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

Tuesday, 08 August 2023

BBC News

• Fleming Way subway to be demolished in Swindon-centre revampFleming Way subway in Swindon's town centre connects The Parade shopping centre to the central bus station.
• Mayor calls for 'major improvement' to bus servicesBus services in a town have to improve because people's lives are being affected by late and cancelled services, its mayor says.

Financial Times

• Clarkson/shipping rates: broker boxes clever amid container slumpA crunch in global shipbuilding capacity may help support earnings from tanker broking
• US trucker Yellow files for bankruptcy and aims to repay federal loanLoss of 30,000 jobs comes as trucking industry contends with softer shipping volumes and rising costs

The Guardian

• England has lost at least 1,500 bus routes since 2021, figures showAt least 1,500 bus routes were cut in the last two years in England, figures published by the Department for Transport have revealed.
• Where have all the buses gone? Their neglect is an English national failureBuses should be at the heart of public policy. Instead the government panders to motorists while local routes vanish

The Independent

• Mapped: Bus cuts in your area as ’half of routes scrapped’Sir Keir Starmer’s party accused the government of "vandalism against our communities" and pledged to put control of buses back in the hands of local authorities.

Times Online

• Inside Global Airlines, the start-up planning cheap NYC flights. [subscription]James Asquith, a social media personality, hopes to shake up the industry with cheaper trips from London to New York — but he has a long way to go
• Number of bus routes halved, claims Labour. [subscription]The number of local bus routes in England has halved in just over a decade, according to an analysis.

The Mirror

• Half of local bus routes axed in last decade under Tory rule leaving communities cut offLabour warned that communities are being left stranded as it vowed to reverse the decline by allowing communities to take back control of local bus services
• EXCLUSIVE: Pensioners 'fed up' and 'lonely' as half of bus routes axed since Tories took powerPat Young, who turns 80 next week, used to travel to Pontefract and Selby three times a week to meet her friends from her 25 years at a sweet factory - but she has now been grounded

Network Rail

• Passengers thanked after Coventry to Banbury railway upgradesMajor railway upgrades to improve future journeys for passengers and freight between Coventry and Banbury are now complete.

Sky News

• Bus services halved since 2011, Labour claimsThe government says factors like operators merging and a change in managements has contributed to the number of routes falling from 17,394 to 8,781 while the Conservatives have been in power.

Bolton News

• Bolton train station clock repairs amongst town centre plansA historic clock in Bolton town centre that has stood still for years is set to finally get moving again.

Bristol Live

• Another blow to South Bristol bus passengers as ’lifeline’ service axed next monthBus passengers face another blow as a “lifeline” service in South Bristol is due to be axed next month. The 52 service runs from Broadmead through Bedminster, Bedminster Down and Highridge to Hartcliffe, but will be completely cancelled from September 3.

Manchester Evening News

• Bus stations already donning yellow ahead of Bee Network launch next monthThe bus network for Wigan, Leigh and Bolton is due to come under the umbrella of the Bee Network on September 24

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• First of three new bus gates installed – but when will fines start?The first of three bus gates has appeared in Aberdeen city centre. Work is under way to create a new bus priority route in the Granite City, aiming to reduce travel times and minimise general traffic.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Region keeps buses running at same rate despite national drop in servicesBus services in the Black Country have remained steady, while other parts of the region have dropped, according to bus bosses in response to new research.

Other Regional Press

• Bumper weekend sees ScotRail record busiest Sunday for eight yearsMORE than half-a-million people travelled on Scotland's trains at the weekend – making it the busiest weekend not just of this year but also the busiest Sunday since 2015.
• Public urged to join Big Bus Conversation in North EastMembers of the public are being encouraged to join the Big Bus Conversation.
• Trains replaced by road transport for a second day on the Heart of Wales lineTrains on the Heart of Wales line from Shrewsbury to Swansea have been cancelled for a second day because of signaller sickness.

Train Operators

• REVEALED: Train operator Northern’s most popular summer hotspotsTrain operator Northern has named its most popular destinations so far this summer – with Manchester coming top of the table.
• HS2 ’super-hub’ station at Old Oak Common recognised as ’outstanding’ for environmental designsHS2’s new ’super-hub’ station in West London, which will be the largest newly built station in the UK, is currently under construction, and has been awarded an outstanding rated score under the internationally recognised Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) assessment. BREEAM is the sectors principle indicator for excellence in building design, construction, and sustainability

C.N.N.

• Self-driving pods could transport freight in tunnels beneath SwitzerlandIn Switzerland, an ambitious proposal could see the construction of an expansive underground network through which self-driving pods would transport freight across the country.

New Civil Engineer

• Warwick rail station upgrade paused due to Victorian foundations findNetwork Rail has paused work on accessibility upgrades of Warwick rail station and a project redesign is underway after the unexpected discovery of foundations believed to be from the original rail station.
• Progress made on £42M plan to convert rail route from Channel Tunnel to Wembley for freightChannel Tunnel infrastructure manager Getlink is pushing forward with a plan, which it says has been 30 years in the making, to upgrade a route from the tunnel to Wembley to a more modern freight loading gauge.

Rail Advent

• New integrated link to Cardiff International AirportTransport for Wales and Adventure Travel have introduced a new integrated rail and bus ticket to allow the public to get to Cardiff International Aiport easier.
• Northern to begin procurement process for up to 450 new trainsRail operator, Northern, is beginning the procurement process for up to 450 new trains for their network. The Tender, which is viewable on the UK Government website, states that the objective of the tender is to enter into a framework agreement for the manufacture and supply of new trains and the associated support and spares supply.

Rail Business Daily

• Rob Morris and Sambit Banerjee appointed joint CEOs for Siemens Mobility UKSiemens Mobility has announced that Rob Morris, Managing Director of Rail Infrastructure (RI) and Sambit Banerjee, Managing Director of Rolling Stock and Customer Services (RS/CS), will jointly assume the role of Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Mobility United Kingdom and Ireland, effective immediately.

Railway Gazette

• Rail capacity planning qualifications launchedUK: Network Rail and the Chartered Institution of Railway Operators have launched three capacity planning qualifications for use in the infrastructure manager’s internal training programme.
• Battery train deployment report commissionedUK: The Rail Safety & Standards Board has commissioned consultancy WSP to produce evidence-based recommendations for optimising and standardising the adoption of battery-powered trains.
• Interview: Investing to create an inclusive metroOne of few metros around the world which does not receive a subsidy for day-to-day operations, Metro de Santiago can still allocate around 30% of its farebox revenues for future investment.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• London surpasses 1,000 zero-emission buses milestoneMore than one in nine buses used on Transport for London (TfL) services in the capital are now zero-emission after the 1,000 unit milestone for such vehicles was surpassed.

Other News Sources

• Heathrow records most 2022 crimes out of all UK airports, data showsHeathrow is the UK's busiest airport and saw more than 65.5 million passengers pass through the airport in 2022
• Number of bus routes slashed by half since 2011, as Labour brands 'staggering' cuts 'vandalism against communities'The number of bus routes running in England has dropped by nearly half in just 12 years, Labour has claimed.
• Transport for London awards Via with multi-year contract to transform accessible transportVia, the global leader in TransitTech, announces that it has been awarded a multi-year contract by Transport for London (TfL) to improve accessible transport across the city through technology.

News from Europe

• Ferry vs sleeper train: I compared Europe's flight-free transport on comfort, cost and CO2Falling asleep in one city to wake up in another sounds like bliss to lots of travellers. But can sleeper trains offer a good night's rest while spiriting you across countries? And how do they compare to ferries for comfort, cost and sustainability?