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

Monday, 03 April 2023

BBC News

• Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Council considers leasing closed airport from PeelDoncaster Council could lease a recently-closed airport from its owners under plans being considered.
• Emergency Covid funding for Wales' buses to be withdrawnEmergency funding to help keep Wales' bus industry afloat during the pandemic is set to come to an end in late July.
• HS2: Concern over third pool from tunnelling under rugby clubJust beyond the pitches at Ruislip Rugby Club, there is a long line of fences and lots of activity from men in yellow high-visibility jackets.
• Flooding causes rail delays between Bristol and SwindonAll rail lines between Bristol Parkway, Bristol Temple Meads and Swindon are currently blocked due to flooding.
• West Midlands Railway engineering works over EasterWest Midlands Railway says rail replacement services will be in place for affected routes.

Financial Times

• China's ports dominance undermines western aims to loosen trade tiesShipping hubs in India and south-east Asia lack capacity to compete, according to freight data

The Guardian

• Travel back in time: six of Britain's best heritage railwaysThe centenary of the Flying Scotsman offers an opportunity to rediscover the anti-car icons of yesteryear This year marks the centenary of Britain’s top mechanical celebrity: the Flying Scotsman locomotive. It emerged from the Doncaster works of the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923 and is celebrating its anniversary with an exhibition at the National Railway Museum in York, special excursions and visits to heritage railways around the country.Scotsman is often described as an icon, but what exactly does it represent? I would say early British PR. There were Flying Scotsman...
• Parisians vote to ban rental e-scooters from French capital by huge marginResults show 90% support for ridding Paris of ‘self-service scooters’ whose riders are accused of flouting rules of the roadParisians have voted to rid the streets of the French capital of rental electric scooters, with an overwhelming 90% of votes cast supporting a ban, official results show.Paris was a pioneer when it introduced e-scooters, or trottinettes, in 2018 as the city’s authorities sought to promote non-polluting forms of urban transport. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Rail groups call for summit to boost links for forgotten towns. [subscription]The transport secretary is being urged to call a train industry summit to promote services provided by private companies to communities neglected by the taxpayer-funded national network.
• Climb aboard Britain’s ’polite’ new driverless car. [subscription]Nissan’s autonomous Leaf can tackle the chaotic London traffic. But it needs to become more assertive if it is to keep up with human drivers it one day hopes to replace
• Arriva on track for sale by Deutsche Bahn. [subscription]Arriva is set to become the latest passenger transport company to change hands.
• Rail groups call for summit to boost links for forgotten towns. [Subscription]The transport secretary is being urged to call a train industry summit to promote services provided by private companies to communities neglected by the taxpayer-funded national network.
• Dover delays: Officials dismiss claim that queues are ’not to do with Brexit’. [subscription]Officials at the port of Dover have dismissed claims by the home secretary that the queues are nothing to do with Brexit as passengers endured a third day of major delays.

i News

• Is Brexit to blame for Dover delays? Why port and transport companies say it helped cause ferry queuesThe Port of Dover and DFDS have both said post-Brexit passport checks are causing delays

Metro

• Is Heathrow Airport included in the ULEZ expansion?The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has confirmed that his vision for improving the air quality in the capital will involve expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).

Nation. Cymru

• fflecsi bus service returns to Llŷn Peninsula for summer seasonA seasonal fflecsi bus service is returning to the Llŷn Peninsula for a third consecutive year, Transport for Wales (TfW) has confirmed.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• How have HS2’s Phase One costs evolved and what further price shocks are in store?High Speed 2 (Hs2) has seen successive aspects chopped from the programme, rephasing of timescales and ballooning budgets over the past decade. However the rump of the original HS2 programme now faces the prospect of seeing key parts paused for up to two years under plans to review costs. NCE takes a look at how the costs have evolved over the last decade on Phase One and considers what further surprises could come on following the decision to delay parts of the work.

