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

Thursday, 21 April 2022

BBC News

• Trains: Sheep get on to Welsh Highland Railway linePassengers looked puzzled as sheep and lambs slowed down their train to Caernarfon.
• Manchester walking and cycling plans ditched over residents' concernsThe proposals included a continuous route from Chorlton Park to Manchester Airport.
• London cycling: Car parking permits cheaper than bike storageIn most London boroughs cyclists find themselves paying more than motorists to store their bikes.
• ScotRail unveils half-price train ticket schemeScotland's train operator announces details of the promotion the day after a UK scheme was launched.
• Tesla profits soar as customers pay moreElon Musk's Tesla has raised prices for its electric cars as it faces higher costs.

Financial Times

• Britain threatened with summer of rail chaos as RMT calls strike ballotBackdrop of growing industrial unrest, as inflation erodes pay while many employers struggle to fill vacancies

The Guardian

• Union threatens ‘biggest rail strike in modern UK historyRMT to ballot more than 40,000 workers at Network Rail and train firms in dispute over jobs and pay

The Herald

• Scottish transport giant FirstGroup unveils new bossTRANSPORT giant FirstGroup has unveiled a Scottish telecoms veteran as its new chief executive. The Aberdeen-based company, which owns First Bus and runs the Avanti West Coast rail franchise with Trenitalia, has appointed Graham Sutherland, a former senior executive of BT, to the role.

The Independent

• The Great British Rail Sale sounds splendid – but there’s a catchThe cringe factor of transport minister Grant Shapps shrugging his North Face puffer jacket on and off in front of a green screen is enough to put anyone off their spring getaway. But here we are, with the “Great British Rail Sale”, which promises more than one million discounted train tickets from 25 April to 27 May.

Times Online

• Time is right to legalise fully driverless vehicles in the UK [subscription]o some, London might not be their first choice as a location to learn to drive. Many of the things that make the city so great — its historic streets and complex road layouts, the ever-changing landscape, the sheer congestion — are what add to the challenge of driving. But if you are looking to develop self-driving technology — that is, vehicles that can drive themselves without a driver behind the wheel — there is arguably no better place to teach a car to drive than on the streets of London. As many British drivers can attest, if you can learn to drive here, you can drive nearly anywhere.
• ScotRail lures passengers back on track with half-price tickets [subscription]Prices of all weekday off-peak train journeys in Scotland will be cut in half as the newly nationalised rail company tries to entice people back on to trains.
• First lines up its next chief after seven-month search [subscription]Seven months after its last chief executive left amid pressure from an activist investor, FirstGroup has finally appointed a new boss.

City AM

• FirstGroup snatches former telecoms boss for chief executive roleFormer telecoms boss Graham Sutherland was appointed chief executive of FirstGroup, the transport colossus announced today.
• London could be revolutionised with an Oyster-card system for drivers in the capitalNot since the advent of the motorcar a century ago have London’s roads undergone such rapid change. Some of this is driven by technology – electric cars, e-bikes, e-scooters – and some by policy changes to tackle the city’s carbon emissions.The latest is the Mayor of London plan to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone [...] The post London could be revolutionised with an Oyster-card system for drivers in the capital appeared first on CityAM.

Sky News

• Rail union plans 'biggest strike in modern history' over job cutsThe Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) Union has announced plans for the "biggest rail strike in modern history" amid an ongoing dispute about jobs and pay.

Birmingham Post

• Merseyrail returns to profit as 'recovery phase' leads to revenue riseThe company's turnover and profits are still down on pre-pandemic levels

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• £75m road scheme moves forwards, but 'tweaks' are still neededA MULTI-MILLION pound road scheme will move to the next stage, despite there

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Rapid electric car charging points on A5 gateway to Snowdonia will add 100 miles in just 15 minutesTen charging points will soon be available in a North Wales deadspot for people opting for a greener way to travel
• Historic Snowdonia railway plans centenary events for 2023 - and wants people to share their storiesThe narrow-gauge line between Dinas Junction and Porthmadog finally opened in 1923 after many trials and tribulations

Manchester Evening News

• Metrolink could run trial allowing dogs on trams later in the yearManchester Metrolink could run a trial allowing dogs on trams for the first time in their history.

