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

Wednesday, 30 August 2023

BBC News

• Parents panic as bus firm stops school service a week before termHundreds of West Midlands pupils are having to find alternative ways of getting to school.
• Gwynedd: A494 needs urgent change after crashes, says MSA road that has seen 15 crashes in under two years needs improving, according to a local politician.
• London Underground: Large parts of Tube are loo desert, report saysThe longest
• London mayor scraps plan for 2025 zero-emission zoneA 2018 transport strategy had proposed a central London charge for all petrol and diesel vehicles.
• Network Rail axes bonuses for staff who went on strikeNetwork Rail has withheld bonuses from union members who took part in strike action during a pay dispute.
• Toyota halts all Japan assembly plants due to glitchThe world's largest car maker is investigating a system fault but says a cyber attack is unlikely.
• Ryanair says air traffic failure is not acceptableAirline boss Michael O'Leary asks why there was no back-up system after glitch causes travel chaos.

Department for Transport

• Statement following Transport Secretary’s meeting with aviation industry on air traffic control disruptionAirlines urged to support passengers while their flights are rearranged. Government to review the NATS report in the coming days.

Financial Times

• UK aviation regulator prepares probe into air traffic control chaosNats points to flight data issue behind collapse of system over busy bank holiday

The Guardian

• Network Rail axes bonuses for union members who strikeNetwork Rail has withheld annual bonuses from its union members who took part in strikes, in a move that threatens to further sour industrial relations.

The Telegraph

• Britain’s airport chaos shows our transport system is no longer fit for purpose. [subscription]Getting anywhere in the country – or even trying to leave it – has become a nightmare

Times Online

• Aircraft leasing is latest game for Saudi Arabia [subscription]Saudi Arabia plans to become a significant player in international aircraft leasing.
• UK air traffic control: inquiry into whether French error caused failure [subscription]Passengers face days of disruption after system meltdown grounds one in three UK flights
• Motorists attack Ulez charge over rising cost of living [subscription]The expansion of London’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) faced a turbulent start when motorists staged protests against what they described as a “money grab” by Sadiq Khan.
• ’Blade Runners’ attack Ulez cameras on expansion day [subscription]Sadiq Khan says the bigger London clean air zone is needed to deal with a public health crisis

i News

• Northern voters see Tory failure to improve rail network as a ’kick in the teeth’, focus group showsVoters in focus groups say the Government downgrading northern rail links was ’a kick in the teeth’, and suggested it made them ’question the overall economic situation’ of the region

Mail Online

• ULEZ protesters scuffle with police as tension boils over on first day of expansion of Sadiq Khan's hated £12.50 daily levy after 'blade runner' vandals destroyed cameras and TfL website crashedProtesters against the scheme have damaged and destroyed cameras across London by spraying them with paint, covering the lenses, cutting wires and even demolishing the poles they stand on.

Sky News

• UK's best and worst airports named in new surveyLiverpool John Lennon has been named the UK's best airport in a survey by Which? - while Manchester Airport came out worst.
• Air traffic control boss 'not ruling out anything' after glitch causes widespread disruptionAn air traffic control boss has said he cannot reveal the cause of the glitch which has affected thousands of passengers but is "not ruling out anything at this stage".

Birmingham Post

• North Star teams up with Stillstrom to work on offshore floating charge pointsThe operator of wind farm service ships will work with the Danish firm to develop its technology that aims to decarbonise the sector

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Leeds Bradford Airport flights cancelled after failureYET more flights in and out of Leeds-Bradford Airport (LBA) have been cancelled this afternoon after a traffic control failure on Monday.

Wales Online

• The £3m bus interchange which still has no buses several months after being completedConversations are taking place with operators over incorporating the interchange into existing bus routes

Other Regional Press

• Esther McVey: 'I want Tatton ticket offices to remain open'Since the news broke that nearly all ticket offices at railway stations across the country would close, I have been inundated with letters and emails on the issue.

Train Operators

• Heatmap reveals which counties across the North of England have the most students commuting by rail ahead of ’back to school’ next weekNorthern has released details of the most popular routes on its network for student commuters.

New Civil Engineer

• Procurement launched on £55M South Yorkshire Supertram track renewal jobSouth Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has alerted contractors to a £55M opportunity for track renewals on the South Yorkshire Supertram.
• Track works complete on £116M Levenmouth rail restoration schemeTrack installation for Scotland's £116M Levenmouth rail restoration project was completed on late last week when Scottish transport minister Fiona Hyslop installed the final clip in the new track.

Rail Business Daily

• East Coast Digital Programme progresses further upgrade workBillion-pound plans to enhance rail travel to and from London have progressed further with digital upgrade work that took place over the Bank Holiday weekend.
• Switching track: Group of West Yorkshire residents on Universal Credit given the opportunity to try out a career in railA group of 12 people from across West Yorkshire that have been long-term unemployed are all-set to begin a three-week training programme with the train operator Northern on Tuesday, 29 August.
• Heatmap reveals which counties across the North of England have the most students commuting by rail ahead of ’back to school’ next weekCheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire & West Yorkshire are riding high with large numbers of stations being used by students for their commute to school (highlighted in green on the map), while Merseyside, Tyne & Wear, South and East Yorkshire have far fewer (shown on the map in red).

Railway Technology

• Alstom opens new bogie factory in KazakhstanThe company now has 11 sites in the country, which it committed €50m of investment to at the end of last year.

Other News Sources

• The future of UK traction arrivesRichard Clinnick witnesses the arrival of the first Class 93 and provides all there is to know about the new tri-mode locomotive.
• No access to A3 or M25 as Wisley roadworks continue overnight, plus M23 closures to hit Gatwick passengersDrivers on the M25, M23, M3 and A3 face long diversions and delays due to overnight roadworks
• Heathrow passengers parked at airport face ULEZ charge if vehicle is movedAirport bosses have warned charges may build if vehicles are moved while parked