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

Friday, 02 September 2022

BBC News

• Somerset buses: £1 fares come into force in parts of countyA new £1 bus fare has come into force in parts of Somerset. The county council brought in the reduced fee at the start of September on the Taunton Park and Ride service.
• Former world's longest rail tunnel opens to publicA railway tunnel that was once the longest in the world is to open to the public as part of a series of heritage days. Glenfield Railway Tunnel in Leicester was one mile (1.6km) long when it opened in 1832. It was used to transport coal into the city.
• London cable car to be sponsored by technology firm IFSFrom October, it will be known as the IFS Cloud Cable Car in a deal worth £1m over two years.
• Train strikes: Rail workers to stage two days of fresh walkouts, RMT union saysRMT union members will walk out on 15 and 17 September, in a long-running dispute over pay and jobs.

Financial Times

• Widespread chaos to hit UK rail network as RMT joins train drivers in walkoutStrikes on same day is first time the two unions have staged action simultaneously since industry was hit by unrest this summer
• Megaprojects often end up late and hideously over budget. Why?From the Transpennine line to Brexit, government dithering and waste is everywhere

The Guardian

• Network Rail braces for £1bn energy bill as costs increase by more than 50%Network Rail is bracing for a £1bn energy bill for the first time in the history of Britain’s railways, as the energy crisis is forecast to increase its costs by more than 50% over the next financial year.
• Free rail travel scheme begins in Spain to cut commuters’ costsA scheme allowing free travel on suburban and middle-distance trains has begun in Spain, the latest in a series of European public transport initiatives intended to address increasing fuel costs.
• Rail strikes: RMT announces two more dates in SeptemberIndustrial action on 15 and 17 September will shut down rail network, says union. Britain's railways will be brought to a standstill later this month after the RMT union announced two more 24-hour rail strikes in the long-running dispute over pay and working conditions.About 40,000 workers at Network Rail and 14 train operating companies will strike on 15 and 17 September.
• ˜I will never ride a bike again": why people are giving up on cyclingGuardian readers explain how safety concerns have deterred them from travelling by bike. The proportion of adults in England who say they cycle at least once a month has fallen to 13.1%, the lowest figure since records began in 2015-16. Here, readers from around the UK explain why they have given up riding their bikes on the road.

The Telegraph

• Banish cars from the roads to hit green targets, bus chief urges [subscription]UK should aspire to the Netherlands’ cyclist-friendly cities, Go-Ahead boss says
• BA's decline – in numbers [subscription]More delays, fewer flights and falling ratings – can our flag carrier ever recover its reputation?

Times Online

• British Airways suffered 80% pandemic drop in passengers [subscription]The number of passengers flying with British Airways plunged 80 per cent during the pandemic and the airline was still struggling to recover after restrictions lifted last year, new figures show.

Network Rail

• Recent extreme temperatures have presented many challenges for the railway – the latest addition: Soil Moisture Deficit (SMD)Summer on the railway can bring extremely hot temperatures. These extreme temperatures pose a problem for the clay soil that our railway is built on – particularly in the Southern Region on the West of England Main Line. Because of this, we have introduced a limited timetable on the West of England Main Line from Friday 2 September until October.

Birmingham Mail

• Ambitious 'air bus' plan could have had us commuting to London by helicopter70 minutes to London - but you paid through the nose for it

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Park and ride and cycle highway plans scaled back due to rising costsTWO of the four city centre infrastructure schemes planned for the coming years will be scaled back due to rising costs.

Bristol Live

• Bristol Community Transport stops operating with bus services not running from tomorrowRoutes include services to Bristol Airport and the M1 Metrobus

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Wales Freeport with tax breaks and simplified customs rules to be in place by next summerHolyhead port among those bidding for the special status

The York Press

• First Bus orders 44 electric buses for YorkYork is set for 44 electric powered buses from next year.

Cambridge News

• Cambridge congestion charge petition gains over 2,000 signatures against proposalsGreater Cambridge Partnership's proposed charge to drivers is aimed at reducing congestion and pollution in the city, as well as funding improvements to public transport.

