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

Wednesday, 22 March 2023

BBC News

• East-West Rail: Bicester residents call for rail crossing updateResidents in a town are calling for an update on how a new train route will impact a busy level crossing.
• Pontypridd to Treherbert rail line to shut for eight monthsA major railway line in south Wales will close for at least eight months for improvement works.
• Hundreds of pupils off as bus strike continuesFamilies say they are having to pay for taxis or rely on friends for transport during the action.
• Extra ferry to join CalMac fleet on west coast networkPentland Ferries' MV Alfred will join the CalMac fleet on the west coast network for nine months.
• Great British Railways: Derby chosen as location for new rail HQThe new body will procure passenger services and set most fares and timetables.

Financial Times

• UK needs more electric vehicle chargers, warns Ford boss Lisa Brankin says tariffs on imported battery cars also put ambitions to shift from petrol at risk

The Guardian

• Electric air taxis being developed for Paris Olympics in 2024Aircraft will take off and land vertically, and carry a single passenger between transport hubs, says capital’s airports operatorAthletes are getting in shape for the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, and so is the world’s first electric air taxi network.“We are going to make it happen,” Solène Le Bris of Paris airports operator Groupe ADP told an industry audience at Amsterdam Drone Week. “We are trying to launch the first e-VTOL [vertical takeoff and landing] pre-commercial service in the world: that’s our ambition.” Continue reading...

Daily Express

• Council backs plan to tear down 500 trees to build bus route to fight climate changeOpponents have branded the move 'utterly destructive'.

Sky News

• Most drivers fear MOT rules relaxation will risk livesMore than two-thirds of UK drivers fear a proposed easing of MOT rules will put their lives in danger, according to a poll for the car industry.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Northern's clampdown on fare dodging for digital ticketsNORTHERN is urging passengers using digital tickets on their services to make sure they always have enough battery power to present their ticket for inspection – or face a £100 penalty fare.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• 30mph speed limits in Conwy and Denbighshire to drop to 20mphSome roads will be exempt from the change

London Evening Standard

• Transport Secretary: GBR will remove ’blame culture’ as Derby unveiled as new HQMark Harper said customer experience was the key priority of the new body.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Cheaper bus and Metro fares across North East revealed – but operators still accused of 'profiteering'New ticket prices launching this year will let passengers travel across different bus operators, the Tyne and Wear Metro, and the Shields Ferry for a flat rate

The York Press

• Derby beats York in contest to host Great British Railways HQYORK has lost its bid to become the headquarters for Great British Railways (GBR), costing the city an estimated 1,600 new jobs and a £110 million boost to the economy.

Wales Online

• Valleys train line to close for up to a year as major work continuesThe Treherbert line will be closed from April 30, forcing commuters to find alternative routes of travel

Burnley Express

• Burnley bus company sets out reasons for replacing 'lifeline' serviceA bus company have set out reasons for scrapping a popular service after the announcement sparked fury among East Lancashire residents.

Chester Standard

• Cheshire: Town misses out on Great British Railways Headquarters bidA CHESHIRE town will not be the new home of the Great British Railways Headquarters, despite terrific support both locally and across the wider sub region.

North Wales Live

• Wizz Air, easyJet, Ryanair and TUI passengers could be owed cashNew analysis has found many of the big airlines collectively owe millions of pounds in unpaid refunds and expenses

Other Regional Press

• Megabus launch regular service between Weymouth and LondonMEGABUS has announced a new regular service connecting Weymouth and London.
• Morebus announces expansion of Breezer routesA HOST of new bus routes showcasing some of Dorset’s finest views is to launch in time for the summer.
• National Express thanks drivers who turned out to work as strike continues to hit Coventry commuters235 drivers worked on day one of the industrial action

New Civil Engineer

• Tunnelling work for planned Bristol underground would be ’relatively easy’A tunnelling expert has told NCE that any subsurface work needed to construct the proposed Bristol underground would be “relatively easy”.
• East West Rail has learned business case lessons from HS2’s focus on journey timeCommunication of the benefits of East West Rail (EWR) will focus on the economic prospects for the region resulting from the work rather than the journey time benefits required by the Department for Transport business case documents.
• Derby selected as location for new Great British Railways headquartersThe Department for Transport (DfT) has today confirmed that Derby is to be the location for the planned Great British Railways (GBR) headquarters.
• HS2 confirms ground bubbling in videos taken in Ruislip is not a sinkholeA High Speed 2 (HS2) spokesperson has said that fears stemming from videos circulating on social media of ground bubbling near tunnelling for the project are not the result of a sinkhole.

Railnews

• Derby wins GBR headquarters contest Derby is to be the home of Great British Railways, the government has just announced. The East Midlands city will host the GBR headquarters, where several hundred people will work.

Other News Sources

• A community bus success storyIt’s not often a locally based community led climate action campaigning group puts its money where its mouth is and starts up a brand new route to encourage motorists to leave their cars at home and catch a bus instead. Even more rare it turns into a rip roaring success within a matter of weeks.
• Link to Elizabeth Line would cost £5 million to bring back, Southeastern boss saysSoutheastern cannot restore direct trains between New Eltham and the Elizabeth Line at Abbey Wood because it would cost £5 million, the rail company’s managing director said last night.