council's budget for the next year and the Greens, who have reached an agreement with the SNP in recent years, have three main priorities.
• Are bus services in Yorkshire up to scratch? Have your say in our new surveyTransport bosses fear vital bus routes could be cut when emergency Covid funding runs out
• First Bus information kiosk plan for Weymouth seafrontA NEW information kiosk on Weymouth seafront is being planned to help bus users this summer.
• Cycle lanes improvement work to start in Dorchester RoadDELAYS are likely as work starts on a £65,000 project to improve cycle lanes along a busy Weymouth road.

Business Live

• Welsh Government sets Transport for Wales rail ticket price cap for the yearRail ticket prices in Wales are set to increase next month. The Department for Transport announced in December that ticket price increases in England will be capped at 3.8% from March 1.

New Civil Engineer

• Crossrail | Two East London station upgrades may not be complete for Elizabeth line openingUpgrades at two East London stations may not be complete in time for the grand opening of the Elizabeth line.

Rail Business Daily

• Siemens to play central role in Northumberland Line re-openingSiemens Mobility’s Chippenham factory will manufacture the signalling and control technology which will be at the heart of the soon-to-be re-opened Northumberland Line.

Rail Magazine

• New route for Birmingham stations’ people mover?Newly published plans for the proposed Automated People Mover shuttle between HS2’s Interchange Station, Birmingham Airport and the National Exhibition Centre reveal possible alterations to its routes.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Porterbrook and Rolls-Royce enter rail decarbonisation partnershipPorterbrook and Rolls-Royce will explore the use of synthetic and net zero fuels for rail transport.

Other News Sources

• Meetings held on bid to reopen four stations and restore Sheffield rail linkPlans to reopen four long-closed railway stations and restore a former passenger service between Sheffield and Chesterfield are progressing.
• Bus provision proves too expensive for university’s 300-home student flats planThe wheels have fallen off the bus, scuppering plans to improve public transport as part of a near 300-home student accommodation build, councillors will hear next week.
• AECOM appointed to support UK’s Network Rail operations through its Commercial Services FrameworkAECOM,the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, today announced it has been appointed to Network Rail’s £45-million Commercial Services Framework supporting the North West and Central (NW&C) region of the U.K.’s rail network. The appointment continues AECOM’s long-standing relationship with the region delivering technical, innovative and sustainable solutions to benefit Network Rail and all its passengers.
• Great British Railways ’an opportunity to remove barriers to engineering innovation’The creation of the new Great British Railways (GBR) body offers a vital opportunity to remove barriers to engineering collaboration and innovation, the IMechE has said.