Other Regional Press

• Travel chiefs explain why on-demand bus doesn't operate in MiddlesbroughThe “Tees Flex” bus - operated by Stagecoach - covers Darlington, Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton
• New bus lane in Portsmouth agreed at planning meetingPortsmouth city centre will soon become a greener and better-connected destination as a new bus lane in the north of the city centre has been agreed at a planning committee.
• New dual carriageway bypass among proposals for traffic-choked A5 stretchA consultation is about to get underway

Bus and Coach Buyer

• O’Neill to head EVM’s Isuzu driveEVM has appointed experienced former coach operator and dealer Steve O’Neill to head up its newly-launched AOS Isuzu dealership venture.
• Kleanbus unveils diesel to electric repower platformBus repower company Kleanbus is revealing the first images of its advanced modular platform technology. Its system is designed to turn any bus, whether single- or double-decker, from ICE to electric quickly and cost-effectively.
• First makes landmark electric bus order with WrightbusFirst Bus has placed one of the UK’s largest electric bus orders with Wrightbus.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• £20 million EV chargepoint boost to benefit driversThrough a new pilot backed by £20 million of government and industry funding, drivers will have better access to electric vehicle chargepoints across the country.  Through the innovative Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot scheme, local authorities and industry will work together to create new, commercial EV charging infrastructure for residents, from faster on-street chargepoints to larger petrol station-style charging hubs. The rollout supports the government’s drive to encourage more motorists to go electric, which can save drivers money on fuel and r...

Coach and Bus Week

• Has Arrival revolutionised the bus as we know it?Can a tech company really address the issues surrounding new bus development and get ahead of the established bus manufacturers with a blank sheet of paper and a fresh approach? Richard Sharman visited Arrival’s research and development facility in Banbury to find out

New Civil Engineer

• Bam named top civils supplier to Network Rail for second year runningNetwork Rail’s top 20 suppliers for the financial year 2021-22 reveals that the biggest civils supplier is Bam Nuttall for the second year running.
• Contractor named for restoration of 200-year-old Menai Suspension BridgeSpencer Group has won the contract to fully restore the historic Menai Suspension Bridge ahead of its 200 year anniversary. Spencer Group, which has previously carried out maintenance and repair works on the iconic bridge, has been awarded a series of contracts for further major refurbishment works as it approaches its bicentenary in 2026.

Rail Advent

• Multi-million-pound improvements package delivered by Network Rail on the East Coast Main Line and Northern City LineNetwork Rail carried out an array of improvement projects over the August Bank Holiday in a bid to deliver improved and more reliable travel for passengers.

Railnews

• New strikes called as rail dispute goes on Members of ASLEF will be going on strike over pay at 12 operators on 15 September, bringing a new round of disruption to railways in England. Intercity services in Scotland and Wales will also be affected.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Joerg Hofmann takes over as Wrightbus Chief ExecutiveJoerg Hofmann has taken up the role of Wrightbus Chief Executive after joining from London Electric Vehicle Company, a subsidiary of Geely Group.
• Brighton and Hove, Metrobus name Operations DirectorAlex Chutter (pictured) has been named as incoming Operations Director of Go-Ahead Group subsidiaries Brighton and Hove, and Metrobus. He joins in November and takes up the role on 22 December to succeed Kevin Carey, who will retire.
• Arrival reaffirms commitment to market as bus debutsArrival has reaffirmed its commitment to the bus market despite the recent deferral of future investment in that sector. It comes as the Banbury manufacturer showed its battery-electric single-decker for the first time following recent certification.
• First Bus orders 193 Wrightbus battery-electricsFirst Bus has placed an order with Wrightbus for 193 battery-electric vehicles as the fruits of successful Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) bids in partnership with five local authorities in England.
• Ministers call for investment by bus industry in EnglandThe government wants bus operators in England to deliver investment in the industry “in a responsible way for a long time to come,” Under-Secretary of State for Transport Baroness Vere told them in a letter sent on 19 August.

Aviation Industry

• London Heathrow On Course To Break Daily US Flight Record In MayLondon Heathrow – the world's leading long-haul airport – to the United States will soon have more nonstop flights than ever before. Looking ahead, the peak will be 119 daily departures, first achieved on May 2nd, based on the latest Cirium data. The current record is 112 daily, last held on July 5th this year.

Other News Sources

• Council leader “devastated” by latest bus service cutsA further reduction of bus services is set to hit North Somerset following the announcement that a bus operator will cease operations in the area later this week.
• Bus gate reintroduced in city centreCars will be banned from part of a major road in the heart of Liverpool city centre between 7am and midnight, from Monday, 5 September.
• First Bus orders 193 electric busesPublic transport operator First Bus has placed what it claims is one of the largest electric bus orders in UK history, ordering 193 vehicles from Wrightbus.