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

Wednesday, 19 July 2023

BBC News

• Bridlington bus station to close for repairs to Marshall AvenueBridlington's bus station will be closed for two days later this month to allow engineers to repair a nearby road.
• Swynnerton farming frustrations over HS2 access changesWork is well under way on the HS2 rail project to connect Birmingham and London, with the line cutting through vast swathes of land in Staffordshire. Farmers speak to the BBC about its impact so far.
• HS2: Euston station 'floundering' while community suffersChris Georgiou owns Speedy's on North Gower Street, a cosy cafe that became a tourist landmark after featuring in the BBC TV series Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.

The Guardian

• Rural bus services hit new low after losing out on post-Covid fundingEndangered rural bus services have dwindled to a new low after losing out on funding after the pandemic, analysis for councils has shown.

The Independent

• Bus ’revolution’ questioned as rural services hit new lowA study has found urban areas received the majority of funding allocated under the Government’s national bus strategy.
• Battery breakthroughs are about to trigger a transport revolutionElectric vehicles were once the norm, before petrol took over, writes technology correspondent Anthony Cuthbertson. Now, more than a century later, huge technological leaps forward could soon make batteries the main means of propulsion on air, land and sea

The Telegraph

• British Airways revamps Avios scheme – but ordinary flyers could sufferFears that new system, where passengers will get points based on spend rather than miles flown, might not be good value for money

Times Online

• Goods now crossing Channel at pre-Brexit speed, says tunnel chief. [subscription]Managing director of Eurotunnel hails Border Pass technology that allows hauliers to clear customs before arrival at Dover

Network Rail

• Plan ahead: Reliability boosting upgrades are set for the Hertford Loop line and Northern City LinePassengers can look forward to smoother, more reliable journeys as major work gets underway on the Hertford Loop line and Northern City Line.

Belfast Telegraph

• Strikes and inflation drag Network Rail down to £1.1bn lossNetwork Rail has tumbled to a £1.1 billion loss for the past year after it was affected by strike action and higher interest payments on its debts due to inflation.

Leicester Mercury

• Worried passengers protest outside railway station over potential ticket office closureHinckley, East Midlands Parkway, Loughborough, Market Harborough, Narborough, Skegness, Oakham and Melton Mowbray all feature on the list of potential ticket office closures

Manchester Evening News

• First Manchester bus drivers announce six more strike days as pay row rumbles onFirst Manchester bus drivers have announced six more strike days as a row over pay rumbles on. Industrial action by around 360 Unite trade union members will now stretch into next month following today's announcement.

Nation. Cymru

• TfW Chief Exec to face MPs on South Wales Metro cost and train cancellationsTransport for Wales’ Chief Executive will face a grilling from MPs today on cost overruns of the South Wales Metro and the reliability of rail services.
• Council announces maximum £1 cap on bus faresSingle bus fares for journeys within Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) are to be capped at a maximum of £1 between July and September and in December.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Cheaper Metro and bus fares agreed in £50m cash injection for North East public transportNew tickets set to launch in September will allow passengers to get anywhere from Berwick to Barnard Castle on bus, Metro, and ferry services using a single ticket

Sheffield Star

• Letter: Evidence-based decision-making on public transportThe news that bus journeys in South Yorkshire have dropped to 52 million when before deregulation there were 250m a year should force an urgency to address this social, environmental, pollution and cost of living disaster.

The York Press

• LNER ticket office cuts will hit visually impaired in YorkAMID plans to cut ticket offices, reporter Kevin Glenton has spoken to a visually impaired passenger at York station.

Wales Online

• Community left in 'critical situation' as bus services cut in Neath Port TalbotA number of bus services are set to be cancelled in Neath Port Talbot leaving some communities in a "critical situation". Neath Port Talbot council members heard at July's full council meeting that three services will cease completely while several others will be modified as a result of funding cuts.
• There will be a maximum single bus fare of £1 in Rhondda Cynon Taf this summer and in DecemberThe council's cabinet approved the schemes which also include a one-year pilot for a seven-day bus travel scheme for post-16 school and college students

Yorkshire Post

• Proposal to shut rail ticket offices is nothing short of vandalism - Tracy BrabinEarlier this month, I and other Mayors across the country were blindsided when train operating companies announced their intentions to close almost all of the 1,007 remaining ticket offices in the country.

