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

Monday, 14 August 2023

BBC News

• Bristol Labour urges metro mayor to get a grip on bus systemA councillor has urged the metro mayor to bring Bristol's buses under public control.
• New Devon bus timetable to come into effectA new timetable for some bus services in Devon will come into effect in September. The changes by Stagecoach South West will begin from 3 September with extra journeys introduced, as well as more bus corridors.
• Nottingham man frustrated by train firm's mobility scooter rulesA disabled father says he feels like his freedom has been taken away after being told his mobility scooter cannot be used on East Midlands Railway (EMR) trains.
• Review into London's transport network public toilets delayedA review into the installation of more public toilets across London's transport network has been delayed.
• Berkeley: Developer hoping to build 'garden village'A developer is hoping to build a 2,750-house garden village, complete with a railway station and schools.
• Delay warning as Twyford to Henley-on-Thames line to shut for daysPassengers have been warned of disruption due to days of work on a section of rail line between Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

ITV News

• Dangerous behaviour at Midlands level crossings caught on camera"Dangerous behaviour " at level crossings in the Midlands has been caught on camera by Network Rail.

Department for Transport

• Domestic Transport Usage by ModeUsage is shown as a percentage of pre-Covid baseline; baselines used vary between modes (see methodology for further information). For rail, usage is shown as a 7-day rolling average ending on the indicated date. For all other modes, daily usage for weekdays (excluding bank holidays) is shown.

The Guardian

• Roads agency starts to undo its ’vandalism’ of Victorian bridgeThe government’s roads agency has begun undoing what was described as an act of “cultural vandalism” by removing hundreds of tonnes of concrete it used to bury a Victorian railway bridge more than two years ago.
• ’Frightening’ rise in vehicles driving wrong way on England’s motorwaysIncidents of vehicles being driven the wrong way on England’s motorways rose to almost 900 in the last 12 months, an increase of 13%, according to figures described as “frightening”.
• Where will all the buses go, as stations vanish? [Letters]Sylvia Argyle deplores the plans for Lewes bus station; Carol Hedges bemoans the disappearance of her service

Times Online

• Dogs provide emotional support for nervous travellers at Berlin airport. [subscription]Berlin airport has recruited two dachshunds, a labrador and a mongrel to help to calm stressed passengers waiting for their summer holiday flights.
• Fears of bias in low-traffic neighbourhoods research. [subscription]The transport secretary has asked officials to examine how research into low-traffic neighbourhoods and other policies can be “genuinely independent” amid concerns that studies are being conducted by people whose opinions might prejudice their work.
• Self-driving cars block roads in San Francisco. [subscription]A busy bar and restaurant area in San Francisco was brought to a standstill by malfunctioning self-driving taxis only a day after state regulators had approved their expanded use in the city.

Daily Record

• Plans to improve Lockerbie station parking go on displayPassenger growth for the busy station on the West Coast Mainline has led to parking issues in the town

The Mirror

• Tory cull of railway ticket offices backed by just 21% as passengers demand reprieveA Mirror poll, conducted by Redfield & Wilton, found only one in five people are in favour of plans by train companies to shut ticket counters at 974 railway stations in England
• 'My friend and I are disabled - shutting ticket offices scares us in so many ways'Anna Morell and her friend Sue both have disabilities but are still regular users of the rail network - here Anna alights on the sheer number of ways shutting station ticket offices will impact on their lives

Sky News

• Shocking footage shows 'incredibly dangerous behaviour' on level crossingsCovert cameras captured six instances of "incredibly dangerous behaviour" at crossings. Network Rail said they were just a handful of examples out of nearly 50 cases of misuse either reported by train drivers or caught on hidden cameras.

Other Regional Press

• All the Stoke-on-Trent roads schemes set for share of £14m transport cashBoosting road safety near schools, improving junctions and removing dangers to pedestrians and drivers will be the focus of £14m of transport spending in Stoke-on-Trent.
• Delays stall London’s plan for expanded public toilets across transport networkA study looking at whether more public toilets can be installed across London’s transport network has been hit by delays.
• Work on installing Barnt Green station lifts to be announced 'within weeks'BARNT Green railway station will finally be accessible to all passengers after Network Rail confirmed residents will get letters through their door ’in the coming weeks’ announcing work would begin on installing three lifts.
• Craig Hoy MSP column: Scotrail meeting tracks problemsWE are more than halfway through the Scottish Parliament summer recess, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to update you on what I have been doing while Parliament is not sitting.
• Historic Exeter railway building could be demolished after more than 100 yearsAn historic building at Exeter St David's Station could be demolished after more than 100 years as part of plans to extend one of the platforms. It's hoped that this will create greater capacity at the busy station.

