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

Wednesday, 17 May 2023

BBC News

• West Midlands Railway changes announced in timetable overhaulRoutes across the region will be affected in a move to tackle delays, the operator says.
• London Underground safety criticised after worker hit by trainThe agency worker still suffers from the effects of the accident, the rail safety investigator says.
• Ferry to be built at Ferguson yard despite not being 'value for money'Minister admits it is cheaper to build a new ship but that would threaten jobs at Ferguson Marine.
• Liverpool John Lennon Airport says Jet2's arrival boosts jobs and choicesMore than 200 jobs will be created as the firm announces 54 weekly flights from Liverpool.
• Bus £2 fare cap extended to end of OctoberThe decision is the second time the government has extended the cap for bus operators in England.

Financial Times

• Tesla will ˜try a little advertising, Elon Musk saysMove would be a shift for the electric-car maker, which has largely eschewed conventional marketing
• VW talks to Huawei about licensing software for cars in ChinaTurmoil at German carmaker's in-house tech arm threatens to affect market share
• Stellantis warns of factory closure if Brexit deal is not renegotiatedCarmaker says Ellesmere Port facility for manufacturing electric vans is at risk over Rules of Origin tariffs
• Private jet disrupter: the debt-fuelled ascent of Thomas Flohr's VistaJetLossmaking airline’s founder has become an aviation superstar as his company amassed a fleet of luxury aircraft

The Guardian

• Bus fares: £2 cap in England extended to end of OctoberScheme will then continue for 13 months at £2.50 for a single journey, on back of £500m funding. Bus passengers in England will be able to keep travelling for £2 after the government extended funding by another £500m, easing fears about a further decline in local services.The fare cap on most local buses, brought in as a temporary measure last year to boost patronage, will be extended until the end of October and then for another 13 months at £2.50 for a single journey, in a move that the Department for Transport said would support people with the cost of living and ensure stability

Times Online

• BA and Virgin Atlantic use cooking oil linked to deforestation as fuel [subscription]BA and Virgin Atlantic have been burning used cooking oil from Asia in their planes, raising concern that they could be contributing to the destruction of rainforests.
• Experts pour cold water on Yousaf’s hydrogen plan. [subscription]Humza Yousaf’s pledge to make hydrogen production a central pillar of Scotland’s transition to net zero has been undermined by experts who warned that it faced “significant hurdles”.
• Lost luggage piles up to ten-year high as airports lose 26m bags. [subscription]The number of bags lost by airlines jumped to the highest level in a decade last year as the aviation sector grappled with a chronic lack of staff.

Daily Record

• Bad news for diesel drivers who 'should be paying 20p less' amid watchdog reportMotoring experts have issued a fuel warning as diesel is still significantly overpriced at the pumps.

Mail Online

• Scottish ministers to press on with delayed ferry project despite it being cheaper to start overEconomy Secretary Neil Gray confirmed yesterday that work on the unfinished ship 'hull 802' would continue despite officials warning that it was no longer 'value for money'.

Network Rail

• Major Barrhead to Glasgow upgrade work set to beginThe next stage of preparing the line for electrification gets underway next month.

Sky News

• £2 bus fare cap extended until October, but critics fear vital services are at risk of being slashedThe £2 fare cap for some bus routes will be extended until the end of October - before rising to £2.50 until November 2024.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford Forster Square train station re-named for Foster FortnightA BRADFORD train station has temporarily changed its name for a special reason.
• Plan to develop new 'Southern Gateway' through station in city centreWORK to develop a new city centre rail station in Bradford could soon be back on the rails, despite the Government cancelling the local Northern Powerhouse Rail line.

Bristol Live

• GWR to ban e-scooters on trains with passengers 'asked to leave' if they ignore new ruleE-scooters will no longer be allowed onto Great Western Railway (GWR) trains or stations in a matter of days. The major rail operator, which is the main service provider along Bristol's railway line, said the ban is due to the potential fire risk.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail address passengers' common complaint over new trainsWe asked Scousers what they thought about the new trains and this is what they said

Yorkshire Post

• Council to scrap £1.7m cycle lane just eight months after it was introducedMiddlesbrough’s new mayor has said the fee to get rid of a controversial £1.7m cycle lane is a “necessary cost”.

Oxford Mail

• Banbury MP calls meeting with rail boss over disruptionAn Oxfordshire MP has raised concerns over overcrowding, the impact of rail strikes and the current issues with services to London with the boss of a local train operator.
• Botley Road closure: Bus operator slams lack of compensationBus operators and local businesses have hit out at Network Rail for not providing financial compensation for the Botley Road closure.

Other Regional Press

• Dunbar: Hopes of extension to station’s car park dashedCalls to extend Dunbar Railway Station’s car park to allow more people to use it have been dashed by Transport Scotland, which has stated it has “no proposals” to improve parking facilities at the site.
• Lee Rowley MP continues fight to revive Derbyshire’s Barrow Hill Line and create Clay Cross stationThe campaign to reopen the Barrow Hill Line and build a new station at Clay Cross continues – with Lee Rowley MP securing a significant meeting in Parliament.

New Civil Engineer

• Wandsworth road bridge lift planned to replace key structural componentsLondon's Wandsworth Bridge is set to close in July for repair work including a bridge lift and the replacement of weight bearing parts.
• Colas begins £33M job of lowering Swindon main access road by three metresColas has begun the £33M task of lowering Fleming Way in Swindon town centre by three metres.
• Why the civil engineering industry needs more women fellowsAs designers, engineers, planners, thinkers, we all know that diversity of opinion is critical to solving problems or coming up with the best designs.
• Utility companies spent nearly £7M last year renting roads in London for maintenance worksA Freedom of Information request submitted by NCE has revealed utility companies spent nearly £7M renting roads to conduct maintenance works last year.

Rail Technology Magazine

• HS2’s Old Oak Common station work progresses with initial concrete base slab pourThe progress of HS2’s construction of Old Oak Common station is well underway, seeing major headway as the station box is taking shape after the culmination of the first base slab concrete pour at the western end of the structure.

Other News Sources

• TransPennine Express makes Scarborough Railway Station greener with new coffee cup recycling binTransPennine Express (TPE) has unveiled a new recycling bin, specifically for single-use coffee cups, at Scarborough Railway Station as part of its commitment to sustainability.
• More HS2 job losses loom as slowdown on route out of Birmingham finalisedSection of line being worked on by Balfour Beatty Vinci team. Jobs are under threat on another part of HS2 mothballed by the government earlier this year, Building can reveal.