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

Tuesday, 06 June 2023

BBC News

• Government agrees to fund £200m Cambridge South stationThe government has agreed to fully fund a new £200m railway station.
• Scotland's first electric HGV starts making tripsChivas Brothers has launched a trial transporting whisky using the electric heavy good vehicle.

Department for Transport

• Nearly £2 million to fund innovative transport tech including apps to assist disabled passengersInnovative start-ups awarded government funding to develop projects that will provide greener transport systems that are accessible to everyone.
• East West Rail: Oxford and Cambridge route updateEast West Rail route development to improve connectivity and boost productivity in the Oxford to Cambridge region.

Financial Times

• India's surging rail investment fails to avert disasterDeadliest train accident in decades evokes dark past despite modernisation and improving safety record

The Guardian

• Ministers face legal challenge over cuts to walking and cycling investment in EnglandThe government faces a legal challenge to its decision to cut investment in walking and cycling in England, over claims that the move bypassed legal processes and risks scuppering commitments over the climate emergency and air pollution.

The Independent

• Eurostar forced to stop running London-Amsterdam trains for almost a year in 2024 The incredible shrinking network: Brexit plus refurbishment could see the number of stations served by the cross-Channel train operator cut from 13 to four

The Scotsman

• Stagecoach hops onboard Clan's Art Trail as transport partnerClan Cancer Support has announced Stagecoach as Transport Partner for its upcoming art trail, with less than a month to go until the forty large hare sculptures go on public display across the north of Scotland.
• Eurostar Disney route ends while Amsterdam service faces suspensionThe final train from London St Pancras to Marne-la-Vallee, a station next to the theme park, departed at 10.34am on Monday as the operator focuses on its core routes to Paris and Brussels.

Times Online

• Fleet car demand puts sales in fast lane. [subscription]Registrations of new cars have risen for a tenth month in a row, giving the market its best run of consecutive growth in eight years.
• How to solve Britain’s rail crisis? These companies may have the answer. [subscription]Almost a year into the railway strikes and the scenes around the country this week have been wearisomely familiar.
• What it’s like to ride the new sleeper train to Berlin. [Subscription]There’s no dining car, no shower and plenty of snoring — can our writer get on board with the new 12-hour service?

Birmingham Mail

• Plans unveiled for new £24million interchange set to replace Dudley bus stationThe interchange is set to replace the current bus station in the town centre

Birmingham Post

• Port of Tyne secures £50m from UK infrastructure Bank to boost regeneration and expansion planThe bank has made the commitment to aid the port's plans to help boost local and regional growth across the North East

Liverpool Echo

• New Merseyrail train fleet hit by more faults and problems Rail operator accepts that "varied" faults are leading to cancellations and the re-introduction of old services on fully operational new fleet lines

Manchester Evening News

• 'This is a fight we have to win for the North of England'Manchester will be making its case for an underground station at Piccadilly in Parliament next week with the backing of business leaders from across the country. MPs will be looking at the latest HS2 plans which would see high speed rail arrive in the city centre on '15-metre high concrete stilts'.

Wales Online

• Council chiefs plan to end lease with Swansea Airport operator four months after agreeing to negotiate a new oneIt is likely to end up in court if an agreement can't be reached

Peterborough Telegraph

• 'Silly political games': Peterborough council leader accused of risking transport schemes - but he insists there's 'no jeopardy'Council leader Wayne Fitzgerald faces criticism from Peterborough’s Lib Dem group over his opposition to parts of a region-wide transport strategy

Other Regional Press

• Call for urgent reviews into electrification of north Wales railway lineBUSINESS and council leaders in the region are joining forces to urge the UK government to conduct an urgent review of the electrification of the north Wales coast main railway line. The call for action comes after a briefing meeting organized by Growth Track 360 and Transport for the North, which was attended by Members of Parliament from North Wales, West Cheshire, and the Wirral at the House of Commons.
• Scarborough Railway Station to receive upgraded ticket machines following approval of plansScarborough Railway Station is set to receive two new ticket vending machines following the approval of plans by North Yorkshire Council.
• Mental load is a major barrier to adoption of electric vehicles by women in the UKNew research from Autotrader and Hive has revealed that mental load and safety concerns around public charging alone are discouraging British women from purchasing an electric vehicle (EV). UK women currently account for less than half (7% vs 16% of men*) of the EV owners despite making up almost half of the licensed drivers on the road (48%).
• Bedford leaders oppose Transport for London proposals to discontinue Day TravelcardsBedford’s council and local MP have vigorously opposed proposals from Transport for London (TfL) to discontinue Day Travelcards, saying rail travellers will be forced to pay more.
• New 20mph speed limits set for main roads in OxfordshireThe reduction of the default speed limit from 30mph to 20mph is part of a wider plan by Oxfordshire County Council to make roads safer.
• Airline passengers will be served Kentish wineA small area of Kent seems to be making quite a name for itself for English wines.

New Civil Engineer

• Approval granted for refurbishment of Tyneside’s Grade I listed High Level BridgeGateshead and Newcastle Councils have given the green light to Network Rail for a £4M package of refurbishment works to be carried out on the High Level Bridge across the River Tyne.
• Planned Midlands metro line set to be curtailed due to inflationary cost pressuresA £450M metro line near Birmingham could be forced to terminate short of its planned destination because of spiralling costs.
• Work begins on £200M Cambridge South station with completion expected 2025Spades are in the ground on the new Cambridge South railway station, which is being backed by £200M of government funding.
• Mayors in fresh plea for Euston and Piccadilly HS2 investment to safeguard linkages between London and the NorthThe mayors of Manchester and London have urged ministers to invest in key stations in the cities to create “the best form of High Speed 2”.
• HS2’s national skills college to close due to low enrolments and funding woesA national college established to deliver skills for UK projects including High Speed 2 will close its doors in July amid lacklustre enrolments and a funding shortfall, as reported by CN magazine.

Rail Advent

• Groups lobby MPs to fund improvements to North Wales and Cheshire railTwo lobbying groups that want better rail connections across the border between North Wales and Cheshire have been putting their case to Members of Parliament.

Railway Gazette

• Rail Minister commits to trans-Pennine electrification ’in full’ and HS2 to ManchesterUK: Suggestions that the Transpennine Route Upgrade may be scaled back in response to funding constraints were rejected by Transport Minister Huw Merriman when questioned by Rail Business UK.

Aviation Industry

• Willie Walsh Report on the Air Transport IndustryAirlines are en route to a profitable, safe, efficient, and sustainable future.

Other News Sources

• Transport Committee report reveals “inadequate” accessible transport legislation for disabled peopleA report by the Transport Committee has made it clear that current legislation doesn’t do enough to support disabled people who need to safely use buses, trains or even pavements to get around and live their lives.
• Liverpool Street station £1.5 billion revamp puts Kindertransport statue front and centreAmbitious proposed upgrades to major London terminus will ensure Holocaust refugee memorial is given improved signage and pride of place
• New campaign promotes safety on soon-to-be electrified Glasgow-Barrhead lineNETWORK Rail has reached the halfway point in delivering a new safety campaign that educates youngsters on the dangers along the Glasgow to Barrhead railway corridor.

News from Europe

• Sun-ways, a Swiss start-up, is developing a technology, a train, that can place solar cells in between rail tracksSun-ways is putting this idea to the test during a $560,000 pilot project in Western Switzerland. The pilot, which is slated for this summer, will trial a version of the mechanism using a regular train that’s been retrofitted for the occasion. Running on a 140-foot stretch near the city of Neuchatel, the train will install about 60 solar panels, turning the gap between train tracks into a reflective black ribbon.