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

Wednesday, 24 May 2023

BBC News

• Extra cash for Welsh buses but services still face cutsWelsh bus companies have been told they will get more funding to replace Covid-era emergency cash that ends in the summer.
• Bristol area bus passengers to get free travel in birthday monthPeople living in Bristol and the surrounding area are to get free bus travel during the month of their birthday.
• Gloucestershire villagers anger as bus routes slashedVillagers in Gloucestershire say they will be left "housebound" and "cut off" if bus services close.
• HS2 work brings closures to Saltley Viaduct, BirminghamThere will be a series of closures for three weeks along Birmingham's Saltley Viaduct.
• South Western Railway set to ban e-scootersSouth Western Railway says its decision follows safety concerns around e-scooters' batteries.

Financial Times

• Siemens chief vows to defend and expand market share in China Roland Busch stresses its importance for innovation despite pressure from Berlin to diversify
• Pets pollute as much as private jets, executive saysLuxaviation chief Patrick Hansen says carbon emissions data must be put into perspective as use of private jets soars

The Guardian

• Virgin Orbit ceases operations months after failure of UK space missionCalifornia-based company will fold after selling off its assets and filing for bankruptcy in the USVirgin Orbit, the satellite launch company founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, will permanently cease operations, just months after a major mission failure.

The Herald

• Air pollution Scotland: Survey rates council's clean air plansThe comprehensive audit of steps taken to curb air-borne pollutants found that Aberdeen, Fife and West Dunbartonshire were the top three locations
• Green freeports: Minister to highlight plans during Spain tripTrade minister Richard Lochhead is to meet business leaders during a two-day visit.

Times Online

• CalMac apologises as new ferry tickets site founders. [subscription]CalMac, the state-owned ferry operator, has apologised to customers who have experienced problems using its new booking system launched last week.
• Thieves using new tech to steal cars from driveways in seconds [subscription]Vehicle thefts soared by a quarter in England and Wales last year, the latest figures reveal.
• France’s ban on local flights fails to take off [subscription]A much-trumpeted ban on short domestic flights in France took effect with so many exemptions that no services will be halted.

City AM

• Boeing boss warns sustainable aviation fuels will ’never achieve the price of jet fuel’ Boeing's boss David Calhoun has warned that new sustainable biofuels will never achieve the price of jet fuel downplaying widespread hopes for the technology in the sector.

The Mirror

• Britain's roads are a mess - and could cost £14bn to fix, says campaigner 'Mr Pothole'Mark Morrell put the repairs backlog at £14billion, up from 3.75bn in 2000, and believes the issues are down to a long-term lack of investment in resurfacing

Birmingham Post

• West of England Metro Mayor secures £3.6m for walking and cycling in the regionMetro Mayor Dan Norris wants to encourage more people across the West of England to walk and cycle

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Vandal who shot at train is branded 'reckless' by rail usersThe incident that caused major delays and disruption to trains across the Aire Valley, near Kirkstall Forge Station, yesterday has been described as ‘reckless’ and ‘irresponsible’.
• Learner drivers under pressure to pass amid DVSA test backlogLearner drivers are feeling the pressure to pass their test first time amid long waits for driving tests in Bradford, instructors claim.

Bristol Live

• Voi in Bristol offering safety training with a day pass worth £10 and a free helmetYou can try it out for free

Daily Post (North Wales)

• How graffiti is cutting trespassing on railway at North Wales station'There are signs of a reduction in anti-social behaviour'

London Evening Standard

• Transport bosses urged to keep Day Travelcard as proposal to axe it could cost passengers moreondon transport chiefs were today urged to scrap plans to axe the Day Travelcard – the “all in one” ticket that allows unlimited journeys across the capital.

Bucks Free Press

• Chiltern Railways to have 10 weeks worth of disruptionChiltern Railway users will have to find alternative routes for their destinations after the train line confirmed they will have 10 weeks of disruptions.
• Amersham: Woman calls out HS2 after sinkhole appears next to cafeA café owner next to a sinkhole in Buckinghamshire has slammed the HS2 for ˜lack of care.

Cambridge News

• Works to begin on Black Cat Roundabout following legal battleFull construction should begin by the end of the year and the road is expected to open in 2027

Other Regional Press

• The 21 failing Essex bus services at risk of 'redesign' due to low useA list of 21 failing bus services may have to “redesigned” as Essex County Council indicates on demand services as the future. Of those that have been categorised as of “low use” are the C56 from Chelmsford to Galleywood, the number 6 in Harlow and the 94 in South Woodham Ferrers. The cost of support to these 21 services amount to £1.1m per year.
• Scotrail to introduce ban on certain electric items on servicesScotrail has introduced a ban on certain electric devices on its trains including scooters and skateboards.
• South Ayrshire Community Transport receives funding for bus expansionStrathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), Scotland’s largest regional transport body, has announced new grant funding for a community transport project in South Ayrshire.
• Public transport proposed as Monmouthshire’s home to school transport policyPUPILS will be expected to travel to school on public bus services where possible under the latest draft of a council’s home to school transport policy.
• If they raise school bus pass cost, we'll hire a private minibus'Parents are considering hiring a private minibus to take their children to school  after the cap on how much bus pass costs can rise was scrapped.
• What happened as Sheffield taxi drivers bring city centre to standstill with protest and trams delayedIt is believed the protest may be related to the implementation of the Sheffield Clean Air Zone
• South Western Railway announces e-scooter banA train operator serving Dorset will ban e-scooters across its stations and trains from next week.

Intelligent Transport

• UK’s Citymapper acquired by global transport tech company, ViaThe acquisition of the foremost journey planning app will advance Via’s vision to be the operating system for every aspect of public mobility.

New Civil Engineer

• Floating platforms aid rebuild of 160-year-old wooden Cambrian line rail viaduct Network Rail has announced successful completion of refurbishment work on the Severn and Carno viaduct near Caersws, Powys following a 16 day line closure on the Cambrian line that used innovative techniques to deliver the work.
• University of Sheffield engineers present new method of accurately assessing stone and brick masonry structuresResearchers at University of Sheffield’s Department of Civil and Structural Engineering have devised a more accurate method of assessing the safety of stone and brick masonry structures.
• Why Network Rail is breathing new life into an historic mill beneath Leeds stationEngineers have commenced work on the £46.1M Leeds Sustainable Travel Gateway scheme that will see the historic Mill Goit at Leeds Station turned into a cycle hub and the 19th century road structure renewed.

Rail Business Daily

• 160-year-old wooden viaduct gets major refurbishmentWork on the Severn and Carno viaduct near Caersws, Powys, has been completed as well as a large section of track work near Newtown.

Other News Sources

• Transport Scotland hits back at reports of ChargePlace Scotland break upTransport Scotland has responded to reports that ChargePlace Scotland (CPS) will be broken up, refuting suggestions that the charging network will be discontinued in the summer.
• London Transport Museum celebrates 160 years of the Tube in style with exclusive Wallace Sewell collaborationLondon Transport Museum has teamed up with textile design studio Wallace Sewell to celebrate 160 years of the Tube with an exclusive new range of accessories available from the Museum’s Covent Garden store and online shop. Celebrating the Underground and its influence on the city, the stylish design weaves together the iconic colours of the Tube lines into a striking geometric pattern with the colours of the Elizabeth line, the Overground, the DLR and Trams interwoven to pay homage to the contemporary Tube map we know today.
• Three-quarters of motorways not adequately equipped with electric car chargersThe Government is set to miss one of its own targets on improving electric vehicle charging infrastructure - after the RAC found fewer than a quarter of motorway service areas in England are equipped with the right number of rapid chargers.