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

Monday, 21 August 2023

BBC News

• Pioneering wind-powered cargo ship sets sailA cargo ship fitted with giant, British-designed special wind-powered sails has set out on its maiden voyage.
• Bath Spa Station staff concerned over ticket office closureRunning a train station with no ticket office is a "shambles" and a "taste of the future", staff have warned. Bath Spa Station staff have sold tickets on the concourse for two weeks since its office was temporarily shut due to a crumbling ceiling.
• Chard Parkway Station plans progress after study agreedPlans for a new railway station have taken a step forward after officials agreed to do a timetable study.
• Durham bus station: Images show work on new transport hubImages have been released showing progress of building work on Durham's new central bus station, which is due to open in November.
• Bus: Wales could lose a quarter of services, say operatorsBus operators warn passengers could face more cuts to services without further government funding.
• Holiday firms urge PM to allow watchdog to fine airlinesTravel companies would like to see watchdog given extra powers to act over delays and cancellations.

Financial Times

• Cargill boss calls for ship owners to invest in wind power US agricultural trader and freight operator is testing vessel fitted with 37.5 metre-high sails
• Drought causes headaches for Panama CanalIran deals with the consequences of ultra-cheap petrol

Times Online

• Sadiq Khan deputy helped scientist play down Ulez study. [subscription]Conservatives say emails show an ’alarmingly cosy relationship’ between City Hall and researchers it funds
• Glasgow council spends £100,000 on rented vehicles to avoid LEZ fines. [subscription]Glasgow city council was forced to spend £100,000 renting vehicles because parts of its own fleet would fall foul of its own clean-air policies.

The Mirror

• Stansted Airport in chaos as train station evacuated after massive power outageA spokesman for Stansted confirmed that the airport is in the process of restoring its systems following an "earlier power outage", while railway operator GA West Anglia said a "burnt switch in an electrical room has been found"
• Fatal train disaster warning amid fears over driver working conditionsMick Whelan told the Mirror he feared an accident could happen because train drivers are increasingly facing fatigue, long hours and a need to work irregular overtime shifts

Bristol Live

• Passengers start petition to save 'crucial' South Bristol bus service which faces the axe in two weeks"The 52 service is absolutely crucial to local people without private cars and it's essential it's maintained if whole communities are not going to be marooned and cut off"

London Evening Standard

• Wind power returns to commercial shipping with trial of high-tech sailsA pair of WindWings have been retrofitted onto a cargo ship to save fuel on its journey from China to Brazil.

Doncaster Free Press

• Mayor leads community fights for a fair deal on public transport in DoncasterSouth Yorkshire’s Mayor, Oliver Coppard, is inviting the South Yorkshire community to join his fight for a fair public transport deal, at a roadshow of public meetings taking place across the region.

Other Regional Press

• Cumbria's £2 Lake District bus route that lets you explore it's beauty for penniesThere's still time to take advantage of the £2 Stagecoach bus fares before it increases later in the year.
• End of the line for ticket offices?Rail users are being urged to give their views on plans to shut station ticket offices in Wokingham Borough and beyond.

New Civil Engineer

• Roads regulator challenges National Highways to accelerate delivery of noise mitigation by 2025National Highways has been presented with a challenge by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to accelerate the delivery of noise mitigation measures by the end of the current Road investment Strategy 2 (RIS2) period, which runs from 2020 to 2025.
• Proposed changes to the planning regime are evolutionary not revolutionaryThe government has launched a consultation about implementing the "Action Plan", which it issued in February, to make improvements to the nationally significant infrastructure planning regime.
• Rail operator details the challenge of reopening derailment damaged Gotthard Base TunnelDamage from a freight train derailment inside the world’s longest rail tunnel is more extensive than originally thought, with repairs expected to take months.
• Rail blockade lifted as HS2 contractors complete latest bridge move operationTaking High Speed 2 (HS2) trains across the path of existing freight rail routes between Birmingham and Crewe took a step closer last week with completion of a new bridge structure near Lichfield.
• Rail operator details the challenge of reopening derailment damaged Gotthard Base TunnelDamage from a freight train derailment inside the world’s longest rail tunnel is more extensive than originally thought, with repairs expected to take months.

Aviation Industry

• Was Selling Low Cost Carrier 'GO' BA's Greatest Mistake?While many may be familiar with LEVEL, the new low-cost airline launched by British Airways owner IAG, much fewer are aware of the British Airways low-cost carrier history. In 1998 British Airways launched a budget airline under the name Go. The airline was supposed to be challenging the low-cost model which Ryanair and EasyJet had so successfully launched. Various reports even suggest that BA’s CEO of the time had copied Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s business plan.
• European Flights Are Currently At 94% Of 2019's LevelsWith the improvement, only three airlines have increased their levels since before the pandemic.

Other News Sources

• Manxman introduction disrupted, Steam Packet looks to sell shipThe new Isle of Man Steam Packet flagship, MANXMAN, has had a disrupted first few days of service with the company. MANXMAN’s first commercial crossing was from Douglas to Heysham on the morning of Thursday 17 August.
• Leeds opens 'UK first' solar-powered park-and-ride electric bus systemIt marks the latest in a flurry of innovative solar projects to have begun operations across the UK recent weeks
• London North Eastern Railway invites bids for community fundingLondon North Eastern Railway (LNER) is inviting bids for funding from its Customer and Community Investment Fund (CCIF).

News from Europe

• We should design our future around free public transport for allWe should all register our opposition to any attempts to abolish or amend free travel for 60-plus seniors, as outlined in the Department for Infrastructure consultation.