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

Wednesday, 24 August 2022

BBC News

• Eurotunnel Le Shuttle: Passengers stuck for hours inside tunnelDozens of people were left stranded for hours inside the Channel Tunnel after a train from Calais to Folkestone appeared to have broken down.
• Elizabeth line sections to be joined up in NovemberThe new Bond Street station in central London will also open by November, Transport for London says.

ITV News

• Decision over Doncaster Sheffield airport closure delayedMore time has been given to consider the future of Doncaster Sheffield airport which is under threat of closure.
• Unions slam 'secret plans' to close rail ticket offices as protesters march in KentMembers of two train unions took to the streets of Medway in Kent on Tuesday to protest over what they say are 'secret plans' to close every ticket office in the UK.

Financial Times

• Gatwick upgrades passenger forecast but warns of economic slowdownUK’s second busiest airport says it is well placed to meet autumn demand and does not need to extend flight cap

The Guardian

• Gatwick cancels 26 flights after hailing return to ’business as usual’Airport says it will not extend capacity restraints next month, before cancelling easyJet flights owing to staff absence

Times Online

• Dutch state railway to offload British train operators [subscription]The Dutch state railway, one of the biggest backers of Britain’s train network via its Abellio subsidiary, is quitting the UK.
• Ship of state is veering wildly off course in bid to secure island links [subscription]Major cracks are appearing across the state-controlled agencies responsible for delivering ferry services on Scotland’s western seaboard over who did what to create the current crisis.
• Crossrail bosses will advise Israel on Tel Aviv underground [subscription]Bosses from the Crossrail project in London will advise Israeli officials on the new Tel Aviv metro, it is to be announced today.

i News

• Border Force managers trained in customs and immigration roles to avoid airport strike chaosBorder Force managers are being trained to carry out the roles of customs and immigration officers as part of Government contingency planning to avoid strikes causing chaos at airports and ports in winter.

Network Rail

• Our amazing railway dates back more than 200 years – and it’s our job every day to keep it running safely for you.How do we do that? By working with the past to innovate for the future …

Birmingham Post

• Jaguar Land Rover and Euan Blair's Multiverse team up for massive data training programmeCar giant says data use and management will be central to its future

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh Council to launch plans for brand new tram route across the cityWith works down on the Newhaven line extension still in progress, officials are set to put forward the proposals, which would see the tram operate on a north-south tram line.
• Images show Edinburgh Airport luggage graveyard with hundreds of unclaimed bagsA new photo from Edinburgh Airport's temporary unclaimed luggage facility reveals hundreds of bags stacked side-by-side in the secure warehouse facility.
• Edinburgh public transport action plan: new tramline, more bus lanes, possibly re-opening South Sub and potentially even a ferry to FifeA tramline to the Royal Infirmary, possible reopening of the South Sub railway, more bus lanes to speed journeys to the city centre and potentially even a ferry to Fife are to feature in a public transport plan for Edinburgh to be unveiled later this year.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Community projects receive vital funding from railwayRailway communities across the region are preparing to get stuck into a range of new projects thanks to funding from a rail operator.

Yorkshire Post

• Yorkshire sausage brand Heck reinstates lost section of Leeds to Northallerton railway line that closed in 1969A Yorkshire factory that occupies the site of a lost railway station axed in the Beeching cuts period has opened a new footpath along the old line it served.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Liverpool Street Station set for £1.5billion redevelopmentRail passengers heading from East Anglia to London could see huge changes at the gateway to the capital over the next decade with a £1.5billion revamp of Liverpool Street Station.
• Dutch Railways sells Greater Anglia owner to managersThe company that owns most of train operator Greater Anglia has been sold to its management - ending its link with the Dutch state rail network.

Other Regional Press

• London City Airport's plans to fly bigger planes and have flights all weekend hit by hundreds of complaintsMore than 500 people have objected to London City Airport’s proposals to step up weekend flights and increase passenger numbers by 40 per cent. London City Airport has launched a 10 week consultation into expansion proposals, with residents facing the prospect of flights all weekend, overturning the current 24-hour respite they currently get from 1pm on on Saturdays until 12:30pm on Sundays.
• Transport for London grants three year taxi licence to new Uber competitorA German ride-hailing firm has been handed a licence “longer than any major competitor” to operate in London. European transport-booking app Free Now has just received a new three-year private hire vehicle (PHV) operator licence by Transport for London (TfL).
• Train came off track and crashed near Chester after already crashing twice on same nightThe Transport for Wales train had already crashed twice before it derailed near Chester

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Abellio to be bought outAbellio is to be bought out from state-owned rail company, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, by a new UK-run transport company.

New Civil Engineer

• Balfour completes Leeds ring road after taking job on from CarillionThe £173.5M project was originally due to be carried out by Carillion, however was reassigned to Balfour Beatty in 2018 after the contractor’s collapse.
• £40M Levelling Up Fund bid for Nottinghamshire link roadNottinghamshire County Council has submitted a £40M bid to the government’s Levelling Up Fund for the construction of the Toton Link Road.
• Funding boost for WSP project to transform disused railway line in FalkirkPlans to convert a disused Scottish railway line into a walking and cycling route have been backed by Sustrans’ Places for Everyone fund.
• Why don’t we have wooden road bridges in the UK?Last week’s collapse of the timber Trotten Bridge in southern Norway (pictured above), only 10 years into its intended functional life, has prompted questions about the suitability of wood for road bridges.

Rail Business Daily

• West Midlands Railway funds community projectsRailway communities across the region are preparing to get stuck into a range of new projects thanks to funding from West Midlands Railway (WMR).
• Icomera selected to provide digital system upgrade to SunRail in Central FloridaEQUANS, through its subsidiary Icomera, was selected by SunRail, Central Florida’s commuter rail service, to upgrade their onboard technology with an integrated approach to connectivity as part of their digital transformation.
• Key rail passenger operators to return to UK ownershipThe affected rail companies are East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia, Merseyrail and West Midlands Railway.

Railway Gazette

• Abellio UK management buy-out as NS exits British marketUK: Dutch state passenger operator NS has announced a management buy-out of its Abellio UK rail and bus business. New company Transport UK Group Ltd will take over the East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, Greater Anglia and Merseyrail passenger rail businesses and more than 50 London bus routes by the end of the year.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Abellio UK set to become Transport UK Group via MBOAbellio UK, including the group’s London bus operations and its rail replacement and Event Connect business, is to be subject to a management buyout from Dutch owner Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) in a move that will see the business become Transport UK Group.

Other News Sources

• Stansted Airport agrees to erect 'fly parking' warning signs on Stortford estate plagued by passengers dodging car park chargesPlans "are in place" to erect 'No Airport Parking' signs on a Bishop's Stortford estate plagued by passengers dodging car park fees, after a productive meeting between councillors and a Stansted Airport representative.