South Wales Argus

• Work on Chepstow railway bridge - delays and noise warningsWORK ON a Grade II-listed railway bridge in Chepstow will continue later this month.

Other Regional Press

• Lifts plan for Beeston railway station could end 500m diversion for wheelchair usersCampaigners say they are “absolutely delighted” after a big step forward was made in plans to make Beeston railway station easier to use for people with disabilities.
• Malvern residents urged to protest train ticket office closuresRESIDENTS are being urged to protest the closure of train ticket offices amid fears they’ll become “neglected and dirty.”
• New evening bus links start this week in West LancsPeople in West Lancashire will have better options to travel by bus during the evening thanks to new links launching this week.
• Future of several Portsmouth bus services secured after council investment - full list of routes maintainedPortsmouth City Council has invested to retain six key services. Subsidies have been provided to retain the 12, 13, 14, 18, 22 and 25 bus routes into Portsmouth.
• Free taxi service from Northampton bus station to temporary market launches to help customersThe council hopes it will help customers who “may otherwise face challenges reaching the temporary location”

British Trams Online

• Isle of Man Government launch heritage railways consultationThe Isle of Man Government have launched an “Independent Review and Economic Impact Assessment” into the operation of the heritage railways on the island. This obviously includes the Manx Electric Railway, Snaefell Mountain Railway and Douglas Bay Horse Tramway and as part of this review they have launched an online consultation to find out views from the public.

New Civil Engineer

• Silvertown Tunnel cycle shuttle bus proposal revealed as TBM enters final 200mTransport for London (TfL) has revealed options for a bicycle shuttle bus through the Silvertown Tunnel, which is now almost completely excavated as the tunnel boring machine (TBM) enters its final stretch.
• Transforming the delivery and measurement of social valueSubtle tweaking to construction contracts has the potential to be transformational for delivering meaningful social value.
• Regulator warns of increasing risk to National Highways’ delivery of RIS2 enhancements portfolioNational Highways faces increasing risk in the delivery of the remainder of its network enhancements portfolio in the current roads period, the regulator has warned.
• Network Rail details £10M plan to allow more freight through Channel TunnelNetwork Rail has laid out a £10M plan it hopes will unlock the capacity for freight trains travelling through the Channel Tunnel to be able to directly join the UK network to London.

Rail Advent

• Major upgrades start this month on Hertfordshire railway lineThe work will get underway from Sunday the 30th of July and will bring greater reliability and smoother journeys for passengers
• Green signal for new Northumberland train depotThe new facility will support the rail operator's employees who work on the new Northumberland Line

Rail Business Daily

• Final demolition work is completed at the old Gosforth Metro depotDemolition work on the 100 year old buildings at Gosforth Metro depot has been successfully completed.

Railway Gazette

• Deloitte to develop Spanish access track charging regimeSPAIN: Infrastructure manager ADIF has awarded Deloitte a contract to develop a scale of access charges which will apply to RENFE, Iryo and Ouigo in 2024 and 2025.

Other News Sources

• Network Rail Announces East Coast Improvement WorksOn Sunday 30 July, engineers will work to renew track and signals, the traffic lights of the railway, as well as overhead line equipment on the Hertford Loop line. Packaging this work together will mean less disruption for passengers in the future. To allow teams to carry out the work safely, buses will replace trains between Alexandra Palace and Stevenage via Hertford North.
• Warrington Council opposed to train station ticket office closuresPLANS to close all but one train station ticket office in Warrington have been condemned by the council.
• A look inside South Western Railway’s new Arterio trainsThey are, it can be politely said, to be a bit late in arriving, but last week there was a chance to see inside South Western Railway’s new Arterio class of trains.