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

Thursday, 09 February 2023

BBC News

• Dozens of county's bus routes face axe, MP warnsDozens of bus services across South Yorkshire could be cut if government funding is not extended, an MP has warned.
• A9 work will not be completed by 2025 target, minister saysTransport Minister Jenny Gilruth says the current target for completing the project is not achievable.
• Bus and train fares being raised by Translink by 7%The change, which has been requested by the Department for Infrastructure, comes into effect on 6 March.
• Manchester's default speed limit could be cut to 20mphManchester City Council also wants to shut roads outside some schools at drop-off and pick-up times.
• Siemens fined £1.4m over train maintenance worker crushed to deathA "catalogue of basic errors" led to a train maintenance worker being crushed to death in west London in 2017, a rail safety leader has said.
• Docklands Light Railway: A look inside a new DLR trainBBC London's Harry Low has taken a sneak peak at one of the trains, which come into service in 2024.

Financial Times

• Maersk forecasts plunge in profitsDanish group expects drop from last year's record $31bn to $2bn-$5bn in 2023
• Uber extends post-lockdown streak with strong rideshare and food delivery demandCompany says it has overcome driver shortage but freight segment remains weak
• Rail bosses criticise UK ministers for bashing unions when strikes began last summer Network Rail chief says noisy rhetoric early in the ongoing dispute had been counter-productive

The Guardian

• Damning report uncovers years of sexual harassment at transport unionTSSA union’s future in doubt after Helena Kennedy inquiry uncovers unchecked sexist behaviour and leadership failings
• Spain ends compulsory use of face masks on public transportHealth minister hails ’important step towards normality’ as country eases anti-Covid measure

The Herald

• Scotland transport: FirstGroup to acquire Essex-based bus companyFirstGroup has confirmed it has signed an agreement to purchase an Essex-based bus company.

Times Online

• Minister blames delays to A9 upgrade on Putin. [subscription]The SNP’s transport minister has been mocked after blaming Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine for the Scottish government abandoning its own deadline to dual what has been dubbed the country’s most dangerous road.

City AM

• How decoupling cost of electricity from gas can benefit EV uptake, according to motoring groupsMotoring groups have called on the government to decouple the wholesale price of electricity from gas in a bid to bring down the costs associated with running an electric vehicle (EV).

Birmingham Post

• Voi calls for e-scooter law 'clarity' to secure industry’s futureThe Swedish tech firm urged the government to set out a date for legislation on the future use of the transport devices

Bolton News

• Great Lever: Bridgeman Street traffic calming measures announcedWork to implement traffic calming measures on one of the most dangerous roads in the borough is due to be carried out soon.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Cameras set up to monitor Clean Air Zone traffic trends are stolenDATA looking at whether Bradford’s Clean Air Zone has displaced traffic has been left incomplete after four of the monitoring cameras were stolen.
• Fight to save vital school bus services in Ilkley from the axePARENTS in Wharfedale are battling to save vital school bus services which are facing the axe.

The York Press

• Network Rail to press ahead with bridge between York and Church FentonNetwork Rail is pressing ahead with plans to create a new, stepped bridge over the railway line between York and Church Fenton despite fears it will exclude people from the countryside.
• York rail operators apologise after record rate of train cancellationsYork Station rail operators cancelled more than Britain's average during the worst month on record.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Drivers told to ditch the car in region's radical new transport strategyDrivers will be encouraged to get rid of their vehicles under radical plans to drastically reduce car use across the region.

Other Regional Press

• Bus operator 'shocked' to hear about possible axing of servicesOne of the main bus operators in the Melton area says it was ’shocked’ to hear through press reports that the county council is reviewing the cost-effectiveness of services which could see some of them axed or cut back.
• York transport vision unveiled: Two new bridges, a city centre shuttle bus and e-cargo deliveriesYork has unveiled its transport vision for the next ten years. The aim is to cut cars on the road, reduce jams, improve air pollution and hit the city’s target of being net zero carbon by 2030.
• Transport in the new North East mayoral authorityWhat should transport look like in the new North East mayoral authority? Perhaps a new way of thinking is needed?

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 unveils plans for M56 junction upgrade to support Manchester Airport stationHS2 Ltd has set out plans to improve capacity at junction 6 on the M56 to support future growth at the new proposed train station at Manchester Airport.
• How delivery of HS2’s Euston station could be accelerated if eastern leg is scrappedHS2’s Euston station will only require six platforms instead of the planned 10 if the project's eastern leg does not go ahead, according to a rail expert.

Transportxtra

• BBC report admits ’unconscious bias’ in transport coverageA BBC review of the broadcaster’s impartiality on economic matters has found that coverage of bus travel shows how the lived experience of news teams leads to a lack of balance. It looks at how the significance of spending on various public transport modes, and consequent impacts on users, are presented.
• Accessible transport legal obligations Inquiry beginsA Call for Evidence has been opened into the Transport committee’s accessible transport: legal obligations Inquiry.

Other News Sources

• Written Statement from the Welsh Government on rural transport in WalesWALES’ rural communities make up around a third of our population, and are spread across all parts of the country. Providing access to sustainable, safe and reliable public transport is vital not only to achieving our climate change goals but to help people access the services, employment, cultural and education opportunities to enable them to thrive.
• RIA responds to the Transport Secretary’s announcement on rail reformThe Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, today set out the next steps for rail reform at the George Bradshaw Address.
• Surrey trains to be replaced by buses for 9 days during huge programme of signalling worksThe work will take place over the school half term holidays and affect the stretch of track from Feltham to Wokingham in Berkshire