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

Tuesday, 25 July 2023

Government

• UK announces £680m for new high-speed electric railway in TurkeyUK government backing enables completion of a 286km electric railway in southern Turkey, connecting major cities with a high-speed, lower-carbon route.

BBC News

• Temporary reprieve for two 'lifeline' South Glos busesTwo "lifeline" buses that were set to be axed have been saved because of a £250,000 grant.
• All-Island Strategic Rail Review: Derry to Portadown line recommendedRestoration of the train line between Londonderry and Portadown is one of the main recommendations made in a new review of the railway network.
• Blind commuter slams rail ticket office closure plansA blind Royal Navy veteran who regularly uses the railway has slammed plans to close train ticket offices.
• Electric cars are the future, but is the UK ready?UK drivers are being told to prepare for an all-electric future, but there are bumps in the road ahead.
• Croydon tram crash: Transport firms to be sentenced over fatal derailmentHarrowing victim accounts of the disaster have been read in court before transport bosses sentenced.

Financial Times

• Ryanair early summer profits nearly quadruple on higher prices and booming demand Low-cost airline still forced to trim annual passenger forecast amid Boeing delivery delays
• Gatwick airport set to avoid strikes in peak summer travel seasonUnion calls off some walkouts at ground handling companies while other workers vote on better pay offers

The Guardian

• Heathrow asks airlines to carry excess fuel despite carbon impactAirlines flying to Heathrow have been told to carry as much fuel as possible in their tanks because of supply problems at Britain’s largest airport, in a controversial practice that can increase carbon emissions.
• Longer green man crossing times proposed to help older people in citiesExperts suggest measures to make towns more friendly for population whose lives are longer and waistlines largerWhether it is crossing the road before the green man disappears, finding a spot to pause for breath, or identifying a landmark by which to navigate, getting out and about can be a challenge, particularly for older people or those with health problems.Now experts say an array of measures could help make towns and cities more friendly for the modern population, whose lives have become longer and waistlines larger. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Croydon tram crash survivors recall ’most terrible screams’. [subscription]Transport for London and Tram Operations Limited to be sentenced after three-day hearing
• Worker exodus and night bus decision mean economic ’carnage’ for GlasgowGlasgow city centre is facing economic “carnage” because of an exodus of office workers and a lack of late-night transport, a hospitality executive has claimed.

Reuters News

• Train maker Alstom confirms targets after 4% order increase in Q1France's Alstom (ALSO.PA) on Tuesday confirmed its short and mid-term targets after reporting a 4.3% rise in its first-quarter revenue, helped by new railway system projects in the Philippines and Romania.

The Mirror

• Jeremy Hunt tried to stop rail ticket office closures in own area day before cuts planPassengers only have until Wednesday to have their say on the devastating proposals put forward by train operators to close ticket offices at 974 stations across England

Bolton News

• Daisy Hill Train Station lift delay causes concernsA train station has been given the green light to install a lift - but passengers with disabilities or mobility problems will be waiting for more than a year.
• Daisy Hill Train Station lift delay causes concernsCouncillors in Westhoughton have raised concerns about accessibility and inclusivity at a train station which is waiting to have a lift installed.

London Evening Standard

• Workers threatened with reprimand for wearing stickers, says RMT bossMick Lynch said rail staff were being threatened by managers over the wearing of stickers protesting at the closure of ticket offices.

The York Press

• 'Not all locals feel Towthorpe Road is right for Haxby Station'Contrary to what the Liberal Democrats say (Call for new station funds confirmation, The Press, July 17) there is no cross-party agreement on City of York Council that the proposed Haxby Station site should be down Towthorpe Road.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Time-lapse footage shows HS2 bridge being slid in underneath existing railwayThe Trent Valley line reopened on Monday after essential improvements to the West Coast Main Line in the county.

Kent Online

• Barry Lewis claims new Thanet Parkway train station in Cliffsend will be unsafeA councillor has branded an unmanned £35 million train station an “expensive joke” which will risk the safety of vulnerable people.

