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

Monday, 26 June 2023

BBC News

• Decision to axe Saturday bus through Wiltshire criticisedPeople living in two villages say they have been left "stranded" by a decision to axe a bus route on Saturdays.
• Caledonian Sleeper goes back into public ownershipThe Scottish government has taken control of the overnight rail service between Scotland and England.
• Ferry changes needed to end 'blame-shifting culture'MSPs also pointed to problems such as an ageing fleet and a lack of resilience in the network.
• New Wellington railway station worth £15m could open by 2025Efforts to build a new railway station could soon move a step closer - if plans for 220 new homes are approved.

Financial Times

• Shortage of HGV mechanics threatens UK supply chains, warns sectorIndustry leaders say the UK could suffer a repeat of the empty shelves that hit shops in 2021

STV

• Scottish Government takes control of Caledonian Sleeper rail serviceThe Caledonian Sleeper has been taken into public ownership. Serco had its licence to operate the overnight cross-border rail link terminated early by MSPs last year after the firm attempted to renegotiate its contract.

The Guardian

• The surprisingly popular world of online trainspotting: ’Some people keep it on 24 hours a day’Aided by station-mounted cameras, fans are breathing new life into America’s forgotten railway towns – online and IRL

Times Online

• Zero-carbon buses stuck in slow lane, Go-Ahead warns [subscriptionA leading public transport operator has called on the government to speed up and recommit to its promises to decarbonise the bus sector.
• Plan for discounted train tickets hits the buffers. [subscription]Cost-conscious Treasury officials are blocking budget-airline-style pricing. Plans to let train companies offer cheaper tickets are being blocked by the Treasury amid claims that officials are trying to “run down” the railways.

Daily Record

• Caledonian Sleeper trains to be operated by Scottish GovernmentThe service was previously run by Serco Caledonian Sleepers Limited but will now be operated under public ownership going forward.

Mail Online

• Can we really afford to splurge £100bn on a high speed rail link that will serve no useful purpose and may never be finished? Special report on HS2 by STEPHEN GLOVERFew people could gaze at the bronze statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel on London’s Victoria Embankment without being moved.

The National

• Caledonian Sleeper service taken into public ownershipTHE Scottish Government has hailed the beginning of a “new era” for the Caledonian Sleeper service after officially came into public ownership on Sunday.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Kirkstall Forge Station: Planning application submitted to extend train platforms at Leeds stationNetwork Rail have submitted a planning application to extend both platforms at Kirkstall Forge Station in Leeds.

Other Regional Press

• How trams could make huge improvements to public transport in ThurrockPLANS to create a tram network in Thurrock, linking it to Kent via a new tunnel were centre stage at a recent major event in the public transport industry.
• Work to start on new bus lane for busy Somerset commuter routeNew ’smart’ traffic lights will also be installed
• Huddersfield train station named 'worst for cancellations' in UKHuddersfield Station has been revealed to have the worst record for cancellations in England, with around one in six trains not running (15%).
• Southampton City Council: Rise in electric cars improves air qualityA COUNCIL scheme to improve the air quality in Southampton has taken shape as the number of electric cars in the city has risen over 50 per cent from the previous year.
• Weymouth: tempers flare as car parking increases discussedTEMPERS flared at a meeting discussing an 'extortionate' increase in Weymouth's car parking charges.
• Chepstow to Gloucester railway line work leads to closuresTHE rail line between Chepstow and Gloucester will be hit by further closures as extensive work to shore up crumbling cliffs above the track take place.

New Civil Engineer

• Interview | Programme management academic Bent Flyvbjerg identifies the ingredients of successful major projectsOnly 8.5% of megaprojects are completed on time and to budget, says Oxford University professor of major programme management and IT University of Copenhagen professor of programme management Bent Flyvbjerg.
• Extensive maintenance programme completed on 120 year old ’unusual’ concrete viaduct in ScotlandAn “unusual” concrete viaduct built in 1901 has had a detailed maintenance programme completed by six different contractors involving 240 separate repairs.
• How artificial intelligence is improving Network Rail track worker safetyNetwork Rail is improving its track worker safety, with artificial intelligence software helping to find and remove scrap materials from the side of the railway.
• Suppliers alerted to £30M South Yorkshire Supertram renewals framework opportunitySouth Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has alerted contractors that it will be establishing a Supertram trackwork improvement framework worth £30M.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Socially necessary bus services position clarified by DfTThe government will consider statutorily requiring socially and economically necessary bus services in England outside London if “more comprehensive” such provision is not achieved between operators and local authorities (LAs) through Bus Service Improvement Plan work.

Other News Sources

• Greater Manchester moves closer to 'London-style' transport networkBus and tram tickets are to be launched, cutting the cost of travel in Greater Manchester for many users by 20 per cent from September.
• Almost half a million summer rides for free on Swansea busesSWANSEA’S pioneering free bus initiative has been a smash-hit with residents, new figures reveal.
• Caledonian Sleeper trains to be operated by Scottish governmentScotland’s sleeper trains are now being operated under public ownership.
• Network Rail tenders for North West and Central capital works frameworksNetwork Rail has invited suppliers to tender for large project contracts on its capital works frameworks for the North West and Central region.
• Southern rail tour raises £12,500 for Chestnut Tree HouseRail enthusiasts have raised over £25,000 for a children's hospice following a rail tour last month.
• Airline execs predict 'major changes' amid pressure to cut emissions: AnalystAviation executives foresee "major changes" to how people travel as sustainability demands grow, one analyst says.
• New Isle of Man ferry arrives in the UKThe Isle of Man Steam Packet Company’s new flagship has arrived in UK waters for the first time. MANXMAN arrived in Southampton yesterday, 24 June, for final outfitting, after a journey of around 10,000 nautical miles from South Korea.
• New Ireland to France ferry makes first commercial sailingStena Line’s new Rosslare – Cherbourg cruiseferry, STENA VISION has departed Rosslare this afternoon, 24 June, on her first commercial sailing.

News from Europe

• SNCF modernises railway tracks in Calais to increase rail freight capacityA short but important section of the railway in Calais will undergo modernisation starting in July. The 4,4 kilometres long track between the port of Calais and the Calais-Ville railway station will be upgraded as part of a two-stage project aiming to triple freight traffic from three-four daily trains to fifteen roundtrips.