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Friday, 07 October 2022

Cogitamus

• The Chris Stokes Column - West Coast mayhem contrasts with East Coast recoveryThe contrast between Britain’s two premier InterCity routes is quite extraordinary. Before the pandemic – and before the war in Ukraine and the government’s recent mini-budget (should it be called a “Special Fiscal Operation”?) – Avanti West Coast was operating a core off-peak service of nine trains an hour, with some additional peak trains; the equivalent frequency on the East Coast main line was five trains an hour, again supplemented by some additional services and a number of open access services.

BBC News

• Avanti West Coast ordered to 'drastically' improve rail servicesRail firm Avanti West Coast has been warned it needs to "drastically improve services" after its contract to run the London to Glasgow route was extended by just six months.
• Driver shortage blamed for 'awful' Tidworth busesTidworth's bus services are being branded "a nightmare" by locals left unable to get to work, school and doctors appointments.
• Train strike to go ahead after ScotRail pay offer rejectedServices will be cancelled on the majority of routes on Monday, 10 October.
• Petrol price rise warning after Opec oil output cutMajor oil producers including Saudi Arabia will pump less, raising fears of higher fuel prices.

ITV News

• Avanti West Coast given six-month contract extension and told to 'drastically improve services'Rail operator Avanti West Coast has been given six months to improve services - after it provided an "unacceptable" service to rail users.

Department for Transport

• Avanti West Coast placed on short-term contract to drastically improve servicesThe Department for Transport has placed Avanti West Coast on a short-term contract and challenged it to deliver the urgent increase in services required.

Financial Times

• Avanti to be granted stop-gap extension to west coast rail franchise Troubled train operator has angered passengers and politicians with slashed services

The Guardian

• Avanti West Coast must ’drastically improve’ after securing six-month extensionAvanti West Coast has been told it must “drastically improve services” as the government awarded the operator of the London to Glasgow line a six-month extension to its contract.
• Rail strikes: only 1 in 5 normal train services to run on SaturdayNetwork Rail tells passengers in Great Britain to travel only ‘if absolutely necessary’Only about 20% of normal train services will run on Saturday as another strike by railway workers brings disruption to lines across Great Britain.Network Rail urged passengers to “only travel by train if absolutely necessary”, with about half of the network closed all day and those trains running only operating between 7.30am and 6.30pm. Continue reading...
• Avanti should run more trains or lose contract – Manchester mayorFirm should run 2 trains per hour to London in October and then 3 by December, says Andy Burnham

The Scotsman

• SNP transport minister Jenny Gilruth's tone-deaf speech to Scottish Transport Awards left some seething – Alastair DaltonThere are few opportunities for transport ministers to address the great and the good from across the industry, so the Scottish Transport Awards dinner has become something of an annual shindig.

Daily Record

• MSP visits rail team to learn more about new bridge at RavenscraigCentral Scotland MSP, Graham Simpson visited the Network Rail team building a new bridge that will be installed under the West Coast Main Line at Motherwell and heard first-hand about progress on the work to date.

Office of Rail and Road (ORR)

• ORR report shows Network Rail exceeded planned efficiency improvements and new employment study focuses in on pay and rewardThe Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has today published its annual assessment of Network Rail’s efficiency and wider financial performance for 2021-2022, alongside the findings of a review into employment costs in the rail industry.

Birmingham Mail

• New M42 closure date announced as part of £280m Birmingham Airport upgradeWork to install two new bridges to 'support access' to Birmingham Airport are back on after being postponed at the eleventh hour earlier this week. The major works, which will shut part of the M42 for an entire weekend, were due to happen on the weekend of October 1, but were postponed due to "safety concerns".

Bristol Live

• Bristol Clean Air Zone 'may be the last thing we need', says business owner"I do support the scheme because the traffic here is ridiculous, but it will definitely impact us."

London Evening Standard

• Transport for London adds electric bikes to hire schemeMayor of London Sadiq Khan said it is a ’momentous moment for cycling’ in the capital.

Northern Echo

• Transport Secretary says region is 'beacon for hydrogen technologies'Teesside is to play a key role in a £20m Government competition to uncover hydrogen innovation.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Video: Inverness driverless bus launch delayed as vehicle doesn’t know where it isThe driverless bus in Inverness has faced difficulties in moving around without a driver at its official launch today.

