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

Friday, 10 February 2023

BBC News

• London Bridge: Derelict railway arches restored to past gloryA derelict set of railway arches that was once home to one of London's finest wine and spirits merchants has been restored as part of a £3m investment.
• Portishead rail link one step closer as contractor chosenPlans to restore a rail link between Bristol and Portishead have moved a step closer after a construction firm was appointed to the project.
• London City Airport plans extra weekend flightsThe airport is consulting residents in east London on its plans to allow more flights on Saturdays.
• Second-hand car sales drop due to lack of choiceLast year used car sales fell 9%, as drivers hung onto their vehicles for longer.

Department for Transport

• New Chair appointed to deliver HS2 and drive forward growth across the North and MidlandsSir Jonathan Thompson will be taking on the mantle of HS2 Ltd Chair and the responsibility of driving forward Europe’s largest infrastructure project.
• Statement on Local Bus Service Registration in England and Wales - February 2023The traffic commissioners have issued the following statement to set out their approach to local bus service registrations whilst discussions are ongoing within government on arrangements for future funding.
• Transport Secretary holds talks in Paris on border controls and decarbonisation effortsMark Harper meets French counterpart Clément Beaune.

Financial Times

• Jon Thompson to become new chair of HS2UK audit watchdog chief takes over as government attempts to rein in rail link’s costs
• Uber surges further ahead of rival Lyft in ride-share raceLyft acknowledges profits will fall as it tries to catch up in increasingly lopsided battle

The Guardian

• Monster profits for energy giants reveal a self-destructive fossil fuel resurgenceLast year’s combined $200bn profit for the ’big five’ oil and gas companies brings little hope of driving down emissions

Times Online

• Bumps in road ’will delay A9 dualling until 2040’A leading campaigner for better transport links in rural Scotland has warned that a combination of politics and procurement issues means it could take until 2040 before the A9 between Perth and Inverness is dualled.

Daily Record

• Transport Minister accused of "running scared" from seeing A75 impact in Dumfries and GallowayScotland’s Transport Minister has been accused of “running scared” from seeing how two communities are impacted by the A75.

Wales Online

• Ryanair ramps up presence at Cardiff Airport as it launches new route Its expansion includes a new route for the coming summer season to Belfast

Yorkshire Post

• Department for Transport has no choice but to sideline TransPennine Express - The Yorkshire Post saysTrain operator TransPennine Express (TPE) has run out of excuses and there is no other option than to push the failing franchise operator into a siding.

Other Regional Press

• Opinion: Passengers still waiting for Greater Anglia newsFew industries were impacted as deeply by the Covid pandemic three years ago as much as Britain's railways - including Greater Anglia.
• Greater Anglia to review Norwich station pedestrian safetyBosses at Norwich train station are to review safety measures after a video showed a car driving through a pedestrian entrance.
• Devon is ’levelled up’ but Plymouth and Torbay are overlookedOkehampton’s Member of Parliament and local councillors are celebrating the announcement that the Government has committed £13.5 million towards a second rail station in Okehampton. It is one of 111 projects across the UK that have been awarded a share of £2.1 billion from Round 2 of the Government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund.
• 271 bus users say final goodbyes as popular route is axedThe 271 bus route between Highgate and Moorgate had been running for more than 60 years before its service stopped on Saturday (February 4).
• Slough bus station: Council looking into major repair worksMAJOR repairs to a flame-torn Slough bus station that will cost ’hundreds of thousands of pounds’ are being looked into.
• Sustainable transport service linking Chesterfield to the Peak District hailed as a major successA trial of sustainable transport links between Chesterfield’s PEAK Gateway development and the wider Peak District National Park has proven a major success.
• The major stretch of railway set to shut for 8 daysThirty miles of railway line for key Kent stations will shut for landslip prevention works from Saturday.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• FirstGroup buys EnsignbusFirstGroup plc has agreed to buy Ensign Bus Company Limited, the Essex-based operator founded by Peter Newman which has extensive operations around London.

