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

Friday, 21 July 2023

BBC News

• Daytime sailings only during new ferry Manxman's first four weeksThe island's newest ferry will not undertake night-time services in its first month of operation.
• Water Orton villager feel 'marooned' by HS2 worksPeople living in a village near continuing construction for the new HS2 line in Warwickshire say they feel marooned by building works.
• Increase in bus journeys in Guernsey during Island GamesMore than 60,000 bus journeys were taken during the Island Games in Guernsey, the government has said.
• Heathrow rated poor over access for disabled passengersThe Civil Aviation Authority says the airport has failed to meet minimum standards in the past year.
• London Underground: July Tube strikes explainedThere will be disruption on the London Underground for almost a week in a row over jobs and pensions.

Channel 4 News

• How does the UK's electric car battery production compare to the rest of the world?As Jaguar Land Rover announce plans for a new gigafactory, how does the UK's electric car battery production compare to the rest of the world?

Financial Times

• United to reduce flights at Newark airport after recent disruptionsUS airline tries to adjust operations at a New York area hub to avoid further delays and cancellations

The Guardian

• Heathrow failed to meet minimum accessibility standards, CAA report findsAirport only one to be rated as ’poor’ and ’needs improvement’ over all four quarters in year to March

The Herald

• Glasgow Prestwick named airport with lowest carbon footprint in UKA Scots airport has been named the airport with the smallest carbon footprint in the UK.

The Telegraph

• Heatwave-hit Seville plans electromagnetic bus stops that reduce temperature by 20 degrees. [subscription]Seville is to introduce new bus stops that can lower the temperature around them by up to 20 degrees to help waiting passengers suffering in heatwaves.

Times Online

• Time is short to save Britain’s railways - Iain Stewart MP. [Subscription]s readers of The Times may have spotted in May, the plan to create Great British Railways (GBR), a new body to bring track and train together, was reported to have been scrapped. Despite this, the government has maintained it is committed to GBR and will introduce legislation “when parliamentary time allows”. The industry, however, requires a more specific timetable for change.

City AM

• More business groups back London City Airport expansion after council blocked growth plansMore business groups have come out in support of City Airport’s expansion plans after they were blocked by a local council.

Mail Online

• British Airways' premium economy deal is rated worst in poll by Which?... but where does your favourite airline rank?Which? surveyed more than 2,000 passengers and asked them to rate airlines on their customer service, food and drink, value for money, boarding, seat comfort, cleanliness and cabin environment.

The National

• Bus firm owners call for public funding to secure Glasgow night busesThe billionaire owners of a bus firm have called for public funding to secure night buses to help reinvigorate town centres.

Bolton News

• Bolton train station ticket office closures prompt legal actionGreater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham along with four other metro mayors are preparing to take legal action against train operators to stop the closure of just under 1,000 ticket offices.

Bristol Live

• Bristol's most picturesque bus route will be free for an entire day next weekFirst Bus want to showcase how lovely the route is

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Planned extra trains linking North Wales with Liverpool and Manchester Airport droppedThe proposals for Llandudno and Bangor will not now be in the December timetable

Manchester Evening News

• Accessibility improvements for disabled passengers at Manchester Airport praised by watchdogThe airport has improved its rating from 'poor' to 'very good' - with 'heavy' investment in recruitment singled out

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Councillors pass motion to try halt government rail ticket office closure plansFury over the government's plans to close over 1,000 rail ticket offices reverberate to Gateshead

Wales Online

• Completion of Cardiff bus station delayed yet again as capital goes eight years without oneCardiff's long-awaited bus station has been delayed again. The new curved eight-storey building was set to open in phases with the first phase intended to be in use by the public since spring 2023. However a spokesman for Transport for Wales, which has taken ownership of the station, has confirmed it now won't open until the end of the year.

Bucks Free Press

• Why are train workers striking outside Aylesbury Station?Numerous train workers are currently picketing outside Aylesbury Station after plans to shut down ticket offices across the country were put forward.
• BucksVision on why they attended the strikes outside Aylesbury stationMembers of a charity that helps visually impaired people joined striking rail workers after plans to remove ticket offices across the country were put forward.

Cambridge News

• Calls for Peterborough to reject any future congestion charge, ULEZ or 15-minute city plans The possible plans have been described as "not necessary" and an attack on their freedom of choice and movement

Other Regional Press

• Column: Andrew Jones MP - The change since 2010 is remarkable​I was pleased to see Harrogate rail station ticket office is set to remain open even as a consultation launches about other ticket offices.
• Extra trains linking Manchester Airport and Llandudno scrappedPLANS to introduce more services to Manchester Airport from North Wales have been ditched by Transport for Wales (TfW).
• Protests mount over proposals to close railway station ticket officesTrain users in Shropshire are mounting campaigns again plans to close ticket offices at railway stations across England.
• Can the public take over control of buses in Glasgow?But in Glasgow, they go round slower than in most other large cities. The night bus rammy last week has brought bus ownership and governance under the spotlight again.
• Fenland buses: New operators to replace Stagecoach routesThree Fenland bus routes will be taken over by new operators next week after Stagecoach pulled out of running the services.  
• Campaigner slams launch of bus service in 'affluent' areaThe launch of a new bus service in an affluent part of the local authority has been branded an “absolute disgrace” by one of the most passionate voices behind an ill-fated campaign to save a lifeline Barrhead route.

