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

Wednesday, 08 February 2023

BBC News

• Nottinghamshire bus routes saved as council picks up billEleven bus services deemed no longer profitable by operators have been saved by the council.
• Stansted Airport advertising 1,000 jobs for summerLondon Stansted Airport has hosted a jobs fair in an attempt to recruit 1,000 new employees ahead of the summer season.
• Trial of scrapping train return tickets extendedA trial in which return tickets have been scrapped to make fares simpler will be extended as part of a shake-up of the country's railways.
• HS2 Ltd miscalculating impact on nature - Wildlife TrustsHS2 Ltd's assessment of its impact on biodiversity is
• Strikes to hit flights at seven Scottish airportsDundee, Sumburgh and Tiree are among the sites caught up in a staff pay dispute.
• BP scales back climate targets as profits hit recordIt is the latest energy giant to report record annual profits after oil and gas prices soared last year.

Department for Transport

• George Bradshaw address 2023The Transport Secretary affirms his commitment to the rail sector and outlines plans to modernise the industry.

Financial Times

• China airlines: turbo fans will be vindicated by demand surgeThe good news is that terrible 2022 numbers will flatter airline results in 2023
• Profit motive to return to British rail network as part of long-awaited shake-up Transport secretary Mark Harper promises enhanced role for private sector for some train operators

The Guardian

• Raging Bull to be given home at Birmingham New Street stationMechanical centrepiece of city’s 2022 Commonwealth Games will be installed permanently this summerThe mechanical bull which formed the centrepiece of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony is to be given a permanent home in the city’s main railway station.The 10-metre-high bull, known at the Raging Bull, will be installed in the atrium of Birmingham New Street station this summer, Network Rail said. Continue reading...
• UK train tickets could be priced like airline seats in rail shake-upReturn tickets could be scrapped in demand-based system as part of wider reforms to ‘broken model’, says transport secretaryTrain tickets in Britain could be priced like airline seats under a demand-based system being trialled by the government as part of a wider rail shake-up.The transport secretary, Mark Harper, announced on Tuesday evening that fares on some long-distance trains run by LNER on the East Coast line will fluctuate according to availability. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Glasgow Airport to trial new technologies as aviation recoversGLASGOW Airport is to trial a range of innovations aimed at addressing the challenges facing the aviation sector as passenger numbers continue to bounce back from the pandemic.

The Independent

• Mark Harper pledges to enhance role of private firms in railwaysTransport Secretary Mark Harper has pledged to enhance the role of the private sector in Britain’s railways, which he described as “not fit for purpose” and “financially unsustainable”.

The Telegraph

• Sixty years after Beeching’s axe fell, the railways are dying all over again. [subscription]Renationalisation isn’t the answer to a massive fall in revenue. We have to decide if rail is still worth saving

Times Online

• Trains in Spain stuck mainly on the plain after tunnels blunder. [subscription]The comic characters Pepe Gotera and his bungling sidekick Otilio have long been a byword for rank incompetence by Spanish builders.
• Train fares to fluctuate under airline-style demand-pricing trial. [subscription]Transport secretary pledges that ’not fit for purpose’ industry will learn from aviation

City AM

• Great British Railways confirmed: Body will take ’politics out’ of sector, says Mark HarperTransport secretary Mark Harper has confirmed the creation of Great British Railways, saying the new public body will take “politics out of the railways”.

Daily Record

• Improving Falkirk bus services would cost too much money, council warnedCouncil officials also admit they simply don't have the funds to implement any recommendations.
• BP profits branded 'sickening' as oil giant waters down climate targetsGreen groups hit out as energy behemoth BP scaled back its 2030 eco goals to plough even more cash into fossil fuel projects.

Labour Party

• Buses are the lifeblood of communities. We will give them the focus they deserve - Louise Haigh MPWhilst rail dominates the world of transport – in budget, column inches and industrial strife – the quiet crisis that millions are dealing with is the near-total collapse of our local bus services.

