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

Wednesday, 26 April 2023

BBC News

• RMT re-balloting Tube staff over strike actionMore than 10,000 Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members across London Underground will be re-balloted for strike action.
• Car parts giant mulls US move over green subsidiesParts firm Unipart says UK will struggle to compete as US rolls out generous subsidies for manufacturers.

Financial Times

• P&O Ferries expects to head back to profitability this year Ferry group forecasts tourism to improve after sacking 800 sailors last year

The Guardian

• LTNs can only work with decent public transport [Letter]Here in Marston, Oxford, buses are scarce and unreliable, and the imposition of low-traffic neighbourhoods feels like a punishment
• The Guardian view on the electric car revolution: targets are not enough | EditorialThe government must do its bit to make new electric vehicles more affordable if mass adoption is to be achieved on the road to net zeroWhen the government controversially scrapped its discount on the purchase of electric cars last summer, the move was justified on the grounds that its work was done.

The Herald

• CalMac don't know if any ports can use taxpayer-funded emergency ferryAN EMERGENCY ferry has finally been given clearance to begin a £1m-a-month taxpayer-funded charter to help ease lifeline service 'chaos' - but CalMac do not yet know which routes if any it can operate on.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Brake call for ban on newly qualified young drivers giving liftsA ROAD safety charity has called for a ban on newly qualified young drivers carrying passengers in their first year on the roads.

Bristol Live

• Bristol gets £1m boost to fix pothole-ridden and crumbling roads City was recently named and shamed as the worst in the country

Nation. Cymru

• ’Scandal’ of Tory underfunding of Wales railways highlighted in SeneddA cross party group of Senedd Members has called on the UK Government to allocate billions of pounds to adequately fund railways in Wales.

Northern Echo

• Artists gather stories on Stockton & Darlington RailwayAs the North East steams ahead to the bicentenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 2025, local artists have begun gathering stories from today’s passengers and why the railway matters.

Yorkshire Post

• Trade union locked in dispute with TransPennine Express told ’stalemate cannot go on’A trade union locked in a dispute with TransPennine Express that is causing disruption for passengers across the North has been told the “stalemate cannot go on”.

Chester Standard

• Northern announces shakeup - major north west route scrappedNORTHERN has announced a shakeup of its services which will come into force in May.

Other Regional Press

• P&O bosses confident of avoiding fine for mass sackingsAn annual report reveals P&O Ferries directors are confident of avoiding a fine for sacking almost 800 seafarers without notice.
• Weymouth train station toilets stay closed after £1m revamp of stationConcerns have been raised about Weymouth Railway Station's long-term closed toilets after a £1m station revamp was unveiled.
• New Coventry bus gates delayed after businesses warn of "huge impact"Drivers won't be at risk of a £70 fine - for now

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• TfWM to offer free advice to help businesses reduce road accidents and cut fleet costsA new partnership between Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and Driving for Better Business (DfBB) has made free advice available for businesses on how to better manage their fleets and vehicles to reduce both costs and the risk of accidents. The DfBB programme offers online tools and resources, to take business owners, company directors and fleet managers through seven steps to better driver management. The tookit is designed to help make long-term sustainable improvements in risk management that will lead to reductions in collisions, the ability to control operational costs, and the confi...

New Civil Engineer

• Rail debate | How performance-based asset management can improve maintenance efficiencyOptimising data use and adopting performance-based methods could improve rail asset management decision making, which would in turn improve the operational performance of the railway.
• HS2 | DfT looking to reduce scope of Euston station in third attempt at designThe Department for Transport (DfT) and HS2 Ltd are looking to reduce the scope and the requirements of the High Speed 2 (HS2) London terminal at Euston as they begin the process of redesigning it for a third time in hopes of reducing the cost.

Railway Technology

• HS2 continues to boost supply chainWhilst HS2 will undoubtedly offer rail passengers across the UK improved journey times and high-speed intercity connections, the construction phase of the project has been helping boost over 2,000 UK businesses, aiding them stay afloat during the ongoing cost of living crisis.

Transport Scotland

• New vision for increasing everyday cycling across ScotlandThe Scottish Government has published a new plan to increase everyday cycling across the country. It comes as funding for all forms of active travel – or walking, wheeling and cycling – is at record levels, with even more investment to come.

Transportxtra

• Harper promises review of HS2 London passenger distribution modelDelay of the completion of HS2 link into Euston will mean further investigation of how to best understand and cater for future demand pattern for London originating and arriving passengers on the line from Birmingham Mark Harper has pledged.

Other News Sources

• HS2 designs at Euston may never have been affordable under original budget, MPs toldRailway’s boss admits ’it’s difficult to know true cost until marketplace has priced it’
• Euston, we have a problem: unbuilt HS2 station racks up £289m in design feesWhat are the implications of the government’s decision to delay construction of HS2’s Euston terminal? And how much of the design work carried out so far can be salvaged?
• 'We know this is going to work' transport convener says LEZ is rightTHE Low Emission Zone in Glasgow will reduce pollution and help tackle health inequalities, the councillor in charge of the scheme has said.
• The insane number of Surrey cars at risk of ULEZ expansion's daily £12.50 chargeRequest was made under the Freedom of Information Act for cars registered before the compliance cut of dates for taxed petrol and diesel cars in Surrey postcodes.
• The airlines with the largest 'hidden fees' revealedThe likes of Ryanair, Wizz Air and British Airways have a number of large fees that passengers might not initially be aware of