The York Press

• Great Rail Journeys relocates to Hudson Quarter, YorkAN international tour operator which is headquartered in York is relocating.

Wales Online

• Transport for Wales train services that were cancelled due to coronavirus are being resumedServices are resuming from May in all areas of Wales

Kent Online

• Maidstone Green party petition against Kent County Council bus cuts gathers 700 signaturesA petition calling on Kent County Council to abandon its plans to slash support for dozens of bus services has been signed by more than 700 people.

Reading Evening Post

• Heathrow: Latest face mask rules and advice at the UK's largest airportThe rules for terminals, railway and bus stations, and on board aircrafts

Other Regional Press

• You may miss the magic of the £1.50 busThe £1.50 magic bus fares may no longer be guaranteed, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham announced, after the government provided only half the money Manchester had requested from it ‘bus service improvement plans’ pot.
• Stagecoach defends scrapping return tickets in Oxford cityA BUS operator says most of its regular users pay less since return tickets in Oxford were replaced by all-day ones – despite Oxford Mail readers saying otherwise.
• Vision to convert more than 100 Teesside buses to hydrogen suffers funding blowTees Valley transport chiefs aim to bid for government funding again later this year

New Civil Engineer

• Development partner sought for York Central schemeA development partner is being sought for the massive redevelopment of land adjacent to York Railway Station.
• Port of Hull rail link to be explored after mixed-used scheme gets green lightA rail link to the Port of Hull is to be explored after the council granted outline planning permission to the Associated British Ports’ (ABP) plans for a mixed-used scheme at the port.
• Gove warned against proposed infrastructure levyLevelling up secretary Michael Gove has been warned that introducing an infrastructure levy could lead to fewer affordable homes being built rather than more.

Railnews

• York favoured as GBR hq in local poll WEDNESDAY BRIEFING: York favoured as GBR hq in local poll ++ New CEO for FirstGroup ++ CrossCountry appoints HR director ++ ORR names economics director ++
• RMT threatens national rail strike over job losses A National Rail strike could be staged in June, if RMT members vote in favour of a walkout over job fears. The RMT is starting a strike ballot on 26 April, which will cover more than 40,000 employees of Network Rail and 15 train operating companies.

The Business Desk

• Senior appointment made to help overhaul region’s transport networkKevin Murray has been hired as West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s interim director of mass transit. He is joining on secondment from Leeds-based infrastructure experts Turner & Townsend, while the Combined Authority looks to recruit to the permanent position.

Green Miscellany

• New Brompton factory aims for 200,000 bikes per yearBrompton is to invest £100m in a new factory built on a recently restored wetland at Ashford in Kent. The radical development will stand on stilts to safeguard against flooding and not include any new car parking facilities but rather rely on new walking and cycle routes from the local railway station. “The whole reason this works is everything about… The post New Brompton factory aims for 200,000 bikes per year appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Interim director appointed to West Yorkshire’s mass transit programmeWest Yorkshire Combined Authority has appointed an interim director to lead work on the region's mass transit programme.
• Luton bus company cuts services as passenger numbers fall post pandemic and costs riseA bus company says falling passenger numbers and rising costs are the reason it is withdrawing two services in Luton after more than 20 years.
• Stagecoach confirm price rises for bus tickets across Tayside and FifeStagecoach East Scotland has confirmed price hikes for almost all bus fares in Tayside and Fife.
• Councillor rings the bell on bus nightmares in PrestonA councillor is calling for urgent action to rev up Preston's bus services after claims passengers are being left stranded by unreliable timetables.
• £7.6m fund to decarbonise and improve efficiency of UK’s railways announcedNew technologies designed to improve the efficiency and reliability of Britain’s railways, as well as lower the network’s carbon emissions, are to be funded by a £7.6m package announced by the government today.
• South Western Railway and Gatwick Express travellers fear rail 'standstill' as union considers national strikeSWR, GWR and Gatwick Express travellers could face delays if the strike goes ahead