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

Monday, 04 September 2023

BBC News

• Changes to bus services between Leeds, Keighley and Shipley beginNew bus services between Leeds, Keighley and Shipley have started. The changes include an increase in services, a new route and a £1 flat fare on the Keighley Town network.
• Surrey County Council launches on demand mini bus schemeAn on demand bus service is expanding into five Surrey towns from Monday as part of a sustainable travel push.
• Rail disruption: Train cancellations as high as 13% in 2023One station, managed by TransPennine Express, has had 13% of its trains cancelled.

Financial Times

• Why the EV battery race needs a recycling revolutionUncertainty over which cells will power tomorrow’s cars among factors complicating efforts to reuse raw materials
• Why are we wasting our limited supply of green hydrogen?The fuel is being directed towards the industries that don’t need it, rather than the shipping and aviation sectors which do
• P&O Ferries market share eroded by competition from low-cost operatorsThe shipping group's cargo capacity on its routes has fallen sharply

The Guardian

• Train versus plane: with many domestic flights banned in France, we test its rail networkFrance could well be the perfect place to track the progress of the main battle over the future of travel: trains versus planes. In May 2021, France positioned itself as the frontrunner in a carbon-cutting train renaissance when its government enacted a ban on domestic flights where the journey could be done by train in less than two and a half hours.
• Ignoring call to halt new airports would be electoral carnage, Sunak warnedCampaigners speak out amid suggestion government could reject Climate Change Committee's advice Rishi Sunak faces electoral carnage if the government rejects its climate advisers recommendations on halting airport expansion, a coalition of community groups have warned.The prospect of a renewed political battle around airport growth in various parts of England has been reignited amid concern from campaigners at suggestions the government could reject the Climate Change Committee's (CCC) advice that all such expansions must be halted.

Times Online

• Northern rail services ’will suffer after HS2 is completed’. [subscription]Dozens of towns and cities in the north of England and Scotland face a reduction in rail services once HS2 is complete, according to new analysis.

City AM

• Why Mercedes boss thinks there’s “no logic” behind post-Brexit car tariffsThe boss of Mercedez-Benz has said there is “no logic” behind post-Brexit tariffs on European carmakers, echoing concerns in the sector that their looming imposition could hamstring the UK’s electric car ambitions.
• Lift off: Rishi Sunak to rebuff ban on airport expansionRishi Sunak is set to ignore demands from the governments’ climate advisers aimed at stopping airport’s from expanding, according to reports.

i News

• When are the next train strikes? What we know about if there will be more rail strikes dates in 2023While there are no further train strikes planned in September 2023, the disputes involving the RMT and Alsef unions are rumbling on
• ’Drip pricing’ such as train ticket booking fees and other hidden costs to be targeted by GovernmentThe Government is to crackdown on so-called “drip-pricing” such as hidden fees included in the price of train tickets and food deliveries.

Mail Online

• Qantas issues a grovelling apology to Australians after nightmare weekThe Australian Consumer and Consumption Commission (ACCC) launched action on Thursday, alleging the airline had 'engaged in false, misleading or deceptive conduct'.

Local Government

• Contract awarded for the real time bus information networkNorth East Lincolnshire Council and its delivery partner, Equans, are happy to announce r2p has been awarded the contract for the Real Time Information (RTI) network.
• Charcoal Line moves to seven day service in latest bus service improvementBus Services between Bungay and Norwich are moving to seven days a week thanks to money that Norfolk County Council secured from the Department for Transport (DfT) to improve bus services across the County.

Bristol Live

• Metro mayor demands PM axes plan to close rail station ticket offices500,000 people have taken part in consultation that would see the desks closed at Temple Meads and Bath

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Nine questions about Wales's new 20mph default speed limit The countdown is now on to the roll-out of 20mph speed limits across vast parts of the road network in Wales

London Evening Standard

• August bank holiday weekend Tube and bus travel hits post-pandemic highransport for London has recorded its highest number of August bank holiday weekend bus and Tube journeys since the pandemic.

The York Press

• York-based LNER launches rail tickets for over the festive periodA YORK-BASED rail firm has placed hundreds of thousands of tickets on sale for over the Christmas and New Year period.

