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

Monday, 31 July 2023

BBC News

• South Yorkshire bus ticket fraud concerns spark payment changesFrom this weekend, bus passengers in South Yorkshire are no longer allowed to buy some tickets using contactless payments.
• Major Metro closure to replace 40-year-old power lineA busy section of the Tyne and Wear Metro is closing for the replacement of decades-old overhead power lines.
• Sunak orders review of low traffic neighbourhoods in pro-motorist messageSpeaking to the Sunday Telegraph, the prime minister says he wants to support people to use their cars.
• British Airways owner IAG sees record profits as air travel recoversAirline group IAG reports bumper profits helped by higher fares and a rebound in leisure travel.
• HS2: Rail link rated 'unachievable' by infrastructure watchdogThe HS2 rail line has been given an "unachievable" rating by an official watchdog. It has been given a "red" warning for its first two phases - from London to Birmingham then onto Crewe - by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.
• Latest rail strike hits - will there be more?Members of the Aslef train drivers union are starting another week-long overtime ban on Monday.

ITV News

• Condor Islander ferry begins Guernsey harbour trials ahead of October sailingsA new 400-passenger ferry is arriving in Guernsey for harbour trials and staff training on Monday morning.

Department for Transport

• New Bristol railway station to connect communities and grow the economyMulti-million-pound Portway Park and Ride station will provide easier access to jobs and businesses in Bristol and the South West.

Financial Times

• UK government cuts cost of polluting in latest anti-green moveQuietly announced changes to carbon pricing water down incentives for industry to reduce emissions

The Guardian

• Rail ticket office closures put us on track for social isolation | LettersGaby Hinsliff makes a good case for preserving “human connection” in our public lives (The people have spoken – and they want to speak to real live humans, not a rail ticket self-service app, 28 July). Along with the loss of human faces, rapid automation also results, increasingly, in a loss of humanity – those codes of behaviour that acknowledge the sensitivities and needs of those with whom we interact.

The Independent

• HS2 rail plans rated “unachievable” by official watchdogHS2 has been given a rating of “unachievable” by an official watchdog, as the construction of the high-speed link experiences further delays.

Times Online

• Rishi Sunak motors on with 2030 petrol car ban opposed by seven in ten Tories. [subscription]The prime minister has rejected calls by Conservative MPs to delay the ban
• First two phases of HS2 are unachievable, says watchdog. [subscription]Authority finds unresolvable problems on lines to Birmingham and Crewe

Reuters News

• Investors still see blue sky ahead for Europe travel stocks as boom abates European travel stocks stumbled into some profit-taking as earnings season kicked off and extreme weather hit in July, but many investors are betting relatively attractive valuations and solid demand will keep supporting the sector.

The Mirror

• Top Tories use private jets instead of trains WEEKLY - paid for by taxpayersPrime Minister Rishi Sunak and his cabinet colleagues have taken 74 flights on the plush new aircraft since June last year with the shortest journey lasting just 28 minutes
• Even Tory Transport Secretary's aide says rail plans are wrongThe Tory MP Simon Jupp said in a letter the closures should not be 'used as an excuse to cut staffing hours and resources' and told a major train company to 're-think' proposals

Sky News

• Rail passengers face fresh disruption amid train drivers' overtime banTrain drivers are staging a week-long overtime ban in a dispute over pay, threatening more disruption to rail services.

Nation. Cymru

• Wales to be robbed of a further £2.7bn in rail funding, says academicWales is due to be robbed of a further £2.7bn in rail funding by the 2040s, according to a leading transport academic.
• Transport for Wales commits to increasing its use of WelshTransport for Wales (TfW) has committed to expanding its use of Welsh following a meeting with the campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith(The Welsh Language Society).

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Newcastle Airport reveals plans for ultra-rapid electric car charging forecourt and coffee drive-thruThe charging forecourt will include 12 charging bays and will be capable of adding up to 400 miles of range to fully-electric cars in 20 minutes

Sheffield Star

• Bus fares set to rise across South Yorkshire from NovemberBus fares will rise across South Yorkshire this year as the national cap is set to increase and concession fares are raised.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds station redesign: Everything you need to know as £46m transformation works continueWorks continue to completely transform the main entrance to Leeds station by 2025.

Hull Daily Mail

• Hull train station's historic Platform 1 set to reopen for first time in decadesA platform at Hull’s Paragon Station could be brought back into use after 30 years. Platform 1 has lain dormant since the early 1990s but now Network Rail has submitted plans to bring it back into use. The organisation says it would boost capacity and improve the experience for rail passengers.