Other Regional Press

• Inverness Airport receives top rating for accessibilityInverness Airport has been graded as 'very good' for accessibility in a report by the Civil Aviation Authority.
• Stansted Airport consults on its draft noise action plan for 2024-28Stansted Airport has launched a public consultation on its draft noise action plan for 2024-28. The document proposes a number of measures that the Uttlesford hub hopes will mitigate its impact on neighbouring communities.
• The London train station that's one of UK's busiest where platforms are 'dangerously overcrowded'The station is a key London interchange for thousands of people who pass through it every day
• Newly extended bus route set to link popular Peak District attractions and tourist hotspots with railway stationGetting to the Peak District will be even easier this summer – with a newly extended bus route connecting a number of popular attractions with Chesterfield Station.
• HIF1 road scheme rejection criticised by Oxfordshire MPOxfordshire and Conservative Party MP David Johnston has criticised the rejection of the HIF1 Didcot relief road by Oxfordshire County Council's planning committee.
• £67M pledged to fix potholes in Huddersfield, Bradford, Leeds and WakefieldThis year, Kirklees was revealed as the second worst place in the country for potholes

Train Operators

• Manchester Victoria nominated for ’Large Station of the Year’ at National Rail AwardsManchester Victoria is in the running to be named ’Large Station of the Year’ at the 2023 National Rail Awards.
• Greater Anglia’s Colchester depot upgraded with new train servicing facilitiesAs part of Greater Anglia’s £1.4 billion fleet replacement programme, Colchester depot has now been upgraded with new train servicing facilities, that enable it to be used to help maintain the operator’s new bi-mode trains.

Wall Street Journal

• Alstom 1Q Sales Rose, Orders Declined Against Tough ComparativeThe Paris-based company said its systems and rolling stock businesses combined accounted for the majority of the order growt

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Sponsored news: EV Rally 2023: AA Business Services shares key lessons learned for B2B driversAA Business Services is sharing key lessons learned for B2B drivers looking to secure smooth future charging experiences after successfully completing the EV Rally 2023. The EV Rally 2023, which took place between 3rd and 7th July, was a demonstration of UK and Irish EV charging infrastructure. The event saw AA Business Services and Drivetech, part of the AA, travel alongside approximately 50 EVs for five days from Cardiff to Dublin via London, Edinburgh, and Belfast, covering over 1,200 all-electric miles. It also provided an opportunity for business drivers to find out more about how they ...

New Civil Engineer

• Delivery of HS2 ’appears unachievable’ while East West Rail fortunes improve in IPA reviewThe Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) has said that delivery of High Speed 2 (HS2) Phases One and 2a appears unachievable, while East West Rail’s (EWR’s) outlook has improved.
• Smart motorways hit technology improvement targets but regulator shows cautionNational Highways’ smart motorways stopped vehicle detection (SVD) technology has hit all required targets, but the road regulator has said “caution is required when interpreting data from the results”.
• HS2 seeks platform door supplier in £93M contractHigh Speed 2 (HS2) Ltd has launched the procurement process for a specialist contractor to deliver platform edge doors at its Old Oak Common and Interchange stations.

Rail Technology Magazine

• UK need to act now on rolling stock or thousands of jobs could be lost warns RIAThe UK Railway Industry Association (RIA) has warned that thousands of jobs are at risk in the UK rail industry unless new rolling stock orders are placed soon.

Rail UK

• WSP to accelerate battery-powered train development in the UKWSP, the leading multi-disciplinary professional services consulting firm, has been appointed by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) to advise on the delivery of battery-powered trains on the UK rail network. Working closely with industry stakeholders, including Network Rail and the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT), WSP will produce an evidence-based report providing industry with clear recommendations to optimise and standardise the wider and strategic adoption of battery power on UK railways.

Railnews

• ASLEF announces fifth overtime ban The train drivers’ union ASLEF has announced another week-long overtime ban, from 7 to 12 August. It will be the fifth time that ASLEF has staged such a ban since the first between 15 to 20 May. There have also been 11 one day ASLEF strikes this year. The union said its negotiators had attended talks with the Rail Industry Recovery Group over eight days earlier this year, but the result had been an offer of 4 per cent on 26 April ‘with a further rise dependent, in a naked land grab, on drivers giving up terms and conditions for which we have fought and negotiated, for years’.
• Two days left in ticket office closures consultation The passenger watchdogs Transport Focus and London TravelWatch say more than 100,000 people have responded to the consultation about the proposed closure of more than 800 station ticket offices in England. Time is running out, because the deadline for responses is Wednesday. The Rail Delivery Group and the Department for Transport say only about one in eight passengers still use ticket offices, because the rest buy from machines or book online. The unions have been protesting at the plans, saying they believe the changes are the first steps towards thousands of redundancies, while a group of...