Bucks Free Press

• High Wycombe: Arriva introduces new bus serviceA bus operator has announced new routes with more frequent service in Buckinghamshire.

Other Regional Press

• New 99 bus route launches in Telford Following changes to the bus network in Telford and Wrekin, the council has today launched a new service to minimise the impact of reduced services.
• 'New Torquay railway station plans have to stay on track'At long last, Network Rail has filed an official planning application for its long-awaited new railway station on the outskirts of Torquay. Years in the making, the station at Edginswell has been on the bay’s wishlist for decades.
• Metro mayor demands PM axes plan to close rail station ticket offices500,000 people have taken part in consultation that would see the desks closed at Temple Meads and Bath
• ’Not ready for total automation’ on railway ticket officesTHE joy of Parliament being in recess is being able to ditch the weekly commute to Westminster and stay in Furness.

Train Operators

• More than 7.7 million journeys made with ScotRail during AugustScotRail has confirmed that passenger numbers recovered to near pre-pandemic levels last month.

New Civil Engineer

• Future of Rail | Digital technology could revolutionise railway maintenanceHow can new technologies and a systems approach improve rail infrastructure delivery and asset management? The way rail infrastructure assets are designed, delivered and maintained has transformed over the past few decades, thanks to the introduction of new technologies.

Rail Advent

• Inspiring rail-based STEM school programme sees Eversholt Rail and Primary Engineer team upThe programme has seen the rolling stock company and the not-for-profit STEM education specialists develop an inspiring programme for schools
• LNER and Merseyrail come out top for child-friendly rail travelThe Campaign for Family-Friendly Trains has proclaimed Merseyrail and London North Eastern Railway (LNER) the best UK train operators for families travelling with young children. Eurostar ranked the worst.

Railtech

• British High Speed Trains set for MexicoMEXICO: Redundant UK inter-city diesel trains and two tram-trains have been acquired by the Mexican navy, according to local sources.The trains, which have been a staple of the British rail scene for decades, are on the cusp of an emigration, when most observers expected the veteran formations to head for one last trip to the breakers yard. However, their withdrawal from UK service, is not the death knell. A new line on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, which was to have been electrified, has taken the units for an interim diesel powered service

Railway Gazette

• Celebrating the importance of rail freight and logisticsRecent winners of the award for Rail Freight & Logistics Excellence have recognised the introduction of new freight flows by rail, the development of terminal facilities and innovative rolling stock, and the provision of support services, as well as strong all-round commercial performance. The 2023 award was won by Eversholt Rail for its Swift Express Freight initiative.

The Business Desk

• Green light for ’eco-friendly’ HS2 bridgeHS2 has received planning permission from Birmingham City Council for its ’eco-friendly’ road bridge, over the HS2 line in Birmingham.

Other News Sources

• Government tipped to reject formal advice to halt airport expansionThe government is being tipped to dismiss formal advice to halt all airport expansion. The demand for ministers to stop the growth of airports has been made by the Climate Change Committee
• CALL FOR LOCAL PEOPLE TO DITCH THE CAR AND CATCH THE BUS THIS SEPTEMBERLocal people and visitors to the Isle of Wight are being encouraged to find out how easy and convenient it is to travel by bus.
• Cosco Shipping launches China – Greece door-to-door serviceThe new service expands the end-to-end supply chain products available on Cosco Shipping’s digital platform SynCon Hub.
• Panama Canal restrictions are rerouting LPG shipping flowsPanama Canal restrictions are already forcing ships to take multi-week detours via the Suez Canal and Cape of Good Hope. One shipping segment is more exposed to these reroutings than any other: specialized tankers that carry liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the U.S. to Asia.
• Heat pumps in roads could prevent potholes claim researchers from University of SurreyA new thermo-active road solution could help prevent potholes caused by freezing and thawing in the winter, according to research conducted at the University of Surrey.
• Company makes history with plan to open the country’s first ’true’ high-speed train line: ’[It] will serve as the blueprint’The construction of a bullet train between Las Vegas and Southern California is planned to begin later this year. If successful, it would become “the first true high-speed rail system in America,” according to the CEO of the company behind the project, per Las Vegas’ FOX5.
• Borders Railway extension takes 'essential' step down trackAN EXTENSION of the Borders railway to Hawick and on to Carlisle has moved further down the track.