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

Friday, 27 January 2023

BBC News

• Cambridgeshire parents' frustration at bus delays and cancellationsParents whose children use a bus route to get to school say their education is suffering because of poor reliability.
• Chelmsford bus gate: Drivers overturn 'confusing' penaltiesMore than 75% of motorists who went to tribunal over fines for using a bus gate managed to overturn their penalty.
• London LTNs: Plans to ban through-traffic from most Hackney roadsHackney council says it has seen a 38% drop in traffic in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in the borough.
• HS2 may not run through to central London - reportThe government says it is committed to delivering the rail line to Manchester amid rising costs.
• 737 Max crashes: Boeing says not guilty to fraud chargeRelatives of those who died when two Boeing 737 Max aircraft crashed are trying to reopen a settlement.

Financial Times

• Wizz Air losses narrow as ticket prices riseLow-cost airline's chief says demand for travel remains strong despite economic slowdown

The Guardian

• Almost one in 10 local bus services axed over last year in Great BritainAlmost one in 10 local bus services were axed in Great Britain in the last year despite government promises to improve local transport connectivity being a key pillar of its levelling up agenda.

The Telegraph

• 'I was beyond lonely – I rode the bus just so I could chat to somebody'Over 1.1 million older people rely on using public transport for company – here are some of their stories
• ’Dangerous’ London Bridge rush-hour stampede blamed on rail bosses’Only a matter of time until a fatality’ as timetable overhaul causes commuter chaos

Birmingham Mail

• HS2 bosses 'considering scaling back project and not linking Birmingham to central London'Rising construction costs are said to be behind the reported plans to delay or scale back the project

Birmingham Post

• University rail station delayed for a third timeMP says delay 'is a huge blow for our city and our region'

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Wakefield Road cycle lanes to remain in place - with repairs plannedBRADFORD Council currently has no plans to remove temporary cycle lanes on Wakefield Road that one Councillor has dubbed “the worst of all worlds.”

Bristol Live

• ‘Don’t make the public pay more’ urges ferry owner over council’s proposed massive fee hikes in Bristol harbourBoat owners want discussions with Bristol Council over harbour increases, claiming they want to make a "little London"

The York Press

• York-based LNER to re-launch Tomorrows Talent programmeA RAIL firm based in York is offering young people an insight into career opportunities available in the rail industry.

Leeds Live

• Leeds Bradford Airport 90-year story from Lancaster Bombers to the ConcordeSome of the most iconic planes in British history have flown from the airport

Other Regional Press

• Oxfordshire cycling champion calls for campaigners to defend city LTNsOxford cycle campaigners were asked to ‘help’ the county council by ‘countering some of the negative stuff’ that came with ‘changing things around’.
• Oxford cycle campaigners call for no more road deathsJames Felce called for rapid and determined action to cut further deaths on Oxfordshire roads
• Rural bus services 'not fit for purpose' - Dorset councillorRURAL bus services are ‘largely’ not fit for purpose with councils needing more funding to improve transport connectivity, according to Dorset Council’s portfolio holder responsible for buses.
• Do electric cars need yearly MOTs as vehicle ownership boomsEVs are becoming an ever-increasing sight on our roads

Bus and Coach Buyer

• NatEx invests £150m in 300 zero-emission busesNational Express West Midlands is investing £150 million in 300 UK-made electric zero-emission buses, for delivery by the end of December 2024. The buses will be deployed across the West Midlands.
• UrbanThings predicts contactless to replace cashTransport payments and ticketing technology specialist, UrbanThings, expects contactless payments for bus and coach fares to ultimately replace cash.
• M&H Coaches operating new hourly TrawsCymru serviceTransport for Wales and Denbighshire County Council has launched a new hourly TrawsCymru T8 bus service between Corwen, Ruthin, Mold and Chester. The new bus service will be operated by M&H Coaches.

Rail Business Daily

• Happy 30th birthday to Rail ForumRail Forum is this year celebrating its 30th year. Originally established in 1993 by Derbyshire rail companies working collaboratively with key local stakeholders, Rail Forum has grown substantially from its humble beginnings to become the well-respected national body it is today.  


Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Bus Fare Cap Grant ’right idea, right time’: Go-AheadThe Bus Fare Cap Grant (BFCG) mechanism in England outside London is “the right idea at the right time,” Go-Ahead Group has said. It came after the group announced on 24 January that two million passenger journeys on its regional bus businesses had been made to that point under the government-funded £60 million scheme.
• Autonomous progress for First Bus and StagecoachTwo significant developments in autonomous bus operation in the UK occurred during early January. Stagecoach East Scotland carried the first passengers on the CAVForth project, and First Bus previewed what it says is the UK’s debut zero-emission autonomous bus service at Milton Park in Oxfordshire (pictured, above).
• TrawsCymru T8 pilot introduced in North WalesThe TrawsCymru network in North Wales has grown with the introduction of the T8 cross-border service between Corwen and Chester via Ruthin and Mold on a 12-month pilot basis. It replaces other routes and will offer “more frequent and faster services,” says Transport for Wales (TfW).
• Further bus revenue support ’must come quickly’: UTGIf a revenue support stream for bus services in England outside London beyond 31 March is planned by the government then it must be announced quickly, a briefing from the Urban Transport Group (UTG) has urged. Without it, a swathe of cuts is unavoidable, the body says.

Other News Sources

• Finance Yorkshire backs bus and coach operatorA coach and bus company that provides passenger services and holiday excursions has secured investment from Finance Yorkshire to support growth.
• New study to explore sending trains along Settle-Carlisle lineEXTRA rail services between Clitheroe, east Lancashire and Manchester, and possible new links with the celebrated Settle-Carlisle line, could be explored, if a new study goes ahead.