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

Wednesday, 16 November 2022

BBC News

• Go South West buys Exeter-based bus companyA regional transport company has bought Dartline, a bus and coach operator based in Exeter.
• Bristol's first new railway station for 95 years delayedThe opening of the first new railway station in Bristol for almost 100 years has been further delayed. Portway Park and Ride station on the Severn Beach line won't be ready until "early next year", the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) confirmed.
• Portishead to Bristol rail line gets final approvalA long-awaited train line has moved a step closer after it was given final approval by the government.
• People still booking Ubers in UK despite downturnDemand for Uber journeys in the UK is still strong, despite the soaring costs of living, the new boss of Uber UK has said.
• First trains on UK's highest railway in four yearsThe UK's highest railway was closed four years ago due to structural problems.
• No uniform choice for Virgin Atlantic crew on World Cup flightThe airline's gender-neutral uniform policy does not apply to staff flying the England team to Doha.

ITV News

• Portishead to Bristol railway line gets final approval from government
The long-awaited reopening of a railway line between Bristol and Portishead is one step closer to reality after ministers gave the green light for work to get underway.

Department for Transport

• Spaceport Cornwall receives first-ever UK spaceport licenceEstablishing orbital launch capabilities in the UK is bringing investment and jobs into Cornwall and other communities across the UK.

Financial Times

• Slowdown in US used car market contributes to cooling inflationPrice gains ease to 2% annually, with implications for the industry, customers and wider economy
• E-scooter pioneer Bird warns over future amid cash squeezeMiami-based company says there is doubt about its ability to ‘continue as a going concern’

The Herald

• Taxpayers incur £52m bill over Cairngorm railway as repair costs soarTHE COST to the taxpayer of the UK's highest railway which shut four years ago has soared to nearly £52m - with the costs of crucial repairs spiralling, it can be revealed.

Times Online

• Police called to ferry terminals as CalMac staff abused by frustrated passengersPolice have been called to ferry terminals as a growing number of CalMac workers are being physically and verbally threatened by passengers, unions have said.

Birmingham Mail

• New Street Station criminals who caused havoc at Birmingham's busiest placeHoax calls, spitting, racist abuse and alcohol-fuelled disorder have blighted the busiest place in Birmingham

Birmingham Post

• Newport firm Voltric to partner with UK's largest EV roaming networkLast month the EV firm secured significant pre-seed investment from a syndicate of eight business angels
• 30 new wagons heading to Drax as power giant turns to UK railfreight manufacturerNew order placed with original supplier as efficiencies achieved to make suplpy chain more sustainable
• Lhyfe boss says French firm has big plans for North East green hydrogen projectsColin Brown was chosen to lead the alternative fuel company's UK expansion

Bristol Live

• Bristol mayor promises A4018 bus lanes rethink after 'mayhem' warningCosts have gone up by over a quarter because of rampant inflation

Derby Telegraph

• New bus service to be launched to replace axed Spondon FlyerIn a similar scheme, Derby City Council is also planning a new bus service serving Allestree and Darley Abbey

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Threat of strike action by West Midlands Metro workers is met with mixed responseThe threat of all-out strike action by West Midlands Metro workers which is still hanging in the balance has been met with a mixed response.

Cambridge News

• GCP Chair says ’better pay’ for bus drivers part of the solution to expanding servicesElisa Meschini, chair of the Greater Cambridge Partnership said giving bus drivers better pensions, safer contracts, job stability and new bus driver training would mean more buses could run.
• Almost two weeks of diversions as part of guided busway resurfacedResurfacing work on the guided busway maintenance track means it will be closed for almost two weeks, until November 25. A stretch of the track between Longstanton Park & Ride and Oakington is currently being worked on.

Other Regional Press

• Network Rail donates bikes to St Roch's Primary School in GlasgowThe infrastructure company handed over 22 reconditioned bikes to St Roch's Primary School in Royston for pupils to use as they announced a new official partnership with the school.
• Council insists development projects including Halifax Rail Station Gateway scheme and new pool are 'paused not abandoned'.Major improvement projects in Calderdale have come to a halt due to soaring costs – but council chiefs insist they have been ’paused and not abandoned’.
• New Stagecoach bus service from Exeter to CranbrookStagecoach South West have launched a new service, connecting Exeter with Cranbrook, Exeter Airport and St David’s Railway Station.
• Stagecoach adds Exeter Airport and rail connections to popular bus routeThe service is already heavily used by residents in the developing town of Cranbrook
• Elstree Aerodrome could be used as a base for 'flying taxis'Elstree Aerodrome could be used as a hub to transport people in and out of London in “revolutionary” electric aircraft by the end of the decade.
• Improvement works begin on controversial cycle lane as some rubber markers replaced with bollardsMiddlesbrough Council is introducing more upright poles in response to feedback

New Civil Engineer

• Funding approved for £8.6M upgrade of South Yorkshire SupertramAn £8.6M urgent upgrade has been approved to renew tracks and buy new trams for the South Yorkshire Supertram, which covers Sheffield and Rotherham.
• HS2 reveals updated Birmingham bridge designs after community feedbackHS2 Ltd has revealed updated designs for a footbridge that will span the line, connecting Saltley, Washwood Heath and Nechells in Birmingham.
• Track sensors, self-charging trains and flood detection systems among innovation contest winnersTrack sensors, self-charging trains and flood detection systems feature among the winners of the First of a Kind (FOAK) 2022 competition, with each to receive government funding.
• East West Rail ready to advance if given nod in autumn budgetEast West Railway Company (EWR Co) is ready to commit to a route selection and begin the planning process for East West Rail’s (EWR) Bedford to Cambridge section if given the green light in this Thursday’s autumn budget, according to its chief executive.

Railnews

• DfT predicts ’cleaner, greener, self-charging trains’Government funding could lead the way to the introduction of self-charging battery trains, according to the Department for Transport. This year’s ’First of a Kind’ competition has resulted in 24 innovators receiving grants of up to £400,000, as their share of more than £5 million

Transportxtra

• Tram-trains set for Cardiff Bay Metro branch lineWork has begun on converting the Cardiff Bay branch line to light rail status. A new station will be built and the existing terminus significantly enlarged.