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

Friday, 19 May 2023

BBC News

• Anti-airport expansion group in Bristol loses appealCampaigners have lost their appeal to stop Bristol Airport from expanding. The airport plans to increase capacity from 10 to 12 million passengers a year and enhance its facilities.
• Corran ferry: The five minute crossing that opens up the worldThe Corran car ferry has been out of action for six weeks, leaving the Highland communities that rely on the five-minute crossing out of pocket and increasingly frustrated.
• North East bus cut fears remain despite £2 fare extensionFears of "significant" cuts to the North East's bus network remain despite the government's latest funding pledge.
• EasyJet announces new base at Birmingham AirportThe base, due to open in March, is set to create 100 new jobs and eventually lead to new routes.
• ULEZ: Impact of mayor's expansion questionedThe data from Transport for London was released after a Freedom of Information request by the BBC.
• Rishi Sunak talking to EU over threat to UK electric carsThe prime minister says the government is talking to the EU over rule changes that could hit UK car plants.
• China overtakes Japan as world's top car exporterThe jump in China's exports was boosted by rising demand for electric vehicles and sales to Russia.
• Jersey mail plane could be replaced by ferryA ferry could be used instead of a plane for moving mail between Jersey and the UK.

The Herald

• Floundering ferry building lays bare lack of industrial strategyThis week’s staggering revelation over the SNP’s floundering ferry-building programme lays bare the lack of a co-ordinated industrial strategy that could stop millions of pounds of public money from being spent to merely keep things ticking.

The Telegraph

• LNER mocked for showing off its most scenic route... the Devon coastEast Coast Main Line train operator’s promo tweet becomes a laughing stock as social media users spot an error with its image
• Rishi Sunak derails Boris Johnson's Great British Railways plan. [subscription]Plans to bring overall control of track and trains under one body will not form part of the King's Speech later this year, it is understood

Times Online

• Rishi Sunak drops Boris Johnson’s Great British Railways project [subscription]Ministers have quietly scrapped plans for the biggest shake-up of the railways since privatisation, The Times has learnt.

City AM

• Fresh strike action announced by RMT as national rail dispute rumbles on The RMT has announced fresh strike action this afternoon, with members working for 14 train companies in the national rail dispute set to walk out on Friday 2 June. The union said it found the Rail Delivery Group (RDG)s previous offer and associated conditions unacceptable”.

Mail Online

• Is Boris Johnson's shake-up of the UK's railways off the tracks? Officials are allegedly told Great British Railways - which would take over running 20,000 miles of track and replace 'broken' franchising model - is not a priority for the GovernmentThe biggest shake-up of the railway network in a generation has been shelved, it was claimed last night.

Birmingham Post

• Calls to remove new bus lane on main road into Bristol just weeks after it openedThe road is such a queue now that drivers are going back into the village it's supposed to bypass

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Northern confirms new Leeds to Chester train route goes via BradfordA NEW weekly Leeds to Chester train route will go via a Bradford station.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• North Wales railway station to open in face of almost impossible oddsA gala event is being held in early June to mark the official unveiling of Corwen's new £1.25m station

Sheffield Star

• Rumour diffused about the closure of vital bus route in RotherhamCouncillors in a transport group heard that contrary to “misinformation” in the community and “from the provider”, a vital bus route would not end in Rotherham.

Cambridge News

• Cambridgeshire becomes 'first county in UK' to introduce new on-street parking systemThe system is designed to make paying for parking from a range of providers quicker and more secure

Oxford Mail

• Stagecoach introduces improved bus services for Banbury areaBus company Stagecoach have introduced a number of improvements to the service in and around Banbury.

Other Regional Press

• Bristol Airport expansion plans appeal dismissed by courtsBristol Airport has cleared a legal hurdle in the way of its proposed multi-million-pound expansion, but campaigners against the scheme say they will continue their fight. In January the High Court ruled that the airport's major expansion plans could go ahead following a lengthy legal battle, but a group called Bristol Airport Action Network appealed against the decision, Bristol Live reports.
• Jenny Gilruth accused of 'meddling' in rail works impacting her constituency while transport ministerJenny Gilruth could face a probe after she was accused of breaching the Ministerial Code for delaying vital rail works in her constituency. It is claimed Ms Gilruth, who was transport minister at the time, persuaded bosses to stop the work at a cost of £1million to the taxpayer.
• North Yorkshire buses ’would have failed’ without government support, says transport chiefNorth Yorkshire’s transport chief has claimed bus services in the county “would have failed” without support from the council and government.
• Stagecoach introduces improved bus services for Banbury areaBus company Stagecoach have introduced a number of improvements to the service in and around Banbury.

New Civil Engineer

• Industry opinion split on National Highways’ priorities for RIS3Industry reaction to National Highways’ priorities for its third Roads Investment Strategy (RIS3), 2025 to 2030, has been mixed following its publication yesterday.
• £5M allocation for East West Rail ground investigation points to project progressPublication of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) latest commercial pipeline document puts plans to progress work on East West Rail (EWR) at the top of the list with £5M set to be allocated for ground investigation work.
• HS2 safety reports ’industry-leading’ figures for year prior to recent fatalityHigh Speed 2 Ltd (HS2) has said it has achieved an "industry leading" Accident Frequency Rate (AFR) for the 2022/2023 financial year in its latest health and safety figures published this week.
• Proposal for rerouting of the A205 South Circular in Catford costed at £60MThe cost of Transport for London's (TfL) proposal to re-route the South Circular A205 road where it passes through Catford has been revealed to be between £55M and £60M.

Railway Technology

• The Future of Rail Security: A Q&A with Jon Hill, GenetecCloud and analytics-based technology, along with the much-anticipated formation of Great British Railways, is creating new opportunities for rail security and operations. We sat down with Jon Hill of Genetec to find out more.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Modest funding ’can protect Wales bus services to 2024’Modest additional funding from the Welsh Government will protect bus services in Wales until the end of March 2024, members of the Senedd Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee were told by the industry on 11 May.
• National Express honours retired Director Martin HancockNational Express Coventry has honoured former Development Director Martin Hancock for his 30 years with the company by naming a bus after him.

The Business Desk

• Future of Great British Railways in doubt as Government set to delay legislationThe formation of Great British Railways (GBR) could be scrapped – just weeks after Derby was named as the new headquarters of the body.

Other News Sources

• East West Rail asked Cambridgeshire about its new rail line plans and residents told them straightEast-West Rail are due to announce more details on the preferred route for the new Bedford-Cambridge section by the end of May
• Cheshire West and Cheshire East councils secure £2.5m for bus servicesALMOST £2.5 million of Government funding will be used to improve bus services across Mid Cheshire.
• £2.3m funding boost from SPT to encourage sustainable travelA bid to Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has secured funding of £2.3m for Glasgow projects that encourage people to make more sustainable travel choices.
• Shropshire to benefit from £1.5 million bus cash North Shropshire MP and bus campaigner Helen Morgan has hailed news that Shropshire is to get £1.5 million to boost bus services in the county.