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

Thursday, 31 August 2023

BBC News

• Manningtree station lights brighter than entire town, campaigners sayNew car park lighting at a railway station, which is "as bright as daylight", is causing more light pollution than the whole of the town it serves combined, campaigners have said.
• Artwork commemorates 60th anniversary of Bristol's civil rights bus boycottA redecorated city bus has been unveiled celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Bristol bus boycott.
• Transport scramble for stranded West Midlands school pupilsParents of pupils left without school transport days before the new term begins say they are facing a scramble to find alternatives and pay for them.
• Oxford: Botley Road residents angry over 24-hour workingThe planned move to 24-hour building work to upgrade a railway station has sparked anger from city residents.

Department for Transport

• Passengers to benefit from easier and cheaper travel with new app guidanceTravel and navigation app providers encouraged to ensure new technology offering more streamlined journeys is accessible to all users.

Financial Times

• Secret paper trail reveals hidden Adani investorsFollowing claims of share price manipulation, new documents uncover potentially controversial shareholders in one of India’s biggest conglomerates
• Deloitte resigns from Adani Ports as auditor Indian conglomerate says company’s grounds for resignation are ‘not convincing’

STV

• Delays to public transport fares review 'will hit most vulnerable'Transform Scotland warned about progress on the so-called fair fares review, which was commissioned in 2021.

The Guardian

• Government shelves £40m contract for helicopter transport for Rishi SunakTender to provide aircraft for PM and other ministers withdrawn after criticism of his short-distance flights
• Gatwick passenger numbers soar as strikes hit flight punctualityDemand for travel results in 41% rise but air traffic control industrial action across Europe affects timings
• Airlines call for compensation reform after staggering air chaos revelationIndustry expects to lose £100m over the air traffic control failure and wants Nats to contribute. Airlines have urged reform of compensation rules after the “staggering” revelation that a single wrongly input flight plan to UK air traffic control disrupted hundreds of thousands of passengers’ flights.

The Telegraph

• Eurostar and major ski operators announce new rail routes to the Alps for winterA new Eurostar ski train from London St Pancras to the French Alps has been announced, following weeks of uncertainty and campaigning by British skiers and operators. Tickets are set to go on sale on August 31, once again giving holidaymakers a low-carbon option for easy train travel to ski resorts this winter. 
• Ulez expansion is wasting police time, Sadiq Khan toldPoliticians suggest police resources being used to investigate attacks on Ulez cameras rather than more serious crimes

City AM

• Gatwick: Profits take off but airport warns on air traffic control issues in UK and FranceGatwick Airport said pre-tax profits had jumped to £100.2m this morning, up 65 per cent year-on-year amid soaring demand for travel, but warned it had been hit by air traffic control issues across Europe.
• Business leaders call on ministers to cut tax on clean fuels to replace dieselBusiness leaders and environmental campaigners have called on the government to cut duties on clean replacements for diesel.
• HS2: Drummond Street restaurants under threat as Euston construction delays drive away footfallTehreem Riaz, 53, has lived on London’s Drummond Street almost her entire life. The area – which is particularly well known for its Indian cuisine – has been a food haven for Londoners and a favourite of locals and office workers looking to soak in a vibrant atmosphere.

The Mirror

• 500,000 speak out about ticket office cull as campaigners take fight to PM's doorstepAs the RMT prepares to hold a rally in Whitehall, responses to the public consultation on plans to shut ticket offices at 974 railway stations have hit half a million

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham Airport defends security wait time as study claims it is 'among the worst' The study by consumer group Which? found Birmingham Airport was 'among the worst' travel hubs for security queues - but bosses disputed the 'flawed' survey

Birmingham Post

• Harland and Wolff looking to build and operate Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ferriesThe company, which operates at Devon’s Appledore shipyard, said it would apply for government funding to make and run the proposed vessels
• First Cymru trials hydrogen-fuelled bus in BridgendThe bus will run on green hydrogen from Port Talbot

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Plans lodged for new improved Skipton Railway StationSKIPTON’S ‘landmark’ £7.8m Gateway project is on track following the submission of plans for the transformation of the town’s railway station and surrounding area.

Bristol Live

• Bristol Bus Boycott anniversary sees brand new bus design unveiled The four-month Bristol Bus Boycott of 1963 was sparked after bus operators introduced a new rule banning Black and Asian people from becoming drivers and conductors

Cambridge News

• Cambridge congestion charge ‘still unfair’ as people living on the border say more change neededPeople living along the proposed congestion charge border around Cherry Hinton to Teversham said they were still worried about the potential charge.

South Wales Argus

• How 20mph speed limit will impact buses - transport expert explainsTHE NEW 20mph speed limit could deliver another blow to the country’s flagging bus industry, a Welsh transport expert has warned.

Other Regional Press

• Worthing man with autism helps Govia Thameslink Railway develop easy guides to train travelA Worthing man with autism has helped Govia Thameslink Railway develop easy guides to help people feel more confident about travelling.
• UK's best and worst airports for delays revealed just days after flight chaosThe UK Civil Aviation Authority has published its latest monthly data which ranks Leeds Bradford above Manchester for delays
• MP calls Northern's plea for station adopters 'blatant attempt to abdicate responsibility'An MP has called Northern Trains search for community custodians at four Cheshire stations a "blatant attempt to abdicate responsibility.
• Protest held in Berwick over proposed ticket office closureCampaigners have staged a protest in Berwick in a protest over plans to close the railway station ticket office.
• Bournemouth Airport ranked as one of the best in the UKBournemouth Airport has been rated as one of the top three airports in the UK for customer experience.
• Nuneaton train campaigners say West Midlands Railway treat passengers like 'second citizens'They say that local services are repeatedly disrupted

Christian Wolmar

• Why is HS2 costing so much?The members of the Denham Waterski Club are among the few people in the Chilterns who are grateful for HS2. They have a superb new clubhouse overlooking the tiny lake where their motorboats whizz round in ever tighter circles, thanks to the fact that their old one was in the way of the massive viaduct being built over the Colne Valley for the new line. The heavy concrete structure does somewhat blight their view but they are undoubtedly delighted with their Faustian deal.

New Civil Engineer

• Consultation launched on plan to build new Bristol A4 relief road on disused railwayThe West of England Combined Authority (WECA) has released a consultation asking Bristol and Bath residents for their views on constructing a new A4 relief road on a disused railway track.

Railway Technology

• Bangkok’s MRT set to be solar poweredThe MRT Blue Line and MRT Purple Line are set to receive around 12% of their power from solar energy.

Other News Sources

• TransPennine Express to stop using loco-hauled push-pull trains in DecemberUK: TransPennine Express has confirmed that it will cease using its push-pull sets of Class 68 locomotives and MkVa coaches, previously designated Nova 3 sets, from the December 2023 timetable change.
• UK’s Department for Transport publishes MaaS Code of PracticeThe UK’s Department for Transportation (DfT) has published a MaaS Code of Practice for Mobility as a Service rollout in the UK, following industry consultation that took place between February 8 and May 3, 2022.
• Barry Docks new transport interchange has no bus servicesVale of Glamorgan Council has responded to concerns that a multi-million pound transport interchange is still without a bus service.
• Former British Airways boss criticises ’staggering’ air traffic control failureIt is “staggering” that the UK’s air traffic control system collapsed due to false flight data, the former boss of British Airways has said, responding to explanations given by bosses from Britain’s air traffic operator.
• A259 Brighton: Marine Parade 'no cycling' signs vandalisedNo cycling signs on a pavement have been vandalised causing confusion for tourists.