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

Tuesday, 23 May 2023

BBC News

• Ryanair returns to profit as fares jumpThe airline benefits as travel demand rebounds and one expert warns fares are set to rise further.
• Train wi-fi at risk as part of cost-cutting moveThe government says wi-fi is not a priority for passengers, but one expert claims trains could lose custom.
• We've done all we can do stop queues, says DoverAhead of the Bank Holiday and half-term break, the Port of Dover claims new steps will stop delays.

Financial Times

• US pilots shun promotion to captain’s chair over quality-of-life concernsUnion leaders insist on scheduling changes in contract talks with United Airlines
• Global container production slumps as demand for goods sinksSteel boxes pile up at ports after sharp fall in demand following pandemic-era boom
• Aviation will need €300bn for EU green hydrogen switch, study findsEuropean lawmakers grapple with policy to drive industry to cleaner technology
• Ryanair swings to profit on European travel reboundResults exceed analyst expectations with airline forecasting further growth in passenger numbers this year
• Boeing boss cools hopes for sustainable aviation fuelsDavid Calhoun tells transport executives there is no cheap way of decarbonising air travel

The Guardian

• How does train wifi work and why is it under threat in England?The lowdown on the onboard service, and its benefits over using phone data insteadRail passengers in England could lose wifi accessWifi for train passengers in England may be axed as the government seeks to cut costs. The move is being pushed by the Department for Transport in order to cut costs as it looks to “reform all aspects of the railway” and provide “value for money”. But how does it work, and will this prove a false economy? Continue reading...
• Rail passengers in England could lose wifi access amid cost cutsDfT tells operators wifi is low priority for travellers and they need to justify business case for it

The Telegraph

• Passenger wifi at risk from railway budget cuts. [Subscription]Free wifi on trains faces the axe under government cost cutting plans to repair the battered finances of Britain's railways.

Times Online

• UK train passengers face loss of free wi-fiPassengers face losing access to wi-fi on trains after ministers told rail companies to cut costs.

i News

• Government tells train companies to stop providing Wi-Fi on board to cut costsTrain operators may scrap onboard wifi as British rail companies seek to cut costs, but passenger groups have warned it would be a ’backwards’ measure

The National

• Train companies look to SCRAP WiFi for passengers in cost-cutting moveTRAIN passengers in England could lose access to WiFi after the Government told rail companies to stop providing the service unless they can show it makes business sense.

Bristol Live

• Metro mayor pedals his way to £3.6 million boost for cycling and walkingThe Mayor wants to make it easier and more secure to park your bike

London Evening Standard

• Train passengers could lose access to free wifi to cut costsThe Department for Transport said it is reviewing whether the service ’delivers the best possible value for money’.

Manchester Evening News

• Free wi-fi on trains could be scrapped in cost-cutting measureFree wi-fi on trains could be scrapped under cost-saving measures being considered the Department for Transport. The DfT, which controls the finances of most train operators in England, said it is reviewing whether the service 'delivers the best possible value for money'.

Northern Echo

• Arriva to receive funding boost to improve Darlington bus servicesA troubled bus operator is due to receive financial support from the government to help improve services in Darlington.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Metro confirm final tests have begun on £50m delayed Wolverhampton extensionPassengers should finally be able to use the Wolverhampton Metro extension this summer, if final tests are successful.
• Train passengers could lose access to free wifi to cut costsThe Department for Transport said it is reviewing whether the service ’delivers the best possible value for money’.

Other Regional Press

• Activists 'distraught’ as Bristol Airport expansion appeal dismissedGreen Party councillors in North Somerset have said they are “distraught” after the Court of Appeal threw out an attempt to stop Bristol Airport expanding.

New Civil Engineer

• Court quashes legal threat to Skanska’s £950M A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet schemeNational Highways has pledged to start construction of a £950M Cambridgeshire dual carriageway project this year after a legal challenge to the work was halted last week.
• ’Clueless’ National Highways could be ordered to remove infill from another 100-year-old bridgeNational Highways could be ordered to remove over 1,000t of infill from beneath an historic bridge in Norfolk if its retrospective planning application for the work is denied.

Aviation Industry

• Stansted Express to increase Peak time services between London and Stansted AirportGreater Anglia (who operate the Stansted Express services) will increase services to four an hour during the morning and evening weekday peaks, as passenger numbers return to the airport.

Other News Sources

• Joint statement from Mayors of Doncaster & South Yorkshire & Doncaster MPs regarding Doncaster Sheffield AirportA considerable amount of work is ongoing and this update covers the controlled airspace at the airport and a planning measure that has been approved by City of Doncaster Council.
• Flight-free specialist Byway criticises plan to shorten rail booking windowFlight-free specialist Byway has criticised a proposal from the Office of Rail and Road to allow British rail operators to shorten their booking windows to eight weeks.
• Network Rail ’dragging feet’ over plans to open abandoned railway for active travelCouncillor criticises stalling of plans to connect the old Piershill to Powderhall line with the city’s paths network.
• Government delay on rail proposals is undermining the sector’s ability to increase capacity - Lord Faulkner Now that passenger numbers are returning to pre-Covid levels the network needs enhancements to increase rail capacity, improve journey times and generate economic growth
• English Rail Passengers May Lose WiFi Due to Cost CutsThe UK government has instructed rail companies to stop providing wifi on trains unless they can demonstrate its financial viability.
• Risk to train wi-fi as part of cost-cutting moveA rail passengers watchdog has expressed alarm that wi-fi may be withdrawn on trains in England as part of cost cutting measures.
• Government May Cut Free WiFi Wireless Internet from UK TrainsThe UK Government’s Department for Transport (DfT) has hinted that the ability of railway commuters to access free onboard public WiFi while travelling could be cut to help pay for the train service itself, which is said to be unsustainable in its current form.