Coach and Bus Week

• ’UK can’t achieve air pollution target’The UK Government ’should be ashamed of admitting it cannot meet targets to improve air quality which were already too lenient,’ says a fuel technology specialist in reaction to Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey’s statement that a target of limiting fine particulate matter from an annual average of 20 micrograms per cubic metre of air to a new limit of 10mg could not be achieved everywhere by the end of the decade, especially in London.
• Flyer airport buses gear up for summer travel boomYorkshire operator Transdev says it is looking forward to a summer 2023 boost for its dedicated Flyer bus network to Leeds Bradford Airport after plans to fly to 80 destinations were revealed by the airport, it’s highest ever number, along with a major upgrade to facilities at its terminal building.
• One year of free bus travel for Scottish under 22sAlmost 45 million free bus journeys have been made since the Scottish Government introduced its free bus travel for under 22s a year ago
• Deals signed to deliver 159 electric buses to OxfordshireStagecoach West and Oxford Bus Company have placed orders for for a new fleet of e-buses to operate bus services within the Oxford SmartZone area
• Stagecoach to expand AV trials with new Government fundingThe operator is involved in two new autonomous projects in Cambridge and Sunderland, in addition to its existing CAVForth trial in Fife

Intelligent Transport

• Bus operators to face funding gap, reduced services and higher fares, says new reportService cuts and fare increases have been predicted for England’s bus operators once the UK government’s Bus Recovery Grant expires in March 2023, according to a new report for the Urban Transport Group.

New Civil Engineer

• Push to upgrade four railway lines across South Wales and HerefordshireA blueprint to upgrade four railway lines and build new railway stations across South Wales and Herefordshire has been put forward.
• Push to upgrade four railway lines across South Wales and HerefordshireA blueprint to upgrade four railway lines and build new railway stations across South Wales and Herefordshire has been put forward.
• Final design revealed for HS2’s Warwickshire viaductFinal designs have been revealed for HS2’s Balsall Common Viaduct in Warwickshire. It comes after the plans were submitted to Solihull Council for approval.
• Final design revealed for HS2’s Warwickshire viaductFinal designs have been revealed for HS2’s Balsall Common Viaduct in Warwickshire.

Rail Business Daily

• Sold out conference to showcase need for transport investment in the NorthTransport for the North (TfN) has announced tickets for its fourth  Annual Conference have sold out. Over 300 delegates are now registered with enquiries continuing to be received.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• FirstGroup agrees to purchase Ensignbus businessFirstGroup has reached agreement to purchase Purfleet-based Ensignbus from the Newman family in a surprise deal. When completed, it will include the local bus and contract service operation and 55 vehicles along with the resale and refurbishment business, but not the heritage coach and bus fleet.
• RHA reissues call for 15ppl essential user fuel rebateRHA has again called for the introduction of a minimum 15ppl essential user fuel rebate for operators of commercial vehicles including coaches. It wants to see the measure launched in the Budget that will be delivered by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on 15 March.
• Bus revenue funding crisis deepens as TCs enter frayGrowing uncertainty and angst around future revenue funding for bus services in England and Wales has drawn the Traffic Commissioners (TCs) into the fray.

Other News Sources

• Mp's across Humber region call for TransPennine Express to be stripped of franchiseHumber MPs have united in a call for TransPennine Express to lose its rail franchise, branding its services appalling and unreliable.
• Network Rail and TfL hook up for land development driveNetwork Rail and Transport for London (TfL) have joined forces in their drive to develop their surplus land.
• MP challenges Greater Anglia over delayed Wickford stationTHE FIRM behind redeveloping Wickford railway station has pledged to bring new plans to the council later this year.
• Council leader calls for reassurance from Metro Mayor on DRT and busesBath & North East Somerset Council Leader, Councillor Kevin Guy, has called on West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris to urgently provide more details about his planned ’demand-responsive transport’ (DRT) minibus scheme.
• ’Bus Champions Day’ helps students get to grips with public transportThe Hull Bus Alliance has held its first “Bus Champions Day” to give students more information on options for getting around the city.
• Extra concessionary fare support to help boost bus servicesBus operators in the North Northamptonshire Council area will continue to receive extra financial support to bolster services under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme - if recommendations are approved next week and Government enact the relevant legislation.
• Seatbelt buckle guards must not be used, DVSA warnsDVSA has highlighted to operators of coaches, buses and minibuses used to carry children that they must not fit seatbelt buckle guards.
• 15 minute transport plans unveiled for West Midlands as part of £1.3bn investmentA new transport strategy aims to place local amenities within a 15 minute distance from West Midlands residents
• New bus priority measures for a key transport corridor to be introducedPlans are underway to extend the bus lane on the northbound section of Gosforth High Street, with the current bollards removed, within the coming weeks.
• New roundabout created in Blackburn town centreIS it just us or do you find that photos of roadworks and redevelopment are nowhere near as interesting today as they are from times gone by?