Sky News

• Reports HS2 services will be halved - and run at lower speeds - dismissed as 'speculation' by govtThe Department for Transport has said it "does not comment on speculation" after proposed cost-saving plans for HS2 were reported.

Birmingham Post

• National Apprenticeship Week - Airbus launches new Filton academyLabour leader Sir Keir Starmer visited the new facility in South Gloucestershire, which the aerospace giant hopes will inspire more students to consider a career in the industry
• Nissan executive warns on future work for Sunderland plant amid rising costs for businesses in UKThe Sunderland plant yesterday announced a record intake of apprentices
• £6.14m Portishead and Bristol railway line contract awardedEngineering and construction firm Volkerfitzpatrick has been appointed by Network Rail to revive the abandoned line connecting the North Somerset town and Bristol Temple Meads station
• Paneltex completes deal for 140,000 sq ft new electric truck manufacturing site delivering jobs boomNewport's Dianthus Business Park the location for Paneltex's latest factory

London Evening Standard

• Rail fares to fluctuate based on demand in London North Eastern Railway trial schemeFares will be more or less expensive depending on how many seats have been filled

Sheffield Star

• Ten days before dozens of bus services face axe in South Yorkshire warns Sheffield MPA Sheffield MP has urged government to act as dozens of South Yorkshire bus services could be axed next week.

The York Press

• Strensall railway level crossings in York to closeThe level crossings in Lords Moor Lane in Strensall in York is set to close for works to be carried out at the weekend.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Raging Bull: Commonwealth Games star set to find final home at New Street StationPlans are being finalised to make Birmingham New Street Station the new home of the Commonwealth Games’ famous Raging Bull.

Yorkshire Post

• Transport Secretary Mark Harper promises ’major reform' to fix ’broken’ railwaysTransport Secretary Mark Harper said the Government is setting up a new body to take charge of Britain’s “broken” railways but they will not be re-nationalised.

Carlisle News & Star

• Potential 'transport deserts' if bus services cut in rural CumbriaIf government funding for buses is not extended, then bus services may have to be cut according to an industry group.

North Wales Live

• Work set to begin on new 20mph zones on 1,700 roadsNew signs and road markings will be installed over the spring and summer

Plymouth Herald

• Plymouth having no airport is 'not acceptable for residents, businesses or visitors'Tory leader wants to hear from other regional airport bosses and remains confident city will reclaim 113-acre site

Other Regional Press

• Fears over more cuts to bus services in West Yorkshire from AprilBus passengers in West Yorkshire have been warned that more services will be cut in the coming months, despite a £70m investment in the county’s network.

C.N.N.

• Two rail unions reach deal with CSX railroad for paid sick timeCSX Transportation announced Tuesday that it had reached a deal with two railroad unions regarding paid sick leave.

New Civil Engineer

• Mace appointed to £150M Liverpool Street over-station developmentMace has been appointed as principal contractor for the £150M over-station development of the 1 Liverpool Street project in the City of London.
• Network Rail is slashing maintenance work in half to cut back jobs, union claimsThe National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) has claimed that Network Rail is slashing the amount of maintenance work in half to support its Modernising Maintenance programme.
• Chancellor declares vision for HS3, HS4 and HS5 despite cost concerns on HS2Building a network of high speed rail links in the UK is key to improving connectivity and delivering levelling up, according to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
• HS2 | Eastern leg to Midlands could be scrapped and project delayed to cut costsThe government is considering scrapping the eastern leg of High Speed 2 between Birmingham and the East Midlands as it searches for ways to claw back money on the UK’s major infrastructure project.

Other News Sources

• Future of transport for North Yorkshire to be shaped by new councilResidents are set to be asked to share their priorities for the future of transport in the county to help the new North Yorkshire Council to shape its plan for the coming decades.
• Exceat Bridge improvements for walkers and cyclists plannedImprovements could be in the pipeline for bus stops and walking routes around Exceat Bridge, if proposals gain the backing of a senior county councillor next week.
• When will parking spaces become too small for cars in the UK?In just over a decade cars will be too big for the average parking space in the UK