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

Wednesday, 12 July 2023

BBC News

• Chester railway station area's masterplan approvedA new vision for the area around a city centre railway station has been given council approval. The proposals for the area near Chester's station include up to 600 new homes, improved walking and cycling routes to the city centre and a multi-storey car park.
• Ten London Underground stations reviewed for step-free accessTransport for London says that it is looking at installing lifts in stations across different zones.
• London City Airport fails in bid to extend flying hoursThe lives of people living near the airport have already been
• New Renault-Geely engine firm to have headquarters in UKThe deal between France's Renault and the Chinese maker of London taxis will support 19,000 jobs.
• Dewsbury Bus Station £14m revamp plans revealedArtist's impressions showing how Dewsbury Bus Station's £13.9m revamp could look have been revealed.
• Rail carriage for rich and famous restored at Foxfield RailwayA carriage once one of the most prestigious coaches on Britain's railways has been brought back to life.

Times Online

• Let the rail firms run under their own steamTowards the end of the last century, before the privatisation of our railways, I wrote a sorrowful column about the neglect by British Rail of the cross-country traveller. Commuters make up the bulk of passenger travel, but for ordinary families away from the metropolis, travelling between places in the regions and home counties (especially at weekends) is their principal experience of trains. So when a private company took the CrossCountry franchise and more recently acquired some spacious seven-car, refurbished InterCity 125s, there seemed some hope.

City AM

• Bolt to relocate driver hub to the City as UK users hit 9 million milestone Ride-hailing platform Bolt has relocated its driver hub to a city centre location on the back of racing demand for its taxis, City A.M. has learned. Bolt told City A.M. that it has relocated the hub from Chiswick to Bermondsey due to soaring passenger demand and increase in drivers, revealing that it now has 100,000 [...]

Daily Record

• First Bus faces massive backlash after scrapping night services across GlasgowCouncil bosses in Glasgow said their hands were tied when it comes to bus services but changes could happen in the longer term.

The Mirror

• Mass protests in desperate bid to save 1,000 rail ticket offices facing closureThe RMT plans to demonstrate outside dozens of stations across England following proposals announced by train companies last week that could see up to 1,000 ticket offices close over the next three years

Birmingham Post

• Bath College receives cash boost from West of England Metro MayorThe number of students learning vital skills in electric car maintenance and repair skills is set to double

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• 'Bradford to Leeds in 10 minutes' plan raised in House of LordsTHE PROPOSED upgrade of a railway line between Bradford and Leeds was discussed in the House of Lords.

Leicester Mercury

• Objectors to rail hub scheme fear 'concreting' of the countryside and impact on roadsPeople have slammed proposals for a massive rail freight hub between Leicester and Hinckley as a "blight on the community" and a "monstrosity" which would devastate the countryside and exacerbate traffic problems. Plans for the £750m, 440-acre Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange by developer Tritax Symmetry are in the process of being examined by the Planning Inspectorate, which has now published representations submitted by members of the public.

Yorkshire Post

• West Yorkshire needs its own tram network to boost economic growth - Jessica BowlesIf you’re planning to visit a city in France, Germany or Spain over the summer, you’ll probably notice how easy it is to get around without a car.Sadly, the same can’t be said for most UK cities, particularly here in the North.

Bucks Free Press

• Train strikes announced for Chiltern Railways next weekTrain operator Chiltern Railways has issued a warning to its customers about the significant disruption they can expect next week due to industrial action by both ASLEF and the RMT.

South Wales Argus

• Caerphilly council axe Rail Linc Blackwood Ystrad Mynach busCAERPHILLY council has axed funding for a heavily subsidised bus service which connects communities to a railway station.

Other Regional Press

• Regional transport leaders approve £3.8million funding for restoring bus services across West YorkshireWest Yorkshire Combined Authority is set to spend £3.8million on protecting and reinstating bus services across the region that are under threat due to cuts by private operators.
• £19m plans for bus, cycle and walking routes in south CoventryPlans for new cycling, walking and bus routes serving one of Coventry’s major development and growth areas are currently being drawn up following the award of over half a million pounds of funding.
• Leeds: Public meeting discusses train ticket office closuresA public meeting will discuss the proposed closure of train station ticket offices in Leeds – including New Pudsey and Horsforth.
• New Dawlish Station footbridge craned into positionThe bridge is set to be open later on this year with further work needing to be carried out.
• Wantage and Grove Station campaigner slams HIF1 projectAndy Holding of Wantage and Grove Station Supporters Group has criticised Oxfordshire County Council's HIF1 transport network project
• Letter of concern about Dorset train ticket office closuresThank you for your coverage of the proposed ticket office closures at SW Railway. I have submitted the following objection to www.transportfocus.org.uk

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 starts £270M procurement for Automated People Mover in West MidlandsHigh Speed 2 (HS2) Ltd has begun the search for a supplier to design, operate and maintain its Automated People Mover (APM) in the West Midlands in a contract worth £270M.
• Oxford station upgrade on hold as archaeological find is analysedWork on the £161M Oxford station upgrade has been paused as contractors have unearthed a subsurface arch thought to be part of an old water system.
• Parts of UK canal network likely to close as government slashes fundingThe future of the England and Wales’ canals systems is under threat following a £300M funding cut, the Canal & River Trust has said.

Rail Business Daily

• Drive your European Train Control System (ETCS) retrofit with HARTINGThe European Train Control System (ETCS) allows trains to run without traditional trackside signals. Instead, a series of communication systems monitor the train’s position and speed and relays information to the driver’s cab.
• Alstom supports contribution of near £1bn to UK and Ireland GDP, economic impact report findsAlstom has revealed the scale of its economic impact on the UK and Ireland. Publication of its 2023 Economic Impact Report follows last month’s 200th anniversary of the world’s first purpose-built locomotive works in Newcastle, Robert Stephenson and Company, to which Alstom can trace its roots. Founded in UK in 1823, it was the first company in the world created specifically to build railway engines. Since 1989, the company belongs to Alstom.

Other News Sources

• Alpha Trains and Siemens Mobility sign service contract for Vectron locomotivesAlpha Trains, the leading locomotive and trains lessor in Europe, has awarded Siemens Mobility a long-term service and maintenance contract. The contract covers the complete maintenance of Vectron locomotives over a period of 15 years, including revisions at the Siemens Rail Service Center in Munich-Allach
• How Siemens and Alstom are preparing for a passenger rail boom in the U.S.Once a leader in passenger rail, the U.S. has since fallen behind many industrialized nations in rail funding and ridership — but investment is picking up.
• Rolling Stock Market is driven by growing demand for high-speed trains | Alstom, Siemens, Bombarider, CAFNew York, According to a new market research report published by Global Insight Services Rolling Stock Market is expected to grow by 2031. Report includes in-depth segmentation and market size data by categories, product types, applications, and geographies. Report also includes comprehensive analysis of key issues, trends and drivers, restraints and challenges, competitive landscape, as well as recent events such as M&A activities in the market.
• Work Begins On New Sheffield Station PlatformConstruction will start at the site from 15 July, with the project aiming to facilitate and improve journeys for passengers travelling between Sheffield and Manchester.
• Rail fares 'could be slashed in half' under radical new plansAllowing firms to compete on the same lines could create a competitiveness that rewards consumers with lower prices, says a leading rail body.
• Gatwick Airport: Green MP Caroline Lucas slams plansA Green MP has submitted a motion to block a second runway at Gatwick Airport being brought into regular use.