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

Friday, 08 September 2023

BBC News

• Luton Airport shuttle buses join Ukraine war effortThree former airport shuttle buses have been donated for use in the Ukraine war effort.
• Security fears over rooftop park at Stockport transport interchangeSecurity concerns have been raised over a lack of CCTV at a rooftop park in a new transport interchange.
• HS2 bridge in Balsall Common approvedThe viaduct will transport high-speed trains over floodplain land.
• Network Rail admits failings caused deaths in Stonehaven crashThe driver was not warned that part of the track near Stonehaven was unsafe before the fatal crash in 2020.
• Anti-drone technology introduced at Dublin AirportThe airport was closed six times due to illegal drone activity in the first eight weeks of 2023.
• Oldham First Manchester bus strikes called off after pay deal agreedOldham drivers at First Manchester were due to take industrial action this week.

Department for Transport

• Hundreds of new zero emission buses to connect communities in EnglandGovernment funding to help decarbonise public transport and develop innovative ideas to ensure future infrastructure is low-carbon and resilient.

Financial Times

• We have to fight: Europe's carmakers dig in against China's EV incursionBig names accept the need to sharpen their competitive edge as overseas rivals swamp the Munich motor show

The Guardian

• Network Rail admits health and safety failings over fatal Stonehaven crashPartner of conductor who died in Aberdeenshire with driver and passenger says her life has been turned upside down
• Don’t be fooled by rail ticket office promises.The train operators’ claim that freeing station staff by closing ticket offices will improve customer service overall may sound sensible but is fallacious (Unions urge ’final push’ to save England’s rail ticket offices, 1 September). What they don’t say is that they are cutting the hours when staff will be available – hence the planned staff redundancies.
• France to launch German-style cut-price monthly rail passPass will cost about €49 a month and allow users unlimited travel on TER regional trains and intercity trains
• The Guardian view on electric vehicles: UK boom could run out of juice before it begins | EditorialBritain’s transport needs to be low-carbon. State intervention is needed to coordinate the necessary investments to transform societyRishi Sunak’s decision this summer to keep the government’s target to ban petrol and diesel cars by 2030 was the easy bit. The hard stuff has barely been tackled. There is no feasible way to decarbonise transport without electric vehicles (EVs), which don’t spew out greenhouse gases. The good news is that the UK’s only dedicated manufacturing plant for EVs opened on Thursday and more than one in five new cars registered last month were electric. Transport &am...

The Scotsman

• NE rail campaign takes leap forwardAmbitious plans to reinstate rail links between Aberdeen and Buchan have taken a major step forward, with the contract awarded for a new Sustainable Transport Study.

Times Online

• Forget cheese ban, Sadiq, focus on the bread and butter. [subscription]Transport for London’s only job is to run the capital’s road and rail network efficiently and safely. Which is why its decision to ban posters advertising artisan cheeses from the Tube network on the grounds that the products are “unhealthy” is bonkers.
• Gatwick plagued by air traffic control restrictions over summer. [subscription]Gatwick has suffered almost a month of air traffic control disruption this summer, resulting in tens of thousands of passengers having their flights cancelled.

Daily Record

• Hefty fine is no real justice for Stonehaven rail crash victimsNetwork Rail is suspected to be fined after the train derailment but individuals should be held responsible, says Record View.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Jet2 says wildfires and air traffic control cost firm £13 millionJET2 has revealed a hit of around £13 million from the recent air traffic control (ATC) disruption and wildfires in Rhodes.

Bristol Live

• New ferry route launching linking Brislington to the city centreTrial from East Bristol will run for 10 days later this month

The York Press

• York: National Railway Museum to demolish Sidings buildingThe National Railway Museum in York is planning to demolish one of its buildings as part of its vision to “restore and refurbish” its heritage.

Other Regional Press

• Could provide direct route to Terminal 5 from local train stationsSadiq Khan has given his backing to a proposed new railway link connecting Heathrow Airport with local train stations including Brentford, Chiswick, Putney and Wandsworth Town.
• Greater Anglia launches virtual tours for new train fleet to help passengers travel with confidenceGreater Anglia has launched online virtual tours for its new train fleet to help passengers travel with confidence.
• North Mid excluded from final Superloop bus route proposal despite NHS safety warningsLocal NHS bosses warn TfL that patients will “not have safe walking route” to North Mid from new S1 express bus service when it is introduced later this year, reports James Cracknell
• More than £1m spend on improvements to bus services across North Northamptonshire to be discussed next weekA proposed round of bus service improvements worth a total of £1.14m will be discussed by North Northamptonshire Council next week. 
• Dreadful transport in city makes everyday life unpleasant, inconvenient and unhealthy’ blasts Cambridge Sustainable Travel AllianceThe Cambridge Sustainable Travel Alliance has accused local politicians of failing to grasp the opportunities provided by congestion charge proposals and criticised them for a lack of leadership.
• Dozens of staff leave bus company as Kent depot shutsUp to 50 staff – including many drivers – have left a bus company after one of its Kent depots closed this weekend.

