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

Friday, 24 February 2023

BBC News

• First new Tyne and Wear Metro train arrives in UKThe first new Tyne and Wear Metro train has arrived in the UK after travelling from Switzerland.
• Luton Dart airport shuttle route set to launch next monthPassenger will be able to use a much-delayed driverless railway linked to an airport terminal from next month.
• Hundreds of e-bikes up for sale after firm foldsThe entire e-bike fleet of Ride-on Scotland is up for sale following the appointment of liquidators.
• Ferguson shipyard misses deadline to file accountsCompanies House warns it could strike off Ferguson after it misses its deadline for filing accounts.

Financial Times

• Heathrow to stop airlines adding extra flights in summer peakNew effort to avoid disruption that has plagued recent holiday seasons
• China's wealthy struggle to find private jets as travel reboundsLong waits for sought-after routes as exit from zero-Covid sparks demand for trips

Times Online

• Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye has final swipe at regulatorsThe outgoing boss of Heathrow has hit out at regulators for “clearly getting it wrong” in setting how much the airport can charge airlines, such as the British Airways owner IAG, to use its runways and terminals.

City AM

• Sadiq Khan refuses to ditch ULEZ expansion plan at London budget meeting Sadiq Khan has refused to ditch the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) today following a marathon five-hour meeting to agree London's £19bn budget. London assembly members met today to agree the mayor's plans for running the capital's finances over the next year “ including cash for the Met Police,

The Mirror

• 'Poor public transport is bad for our health and happiness - especially among over-55s'University College London researchers found regularly travelling more than 15 miles away from your home means you are more likely to be in good health.

Network Rail

• Preserving early electric railway historyOur railway is full of fascinating history. And every now and then we find something really special that we can help give a new lease of life.

Birmingham Post

• Leeds Bradford Airport appoints David Noyes as chair to replace former Asda chief Andy ClarkeThe former managing director for British Airways at Heathrow Airport and director of customer services is also a non-executive director at London Luton Airport

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• MP says Kex Gill project will continue even if Labour winsA FORMER Ermysted's student who is the MP overseeing the large-scale Kex Gill realignment project - which got the go-ahead from the government this week - has said the £56 million secured for the work has been 'locked-in', acknowledging that is good news for those who see a change in government in 2024.

Bristol Live

• Full list of Bristol bus services set to have increased frequencyMetro mayor has revealed plans for “turn-up-and-go” services on five Bristol bus routes at peak times
• New train station in South Gloucestershire village could get green light next weekThe village has been left without a station for almost 60 years

Other Regional Press

• 'LTNs and bus gates will shut off city' says former councillorFormer city councillor Mick Haines has written a letter about the protest against traffic restrictions in Oxford.
• Oxford Bus Company forces council to halt 20mph plansOxfordshire County Council have been forced to halt their plans to introduce 20mph limits in Abingdon after the Oxford Bus Company threatened to withdraw services.
• Bus journeys in Oxfordshire fall by over a third in last decadeThe number of bus journeys undertaken in Oxfordshire has fallen by more than a third over the last decade, new figures show.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Ticketing and mobility experts to gather for Transport Ticketing GlobalTransport Ticketing Global 2023, the world’s largest public transport event for smart ticketing and mobility professionals, returns to Olympia, London, on 7 and 8 March 2023. With a host of new speakers, interactive formats and new exhibitors, the event will showcase the very latest in smart ticketing, mobility solutions and passenger experience.
• Ben Colson MBE steps down from Bus Users UKBen Colson MBE is standing down as Chair of Bus Users UK after five and a half years in the role.

Coach and Bus Week

• Zero-emission fleet hits three million milesJust over three years since the company was bought out of administration, Wrightbus’ fleet of hydrogen and battery-electric double-deck buses have now clocked up three million miles since first entering service, reports the manufacturer, and prevented around 5,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions entering the atmosphere compared to journeys made by an equivalent diesel bus.
• Wrightbus plans new green hydrogen project in BallymenaWrightbus is planning to build a hydrogen production facility at its headquarters in Ballymena

New Civil Engineer

• Silvertown Tunnel now £13M over budget as opening slips backThe Silvertown Tunnel's costs have risen again and its opening delayed further as "inflationary pressure" hits the east London project.
• Boost for airport expansions as construction work picks up across UKNew construction work at airports across the UK has picked up markedly in recent months as expansion and renovation programmes get underway, according to construction analyst Glenigan.

Rail Business Daily

• Make rail the hero to inspire sustainable travel says I Came By Train report from TrainlineMaking rail travel inspirational, creating the notion of “train bragging”, and highlighting key routes where train travel can be faster or cheaper than cars or planes would support travellers to be more sustainable, according to a new report commissioned by Trainline as part of the cross-industry I Came By Train movement

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Warrington electric bus shift underway as minister visitsWarrington’s Own Buses is making strong progress towards the wholesale transition of its fleet to battery-electric power, with the operator’s purpose-built depot to support that work in the Cheshire town due to be handed over in March.
• First Volvo BZL deliveries for Stagecoach West ScotlandThe first Volvo BZL battery-electric buses for the UK market have been delivered in the form of two out of a batch of 25 10.8m single-deck examples to Stagecoach West Scotland. They join at the same time as two further BYD ADL Enviro200EVs, with the remainder of the BZLs due to arrive in stages over the coming months.
• Dan Bassett to become Ipswich Buses MD in MayIpswich Buses has named Dan Bassett (pictured) as its incoming Managing Director. Mr Bassett will join in May to succeed Heath Williams in the role and move from fellow municipal operator Reading Buses, where he is currently Service Delivery Director.
• Edinburgh Coach Lines adds a new Enviro200Edinburgh Coach Lines has taken delivery of its first new Alexander Dennis vehicle in the form of an 9.7m Enviro200 bus.
• First Bus leaves Southampton as Go-Ahead steps inFirst Bus closed its City Reds operation in Southampton after service on Saturday 18 February, with Bluestar stepping in to provide replacement services in what the Go South Coast subsidiary has heralded as a “new era” for the city.
• Zeelo completes battery-electric coach trial with Jaguar Land RoverJaguar Land Rover, one of Zeelo’s long-standing client partners, has completed its one-month trial of a battery-electric coach on its Gaydon site employee commuter service, a 40km round-trip service amounting to 1,586km each month.

Other News Sources

• South Western Railway to trial QR code technology on Weymouth routeSouth Western Railway (SWR) is set to trial the use of QR codes to allow passengers to access features including ’real-time journey information.’
• Are these the solutions for fair transition to clean transport?The Clean Cities Campaign has published a new report in response to growing concerns that the cost-of-living crisis will jeopardise efforts to improve urban air quality.
• 160,000 Surrey cars not compliant under ULEZ rules, data showsCalls for help up to replace cars with up to £4,000 have been led by Liberal Democrats
• Twitter spat erupts over Brighton low-traffic neighbourhood plansA social media spat has erupted between Labour and Green activists over a plot to axe funding for a proposed “liveable neighbourhood”.