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

Wednesday, 26 July 2023

Cogitamus

• The Chris Stokes Column - Quick wins would put rail on a stronger financial footingOver three years on from the start of the pandemic, it's perhaps an appropriate time to take stock.  One piece of good news is that passenger numbers have recovered surprisingly well, at least for leisure travel, despite the cost of living crisis.

BBC News

• Rail ticket office mass closure consultation extendedThe consultation into the plan to close hundreds of ticket offices in England is set to be extended until 1 September.
• Northumberland Line: Construction of new stations to beginThe construction of three stations for a new Northumberland rail line is set to begin.
• Rail ticket office closures an attack on disabled - Hull councillorA blind Hull councillor has said plans to close rail station ticket offices feel like a personal attack on her and other people with disabilities.
• Rail body bid to improve speeds between Nottingham and LincolnPoliticians and business leaders have met to discuss a multi-million pound bid to improve railway services between Nottingham and Lincoln.
• Rail passengers into Cardiff rise but behind 2019 levelMorning commuting into the city by rail rises - but is still behind what we saw before the pandemic.
• Train firm halves Oxford to London services after fuel system faultChiltern Railways reduces services to one an hour between Oxford and London Marylebone.
• Call to pause Hounslow Lime trial after e-bike left in road junctionSateesh Battas says he believes it's only a matter of time before
• Petrol and diesel car ban immovable, says Michael GoveThe government is facing calls from senior Tories to ditch what they see as unpopular green policies.

ITV News

• Hope for disabled train users as ticket office closure plans delayedA consultation on the closure of train ticket office closures has been delayed, leading to hope among travellers that the plan could be scrapped.

Financial Times

• Sadiq Khan calls on UK government for extra Ulez fundingLondon mayor seeks funds to help pay for car scrappage scheme amid push to expand capital’s clean air zone

Times Online

• Thousands left stranded by delays at Gatwick. [subscription]More than 11,000 passengers have been left stranded as more than 70 flights to and from Gatwick were cancelled.
• Hertfordshire refuses to allow Sadiq Khan’s Ulez signs on its boundary. [subscription]Sadiq Khan has been told that he cannot put signs for his expanded ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) on the Hertfordshire border as the row over the scheme escalates.

Daily Record

• 'Slap super rich with £1000 tax every time they fly in a private jet' say GreensEXCLUSIVE: The Scottish Greens claimed the policy could raise £75million a year to help offset climate damage from aviation emissions.

Mail Online

• Spaceport plans for Scottish island given the green light as ministers decide not to intervene despite protests from campaigners over impact on Unesco site in the Outer HebridesMore than 990 people signed a petition opposing the project at Scolpaig in North Uist, Scotland, but planning chiefs decided the benefits outweighed any potential harm.

The Mirror

• EXCLUSIVE: Train ticket office cull in CHAOS as crisis talks over closures could last until SeptemberMinisters and train companies have been spooked over legal challenges to how the process has been conducted, amid claims that the 21 day consultation was too short and unlawful
• 'Why more time MUST be taken to to rethink ticket office shutdown plans'Axing even popular, busy ones will ­intensify the backlash and strengthen the legal case of Labour mayors preparing a court challenge

Leicester Mercury

• City mayor and county council join battle to stop railway ticket office closuresRailway stations in Hinckley, Loughborough, Market Harborough, Melton and Narborough could all see their ticket offices close

London Evening Standard

• Rail ticket office closure consultation extended after outcry from passengersPassenger groups said the Department for Transport was ’spooked’ by the threat of legal action from disability campaigners and mayors including Andy Burnham

Cambridge News

• Exact locations of Cambridge’s 109 new electric vehicle charging points revealedMore than 600 will be installed in 14 car parks across the city in the coming years

Other Regional Press

• Sussex MP slammed for comment on rail ticket office staffA councillor has slammed an MP who claimed that ticket office staff spend their time “sitting there twiddling their thumbs” amid plans to close sites. Wealden MP Nus Ghani spoke on the radio about the plans to close rail ticket offices, adding that "the majority of time is spent not doing anything”.
• 'Safety of Wrexham residents will be compromised'. - Sarah Atherton, MP for Wrexham.... As Wrexham residents are sadly all too aware, Transport for Wales (TfW) operates a North-East cross-rail service which is overcrowded; using dirty, old rolling stock; fraught with severe delays and cancellations; and with poor communication from the train operator.
• Public voice concerns over major rail development in BicesterA councillor has spoken out about plans for a key railroad crossing following a public consultation.
• Cycle cafe made from shipping containers finally set to openA new cycle cafe built from shipping containers on a derelict bus depot is set to open next month.

New Civil Engineer

• Planned Torquay railway station on hold amid £10M funding shortfallThe construction of the new Edginswell railway station in Torquay, Devon has been delayed, as local authority Torbay Council seeks to address a £10M gap in funding for the project.
• More than 500 of Network Rail’s structures have not been examined in over five yearsMore than 500 structures on the railway network have not been examined by Network Rail in over five years.

Railnews

• COMMENT: Last orders at the ticket office? This is the last day for lodging responses with Transport Focus and London TravelWatch on the proposals to close most station ticket offices in England. The consultation was announced on 5 July, and the barrage of public protest has grown day by day. Sim Harris wonders whether the responsible ministers really understand the implications. Many passengers do � and they are not happy.

RMT

• RMT STATEMENT ON TICKET OFFICE CONSULTATION EXTENSIONRail union, RMT declared today the consultation extension on the future of rail ticket offices as wholly inadequate and called for the whole disastrous closure programme to be abandoned.

Aviation Industry

• The Government must take action to mitigate the health impacts of ultrafine particles from airportsAirport and aircraft emissions contribute to air pollution, most commonly through concentrations of NOx and particulate matter (PM). These emissions come from several sources, including on-site power and heating, equipment … The post The Government must take action to mitigate the health impacts of ultrafine particles from airports appeared first on Aviation Environment Federation.

Other News Sources

• York trains operator offers free travel to people caught up in Greek firesLondon North Eastern Railway (LNER) is responding to the plight of holidaymakers and others returning to the UK following extensive wildfires on the Greek Islands of Rhodes and Corfu.
• SNCF Voyageurs to operate Nouvelle Aquitaine trains till 2030With five months to go until a new EU law comes into effect that requires all new rail service contracts to be put out to tender, the Nouvelle Aquitaine region and SNCF Voyageurs signed a new agreement for the operation and financing of the public regional rail passenger transport service.
• Rolling Stock Market expected to grow with a CAGR of 6.00% from 2023 to 2030. This report describes the global market size of Rolling Stock Market from 2018 to 2021 and its CAGR from 2018 to 2021, and also forecasts its market size to the end of 2030 and its expected to grow with a CAGR of 6.00% from 2023 to 2030.
• Taxis for wheelchair users in Brighton falls since pandemicThe number of city taxis suitable for wheelchair users is on the decline, with drivers leaving to deliver food instead.