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

Wednesday, 05 October 2022

Government

• Minister visits transformational transport projectsThe Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies has visited one of the Metro Plus projects currently under construction in the South Wales valleys.

BBC News

• Train firms must compromise over strikes, says transport secretaryTransport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan says all sides need to get together to find a solution.
• Work starts on first of two new Islay ferriesA shipbuilding yard in Turkey won the contract to build the boats for CalMac.
• More rail disruption as 9,000 train drivers strikeAslef union members at 13 rail companies walk out on Wednesday in a row over pay and conditions.
• London Luton Airport: Delayed rail link due to open in 2023The £200m transit scheme linking Luton airport terminal to the railway will not operate until next year at the earliest.

Financial Times

• Is Uber’s driver shortage finally over?The ride-hailing app is now focused on other customer complaints such as cancellations and wait times
• The airports vs airlines battle needs a new approachIncreasing costs and environmental restrictions call for different perspective

The Guardian

• UK train drivers to strike on Wednesday over pay and conditionsAslef general secretary says dispute will continue until government intervenesRail passengers face further travel chaos on Wednesday due to another strike in the long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions, with many Conservative party conference attendees expected to leave Birmingham early to avoid disruptions.Members of the drivers’ union Aslef and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), encompassing 12 train operators, will walk out, causing huge disruption to services across the UK. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Many rail ticket offices will close, hints transport secretary’It is so important to have access to ticket staff, especially for more elderly or vulnerable passengers,’ Anne-Marie Trevelyan has stated previously

The Telegraph

• 'Technical glitch' stops train passengers from buying tickets by card

Times Online

• Ministers plan strike curbs to avoid total shutdown [subscription]Teachers, NHS staff and firefighters face curbs on their right to strike under plans being considered by Liz Truss as her government faces a winter of walkouts in public services.

City AM

• Drivers should have seen bigger fuel price cuts, says RAC Drivers should have seen a bigger cut in fuel prices at the pump after costs slumped in September.  According to data published today by the RAC, the average price of a litre of petrol went down to 162.9p – the sixth biggest monthly drop since 2000.  Filling up a 55-litre petrol car has gone back [...] The post Drivers should have seen bigger fuel price cuts, says RAC appeared first on CityAM.

Network Rail

• Simpson MSP visits Ravenscraig bridge workGrahamNetwork Rail welcomed Central Scotland MSP, Graham Simpson, to the site of a new bridge that will be installed under the West Coast Main Line at Motherwell to hear first-hand about progress on the work to date.

Birmingham Post

• Why the UK transport sector is facing increasing challenges Professor Stuart Cole looks at how global oil and currency prices are impacting transport in Wales and the UK

London Evening Standard

• Bid for new train service between Wales and LondonProspective operator Grand Union Trains said it wants to run five daily return services between Carmarthen and London Paddington from 2025.
• London rail strike: Passengers facing more travel chaos as workers again take industrial actionMembers of the drivers’ union Aslef and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) striking, causing huge disruption to services

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Government must 'deliver on promises' to dual A1, Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan saysSpeech at Conservative Party conference suggests that delays to the long-promised project could be lifted

Other Regional Press

• Coventry first in UK to use 'sustainable' recycling method to renew roadsThe technique involves using special equipment to resurface roads with recycled materials
• Mixed reaction to Leven rail station plans at Fife drop-in sessionsSome local residents are counting the days until they can board a train in Leven but Network Rail hasn’t won everyone over with its plans.

New Civil Engineer

• National Highways hits two out of three smart motorway safety upgrade targetsNational Highways has achieved two key targets in its programme of upgrades on the country’s smart motorways.
• What the Northern Powerhouse Rail connection in Bradford could look likeConnecting Bradford to the revived Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) line across the North will require a new through station in the city centre, according to experts.
• New transport secretary backs Heathrow Airport expansionNew transport secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan has backed the expansion of Heathrow Airport during a fringe meeting at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham.

Rail Advent

• West Midlands launches blueprint for levelling up the regionAt the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham on Monday, 3rd October, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) launched its vision as to what they need to level up the region.

Transportxtra

• MPs call for sacking of Avanti West CoastA group of five Tory MPs in north Wales have called for Avanti West Coast to lose its rail franchise. This follows the train operator’s decision to cut back trains to Holyhead on Anglesey to one each way daily.