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 route through Cheshire Plain will not be changed despite risk of ground subsidenceThe route of High Speed 2 (HS2) through the Cheshire Plain will not be altered despite concerns raised by local stakeholders the geology of the area is “unsuitable”.
• Oxfordshire County Council rejects £300M Didcot road scheme against planning adviceOxfordshire County Council planning committee has rejected a £300M scheme to build a new dual carriageway, new bridges and a bypass near Didcot, against the planning authority's recommendation.
• Regulator says Network Rail must improve on drainage, earthworks, structures and vegetation managementNetwork Rail has “considerable work to do” on drainage and earthworks management, the rail regulator has reported.

Rail Business Daily

• Growth Track 360: report reiterates case for rail investment to unlock North Wales and the border counties of EnglandReacting to the publication on 12 July by the House of Commons Welsh Affairs Committee of its report on ’Wales as a global tourist destination’, business and local authority leaders from North Wales, the Wirral and Cheshire West and Chester in the Growth Track 360 partnership have renewed their call for rail investment to allow their cross-border region to take full advantage of the opportunities identified.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• New taskforce launched for green transition of rural bus servicesAmid uncertainty over the decarbonisation process, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT), has launched the Rural Zero Emission Buses Taskforce (RZEBT). The newly created entity aims to guide rural bus services sustainably towards zero-emission technologies.
• Norwich Roundtree Way depot to become major electric bus hubFirst Bus has announced plans to transform its Roundtree Way depot in Norwich into a full-electric bus fleet depot. It comes as 70 new electric vehicles are set to join the operator’s fleet by March 2024.
• Options explored for return of concessionary pass holdersSignificant shifts in bus use among concessionary pass holders has led to the exploration of potential strategies to motivate the return of older and disabled pass holders to buses.
• Dover boosts coach processing capacity by 133% ahead of summer travelIn anticipation of the summer getaway period, the Port of Dover, in cooperation with its operational partners, has announced plans to facilitate smoother journeys for all passengers, particularly coach operators. It says the move is set to significantly enhance the port’s capacity and traffic flow rate, mitigating the rush hour crunch.
• Fflecsi Pembrokeshire expansion to launch this summerTransport for Wales (TfW) and Pembrokeshire County Council are set to launch a new Fflecsi bus zone, which will provide greater connectivity to the coastal areas of Tenby and Saundersfoot and extend inland to Pembroke and Pembroke Dock, following receipt of £180,000 from the Welsh Government Public Transport Improvement Fund.
• Optibus and HITOUCH in partnership on passenger communicationDigital transportation platform Optibus and IT provider HITOUCH have announced plans to enhance visual communication systems for public transport operators across the UK
• Work begins at Go-Ahead’s giant charging hub in OxfordWork has begun on what would be one of the biggest electric charging hubs in the UK as 104 units are installed at Go-Ahead’s Oxford Bus Company depot in Cowley.
• CPT members invited to PSVAR session with ministerMembers of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) are being urged to have their say on Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) at a virtual meeting with Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Richard Holden, on 1 August.
• More sought in EC coach tourism drivers hours reformThe International Road Transport Union (IRU) has welcomed proposals published by the European Commission (EC) to reform EU hours rules for drivers engaged in coach tourism work, but it has called upon the Commission to do more “to further improve safety, the quality of coach drivers’ jobs, and services to customers.”

Aviation Industry

• Rolls-Royce completes SAF blend ground test on Trent 1000Virgin Atlantic and Rolls-Royce today confirmed the successful Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend ground test on the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine, as they set their sights on the world's first 100% SAF flight travel across the Atlantic.
• BA establishes Speedbird Pilot AcademyBritish Airways has today announced that it is launching a brand-new pilot cadet programme that will fund training for up to 60 aspiring pilots a year.
• Glasgow Airport receives top ranking in CAA's annual accessibility reportGlasgow Airport has received the highest ’Very Good’ rating from the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) annual Airport Accessibility Report.
• 'Never give up, never surrender'; Doncaster seeks support to reopen its airport: part one’Never give up, never surrender’ was the mantra of the 'Thermians' in the cult 1999 Star Trek spoof movie ’Galaxy Quest’, and it seems to have rubbed off on the burghers of Doncaster in northern England, who are committed not to let their local airport die without a fight.

Other News Sources

• London Gatwick ascends to second in UK's busiest airport rankingsWhether people will be happy about starting their holiday or have the post-holiday blues, all airports and airlines across the country are bracing themselves for another busy summer period.
• Coventry and Warwickshire 'has vital part to play in the UK’s Automotive future success'Coventry and Warwickshire is at the heart of ground-breaking innovations that will radically change vehicle technology across the world for generations to come.
• New Stansted Airport bus X20 will cost £2 from Essex locationsThe new service will start this week.
• Teesside Airport revamp proves successfulTeesside Airport has seen a catalogue of holiday flights take off in 2023 including trips to Antalya, Bulgaria, Corfu, Alicante, Faro, and Majorca to name a few.
• Andover residents sign petitin to save train ticket officeAN Andover campaigner is encouraging residents to sign a petition to save local train ticket offices after rail firms announced plans for mass closures nationwide.
• Join the fight: Lincolnshire councillors urge public to save railway ticket officesClosures could impact thousands, warn Lincolnshire councillors
• Harlow Labour leader questions Robert Halfon’s bus petitionTHE LEADER of Harlow Labour has questioned Robert Halfon’s petition regarding bus provision in Harlow. Councillor Chris Vince said: “When government ministers need to launch petitions against bus companies you know that the system of bus franchising is broken!  

News from Europe

• Is Europe sleeping on the roll-out of night trains?Night trains in Europe are making a comeback after significant route reductions in the 1990s 05:30 PM, 20 July 2023