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

Sunday, 20 November 2022

BBC News

• Dozens of electric buses hit Coventry's streetsFifty more electric buses have begun running in Coventry. Coventry wants to become the UK's first all-electric bus city by 2025 and the new National Express vehicles are the first of up to 300 set to arrive over the next three years, the council says.
• Bristol Airport expansion 'could help pay for metro'The expansion of Bristol Airport will help pay for the city's proposed underground network, said Mayor Marvin Rees.
• Restoration of Morpeth rail embankment completedA £13.2m stabilisation of a 130-year-old rail embankment has been completed. Trains on the East Coast mainline have been running at reduced speeds on the stretch near Morpeth station in Northumberland since February 2021 following a landslip.
• Avanti West Coast rail services scaled back due to strike actionOne train will run each hour on Sunday from London to Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool.

The Herald

• UK gov strategy has Scots ferries built in Turkey as Brit opportunityA UK Government shipbuilding strategy has cited ferries set to be built in Turkey within a ’pipeline of 'opportunity' for domestic shipbuilders, it has emerged.

The Telegraph

• Driver shortages threaten plan to improve 'Red Wall' railwaysPlans to improve poorly performing rail services across 'red wall' seats are under threat from a lack of drivers. Northern rail, nationalised in 2020 following a long period of customer dissatisfaction, is planning to increase services to 95pc of pre-pandemic levels when timetables change on Dec 11, The Telegraph has learnt.
• Middle Eastern rescue bid for Doncaster Airport stalled over proof of funding source [subscription]Doncaster Sheffield Airport’s rescue by a consortium from the Middle East has stalled following a stand-off with owners Peel Group, whose bosses claimed they were unable to verify the names of those bankrolling the bid.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Compensation call for workers hit by unreliable bus servicesBus passengers should be compensated if they have to taxi to work because their service is cancelled or late, a West Yorkshire councillor has suggested.
• Bradford has the UK’s third most eco-friendly commutersA NEW STUDY has suggested that over half of workers in Bradford have a green commute to work.

Derby Telegraph

• Trent Barton says more needs to be done to tackle congestion in Derby to make the city more bus friendlyA bus company has called on Derby City Council to do more to tackle congestion in the city in a war of words over services. Two members of the council suggested Trent Barton “had let the people of Derby down” during a debate over an axed service during a recent meeting.

Manchester Evening News

• Train managers 'angry over work life balance' in roster row ahead of strike on SundayTrain managers at under-fire rail operator Avanti West Coast are 'angry' at having their 'work life balance' ruined, a union said today ahead of scheduled strikes on Sunday.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• The Newcastle bus station that served North East passengers for 60 yearsThere's no trace of it today, but Newcastle's Marlborough Crescent station was built in the late 1920s, a time when the popularity of the bus as a means of public transport was on the rise

Northern Echo

• Arrriva North East put up bus fares across the regionThe operator has announced an increase to fares on services across the North East, in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Social media images show scale of River Don flooding as trains from Aberdeen to Inverness resumeNetwork Rail Scotland has shared images showing the full scale of flooding on the track between Aberdeen and Inverness.

Other Regional Press

• Islanders faced empty shelves again due to ferry cancellations as the SNP blamedIslanders in the Western Isles faced five-days of food shortages after CalMac's MV Hebrides was forced to dock for repairs due to a steering issue.
• Exciting enhancements boost rail and cycle links at Pinhoe Rail StationA series of improvements have opened at Pinhoe rail station to better integrate rail with other sustainable transport options. The station now has a new northern car park with 14 parking spaces, with some electric vehicle charging points (which should go live by the end of this month) and two additional designated disabled bays.
• Opinion: Farnborough Airport review MUST address aircraft noiseBy any standards, last week’s Farnborough Aerodrome Consultative Committee (FACC) meeting was a disaster, writes Colin Shearn of the Farnborough Noise campaign group.
• Stansted Airport: BA trial smart technology allowing customers to not show their passport in airportsPopular airline British Airways has announced that it will be trialing the use of biometric technology for international flights. This means that customers who opt in to the trial will be able to travel through the airport without having to show their passport.

Rail Advent

• Salford Central station to see a major £7.3m upgradeThe huge six-month renovation programme will see work take place on the platform heights, roof, canopies, rail track and signalling system.

road.cc

• Cyclist turned away from Parliament green transport event... because Brompton bike is a security riskWhen the editor of shipping industry publication Lloyd's List (link is external), whose day job involves reporting the decarbonisation of global maritime trade, arrived at the Houses of Parliament on Thursday evening for a launch event for a new tidal-powered port he had little worry his own green transport — a Brompton folding bicycle — would be a problem.

Other News Sources

• ScotRail’s half price student offer returns this Christmas with 'sleighed ticket prices'ScotRail has confirmed its half price offer for Scottish students will return this Christmas. The offer will see the train operator cut its prices with a massive 50 per cent discount on train tickets across Scotland’s Railway.
• Major disruption to some rail services expected next weekendNorthern has confirmed they will not operate any trains on Saturday, November 26 as a result of ASLEF strike action. Taking to their website to confirm the news, people are being urged not to travel on this day as there will be "major disruption across the whole rail network".
• First images of two new Somerset rail stations unveiledThis is what the new stations planned for Portishead and Pill will look like. Updated images of the designs of the new station and transport interchange at Portishead and Pill have been released following news the government has given the green light to long awaited plans to re-open the Portishead to Bristol rail line.