Railway Gazette

• Decisions are needed to avoid threat to UK rolling stock factoriesUK: There is a risk of losing industrial capabilities and skilled workers unless the government takes decisions needed to enable the replacement or upgrading of the oldest rolling stock, according to a report from the Railway Industry Association.

The Business Desk

• Business leaders call for Nottingham-Lincoln rail improvementsPolitical and business leaders will meet today (July 25) in a show of support for improvements to the Nottingham to Lincoln rail corridor Midlands Connect has submitted a Strategic Outline Business Case to The Department for Transport, calling for an £18m investment to improve journey times.

Aviation Industry

• Farnborough Airport becomes first UK business aviation airport with ACA Level 4+Farnborough Airport has today announced that it has been awarded Level 4+, the highest level of carbon accreditation, by the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) scheme.

Other News Sources

• Alstom and Railpool sign contract for Traxx Universal locomotivesAlstom have signed a €260 million contract with Railpool for 50 Traxx Universal multi-purpose locomotives.
• SNCF’s new Oxygène train sets begin test phaseSNCF will welcome new rolling stock by 2026. These new trains will replace the forty-year-old Corail train sets on the Paris – Clermont-Ferrand line and the Paris – Orléans – Limoges – Toulouse. Like many of its predecessors, the Oxygène train ordered by SNCF will be tested over the next few days on the Velim circuit in the Czech Republic.
• CAF cracks compound Transpennine Express woesTranspennine Express (TPE), the troubled passenger operator recently taken back into public management by the UK government, has encountered another setback with the temporary withdrawal of its fleet of Spanish built rolling stock. The company has been marketing its fleet revamp as a step change in passenger provision, but that has hit the buffers with the problems encountered with the brand new CAF Mk 5a locomotive-hauled coaches. This latest reputational blow comes after a string of complaints about timekeeping and reliability, along with a scandal involving the company’s concealment of cancellation levels through manipulating regulatory loopholes.
• Alstom to Supply 50 Traxx Universal Locomotives to RAILPOOLAlstom has been contracted to supply 50 Traxx Universal multi-purpose locomotives for European rail vehicle leasing company, RAILPOOL.
• CECA Midlands and Rail Forum reaffirm MoUThe Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) Midlands and Rail Forum have updated and refreshed their previous memorandum of understanding (MoU) originally established in 2019.
• Hop! free bus service reaches 1,000 passenger trips a dayA FREE bus service in Leicester city centre is proving to be a hit with an average of 1,000 passenger journeys per day made on the route.
• BA tests digital wayfinding tool at Heathrow Terminals 3 and 5British Airways (BA) is trialling a new digital wayfinding tool to help passengers navigate through London Heathrow Airport’s (LHR) Terminal 3 and Terminal 5.
• HS2 begins search for platform edge door suppliersHS2 today began the search for a specialist contractor to deliver platform edge doors for the new high speed railway’s Old Oak Common and Interchange stations.
• Major transport changes still to come in Leeds during 2023 including new White Rose stationThe multi-million pound Connecting Leeds scheme aims to turn Leeds into an environmentally sustainable city where in years to come residents will not require the need for a car. One of the largest alterations has been to the City Square space near Leeds station, which is still set to officially complete this year.
• Network Rail confirms work to start on new footbridge at Powys stationNewtown Railway Station is set to get a brand-new footbridge with lifts suitable for wheelchairs and prams by next summer, it has been revealed.
• New Torquay train station delayedThe 'Torquay Gateway' train station was set to built for the Edginswell area of the town.
• EPS and China Power Sign New Fuels AgreementSingapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping and China Power International Development Limited have signed a Framework Cooperation Agreement (FCA) to collaborate on the production of green energy and renewable fuel solutions.The companies will cooperate