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

Saturday, 14 January 2023

BBC News

• Main Devon railway line reopens after floodingPart of the main rail line in Devon has reopened after flooding caused a partial closure.
• Islington Council to introduce low-traffic schemes on 70% of roadsIslington's new liveable neighbourhoods will mean drivers cannot pass through designated roads.
• Giant A380 passenger plane to resume Glasgow to Dubai flightsEmirates will reintroduce the Airbus A380 on its Glasgow to Dubai route in March.
• Tesla cuts prices by up to a fifth to boost demandThe electric car maker is reducing prices by thousands of pounds as global downturn threatens sales.

Financial Times

• No sex please, we're British AirwaysWhat do Ozwald Boateng's no-nonsense flight attendant uniforms say about Brand Britain?

The Guardian

• Private jet emissions quadrupled during Davos 2022Climate campaigners accuse leaders of hypocrisy as flights emit as much CO2 in a week as 350,000 carsPrivate jet emissions quadrupled as 1,040 planes flew in and out of airports serving Davos during the 2022 World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting.Climate campaigners accused the rich and powerful of hypocrisy in flying in on private jets to a conference discussing climate breakdown. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Readers’ poll: Is it right to charge private cars to enter city centres? [subscription]An increasing number of cities and towns around the UK are introducing schemes to discourage the use of private cars, most involving charges for some or all drivers. London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Durham, Oxford, Bath and Bristol already operate such schemes, with Cambridge expected to follow suit this year.

Senedd Cymru

• The future of bus and railMuch change is anticipated over the coming years for both bus and rail services. The Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure (CCEI) Committee says bus and rail is key not only to meeting climate change targets, but to creating a society where people can easily access the services, education and work they need.

Mail Online

• Tesla slashes price of its electric cars by up to £9,100 with immediate effectThe US firm announced it has cut the price of both the Model Y (main) and Model S (inset) as of today, citing 'normalisation of some of the cost of inflation'.

Birmingham Mail

• Coventry is first UK city to get faster, cheaper Very Light RailCoventry will be the first city in the UK to get innovative battery powered rail which is cheaper, faster, and better for the environment than traditional trams and trains. Very Light Rail (VLR) is, as the name suggests, a lighter, more affordable version of Light Rail, set to be tested on the streets of Coventry with the view to develop a fully operational system.
• Eastside Metro trams won't serve Digbeth via HS2 'until 2027'Mayor Andy Street was hoping for 2025, but HS2 says the year West Midlands Metro Eastside trams will reach Digbeth is 2027 - and services won't stop en route at HS2 until 2029

Bristol Live

• Bristol Airport overnight bag drop for easyJet, TUI and Jet2 flightsThe airport has said it's perfect for anyone planning a ski trip

Daily Post (North Wales)

• New 20mph speed limit will harm carers and delivery drivers - say readersThe Welsh Government is due to introduce a default speed limit of 20mph

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• North East bus chief admits underestimating driver shortage that has caused major cancellationsAn Arriva boss says the company thought that cancellations and delays caused by a lack of drivers over recent months 'would be a short term problem'

Wales Online

• 'A bottomless pit for taxpayers' cash' Where did it all go so wrong for Cardiff Airport?Last year Cardiff Airport was valued at just £15m, less than a third of what the Welsh Government paid for it

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• National Express bus drivers in West Midlands to strike in row over payBus drivers in the region are to go on strike in a row over pay.

Yorkshire Post

• Mayor says construction on £2bn transport network will begin before she leaves officeWest Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has promised that construction on a long-awaited mass transit system will begin before she leaves office.

Other Regional Press

• Eco-conscious haulage firm turns back time to reopen Leyland railway sidings for first time in 26 yearsA Lancashire haulage firm has wound back the hands of time by reopening a 70-year-old railhead.
• Rail station at West Winch would be 'ludicrously' expensiveThe prospect of a new railway station to serve a planned 4,000-home development has been talked down by council officials. 
• East Midlands Railway approved almost 66,000 delay repay compensation payouts last summerNew figures have revealed East Midlands Railway settled almost 66,000 claims for delay repay refunds and compensation last year.
• Work begins on green transport link for Harlow and Gilston Garden TownWork on sustainable transport infrastructure for the new Harlow and Gilston Garden Town will begin this month.
• Council set to re-allocate almost £300k to maintain 'uncommercial bus services' in Grimsby and CleethorpesCouncils are legally obliged to seek to maintain socially valuable but not necessarily commercial bus routes
• Aberdeenshire bus service Ready2Go being axed despite serving more than 1,000 passengers per weekThe Ready2Go service had proved popular with residents across parts of Aberdeenshire but timetabled buses are set to be rolled-out in April after the service is withdrawn.
• MP for Stamford and Bourne discusses England's transport networkMP for Stamford and Bourne Gareth Davies (Con) discusses transport in his latest column.
• Complaints as Maple Cross HS2 work 'goes as late as 11pm'Maple Cross residents have complained after “noisy” HS2 construction work “has started going as late as 11pm”.

Rail Advent

• Turbostar’s get positive response in new research by Transport Focus The research revealed that passengers in the Midlands who use Porterbrook's Turbostar trains feel they fit the bill in being both "modern and spacious"
• Turbostar’s get positive response in new research by Transport Focus The research revealed that passengers in the Midlands who use Porterbrook's Turbostar trains feel they fit the bill in being both "modern and spacious"
• Northern appoints former M&S executive as new People DirectorNorthern has appointed a former Marks & Spencer executive as its new People Director.

Trafnidiaeth Cymru [Transport for Wales]

• Electrification progress on the South Wales MetroTransport for Wales has taken another leap forward in delivering the South Wales Metro by installing more than 6,500 metres of overhead electrification wires over the Christmas period. 

Other News Sources

• City Council plans to buy land for new walking & cycling pathwayWorcester city councillors are to be asked to consider making a Compulsory Purchase Order to help acquire land for the creation of a new walking and cycling route linking the city centre and Shrub Hill railway station.
• Lumo appoints new Service Delivery DirectorLumo, FirstGroup’s open access rail service between Edinburgh and London, has appointed Jen Clare as its new Service Delivery Director.
• Anger at council in Brighton over state of historic bus sheltersA conservation society has slammed the council for not maintaining Grade II* listed bus stops in the city centre.