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

Saturday, 05 March 2022

BBC News

• Tube Strike: Disruption easing on Tube network after strike endsMost London Underground lines are running a normal service but the network remains disrupted.

Times Online

• Toxic cars face £12.50 charge in whole of London under Ulez expansion [subscription]Khan has, however, ruled out a “boundary charge” that would have resulted in a £3.50 toll being levied on all cars entering the capital. He also ruled out a “clean air charge” for all non-electric cars, which would have meant drivers of petrol or diesel cars being charged a small amount for every journey.
• Spanish stations are renamed to honour women [subscription]Atocha train station in Madrid, the site of terrorist bombings in 2004, is to be renamed after the novelist Almudena Grandes as part of a plan to rename Spain’s railway stations after celebrated women. Raquel Sánchez, the transport minister, said the idea was to give women whose achievements have not been sufficiently recognised more visibility: “We deserve a Spain that recognises its women.”

Transport Committee

• New inquiry: National bus strategy: one year onOne year after the publication of the Government’s national bus strategy, Bus Back Better, the Transport Committee is launching an inquiry to investigate the progress of delivery and implementation of the policy.

City AM

• Enough: Russia’s second-largest oil firm Lukoil urges Putin to end Ukraine war immediatelyVagit Alekperov, the owner of Russia’s second-largest oil company Lukoil, has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to put an end to the invasion of Ukraine. The company expressed concerns over “the ongoing tragic events in Ukraine” calling for “the immediate cessation of the armed conflict and fully support its resolution through the negotiation process [...] The post Enough: Russia’s second-largest oil firm Lukoil urges Putin to end Ukraine war immediately appeared first on CityAM.

i News

• HS2 probably is not the best way of greening our economy, but it is still worth doingThe first phase of HS2 has been hugely controversial, but I wanted to know is it good value for money

Network Rail

• Levenmouth Rail Link project gets underwayLevenmouth moves a step closer to the reintroduction of passenger services for the first time in more than fifty years, bringing with it exciting new journey opportunities and economic benefits for the area.

Birmingham Post

• Blue Islands airline scraps flights between Exeter and ManchesterJersey-headquartered company says link started in 2020 failed to take off due to slow recovery of UK domestic flights following Covid era
• Airbus workers at Broughton and Filton secure £3K bonus as profits bounce backStaff have been informed of the bonus which comes as they ballot on a new pay deal

Bolton News

• Bolton MP Yasmin Qureshi backs Andy Burnham Clean Air Zone plansANDY Burnham’s latest letter to the Prime Minister on the Clean Air Zone backed by Bolton MP.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus Broughton workers pocket bumper bonus on back of record profitsThe business posted record profits recently and hard working staff have been rewarded
• Traffic choked Gwynedd village becomes sleepy rural idyll almost overnightBontnewydd was permanently gridlocked at least twice a day and overwhelmed with cars on half terms and holidays

Edinburgh Evening News

• Cost of reopening Levenmouth rail line rockets by nearly £50mTrains will run to Leven again in two years’ time, Network Rail said today as it announced the start of construction work to re-open the mothballed Fife branch line.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Tyne and Wear Metro bosses bracing for delays in arrival of new £362m fleet of trainsGlobal supply problems mean that manufacturer Stadler expects the new fleet's arrival to be disrupted
• Is this the best city bus route in the country? We take a trip on the Newcastle Q3Commuters on the Q3 Newcastle bus service get a stunning city-centre sights tour every day

Northern Echo

• Go North East respond to claims Chester-le-Street depot could closeA COUNTY Durham bus depot which has been in the town for more than 100 years could close for good with drivers transferred, The Echo understands.

Sheffield Star

• ’Whole of South Yorkshire’ urged to get behind Doncaster’s bid to become new HQ of Great British RailwaysPoliticians are urging the whole of South Yorkshire to get behind Doncaster’s bid to become the new railway capital of the UK.

Kent Online

• Southeastern invests £1.5 million to modernise railway stations and improve securityA £1.5 million investment into Southeastern services has been announced and some stations and depots across Kent will be receiving a cut for new upgrades.

Other Regional Press

• Manchester Airport mayhem as hundreds of passengers get stuck in 'horrendous' queuesThe scenes were described as 'horrendous' and 'chaotic'
• The winding and 'scary' Yorkshire road that now 'belongs to cyclists' and is completely car-freeWe spoke to cyclists who have 'reclaimed' the A57 Snake Pass after a road block was put in place stopping cars and vehicles

Train Operators

• West Midlands Trains appoints new Managing DirectorWest Midlands Trains (WMT) has today announced the appointment of a new Managing Director. Ian McConnell - currently Chief Operating Officer at ScotRail - will join West Midlands Trains during April, once he has ensured ScotRail is successfully handed over to the new public body, Scottish Rail Holdings.

Railnews

• Transport for the North's high speed funding 'being cut' FRIDAY BRIEFING: Transport for the North's high speed funding 'being cut' ++ Driverless Underground trains may be back on agenda ++

The Business Desk

• Liverpool City Region bus revolution moves another step closerThe prospect of Liverpool City Region taking back control of its bus services moved another step closer today (March 4).

Transport Infrastructure News

• Boardman unpicks challenges to boost walking and cyclingActive Travel England’s new boss Chris Boardman has admitted to being “daunted by the responsibility” of leading the effort to improve conditions for cycling and walking throughout the country, but remains “excited about what the next couple of years will bring”.

Transportxtra

• Rail station greening vital for local biodiversity, says reportCommunity rail partnerships and groups are making “an increasingly positive contribution to biodiversity and the natural environment” by transforming neglected areas into gardens at stations, says a new report.

Other News Sources

• Network Rail awards its ’largest-ever signalling contract’ to AlstomNetwork Rail’s Cambridge re-signalling project aims to replace the existing systems with modern ’state of the art’ signalling technology that will provide better reliability for passengers and reduced maintenance. It will also provide a platform ready for digital technologies such as the European Train Control System (ETCS).
• Doncaster to bid for Great British Railways HQDoncaster is calling on the public to get behind its bid to become the home of the headquarters of Great British Railways.
• UK transport authorities call for powers to align e-scooter services with local needsA proposed framework would empower authorities to regulate the number of operators, the size of their fleets, their geographical coverage and other key aspects of implementation.
• Local authorities invited to bid for planning funding for major projectsThe government has invited local authorities working on planning applications for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) to bid for funding as part of a new initiative.
• London Ultra Low Emission Zone to border Surrey as Sadiq Khan announces expansion plansThe charge is set to cover all of Greater London - with Transport for London set to launch a consultation on the plans