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

Friday, 25 August 2023

BBC News

• Bus services face cuts in Shropshire due to 'lack of funding’Bus services will be cut in Shropshire due to a lack of government funding, a council has said. Five routes in Telford and Wrekin will stop in September, with a new 99 service covering "the most impacted areas”.
• Trams firm fined £240,000 over pedestrian deathBus driver Carlos Correa Palacio was struck at a crossing in Edinburgh while walking home.
• Drivers face tougher sentences for killing pedestriansDeaths of cyclists and other vulnerable road users could also incur longer sentences under new guidelines.
• New CalMac ferries delay after safety changes orderedRegulators have demanded changes to two delayed CalMac ferries being built at Ferguson shipyard.
• Gatwick Airport: Bank holiday strike threat off after pay deal agreedThe Unite union calls off industrial action by ground handlers after securing improved pay deals.
• Train strikes to hit major events like Reading and Leeds festivalsVisitors to the Reading and Leeds festivals and Notting Hill Carnival face disruption as rail workers walk out.

Financial Times

• Italy is flying in the wrong direction with price cap plansBut airlines failure to understand their disgruntled customers is making the policy a vote winner
• The Nimby tax on Britain and AmericaLocal objections and protracted reviews mean new infrastructure projects cost far more in the UK and US than elsewhere

Times Online

• Edinburgh Trams fined £240,000 for pedestrian’s ’avoidable’ death. [subscription]Edinburgh Trams has been fined £240,000 after it failed to learn lessons from a near-miss two years before a pedestrian was killed at a crossing.

Daily Record

• New calls to extend free bus pass for older people to include country-wide train travel rejectedAn online petition calling for the change has received more than 19,600 signatures from across the UK.
• Edinburgh Trams fined £240,000 over death of pedestrian struck at crossingBus driver Carlos Correa Palacio, 53, had not been aware of the tram until it was too late when he was struck by the vehicle in Saughton in 2018.

The Mirror

• Ticket office closures 'could put lives at risk' as rail users left without helpThe RMT's Mick Lynch said the plan to shut ticket counters at 974 stations across England would result in vital staff members being cut, leaving vulnerable passengers without support

Edinburgh Evening News

• West Lothian bus fares set to rise as review of services sees six routes axedThe review was delayed for three years by the Covid pandemic, but has now been agreed by councillors.

Northern Echo

• Calls for vigilance in Darlington bus shelter smashing spreePolice ask Darlington residents to be vigilant after bus shelter vandalism spree

The York Press

• Harrogate Bus Company spends £21m helped by government supportA major North Yorkshire bus firm has placed orders worth £21m to deliver an all-electric bus fleet next Spring.

Other Regional Press

• Council takes action to maintain safety at Maesteg Bus StationA temporary traffic order that was introduced at Maesteg Bus Station in 2022 to help avoid collisions and maintain public safety has now been made permanent by Bridgend County Borough Council.
• TfL bus boss admits 'far more’ Outer London connections are needed when ULEZ expandsThe Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan’s deputy in charge of transport has admitted that “far more” public transport connections and options are needed between town centres in Outer London as drivers adapt to an expanded ultra low emission zone (ULEZ). Transport for London ’s (TfL) bus boss added that this is crucial to ensuring residents can undergo “a car free lifestyle” as the authority aims to cut emissions.
• Rail industry must meet challenges for a safer futureOur recent annual report highlighted the areas I want to see the industry focus on in what will be my last year as His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Railways. 
• Bus driver on what new Welsh 20mph limit could mean for journey timesA NORTH WALES bus driver has spoken about how he thinks the upcoming 20mph limit will affect service journey times.

New Civil Engineer

• Justine Greening says construction has a critical role in levelling upLevelling up has become a widely used phrase in politics and business in recent years but there is often a difference of opinion about what it means and a belief that delivering it lies solely with the government.

Railway Gazette

• Siemens Mobility begins construction of $220m North Carolina factoryUSA: A groundbreaking ceremony on August 23 launched construction of Siemens Mobility’s future passenger rolling stock manufacturing and services facility in Lexington, North Carolina.

Railway Technology

• UK and Dutch national rail companies agree on fibre acoustic sensing Network Rail, the national body that owns and improves UK rail infrastructure, has agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ProRail, its equivalent company in the Netherlands. 

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Elcock Reisen placed into administration after 95 yearsShropshire coach operator Elcock Reisen abruptly entered administration on 23 August. In a brief statement via which the development was announced “with great sorrow,” the business notes that all future bookings have been cancelled and that it is in the process of contacting customers, but also that as of Friday 25 August its offices will be closed.
• Research: Signs increase bus driver-passenger interactionThe use of signs in buses encouraging passengers to positively interact with drivers leads to an increase in those behaviours, a research trial operated in conjunction with Transport for London found.
• McGill’s launches new-look CitySwift servicesMcGill’s has unveiled a new identity for its X36/37 services with the new name “CitySwift”, revamped buses and tweaked timetables.
• Cambridgeshire franchising consultation likely early-2024The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) expects to publish an independent audit of an Outline Business Case for bus reform in time for a public consultation early in 2024.
• Zoe Hands named First Bus MD for Manchester, Midlands and South YorkshireFirst Bus has selected Zoe Hands to captain its operations as the Managing Director of its Manchester, Midlands, and South Yorkshire division.

Other News Sources

• Rolling Stock Market : By Growth, Top Key Players, Current And Upcoming Trends, Statistics By 2031 According to a recent report published by Allied Market Research, titled, “Rolling Stock Market by Type and End Use: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022–2031,” the global Rolling Stock Market was valued at $51.31 billion in 2021, and is projected to reach $73.27 billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 3.7% from 2022 to 2031.

News from Europe

• Market share, growth, global analysis and forecast for passenger car leasing by 2030 [Austria - translation from German]Report description: Global Market Vision recently published a market research report called Passenger Vehicle Leasing Market, which contains important statistical and analytical data distributed throughout the report and contains industry-related content. The report provides an overview of the segments and sub-segmentations including product types, applications, companies and regions. The report reveals the dynamics of the global passenger car leasing market, future business impact, the competitive landscape of companies and the flow of global supply and consumption.
• Antrim bus company Wrightbus set to create hundreds more jobsBallymena bus manufacturer Wrightbus plans to create hundreds of new jobs in the latest of a series of expansions. The company has grown exponentially since being bought out of administration by British hydrogen-focused investor Jo Bamford in 2019.