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

Monday, 09 January 2023

BBC News

• Isle of Wight transport boss says public should be proud of Floating BridgeThe public is being urged to "be proud" of a chain ferry which has become known for its breakdowns and problems.
• Scrapped Oxford bus routes saved, council saysTwo scrapped bus routes will now be covered by another firm, a council has said.
• Union talks aimed at ending strike actionOfficials are expected to hold separate talks on Monday with health, teaching and rail unions.

Department for Transport

• £7 million tech fund to decarbonise freight and boost innovationGovernment launches a new fund to help small to medium-sized businesses to develop greener and more efficient solutions for freight.

The Guardian

• ’Entrenched car culture’ leaves millions of Britons in transport povertyMillions of Britons are trapped in transport poverty owing to a lack of alternatives to car ownership, with some spending nearly a fifth of their pre-tax income keeping a car on the road, a study has found.

The Telegraph

• Roll-Royce sales hit 118-year high after boost from Middle-Eastern buyers [subscription]Rolls-Royce has exceeded annual sales of more than 6,000 cars for the first time in its 118-year history, the company announced.
• The three wise men – and their secret blueprint for rescuing our railways. [subscription]The Fat Controller, as previous Tory nationalisation plans were dubbed, is now 'on a diet'

Mail Online

• London Underground passengers partially disrobe for No Trousers DayThe No Trousers Tube Ride return to London's transport system this weekend for the first time since the pandemic hit in March 2020.

The National

• UK Rail Minister to meet unions in bid to end train strikesUnion leaders will meet Rail Minister Huw Merriman on Monday for talks aimed at resolving the striking train workers' dispute after a week of disruption to services.

Bristol Live

• The South Wales Metro rail project needs to do far more for CardiffProf Mark Barry was behind the original vision to electrify the Core Valley Lines but says it needs to be revisited to ensure more services in the most densely populated part of the network

London Evening Standard

• No Trousers Tube Ride 2023: Londoners strip off as annual event returnsLondoners stripped off on Sunday for the return of the No Trousers Tube Ride.

Sheffield Star

• New completion date announced for £145m Sheffield-Manchester rail upgrade to add extra fast trainsA £145 million rail upgrade to increase the number of fast trains running between Sheffield and Manchester is just over a year from completion.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Rail tickets would increase by average of £13 on every journey if subsidy to railway was withdrawnTickets on rail services across Scotland and on the Caledonian Sleeper would rise by an average of £13 if government subsidies were axed, a report has revealed.

Wales Online

• Rail strikes could go on for another year, says union leaderMick Lynch says rail workers could still be striking this time next year. The General Secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers union says he is working night and day on a settlement but ministers will not budge, and he says his members will not give in.

Other Regional Press

• ’I would be virtually housebound’: campaigner slams plan to close ticket offices and take guards off trainsKevin Greenan, from Middleton, accused the Government of ’not thinking through’ their plans for changes on the railways and said it would seriously hinder disabled people from being able to travel.
• New Hethersett cycle route part of £10 million investmentDetails of a proposed £500,0000 project to improve transport links between a village on the outskirts of the city and the Norwich Research Park have been unveiled.
• How Cornwall Newquay Airport became Spaceport CornwallAs Cornwall prepares to make history tomorrow with the first ever space launch from UK soil, the story of how Cornwall Airport Newquay has become a key player in its success has been detailed.
• Summit to discuss future of bus services in Swindon to be heldThe future of Swindon’s bus services will be up for discussion to find a way forward amid dwindling passenger numbers.

Business Live

• New £100m Humber ferry terminal proposal submitted to Planning InspectorateImmingham Eastern Ro-Ro Terminal develoment consent order is in the hands of National Infrastructure Planning

New Civil Engineer

• Rail worker injuries increase in last year despite safety reformsMore employees were harmed working on the UK rail network between April 2021 and March 2022 than in the previous year, despite a number of bodies claiming safety procedures are being reformed.

Other News Sources

• No Trousers Tube Ride founder insists infamous event is to 'make people laugh, not offend' as it returns to London UndergroundThe infamous No Trousers Tube Ride returns to London this weekend for what could be the last ever appearance in the city. The event, which originated in New York City back in 2002, occurred every January, but has been on a three-year hiatus since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Kings Cross: Network Rail paid thousands of pounds for ex Tory minister to read announcementIt has been revealed that Network Rail paid £2,000 to get an ex-Tory minister to record a special announcement at King's Cross station. The cash came despite a government vow to crack down on endless annoying announcements to passengers.
• Edinburgh locals fight to block redevelopment of notorious roundabout on bypassLocated on the outskirts of Dalkeith, the congested Sheriffhall roundabout is the focus of £120m redevelopment plans by Transport Scotland. This six-way junction often causes misery for motorists.
• ULEZ expansion near Surrey border could backfire if London boroughs stop TfL installing camerasTfL's interim commissioner admitted in a 'hypothetical scenario' councils could refuse to play ball with its plans
• Network Rail reopens landslide affected section of West Coast MainlineNetwork Rail has reopened a stretch of the West Coast Mainline after completing emergency engineering works to fix a landslide on an embankment on the line near Carstairs in Scotland.