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

Friday, 06 January 2023

BBC News

• Crewe bus station to close for demolition work to startA bus station will close for demolition and be replaced with temporary facilities as part of the redevelopment of a town's shopping area.
• Flying boats and other tech for cleaner shippingThe Pioneer of Belfast glides above the water, quiet and smooth, leaving little wake behind it. "Even in big waves and wind, we can see the benefits of flying above the waves," says Katrina Thompson, programme director at Artemis Technologies.
• Employers could sue unions under planned anti-strike lawsFire, ambulance and rail would have to provide minimum services in laws planned for later this year.

ITV News

• 'Return our bus services to public control': North East passenger group's plea to new elected mayorA North East public transport passenger group has said the new North East mayor must put the control of ailing bus services back into public hands.

Financial Times

• Ryanair forecasts take flight after bumper holiday seasonCarrier lifts guidance after stronger-than-expected Christmas and new year demand
• Air travellers in Europe face more ‘major’ disruption this yearContinent’s skies are more congested in part because of Russia’s war in Ukraine

The Guardian

• England’s new £2 bus trips have arrived. Here are six of the most scenicWith more than 130 bus operators joining a scheme offering fares of £2, now is the time to get out and see some of England’s most picturesque areas
• Spain expands free travel offer to intercity bus servicesFree train travel introduced by the Spanish government in September to offset the rise in the cost of living has been extended to intercity bus services with free travel on the 389-mile (626km) Madrid to Barcelona route as of 1 February.
• UK petrol and diesel retailers accused of not passing on falling oil prices to driversAlready under scrutiny from competition watchdog, sector faces further calls to slash pump pricesPressure is mounting on petrol station owners to slash fuel prices after accusations of not passing on falling wholesale costs to drivers.The average price of petrol in the UK fell by 8p a litre in December to 151p and diesel by 9p to 174p, according to the RAC. Continue reading...
• Train services across Britain disrupted as two-day RMT strike startsStoppage by thousands of union members will last for two days as Aslef union strike endsTrain services across Britain will be severely disrupted for another two days as the last of the currently scheduled strikes starts on Friday morning.Only about 20% of trains will run during the 48-hour stoppage by thousands of members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union at Network Rail and train operators. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Innovative thinking means the future for rail is bright - Campbell Braid, Siemens Mobility. [subscription]Passenger numbers on Scotland’s railways are down significantly from pre-pandemic days and, as the minister for transport Jenny Gilruth recently noted, travel habits are changing. As someone who works in Scotland’s rail industry, you might think I would be worried. The truth is, I’m entirely optimistic. The chance to move away from old business models is not a threat, but is a huge opportunity to innovate and maximise the country’s advantages when it comes to travelling by train.

Daily Record

• Scots wheelchair user slams 'inaccessible' new city centre rail stationLinda Bamford says the facilities at the station were not 'built with wheelchair users in mind'.

Birmingham Post

• Big interview: Simon Bird on the economy, freeport status, hydrogen and ferry terminal progressDavid Laister speaks to the Humber port director as the new year sees activity across several key fronts

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Dr Kamran Mahroof on how rail strikes affect supply chainAS RAIL strikes continue, a University of Bradford professor has spoken of how it is affecting the supply chain.

London Evening Standard

• Sadiq Khan facing Tube and bus fares hike dilemma as mayor is urged to keep bus trips under £2adiq Khan has been warned by his own transport chiefs that he risks effectively shooting himself in the foot if he decides to increase Tube and bus fares by less than national rail fares.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Price freeze for West Midlands Metro users this yearMetro users in the region will be reaping the benefits of fares being frozen for the next year.

Other Regional Press

• Coventry school bus routes spared the axe in surprise U-turnThe change would have affected children at West Coventry Academy
• Southend Airport cargo night flights to resume next weekIn November, Southend Airport announced an unnamed temporary logistics partner to operate between January 10, and March 25.
• Chester Railway Station in line for major revamp as plans lodgedNetwork Rail say some parts of the Grade II* listed station are 'in a poor state of repair'
• Bluestar not expecting to reduce services despite warnings of bus cutsTHE boss of Southampton bus operator Bluestar says the business is not planning any cuts to services locally despite national warnings that some routes will be axed.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Go South West MD gets MBERichard Stevens, Managing Director of Go South West, was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours for services to transport and to the community.

New Civil Engineer

• Campaign launched to rebuild 150-year-old Kent railway station destroyed by blazeA campaign has been launched to rebuild a historic railway station in Kent after it was destroyed by a fire in November.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Newport Transport street art bus celebrates city heritageNewport Transport has commissioned Welsh street artist Tee2Sugars to paint a member of its bus fleet into a scheme that honours local art, key figures and history in the city.
• Free Sundays return on Transdev’s Harrogate ElectricsTransdev Blazefield subsidiary The Harrogate Bus Company is again operating free services in the town on Sundays. The move has come via a return of the successful Sunday Freeway scheme during January and February.
• EO Charging launches MOBILITe e-bus funding packageEO Charging has launched a new funding platform, MOBILITe. It is a financing and services solution for the rollout of battery-electric buses and other vehicles in that technology space.
• Network Support Grant Plus revived in ScotGov U-turnNetwork Support Grant Plus (NSG+) in Scotland has been revived and extended until 31 March by the Scottish Government. The move represents a U-turn from the previous position that saw the funding mechanism to assist bus service recovery end without replacement on 9 October 2022.
• London Borough of Redbridge adds five Enviro200sThe London Borough of Redbridge has added five Enviro200 single-deckers to its fleet. They represent the local authority’s first vehicle order from Alexander Dennis.

Green Miscellany

• How’s this for a New Year’s Resolution? Rail, hike and camp the UKShowing ingenuity and IT wizardry, Will Petty has created a map UK train stations and walkable campsites. The interactive tool displays campsites that are <3km from stations up to 10-20km away (or, according to its maker, very roughly a day’s walk). It’s the ideal planning tool for a ’rail, hike (or bike) and camp’ trip. Responding to praise for the… The post How’s this for a New Year’s Resolution? Rail, hike and camp the UK appeared first on ETA.

Other News Sources

• Still illegal to ride privately owned e-scooters in publicIt is still illegal to ride a privately owned e-scooter in public.

EIN News Subscription

• Norwegian Air triples annual passenger carryingsNorwegian Air tripled passenger carryings to 18 million last year over 2021. The Scandinavian budget airline rounded off the year with December numbers rising by 41% to more than 1.3 million passengers as it operated a fleet of 64 aircraft.