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

Monday, 17 April 2023

BBC News

• Wiltshire artist paints mural to celebrate railway wildlifeThe mural at Paddington station celebrates the diversity of creatures found along rail corridors.
• New mosaic for London Bridge stationThe mosaic is being installed piece by piece outside one of London's busiest railway stations.
• Scrap all existing smart motorways, says AAIt comes after government cancels plans to build more stretches of road without permanent hard shoulders.
• Greener flights will cost more, says industryDemand for air travel will be hit as decarbonisation drives up ticket prices, says industry.

Financial Times

• UK aviation group says cutting emissions will raise ticket prices Industry coalition predicts green premium will slow growth in demand for flying

Times Online

• Heathrow and British Airways brace for landing fees dogfight. [subscription]British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are bracing for a dogfight with Heathrow as the airport prepares a legal challenge in a long-running row over passenger landing charges.
• AA condemns ’scandal’ of smart motorways [Subscription]The head of the AA has accused the government of ignoring safety concerns over the “scandal” of smart motorways for more than a decade as he joined campaigners in calling on ministers to reinstate all hard shoulders.

Mail Online

• Scrap every smart motorway in Britain, critics urge as a new crackdown on danger roads in announcedRishi Sunak's smart motorways 'ban' began to unravel yesterday as officials admitted half of the roads set for the chop are already smart m-ways - and will remain so.

The Mirror

• Buses on the brink as 1,100 routes axed in 2022 despite Tory promisesAn analysis of official figures by the Liberal Democrats showed bus routes had been slashed by 7.5% nationwide in 2022 compared to the previous year

Wales Online

• The Welsh villages that could be left with no public transport at all where people are really worriedResidents who rely on public transport worry about how they will get to work, their children to school and travel to the nearest towns

Yorkshire Post

• TransPennine Express: Yorkshire's Mayors call for Government to take over rail operatorMetro Mayors representing million of people across Yorkshire have demanded the government takes over struggling rail operator TransPennine Express (TPE).

Other Regional Press

• We won’t let TfL run Southeastern Metro trains, says governmentThe government has resisted a call from City Hall politicians to hand over Southeastern Metro and other rail services to be transferred to Transport for London.
• MP backs bid for more train services at ParkwayA BID to add extra services at Worcestershire Parkway has won the support of Malvern’s MP Harriett Baldwin.

New Civil Engineer

• National Highways’ £27M motorway bridge across M56 in Cheshire opensA £27M National Highways motorway bridge across the M56 near Runcorn in Cheshire has opened to drivers.
• Flood resilience work under way on Edinburgh-Glasgow railway lineNetwork Rail has begun a £3.5M programme to improve the heavy rain resilience of the railway between the North Lanarkshire villages of Croy and Dullatur.
• NI Department for Infrastructure to mothball upgrade of A2 citing changing climate policiesThe planned upgrade of the A2 Buncrana Road is to be mothballed the Northern Ireland’s Department of Infrastructure (DfI) has said because of emerging climate change policies.

Other News Sources

• Manchester Airport flight path plan could be unwelcome wake-up call for sleepy Rossendale townNew proposals would redraw flightpaths and potentially affect areas included Bacup, Rossendale and Helmshore
• Lack of rural buses in Cumbria raised on Radio 4’s PM programmeA CUMBRIAN mum appeared on national TV to highlight the lack of rural transport links in the area.
• Stalybridge railway station wins ’Best Kept’ awardSTALYBRIDGE is officially home to one of the area’s best kept railway stations after it scooped a prestigious award.
• Rishi Sunak refuses to commit to re-opening 'game changer' Colne-Skipton railway but says funding is availableThe route was last used in 1970 but campaigners are calling for it to be re-opened