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

Friday, 16 December 2022

BBC News

• Rail strikes: Transport secretary questioned over driver-only trainsTransport secretary Mark Harper was asked whether he insisted driver-only train operation was part of any deal with the RMT union.
• Bristol: Calls for bus franchising study backed by councillorsCalls for bus franchising to be considered in the Bristol area have been backed by councillors.
• Aer Lingus jobs at risk on Belfast-Heathrow routeThe airline says it is likely it will permanently end the service March due to Brexit issues.
• Inhaled metal Tube dust can enter bloodstream, study findsHigh levels of maghemite were found in some air samples but it is not known if they are harmful.
• Heathrow ground handling staff call off strikeMembers of Unite had been due to walk out on Friday morning in a dispute over pay.

Financial Times

• Potentially toxic air pollution hazard identified on London UndergroundCambridge study finds high levels of iron particles small enough to pass into bloodstream
• Virgin Atlantic to launch first transatlantic net zero flightAircraft will be powered by sustainable aviation fuel in significant milestone

The Guardian

• Train strikes to resume despite hopes of breakthroughSecond strike of week begins after TSSA union accepts pay deal with Network RailTrain services around Britain will be severely disrupted once more as national strikes resume on Friday, despite another union accepting Network Rail’s pay deal.Passengers have been advised to only attempt to travel by train if necessary as this week’s second 48-hour strike by members of the RMT union begins, with three more weeks of disruption to follow. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Smart motorways fail key safety targets, says regulator. [subscription]Smart motorways are failing to meet key safety targets, an independent review has found.
• Railway workers accept Network Rail pay offer rejected by RMTThousands of railway workers have voted to accept a pay offer from Network Rail, in a decision that appears to undermine the RMT’s campaign of industrial action.

City AM

• Virgin Atlantic receive Govt funding for first ever net-zero transatlantic flightVirgin Atlantic has made aviation history as it received £1m in government funding to operate the world’s first net-zero transatlantic flight.

Birmingham Post

• Nissan passes 250,000 Leaf milestone at Sunderland plantThe manufacturer marked the occasion by using a vehicle to power its Christmas tree lights

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Decision on Llandudno's Great Orme tramway upgrade plans delayedBut a new boardwalk improving disabled access at upper Colwyn Bay’s Welsh Mountain Zoo was given the go-ahead

London Evening Standard

• Virgin Atlantic to operate ’world’s first net zero transatlantic flight’The airline has won Government funding to fly a Boeing 787 jet from London Heathrow to New York JFK using sustainable aviation fuel.

Wales Online

• Virgin Atlantic planning to operate ’world’s first net zero transatlantic flight’Virgin Atlantic will operate the world’s first “net zero” transatlantic flight, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced. The airline has secured £1 million of Government funding to fly a Boeing 787 jet from London Heathrow to New York JFK next year using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) instead of kerosene, with the airline and its partners putting in similar funding.

Bucks Free Press

• HS2 cranes lift 300-tonne bridge at Bucks Calvert cuttingHS2 celebrated a milestone in the journey towards completing one of UK’s biggest infrastructure projects.

Other Regional Press

• London Underground commuters breathing in dangerous metal particles as train scrape on tracksPoor ventilation make platforms the area with the highest exposure

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Lynx’s Coastliner benefits from BSIP fundingLynx’s Coastliner 36 service is to benefit from DfT funding to allow it to continue to run its summer timetable throughout the winter months.
• Boxing Day first for Reading BusesReading Buses has announced that for the first time on Boxing Day its Green Line 702 service will run from Reading all day. The service provides a fast, direct link to Slough and London.

New Civil Engineer

• National Highways’ smart motorway stopped vehicle detection falls short of performance targetsNational Highways has met its Stopped Vehicle Detection (SVD) technology installation targets but the system is not yet meeting performance expectations, according to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
• HS2 contractors make progress on station box, piling and utilities at Old Oak CommonHS2 contractors have been progressing with work on the Old Oak Common station box, along with piling and utilities for the "super-hub" station.
• Transport for the North sets out infrastructure improvements needed for freight and logistics growthTransport for the North (TfN) has detailed a number of infrastructure and policy interventions needed for the region’s freight and logistics sector to reach a potential value of over £30bn and employment of half a million people by 2050.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Two more Stagecoach female leaders recognised in WiHTL IndexStagecoach is celebrating its female team after two more of its leaders were recognised in the 2022 Women to Watch Index arranged by the diversity and representation group Women in Hospitality, Transport and Leisure (WiHTL).
• Driving runs in the family for newly recruited Harrogate trioDriving has become a generation game for Paul Miller, his son Andy and his grandson Thomas Sykes, as the three take to the road with Harrogate Bus Company.
• England Bus Fare Cap Grant: ’Damage’ concerns airedConcern has been raised by Centrebus Director Julian Peddle around the lump sum approach to operator reimbursement for the Bus Fare Cap Grant (BFCG) mechanism in England outside London. He believes that it could damage the sector rather than aid its recovery.
• Bus revenue support for England beyond March 2023?Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper has hinted that further revenue support for bus services in England may be provided beyond the current end date for Bus Recovery Grant (BRG) of March 2023.
• Leicester to further reduce bus service duplicationFurther removal of bus route duplication across operators in Leicester will be introduced on a two-year trial basis from April 2023. The step will remove 10 buses from the network, but is expected to speed journey times and improve timetables. It forms part of Leicester Bus Partnership work.
• TfL marks 2.5bn contactless bus payments in 10 yearsTransport for London (TfL) has celebrated 10 years of accepting contactless payments on its bus network and revealed that over 2.5 billion passenger journeys have been made in such a manner using bank cards, mobile devices and smart watches.