Kent Online

• Thanet Parkway railway station opens in Cliffsend between Ramsgate and MinsterKent's first new railway station in eight years opens for the first time today - but opponents have described the scheme as a “huge waste of money”.

South Wales Argus

• Fears raised over Monmouthshire school transport reviewPRIMARY school pupils won’t be expected to catch regular buses alongside members of the public under new plans to reduce the cost of school transport.

Other Regional Press

• West Lothian residents 'losing their independence' following bus cuts to rural villagesWest Lothian communities have been left feeling frustrated as their bus services have been slashed. Despite West Lothian Council offering a 'lifeline' with a subsidised service, many are still feeling isolated.
• The London Underground station that's insanely busy with more passengers passing through than Heathrow Terminal 5It’s easy to imagine that South Kensington London Underground station would be one of the city's busiest - it sits in the heart of London's museum quarter, a hot attraction for both families and tourists alike. But passenger figures from Transport for London (TfL) show just how busy it actually is, with more visitors than Heathrow's Terminal 5.

Construction News

• Euston HS2 station ’could be cut to just seven platforms’Contractors have demanded urgent clarity after a leaked report revealed that the Euston terminus of High Speed 2 (HS2) could be reduced to just seven platforms. An internal document drawn up by HS2 Ltd lists several options for cutting costs on the troubled central London…

New Civil Engineer

• Interview | UK Infrastructure Bank boss John Flint on funding net zero deliveryThe UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) has recently celebrated its second anniversary and is just starting to hit its stride in terms of building the team needed to provide the funding that will deliver its aims.
• Bam Nuttall begins £34.7M cliff resilience project to protect Dawlish coastal railwayThe iconic Dawlish coastal railway in Devon will be protected for future generations as Bam Nuttall has begun a £34.7M cliff resilience project.

Rail Magazine

• Angel Trains Special Report R985
• Rail Partners seeks ’spectrum’ of new contracts for operatorsTrain operating companies shouldn’t be used as scapegoats over the rail industry’s current problems, claims Rail Partners Chief Executive Andy Bagnall.

Railway Gazette

• World rail freight news round-upBNSF Railway has opened a bridge built over the Trinity River as part of a double tracking project between Fort Worth and Temple in Texas. The bridge for freight and passenger trains is the first of two planned to span the river, with the second to be built after a 126-year-old steel bridge is demolished.
• RENFE pilots Green Mobility HubsSPAIN: National train operator RENFE has launched a Green Mobility Hub pilot project to encourage rail passengers to opt for environmentally friendly first- and last-mile transport to and from stations.

The Business Desk

• Major progress made on constructing £26.5m railway stationRail infrastructure specialist Spencer Group has reported “significant progress” on construction of a £26.5m station in South Leeds.
• Watchdog rates HS2 ’unachievable’The HS2 rail line has been given an “unachievable” rating by an official infrastructure watchdog. It has been given a “red” warning for its first two phases – from London to Birmingham then onto Crewe – by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

Aviation Industry

• How Does Fuel Storage Differ Between Tankers & Conventional Transport Aircraft?Aerial fuel tankers have a much different mission statement than typical transport (commercial passenger and cargo) airliners. While the primary purpose of the commercial airliner is to transport passengers and cargo, aerial tankers are built to carry, transport, and perform aerial refueling.

Other News Sources

• Ferries fiasco Scotland: Ministers agreed NDA over work examining costs of continuing ferry constructionA previously undisclosed gagging clause is not behind ministerial decisions to keep secret a key report into whether it would have cheaper to re-tender the contract for two significantly over-budget and delayed ferries currently being built at Ferguson Marine shipyard, Scotland’s economy secretary has maintained.
• Britain's anti-cycling sentiment tops global transport pollBrits most likely to be against the idea of riding a bike, of 12 countries and 13,000 people surveyed
• Disabled and elderly passengers stage ’ride-in’ against ticket office closuresPublic protest has forced the rail companies to extend the deadline for ’consultation’ on the mass closure England’s ticket offices to 1 September. Meanwhile, local protests against the closures continue. Gabriel Carlyle reports.
• Container volumes drop 15% at Hutchison Port Holdings Trust’s portsHutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Trust has endured a tough first half of the year, with container throughput declining 15% at its ports, as outbound cargoes to the US and Europe fell sharply.
• MSC orders 15 new electric locomotives to expand its rail fleetMSC has expanded its rail fleet with the order of 15 new locomotives at its Medway Belgium branch, aiming to supplement container transport by ship, serving the eastern hinterland of Antwerp.
• The Cardiff community with no train station campaigning for better bus servicesCardiff residents have voiced their frustrations regarding the unreliability of the only bus service in St Edeyrns Village