Wales Online

• Swansea Airport campaigners seek answers as licence remains suspendedThe airport's licence remains suspended and the council, which is the landowner, is reviewing its legal position
• Travel expert pinpoints where new Cardiff Airport should be builtSimon Calder believes Wales' international airport should have stronger train and road links

Cambridge News

• Long lost Cambridge railway station that was open for just 10 monthsHundreds of railway stations have closed in Britain since the train network started spreading across the country in the 19th century. Cambridgeshire is no exception and lost many of its stations in the 1960s.

Other Regional Press

• Campaigners call on Yousaf to reconsider his decision to drop transport Cabinet postScotland’s new first minister Humza Yousaf has been urged by campaigners to reconsider his decision to drop the transport portfolio from his Cabinet.
• Nottingham City Transport confirms £2 bus fare cap until end June 2023Nottingham City Transport is one of over 140 bus operators across England participating in an extended government Help for Households initiative, which sees the maximum single bus fare for all journeys capped at £2.

Calling All Stations - The Transport Podcast

• Calling All Stations with Christian Wolmar, Episode 12Christian and co-presenter Mark Walker look at the latest developments with HS2 and Euston [01:30], the controversies around Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and 15-Minute Cities [14:19], the UK Government's response to the Independent Review of Net Zero by Chris Skidmore MP [26:45] and how Queens Park Rangers are leading the way on sustainable travel in professional football [40:29].

New Civil Engineer

• Images show progress made on Glasgow’s Govan-Patrick bridge in first year of constructionCivil engineering and building contractor Farrans Construction has said that it has made significant progress one year on from breaking ground at Glasgow’s Govan-Partick bridge.
• German coalition commits to £40bn investment in railways by 2027The German government has released a modernisation programme that will aim to invest up to £40bn (€45bn) into the nation’s railways over the next four years.
• Strong case for new station at Devizes as part of wider Wiltshire rail improvementThere is a strong case for a new railway station in the Wiltshire town of Devizes as part of a wider rail improvement programme in the county, but not for a standalone station, a feasibility study has determined.
• Electric roads could help reduce size of EV car batteries by up to 70%Constructing roads which can charge cars while they are driving could help reduce the size of batteries needed on electric vehicles by up to 70% a new Swedish study has found.
• How have HS2’s Phase One costs evolved and what further price shocks are in store? High Speed 2 (Hs2) has seen successive aspects chopped from the programme, rephasing of timescales and ballooning budgets over the past decade.

Rail Business Daily

• Opening the door to a career in rail freightThe rail industry has a recruitment problem, and freight is no exception. An ongoing skills shortage is forcing operators to compete for candidates, with salary often the deciding factor.

Railway Gazette

• South Yorkshire plans for Supertram futureUK: The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority has started work to establish a framework for the future management of the Supertram light rail network in Sheffield, which is due to be taken over by an arm’s length public sector company when Stagecoach’s current operating contract expires in March 2024.

Aviation Industry

• Loganair Leases Former Flybe London Heathrow Airport SlotsLoganair has entered into a lease agreement with British Airways for 30 weekly slots at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) which previously belonged to now-defunct Flybe. The announcement comes as the airline looks to ramp up its presence at the airport. Let's take a closer look.

Other News Sources

• MP finds out how rail project will benefit Bromsgrove and Barnt GreenBROMSGROVE MP Sajid Javid met with representatives of the Midlands Connect Rail Hub to find out how its latest project could benefit the district, in particular Bromsgrove and Barnt Green stations.
• 'Design your own' bus service scheme arrives in SomersetTravellers across North Somerset are being invited to design and run their own bus services in a bid to get more people to use public transport. The ’design your own’ services will be launched thanks to a new £2 million WESTLocal fund.
• Route Media on Track for Significant Growth After Landing Transport for Wales ContractDigital Out of Home Media owner Route Media has announced its most recent national sales partnership with Transport for Wales.
• New Group CEO joins Hitachi Rail at the start of an exciting new chapterGiuseppe Marino has begun work as the new Group CEO of Hitachi Rail, as the global leader in rail enters an exciting new chapter delivering innovative digital technology and sustainable transport around the world.