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

Thursday, 18 May 2023

BBC News

• Metro reliability improves after formal warningMetro services have become more reliable since bosses issued a formal warning to the firm in charge of maintaining its deteriorating trains.
• West Midlands Railway changes announced in timetable overhaulRoutes across the region will be affected in a move to tackle delays, the operator says.
• Second ferry deal is not a blank cheque - ministerNeil Gray says Ferguson shipyard would have been in jeopardy had Hull 802 been built elsewhere.
• Former Ferguson shipyard boss offers to buy it back for £1Jim McColl says continuing to build a second ferry at Ferguson Marine is the wrong commercial decision.
• Five hurt in escalator malfunction at Glasgow railway stationFour of those hurt were taken to hospital after the incident at Argyle Street station in Glasgow.
• Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Protection from demolition plan laid outA planning measure to safeguard a mothballed South Yorkshire airport from demolition is to be considered.

Financial Times

• German carmakers lobby to maintain tariff-free access to UKIndustry wants EU to delay rules of original terms in post-Brexit trade agreement

The Guardian

• MPs say poor transport to mental health services causing crisis in rural EnglandLack of transport to mental health services is causing a crisis in England’s rural communities, MPs have said.
• Train drivers union says it has received significant pay offers in Wales and ScotlandAslef backs agreements, saying they are in stark contrast to response from Conservative government. The train drivers union has said it has received significan pay offers for its members in Wales and Scotland and said the agreements were in stark contras to the response from the Conservative government in Westminster. Aslef said it recommended acceptance of offers from ScotRail and Transport for Wales (TfW) to its members.

The Telegraph

• Party balloons sparked Gatwick airport security fears and delayed flightsGatwick flights were suspended after passengers filmed what they thought was a drone

Times Online

• Self-driving cars will cause ’moral panic’ in the UK, minister predicts. [subscription]The UK will need to “weather a moral panic” when self-driving vehicles are legalised on public roads, a transport minister has warned.

The Mirror

• Public transport shame as survey shows 10million people live in 'blackspots'More than half of those have to take three or more types of public transport, while many have to walk a mile to a stop or station, study suggests

Birmingham Post

• East Midlands Railway warns of reduced services on the Midland Mainline from late May to mid-JuneEMR said engineering work is needed to upgrade drainage and replace sleepers at the Clay Cross and Milford tunnels

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Road tolls strategy, new highway projects and EV charging part of report on future of Wales's roadsFSB Wales’ new report Different Routes, Same Destination was launched today

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• North East's crisis-hit bus network could still face 'significant' cuts, despite Government's £500m pledgeA council leader fears that new funding intended to protect services across England until 2025 will not be enough to prevent routes in our region being slashed

Wales Online

• 'Moral panic' to come over self-driving cars, transport minister warnsThere will be a "horrendous" stage to the development process, he said

Bucks Free Press

• High Wycombe: new Heathrow bus service launchesA new airport bus service to Heathrow has launched after a £2 million investment.
• Amersham: HS2 under fire after sinkhole pollution fearsAn environmental campaigner has slammed the high-speed railway after a ‘giant’ sinkhole opened above HS2 works near a Buckinghamshire lake.

Cambridge News

• Stagecoach speaks out after new Cambridge electric bus broke down on first dayThe bus company have said that "minor teething issues" were expected during the roll out of the 30 electric buses on Cambridge's Park and Ride network.

Other Regional Press

• Calls for Wrexham-Bidston line to be handed to another rail operator raised in SeneddA call by an influential rail user group for the transfer of the Wrexham-Bidston rail line to a different operator was brought to the forefront in the Senedd on Tuesday. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​
• Harrow commuters rejoice as British Transport Police boosts presence for enhanced safetyThe British Transport Police (BTP) has announced an expansion of its presence throughout the London rail network, including the Harrow area, with the aim of deterring robberies and ensuring the safety of passengers during their travels.
• Councillor calls for better public transport links at Paisley hubA councillor has called for better public transport links for visually-impaired veterans in Renfrewshire.

Intelligent Transport

• Europe embraces digital demand-responsive transport as a long-term solutionRather than a ’pilot’ or ’trial’ program lasting for just a few months or so, digital demand-responsive transport (DDRT) has become a core part of how communities move in the long run across Europe. And, it’s expanding.

New Civil Engineer

• MP urges government to speed up Docklands Light Railway extension to ThamesmeadErith and Thamesmead’s MP has written a letter to Mark Harper urging the government to speed up the process of extending the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Thamesmead.
• Plans for new Bradford rail station re-emerge with UK Infrastructure Bank advisory supportBradford Council will be working with the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) to develop plans for a new through station in the city centre, potentially where the scrapped local Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) station was meant to be built.
• Ground condition issues push back £150M A585 Flyde bypass opening dateNational Highways has announced that the opening date for the A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool bypass in Flyde has been postponed from August to "winter" this year, as challenging ground conditions impacted utility diversion works.

Aviation Industry

• AEF’s Airspace and Noise Community Forum Outlines Policy Concerns to Aviation MinisterAEF’s Airspace and Noise Community Forum has written to the Aviation Minister outlining concerns with the recently announced overarching noise policy.

Other News Sources

• London boroughs push case again for stalled Bakerloo line extension and Crossrail 2 schemesProjects among 67 listed on framework published by umbrella group for city’s local authorities
• DfT allocates £5M more for East West Rail ground investigationsThe Department for Transport’s latest commercial pipeline includes a £5M ground investigation survey contract for the East West Rail scheme, a year after it set aside £38M for similar works.
• Transport systems need to be made safe, healthy and sustainableIn the context of the 7th UN Global Road Safety Week (15-21 May 2023), the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on governments to increase investments in walking, cycling and public transport, those modes of transport which are inherently healthy and sustainable. A prerequisite for shifting to these modes is to ensure roads are safe for all who use them.  
• UK Transport Secretary Demands Union Vote on Rail Pay OfferMark Harper says he’s confident industry proposals would pass

• A “moral panic” will be caused by the use of self-driving vehicles on public roads, a transport minister has warned.Jesse Norman told MPs that a “horrendous” part of the development of the technology will be “scare stories, particularly in the early stages”.

News from Europe

• European Investment Bank approves €3.8bn for sustainable transportTHE board of directors of the European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved new financing worth a total of €3.8bn for sustainable transport, including rail and metro projects in Albania, the Czech Republic and Spain.