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

Wednesday, 17 August 2022

BBC News

• Oxford train station: Funding confirmed for £161m upgradeFunding for a £161m upgrade of a railway station has been confirmed by the government.
• London transport fares could rise by up to 14% in 2023Sadiq Khan warns of annual fare increases of inflation plus 1% in post-pandemic deals.
• Severn Valley Railway to restart steam trains after fire riskA heritage railway will restart its steam engines after they were temporarily suspended due to the risk of fire during the UK's extreme heatwave.

Financial Times

• Calls mount to scrap annual rail fare rise in EnglandCampaigners want ministers to go further than promise not to base increase on July’s RPI inflation measure
• Container shipping's tonnage tax trickSoon may the taxman come
• Heathrow's hopelessness is its faux helplessnessA controversial passenger cap is not the airport's major failing

Times Online

• FirstGroup’s would-be buyer walks away before deadline [subscription]The American private equity firm considering a bid for FirstGroup walked away yesterday.
• Saddle cyclists with speed limits too, says Grant Shapps [subscription]Cyclists should be fined for breaking speed limits in residential areas because they are putting people at risk, the transport secretary has said.

Daily Record

• New Troon railway station plans to be unveiled one year on from devastating blazePlans for a new Troon train station are to be unveiled to residents more than a year on from a devastating fire. A community drop-in event at the town's Walker Hall on Wednesday, August 24 will see early proposals presented by Network Rail.

Mail Online

• Qantas CEO Alan Joyce is spotted on the tarmac with ground staffQantas CEO Alan Joyce has been spotted on a tarmac in a high vis jacket alongside ground staff before the airline asked its senior executives to work as baggage handlers in an internal email.

The Mirror

• Cyclists 'may need number plates and insurance under plans for new road laws'Cyclists may be subjected to new road laws, that government officials are keen to bring in, that would require them to have insurance and number plates, it is reported

Belfast Telegraph

• Grant Shapps considering creating 20mph speed limits for cyclistsTransport Secretary Grant Shapps has flagged changing road laws so cyclists have to abide by 20mph speed limits or face penalties.

Birmingham Post

• Go-Ahead shareholders approve £669m takeover by international joint ventureThe transport operator's shareholders voted in favour of the bid at a general meeting

Bolton News

• Bolton bus drivers continue strike after pay offer rejectedArriva bus drivers across the region will remain on strike after voting to reject a fresh pay offer.

Bristol Live

• Bristol's cynical reaction to Government's plan for £2 bus fare capBristol Live readers have reacted with a mixture of cynicism and weariness to the announcement by the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps that he’s proposing capping the fare for a single bus journey to £2.

Manchester Evening News

• Greater Manchester and Andy Burnham's fight for bus reform faces a bumpy road aheadIn Greater Manchester, around £30m is set aside every year to support those bus services with too few passengers to turn a profit. In London, that figure is £800m.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Fear of yet more 'devastating' cuts to North East bus routes as leaders plead for new fundingAround 100 buses per day have already been cut in Tyne and Wear this year and it is feared there will soon be worse to come once Government grant funding runs out

Yorkshire Post

• Northern Powerhouse Rail promises have been heard before, it's time for Government to deliver - Tracy BrabinLast week, Liz Truss made her case to become our next Prime Minister, talking about her love for our great region and experiences of growing up here in gods’ own country.

Bucks Free Press

• Chesham MP slams HS2 water use as drought affects BucksThis is the driest summer in 50 years.

Chester Standard

• 'Missed opportuniy' - Gov reject Helsby rail extensionAN MP and senior councillor have criticised the government's decision not to fund a rail regeneration project between Ellesmere Port and Helsby, describing it as 'a missed opportunity'.

Oxford Mail

• Oxford Station to get new platform and track as part of £161m upgradeThe upgrades to the station will improve passenger experience, better integrate the station into the local road networks and boost economic growth, according to the government.

Other Regional Press

• 'Watford needs safe cycle lane not low traffic neighbourhood'The cyclist who so tragically lost his life in St Albans Road is the latest in a line of incidents involving cyclists on the St Albans Road.
• Quickways in Oxford: Where are they being introduced?WORK continues to implement new cycle routes across Oxford.
• Darlington museum joins 'Love Your Railway' campaign to celebrate local railway heritageThe campaign aims to shine a spotlight on heritage railway organisations and will celebrate the railway as it nears its bicentennial in 2025
• Rail passengers warned of further disruption across DorsetRAIL passengers are being discouraged from travelling to the coast this week as strike action is set to cause 'major disruption' across Dorset.

C.N.N.

• Car tires are disastrous for the environment. This startup wants to be a driving force in fixing the problemAround 6 million metric tons of tire dust end up in our atmosphere and waterways annually. The Tyre Collective hopes its award-winning device can stop the microplastic pollutant in its tracks.
• American Airlines agrees to purchase 20 supersonic jetsAmerican Airlines is placing a bet on a future in which supersonic jets might return to the skies, shuttling passengers on some routes at speeds roughly twice as fast as current commercial aircraft.
• Tesla haters may have a new hero in the DMVOf all the powerful institutions that are skeptical of/worried about in Tesla's self-driving ambitions — certain US lawmakers, auto industry experts, safety regulators — the one that may finally be able to flex enough muscle is the unglamorous and almost universally dreaded Department of Motor Vehicles, my colleague Matt McFarland reports.

Construction Enquirer

• Faults found on giant HS2 green tunnel segmentsProblems have been discovered on giant precast concrete segments being used to build a new HS2 “green tunnel” in Northamptonshire.

New Civil Engineer

• Demolition preparation work begins for £100M Darlington station revampWork is underway to prepare the first buildings alongside Darlington railway station for demolition, in another step towards its £100M-plus redevelopment.

Rail Business Daily

• £161 million announced to transform Oxford stationOxford station is set for a £161m revamp, which will deliver quicker journeys, increased freight and passenger services and a brand new fully accessible entrance.
• Campaign for Better Transport: Tax aviation fuel to fund rail fare freezeCampaign for Better Transport is calling on the Government to introduce a fuel tax on domestic flights and use the money to fund a rail fare freeze for 2023.

Railnews

• Avanti makes u-turn over Shropshire trains axe Through services are running between Shrewsbury, Telford, Wellington and London, after Avant West Coast said it had found the ‘resources to run daily trains’. Avanti services between London and Shrewsbury were to be withdrawn as part of wide-ranging service cuts which began on Sunday. Avanti blamed ‘unofficial’ strike action by some ASLEF members and a lack of drivers willing to work voluntary overtime, which the unions have denied.

road.cc

• Grant Shapps: Cyclists should have number plates, be insured and subject to speed limitsTransport Secretary Grant Shapps has said that cyclists should be insured, carry licence plates on their bikes, and be subject to the same speed limits as motorists.

Other News Sources

• Council secures major funding to help transform Coventry’s transport systemCoventry City Council has secured £115.9 million in grant funding to help decarbonise and improve the city’s transport system.