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

Friday, 11 March 2022

BBC News

• Network Rail pledges to spend £1m planting thousands of treesThousands of trees will be planted across Hampshire, Kent, Sussex, Surrey and south London.

Financial Times

• How the Russian invasion added crew shortages to shipping turmoil Executives warn of labour squeeze in industry where Ukraine and Russia account for 14 per cent of commercial seafarers

The Guardian

• Pollutionwatch: toxic air shortens lives by 20 monthsIndian cities are among the worst affected but even they cannot match the UK’s air pollution of the 1920sChildren will have their lives shortened by an average of a year and eight months from breathing polluted air, according to two new reports from the State of Global Air initiative. In some of the worst-affected countries, babies born today will, on average, lose more than three years of life unless air pollution improves.Air pollution was the fourth leading cause of death around the globe in 2019, at about 7 million early deaths. This is more than those from more well-known risks including ...

Times Online

• Boris Johnson facing cabinet split over cost of living plans as petrol hits £2 a litre... Petrol smashed through the £2-a-litre barrier at a filling station in west London yesterday, squeezing household budgets further.
• Woman killed on smart motorway stretch of M4 [subscription]Pictures showed the remains of the Nissan, which burst into flames in the crash and was virtually destroyed. The motorway was closed in both directions for five hours and emergency service vehicles were forced to pick their way through four lanes of gridlocked traffic.

Daily Record

• Safety lessons must be learned by rail bosses after Stonehaven train disasterRecord View says staff on the frontline should have their concerns taken seriously – not brushed aside.

Birmingham Mail

• Train station to receive £2m redevelopment in time for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth GamesThe Leamington Spa station entrance and underpass will undergo work to promote active and sustainable transport options

Manchester Evening News

• Government reveal 'short-term' fix for region's railways - but it 'won't come close' to solving problemsThe £84m investment by the government promises to cut delays and make trains more reliable – but the Transport Secretary said a solution for the congested Castefield corridor will cost billions

Wales Online

• A law to change the speed limit to 20mph across Wales is coming next yearThe Welsh Government wants it to be law that the national default speed limit on residential roads and busy pedestrian streets is cut to 20mph.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Wolverhampton black cab fares set to increase for first time in yearsBlack cab drivers in Wolverhampton will be given permission to increase fares for the first time in years, with new tariffs coming into effect from April 1.

Yorkshire Post

• West Yorkshire mass transit: £200m for 'development and initial delivery'Plans to spend around £200m on bringing a mass transit system to West Yorkshire are set for approval.

Bucks Free Press

• £1.6 million available for communities affected by disruptive HS2 works - how to applyApplications are being invited for a share of £1.6 million of funding for road safety schemes in the county.

Leeds Live

• Conservative boss says Leeds has 'very strong transport links' and no one at their new city HQ has complainedThe chairman of the Conservatives says none of the staff working at the party's new headquarters in Leeds have complained about poor transport connections despite the city's HS2 link being axed by the Government.

Other Regional Press

• Newark and Grantham MPs to fight tooth and nail against Department of Transport plans to cut rail servicesThe Members of Parliament for Newark and Grantham have today written to the Department of Transport over the possibility of cuts to rail services, and say they will fight tooth and nail against them.
• Major railway upgrades could cause disruption at WatfordRailway passengers are warned of upcoming disruptions while major engineering work and rail upgrades take place on the West Coast main line.
• Barnsley buses suspended as young girl gets glass in her eyes from yobs attacking serviceBus services have been diverted and suspended due to the incident

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Wales: New sustainable tourism project launchedA new tourism project called ’Wales on Rails’ has been launched to encourage more people to travel around Wales sustainably using the national rail network, heritage railways and buses.

Coach and Bus Week

• GNE MD reflects on progress towards bussing back betterFollowing months of talk about funding and service changes, and fears over passenger numbers and changing travel habits, Managing Director of Go North East, and Chair of operators’ association NEbus, Martijn Gilbert offers his thoughts on the current issues in the bus industry and its long-term future
• Bus services in England avoid cliff edge as Government pledges over £150m of fundingA package worth over £150m is to be provided by the Government to support bus and light rail services across the country, building on what it called ’unprecedented Government support for buses and light rail’ throughout the pandemic. The new funding deal aims to ensure that services will be able to continue running as operators and local authorities work towards a sustainable future.

New Civil Engineer

• Contractors wanted to restore passenger services to Kent freight lineMedway Council has put contractors on notice for £48M worth of works to return passenger services to the freight-only railway in the Hoo Peninsula for the first time since 1968.
• Network Rail reviews other projects after Stonehaven tragedy highlights design data gapNetwork Rail is reviewing other projects carried out across its network after investigators looking into the Stonehaven tragedy highlighted major gaps in “safety critical” project data.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Go-Ahead appoints Sarah Mussenden as Chief Financial OfficerThe Board of The Go-Ahead Group has appointed Sarah Mussenden as Group Chief Financial Officer. She takes up the role from 9 May.
• Stagecoach withdraws support for National Express mergerStagecoach has withdrawn its support for a planned merger with National Express after it received a rival bid from German asset manager DWS.
• Fabric manufacturer Camira launches revolutionary digital print technologyIn an exciting development for the transport industry, Camira Print removes design and colour constraints for coach and bus operators.
• Manchester bus franchising Judicial Review claims rejectedJudicial Review claims by Rotala and Stagecoach concerning elements of bus franchising in Greater Manchester have been rejected by the High Court, which has found that all aspects of the re-regulation process have been carried out legally by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).
• Newport Bus launches double-decker in support of UkraineNewport Bus, the primary bus operator for the City of Newport, alongside its supplier Pennines Signs, has shown its solidarity with the people of Ukraine with a bus branded in the colours of the Ukrainian flag and bearing the message “Supporting the people of Ukraine”.

Transport Network

• Liverpool moves towards franchising without EPLocal leaders on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority have voted unanimously to confirm franchising as its preferred future model for the region’s buses – two years after first backing the move.

Other News Sources

• Analysis: Bus back better or worse?The Transport Select Committee has announced an inquiry into the prime minister’s flagship National Bus Strategy, called ’Bus Back Better’, one year after it launched. With a key deadline coming up, the strategy now looks more like a way of managing decline.
• Shapps fails to find HS2 chairIt is unclear whether no one wants to do it or whether all applicants to date have not been good enough, but the government cannot find anyone to chair HS2 Ltd.
• 'Wales on Rails’ aims to promote more rail travelA NEW tourism project called ’Wales on Rails’ has been launched to encourage more people to travel around Wales sustainably using the national rail network, heritage railways and buses.