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

Tuesday, 25 April 2023

BBC News

• Liverpool's public transport sports Eurovision designPublic transport across Liverpool will sport new designs to celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest.
• Lufthansa begins Belfast City Airport to Frankfurt flightsNorthern Ireland's only direct flight to Germany will run four days a week from Belfast City Airport.

Financial Times

• Only 10 carmakers will survive global EV battle, says Tesla rival XpengElectric-vehicle group's vice-chair calls on Chinese producers to expand beyond domestic market
• US airlines plot a course away from another costly summer of chaos Carriers rethink their schedules after two peak seasons marred by delays prompt calls for more regulation
• IAG’s Air Europa bid expected to face lengthy EU probeDeal may even be blocked over fears it could trigger higher ticket prices

The Guardian

• Traffic congestion and rail closures to disrupt UK bank holiday travelRAC predicts biggest getaway on roads since 2016, and west coast mainline will be partly closed. Drivers and train passengers have been warned they face congestion and disruption over the bank holiday weekend, with motoring organisations forecasting the biggest early May getaway for seven years and a main rail line partly closed.The RAC said it estimated 17.2m leisure trips would be taken by car in the UK between Friday 29 April and Monday 1 May, the most for the May bank holiday since 2016.

Times Online

• Bring in tests for mobility scooter drivers, urges coroner after death of woman, 92. [subscription]A lack of tests for mobility scooter drivers will result in vulnerable pedestrians being killed, a coroner has warned.

City AM

• HS2 boss: We didn’t know how much Euston would cost to deliver until last year HS2’s chief executive Mike Thurston told the Public Accounts committee today that the Euston development of the project was a long way from its initial target – and that the costs of the last stretch of the line into London were poorly understood until 2022. Thurston told the committee “candidly, it was only until we [...] The post HS2 boss: We didn’t know how much Euston would cost to deliver until last year appeared first on CityAM.

Sky News

• Trainline rival Seatfrog books £6m raise for next leg of journeyLaunched in 2018, Seatfrog will announce on Tuesday that it has secured funds from investors including Pembroke and Octopus Ventures, Sky News learns.

Belfast Telegraph

• Civil servant pressed on ’massive scale delivery failure over Euston HS2 pause’A senior civil servant was forced to defend the Department for Transport’s handling of HS2 after the pause to the Euston element of the project was described as a “failure of delivery on a massive scale”.

London Evening Standard

• Civil servant pressed on Department for Transport’s ’massive scale delivery failure’ over Euston HS2 pauseA Conservative member of the Public Accounts Committee raised concerns that taxpayers are being ’taken for a ride’

Northern Echo

• Northern trains between Middlesbrough and Newcastle to increaseTrain services between Newcastle and Middlesbrough are set to become more regular – though plans for an improved timetable have been slightly delayed.

The York Press

• First York starts generating own power from rooftop solar panelsThe First York bus depot on James Street in York has started generating its own renewable power with the capability to supply up to half the electricity it needs on the site.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Northern timetable changes: New Leeds to Manchester Victoria service added as Ilkley to Bradford route reducedNorthern is all set for the nationwide timetable change coming into effect next month.

Yorkshire Post

• TransPennine Express: Trade union explains decision that will cause more disruptionA trade union said it has banned train drivers from working overtime for TransPennine Express because the operator wants to impose new terms and conditions on them.

Lancashire Telegraph

• East Lancs tourist route to Yorkshire Dales set for return ticketA TRAIN operator has promised to reinstate a popular Sunday service which takes East Lancashire passengers to the Yorkshire Dales and Cumbria next year.

Other Regional Press

• Welsh Gov minister Lee Waters on Newport transport projectsTHE man behind some of the Welsh Government's most radical transport policies has urged the people of Newport to be patient as improvements are made.
• Government minister says train services through Shropshire must improveThe comments come after Shrewsbury & Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski raised his concerns with the Department for Transport about the state of rail lines from Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton and Birmingham.
• Jaguar Land Rover to go flat out in bid to become world's biggest luxury car brandMotoring expert Charles Tennant gives his take on the future of Jaguar Land Rover after attending an event at the company's HQ last week

Train Operators

• Northern all set for summer timetable change next monthNorthern is all set for the nationwide timetable change coming into effect next month.

New Civil Engineer

• TfL opens bids to get Elephant & Castle station upgrade work underway next yearSuppliers have been invited to bid for the Stage 1 works of Transport for London's (TfL's) Elephant & Castle station upgrade project.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Nottingham City Transport achieves Earned Recognition statusNottingham City Transport (NCT) has achieved DVSA’s Earned Recognition status, making it the first bus operator in the city to be accepted into the national scheme.

Aviation Industry

• Environmental information needs to be more readily available to consumers, says CAAThe CAA recently consulted on proposals to make environmental information more readily available to consumers. This delivers on a commitment made by the Government in the Jet Zero Strategy to … The post Environmental information needs to be more readily available to consumers, says CAA appeared first on Aviation Environment Federation.

Other News Sources

• HS2 chief admits he did not know real Euston Station costHS2 chief executive Mark Thurston has admitted he did not know how much Euston Station would cost to build when a Dragados and Mace joint venture was appointed as construction partner for the job.
• Network Rail to begin £3.5M weather resilience programme in ScotlandNetwork Rail is gearing up to begin a £3.5M programme to improve the weather resilience of the railway between Croy and Dullatur in Scotland.
• The village in a Heathrow flightpath which will be 'the most impacted' by ULEZ'We didn't vote for this - and the fact is, ULEZ or no ULEZ, we get that pollution no matter what'