Doncaster Free Press

• Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Labour MPs in legal bid to force Government to interveneDoncaster’s two Labour MPs have launched a legal bid to get the Government to step in to save Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

Other Regional Press

• £250,000 investment into Moreton-in-Marsh transport hubA quarter of a million-pound investment from Cotswold District Council will help transform the area around Moreton-in-Marsh train station into a transport hub for the North Cotswolds.
• Beryl Bikes by Breeze offers multi-city bike share scheme across Portsmouth and the Solent regionA new bike and electric bike sharing scheme is being launched across Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight today.
• Fury as government 'washing their hands' of Doncaster Sheffield AirportThe airport is 'vital to the Doncaster and South Yorkshire economy' local leaders say
• Stansted Airport rejects council's £1.4m offer for expansion refusal and wants more insteadStansted Airport has rejected a council's offer of £1.4million to cover its legal costs for an appeal over its expansion to 43m passengers a year. The airport has instead made a counter-offer of £2.2m to Uttlesford District Council, in Essex, according to a council report.
• Network Rail maintenance staff ’paid nearly a fifth more than market rates’Network Rail’s maintenance staff earn nearly a fifth more than workers in similar roles, according to analysis.
• South Yorkshire Mayor launches scathing attack on 'broken' bus systems 'letting thousands of people down every day'Oliver Coppard has launched a new task force to help deal with South Yorkshire's bus problem

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Equipmake repowering 12 Optares for FirstBus electrification specialist, Equipmake, has been awarded a contract to convert the 12 First York electric Optare Versas using its electric drivetrain.

Coach and Bus Week

• Zenobē expands collaboration with McGill’sElectric vehicle fleet and battery storage specialist Zenobē is extending its working relationship with McGill’s to bring more electric bus services to west central Scotland. The continued collaboration will see the electrification of McGill’s depot in Greenock, which is expected to be ready the first quarter of 2023, and the expansion of the electric depots at Inchinnan and Johnstone, facilitating the operation of 41 new electric buses and bringing the total number of electric buses in the McGill’s fleet to 109.
• Stagecoach South Wales opens new environmentally friendly depotAn investment of £7 million has been made in building and equipping a new ’state of the art’ green depot in Cwmbran. Richard Sharman takes a look behind the scenes

New Civil Engineer

• Tees Valley hydrogen hub to hold £20M competition for cleaner transport initiativesTees Valley will host a competition with a £20M prize in the hope of discovering how hydrogen can be used for a cleaner and more efficient transport sector.
• Vote to be taken on Alderney airport expansion after cost doublesThe States of Guernsey will vote on whether to move ahead with plans to expand and refurbish the airport on the island of Alderney at an inflated cost of £24M, double the £12M sum agreed in 2019.
• TfL looks at restarting paused Rotherhithe Tunnel procurementTransport for London (TfL) is looking at how it could restart the procurement process for work on the Rotherhithe Tunnel.
• Details of £1.5bn Liverpool Street station transformation proposal revealedProposals have been revealed for a £1.5bn transformation to London’s Liverpool Street station that will see vital capacity upgrades to the station as part of a new sustainable developed office, retail and leisure space combined with new public and green spaces.
• National Highways given one year to remove controversial bridge infillNational Highways has been given one year to remove the controversial bridge infill at Great Musgrave in Cumbria.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Future of bus in Wales explored in Committee reportThe Welsh Government should advance proposals to reduce bus fares for those in transport poverty, explain the costs of meeting future decarbonisation targets and consider the risks around its reregulation plans for Wales, a wide-ranging report from the Senedd Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee has said.
• Arriva North West upgrades depot with Stertil Koni wireless liftArriva North West has upgraded its vehicle lifting equipment with a type ST1075FWA Stertil Koni heavy-duty wireless mobile column lift setup at its Runcorn depot.
• Zeelo, Zenobe partner on ZE trials for SME operatorsSmart bus platform Zeelo and electric fleet specialist Zenobe are working together to enable Zeelo’s network of operator partners to trial battery-electric vehicles, including the use of temporary charging infrastructure.
• Equipmake to repower 12 First York Optare Versa EVsEquipmake will repower 12 Optare Versa EVs in the First York fleet via the removal of their original battery-electric driveline and installation of its own Zero Emission Drivetrain (ZED).

Other News Sources

• Zenobē and Zeelo team up for UK electric bus trial programmeNew partnership aims to offer trial fleets and charging infrastructure to commuter shuttle and school bus operators across the UK
• Firm makes strong promises ahead of TING takeoverLonger service hours and “great value fares” have been promised by a company taking over the TING bus service. 
• Government accessible transport adviser quits over rail staffing ’discrimination’A leading expert on accessible transport has quit his role as a government adviser after accusing ministers of backing policies on de-staffing the rail network that discriminate against disabled rail passengers, and ignoring his committee’s advice.
• Plans to boost number of Brighton electric vehicle parking baysTHE council has announced plans to increase the number of exclusive parking bays for electric vehicle owners across the city.