Coach and Bus Week

• ’Unseen costs will have impacts for Welsh 20mph zones’Writing for Nation.cymru, Professor Stuart Cole, CBE, Emeritus Professor of Transport Economics and Policy, University of South Wales, says the new default 20mph speed limit which comes into force on 17 September, replacing the current 30mph limit, will mean significant cost implications for operators through increased drivers’ hours and less efficient vehicle operation, “in much the same way as traffic ’humps’ on bus routes cause increased wear to vehicle suspension and fuel consumption with consequent increases in cost.”

New Civil Engineer

• Scottish government confirms £140M for rail electrification project in East KilbrideA major railway enhancement and electrification project between East Kilbride and Glasgow has had its £140M funding confirmed by the Scottish Government.
• Sisk appointed to £7.8M job to remove bridge for York Station Gateway projectJohn Sisk & Son (Sisk) has been appointed to remove a road bridge as well as conduct other highways works in a £7.8M contract as part of the York Station Gateway project.
• Rehabilitation of crumbling Bristol flyover likely to top £200M following safety inspection reportThe Eastville Viaduct in Bristol needs “extensive repairs” and additional works to ensure its longevity that could see costs balloon to over £200M - almost tenfold the original estimate of £22.6M.

Rail Advent

• RIA welcomes Mayor’s support for Heathrow rail linkThe London & South branch of the Rail Industry Association (RIA) has welcomed the support that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to the Heathrow Southern Railway Link gave to the project last Tuesday, 5 September.

Rail Business Daily

• RIA London & South welcomes London Mayor’s support for Heathrow Southern Railway LinkRIA London & South has welcomed the support given to the Heathrow Southern Railway Link by London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, who ensorsed the transformative project on Tuesday (5 September).
• New shadow rail minister in Labour reshuffleStephen Morgan has been appointed Shadow Minister of State for Rail, replacing Tan Dhesi who is now Shadow Exchequer Secretary in the Shadow Treasure team.

Rail Industry Association

• RIA London & South welcomes Mayoral support for Heathrow Southern Railway LinkRIA London & South has welcomed the support given to the Heathrow Southern Railway Link by London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, who gave his endorsement for the transformative project on Tuesday (5 September).

Rail Technology Magazine

• The rail industry is sleeping as rail chiefs defend TransPennine’s move to OLR modelThe rail Industry has gone to sleep in the UK. That’s the belief of Robin Gisby, the CEO of the Department for Transport (DfT) OLR Holdings, the company which runs the Operator of Last Resort (OLH) model for the DfT.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Alex Robertson named Transport Focus Chief ExecutiveAlex Robertson has been named incoming Chief Executive of Transport Focus. He will take up the role on 1 December and succeed Anthony Smith, who is to step down at the end of the year.
• Alexander Dennis confirms 2024 Plaxton coach production plansAlexander Dennis has confirmed that it will build “a substantial number” of Plaxton coaches in 2024, with an order already placed with Volvo for B8R chassis as part of that programme.
• Transport minister set to speak at Clean Buses UK eventUnder-Secretary of State for Transport Richard Holden headlines the speaker roster for Global Mass Transit’s second Clean Buses UK conference in London on 12 September.
• FlixBus passes two million UK passengers milestoneFlixBus has announced it has carried its two millionth passenger in the UK, handing the lucky customer free tickets on its network for the next 12 months.

Other News Sources

• Heathrow Airport: Sadiq Khan backs proposed new rail linkSadiq Khan has given his backing to a proposed new rail link to Heathrow. The line would connect the airport with south-west London, Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire. Mr Khan said the rail link would support a shift to sustainable travel. The only current rail access to the airport is via the Elizabeth and Piccadilly lines.
• Mayor supports southern rail link to Heathrow AirportThe Mayor of London has indicated his support for a southern rail link to Heathrow Airport and suggested that there could be progress on getting something started.
• Proposed new railway link to Heathrow airport gets backing from Sadiq KhanA plan for a new railway linking Heathrow airport with south west London, Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire has received the backing of London mayor Sadiq Khan.
• Heathrow rail link could connect Elizabeth line and Old Oak Common to Surrey, Hampshire and BerkshireA proposed new railway link could connect Heathrow Airport with southwest London, Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire.
• DLR: TfL opens bidding for Docklands Light Railway operating contractThe Docklands Light Railway eight-year franchise, worth an estimated £2.3 billion, covers train operation, network management and maintenance.
• Stagecoach continues roll-out of ’inclusive’ new uniformStagecoach East has become the latest arm of the operating group to introduce its new “inclusive” workwear for its drivers.
• RIA London & South welcomes Mayoral support for Heathrow Southern Railway LinkRIA London & South has welcomed the support given to the Heathrow Southern Railway Link by London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, who gave his endorsement for the transformative project on Tuesday
• Rail station ticket office consultation closesRNIB staff and volunteers gathered at the Department of Transport on Friday 1 September, after 680,000 responses to the ticket office closure consultation were received
• 51.3% of Current Shipping Orderbook Can Run on Alternative Fuels: DNVClassification society DNV has published the latest version of its Maritime Forecast to 2050 report, revealing that 51.3% of the current shipping orderbook is capable of running on alternative fuels and battery power.
• Sirius Shipping joins methanol-powered ship buying spreeSirius Shipping has placed an order for two methanol-ready newbuildings. The ships will be built at China Merchants Shipyard, Yangzho.
• Unlimited £3 transport fares in North East for young peopleA new ticket launched across the North East means that young people aged 21 and under have access to unlimited travel across the region for just £3