New Civil Engineer

• Watch: The need for rolling stock and decarbonisation strategy on the UK rail networkRail Industry Association technical director David Clarke discusses why the rolling stock strategy for the UK needs to be linked to the decarbonisation plan for the network and that neither can be achieved without that link. During the presentation he talks about why the two parts have been considered separately to date and the need to resolve that disconnect.
• RMT claims 18 of 20 safety recommendations from Carmont tragedy not enacted by Network RailA major trade union in the UK is calling out Network Rail for not acting on the majority of recommendations from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) following the Carmont rail tragedy.
• Watch: Managing asset resilience across the Transport for London networkTransport for London (TfL) head of asset investment Kevin McNally discusses how the capital's transport operator manages its assets in the face of climate change. He discusses the processes and reviews that TfL is currently undertaking to ensure that the network is futureproofed against extreme weather events.

Rail Advent

• Train tickets in North Wales and the Wirral now on sale in local shopsTransport for Wales has entered a partnership with eight local businesses in North Wales and the Wirral so that people can purchase their train tickets from local shops that offer a Payzone facility.
• Work to get started on new stations for Bedlington, Blyth Bebside and Seaton DelavalNorthumberland rail line makes positive progress as contracts are signed with the principal contractor to enable work to get underway on the new stations

Railway Gazette

• Unicard adds EMV ticketing capabilities with Ecebs acquisitionUK: Transport ticketing and payment company Unicard has added contactless EMV payment to its portfolio with the acquisition of smart ticketing business Ecebs from Visa.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Doubt emerges for bus sector over net-zero policiesA recent by-election result could have implications for the industry, writes our politics correspondent
• ’Transport for London leads the way on bus safety’We welcome the work on improving bus safety by Stagecoach East on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, but its use of the retarder with Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) in the UK is not a “first”.
• Franchising is not the only way forward for bus servicesSome of the same problems and solutions may exist in either a franchise or non-regulated model, writes Confederation of Passenger Transport President Ralph Roberts
• Experience guides First Bus to futureproof EV infrastructureIt’s a year since First Bus completed the full implementation of its electric charging hub at its Caledonia depot in Glasgow. Lessons learned are influencing the next stages of EV infrastructure roll-out.

Trafnidiaeth Cymru [Transport for Wales]

• Train tickets now on your high streetPeople traveling in north Wales and the Wirral will find it even easier to buy their train tickets after Transport for Wales partnered with eight local businesses.

Transport for London

• TfL to start work to transform Kingston Cromwell Road bus stationWork will transform the bus station, making it much easier to use and strengthening Kingston’s public transport network

Aviation Industry

• London Stansted Airport Has A Strong JulyLondon Stansted Airport has had a strong July and is cruising ahead in comparison to pre-pandemic levels.
• Post-Pandemic Record: Frankfurt Airport Welcomes Over 6 Million PassengersFrankfurt Airport (FRA) served more than six million passengers in July, a record since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Proposed Dublin Airport Noise Quota To ’Far Exceed’ London HeathrowAn aircraft noise quota that is currently being proposed by Dublin Airport will reportedly far exceed the quota already in place for London Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted.

Other News Sources

• easyJet has celebrated flying 60 million passengers to and from Edinburgh AirporteasyJet, Scotland’s largest airline, has today celebrated carrying over 60 million passengers to and from Edinburgh Airport. To mark the occasion the airline surprised the Wilson family flying today from Edinburgh to Madrid, with free easyJet return flights.
• Rolling Stock Management Market 2022 - Industry Trends, Regional Developments and Competitive Landscape Analysis Report According to new research study on Rolling Stock Management Market research report provides size, share, trends, analysis report contains all study material about market industry overview, growth, demand and forecast research in all over the world.
• HS2 Supreme Court land ruling to have ’far reaching consequences’ for future infrastructure schemesSupreme Court decided hope value of four sites on route should be considered together, not separately Compulsory purchases for major infrastructure projects could cost less in the future, after a landmark Supreme Court ruling described as a ’blow to landowners’
• Alstom contributes nearly £1 billion to UK and Ireland GDPeconomic impact on the UK and Ireland with the publication of its 2023 Economic Impact Report. This followed the 200th anniversary of the world’s first purpose-built locomotive works in Newcastle, Robert Stephenson and Company, to which Alstom can trace its roots. Founded in the UK in 1823, it was the first company in the world created specifically to build railway engines, and since 1989 it has belonged to Alstom.
• Vintage tube train trips return to London in SeptemberThe 1938 era art-deco tube train will be back out on the railway again next month, running along the Met line in northwest London.