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

Tuesday, 15 November 2022

BBC News

• West Berkshire free bus rides to help with living cost pressuresBus journeys in some areas of Berkshire will be free until next month to help people struggling with cost of living pressures and reduce carbon emissions.

Department for Transport

• Cleaner, greener, self-charging trains of tomorrow to revolutionise British rail travelSelf-charging trains could make their way onto Britain’s railways, transforming the future of transport after receiving government funding.

Financial Times

• Carmakers switch to direct deals with miners to power electric vehiclesBottleneck in sourcing metals for batteries is prompting companies to bypass traditional supply chains
• Singapore Airlines pregnancy pivot should set an example to othersCarrier's policy change comes as city-state is set to introduce anti-discrimination legislation

The Guardian

• The real black hole in the UK's finances is HS2 let's kill off this monstrosity for good | Simon JenkinsSuccessive prime ministers have lacked the courage to end this vanity project. Is Rishi Sunak any different? In April 2020, the then chancellor Rishi Sunak gave his approval to a new railway to Birmingham, expected to cost £44bn. Contracts were promptly signed. The overall HS2 project is estimated at £100bn. An infuriated Whitehall official told me at the time: Never let that man say he cannot afford any item of public expenditure. The ambition was soon trimmed. HS2 will no longer go to Yorkshire, only to Birmingham and Manchester.

Times Online

• Prestwick Airport still owes taxpayer as it reports £1.2m profit. [subscription]Glasgow Prestwick Airport still owes more than £43 million to the public purse even after reporting a third year of profit.
• Cancel HS2 where main construction hasn’t started. [subscription]n this week’s autumn statement, the government is reportedly seeking to implement £33 billion in spending cuts per year by 2027/28. Few of the choices are palatable. Many are awful. But one, at least, would actually be popular.

Mail Online

• Pothole plague damaging 225 more cars a day as AA warns poor state of roads could cause loss of lifeMotoring group AA has called on the Government to maintain local roads funding amid fears it could be cut to help plug the £50billion black hole in the nation's finances

Birmingham Post

• Teesside's Nova Pangaea Technologies secures investment from British Airways parent IAGThe clean tech firm's latest deal follows recent £5.2m investment from a group of backers

Bolton News

• Bolton: Diamond Bus user 'frustrated' by constant cancellationsA regular Diamond Bus user has hit out at the company for consistently cancelling it services to and from Bolton.

Bristol Live

• First Bus apologise for 'walking sucks' message on branded water bottleThe bottles were handed out to freshers at UWE

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Mobile black holes on North Wales' road and rail network priority issue for regeneration groupAmbition North Wales recently undertook a survey to measure 4G mobile coverage across the region’s main transport routes
• 'Inconsiderate' parking could see village lose Arriva bus serviceArriva said buses regularly have to re-route at short notice because of parking problems

Liverpool Echo

• Saveaway price rise 'better than it could be' claims region's transport chiefCllr Liam Robinson admitted Merseyrail fares aren't cheap but were better than other operators

Yorkshire Post

• Why a Government U-Turn on Northern Powerhouse Rail would be disastrous - Tracy Brabin & Susan HinchliffeThis week’s Autumn Statement is crucial for Northern towns and cities as we wait to hear the decisions taken by Government about our railways. As Rishi Sunak’s government prepares for this week’s Autumn Statement, the future economy and society of the North of England hangs in the balance. With inflation out of control and a cost of living crisis causing pain for many across our region, action must be taken to save our economy, protect our households and rescue our public services.

Bucks Free Press

• New HS2 Quainton hub set to take lorries off Buckinghamshire roadsThe launch of HS2’s new fleet of freight trains is said to cut down the number of lorries on Buckinghamshire roads.

Other Regional Press

• The reason London bus stop displays are changing as TfL trials new system that looks much more old schoolLondon has over 19,000 bus stops for its 620 routes across the capital. Although it often feels like more, just 2,500 of them have real-time information screens known as 'Countdown displays', which scroll through the next 10 departures from the stop at any given time
• Government set to hand over £70 to keep bus fares down and improve services in West YorkshireThe Government is ready to hand over almost £70m of funding that has been promised to lower fares and improve bus services in West Yorkshire.

New Civil Engineer

• Step forward for plans to reopen abandoned Plymouth railwayDevon County Council has submitted a business case to the government’s Restoring Your Railways Fund to reopen the Tavistock to Plymouth railway line.
• Leicester relief road to go ahead despite doubling in costLeicestershire County Council is planning to progress with plans to build a relief road despite the estimated costs doubling from £63.5M to £127M.
• HS2 boss promises procurement shake-up for northern phasesThe chief executive of HS2 Ltd has promised a shake-up when it comes to procuring contracts for the northern phases of the project.

Other News Sources

• New money-saving transport campaign launches for Essex residentsEssex County Council has launched a new Safer, Greener, Healthier campaign which promotes the money-saving benefits of sustainable travel.
• Rise of the machines: Network Rail puts Artificial Intelligence on trackIn what may be an immediate retort to recent criticism from the regulators in the UK, Network Rail has emphasised its hi-tech approach to running the railway more efficiently across Great Britain. The infrastructure management agency has also championed British technology innovation by applying native ingenuity to everyday operations.
• Outline business case submitted for reopening Tavistock to Plymouth rail lineThe Strategic Outline Business Case for the reopening of the Tavistock to Plymouth rail line has been submitted by Devon County Council.

News from Europe

• European sleepers, cross-US routes and super high-speed trains: What’s in store for rail in 2023?With emissions from long distance rail journeys 20 times lower than your average commercial flight, the environmental bonus of travelling by rail is huge. But travellers aren’t only switching to trains for their sustainability credentials.