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

Saturday, 09 September 2023

BBC News

• Thanet Parkway: Rail minister defends new station over low numbersThe rail minister has defended Kent's newest train station in eight years amid low passenger numbers.
• Ulez: 510 camera-related crimes in five months, says Met PoliceMet Police figures reveal 510 Ulez camera-related crime reports during five months this year.
• Stonehaven crash: Network Rail fined £6.7m over fatal derailmentThree people died and six were hurt after a train hit a landslide south of Stonehaven in 2020.
• Heathrow and Gatwick airports have Raac on sitesHeathrow has means to keep it safe, while Gatwick has found no cause for concern.

Financial Times

• US and EU set to back new India-Middle East transport corridor Project due to be agreed on G20 sidelines would counter growing Chinese influence in Arab states
• UK competition watchdog upholds cut to Heathrow's landing feesAirport and airlines had appealed against ruling by Civil Aviation Authority in March that charges should fall by a fifth
• Network Rail fined £6.7mn over fatal crash in ScotlandPublic body admitted health and safety failings
• US grants first commercial licences for long-distance drone flightsFederal Aviation Authority’s move seen as catalyst for mainstream commercial drone use in America
• UK government ignored advice to identify buildings with lightweight concrete Raac found in Heathrow and Gatwick airports as university building forced to close

The Guardian

• Network Rail fined £6.7m over fatal Stonehaven crashFirm admits culpability after three people died in derailment in Aberdeenshire in August 2020
• Scottish walkers up in arms over Edinburgh footpath shut for five yearsRadical Road at foot of Arthur's Seat, beside Holyrood Palace, was closed in 2018 after rock falls led to safety concernsA footpath built by Scottish revolutionaries two centuries ago in the royal park beside Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh is at the centre of a modern revolt over public access rights.
• We paid out £1,600: UK passengers reveal flight cancellation woesAirline eventually gives refund after wildfires; and passenger tells how Gatwick became a campsite. A family told the Guardian they were left £1,600 out of pocket after their flight to Sicily was cancelled six days before their summer holiday, forcing them to scrabble to make alternative arrangements.

The Independent

• If the rail industry carries on like this, it will end up in oblivionWith a prime minister who has literally no time for trains, the £4,000 per minute subsidy looks at risk

Birmingham Post

• Wrightbus bags UK government funding to develop hydrogen coachesThe funding is part of a £50 million funding pot. Ballymena manufacturer Wrightbus has been awarded over half a million pounds in UK government funding to develop its hydrogen technology.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• A Cycling organisation says there are fewer cyclists on the roadsFewer people were cycling in Craven last year than in 2019, new figures show.

Bristol Live

• Calls for speed limits for cyclists after police stop group riding at almost 40mphPolice stopped a group of cyclists cycling at almost 40mph in a 30mph zone - even though they were technically not breaking any laws

Daily Post (North Wales)

• How council decided which roads should stay at 30mph as exemptions confirmedThe council has agreed to monitor the positive and negative effects of the change

London Evening Standard

• Disappointment as Chiltern Railways scraps hybrid train planshiltern Railways has quietly scrapped its plans to introduce hybrid trains from services in London after reports of “unacceptably poor” air quality in the area surrounding its Marylebone terminus, the Standard can reveal.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• No date yet for opening of new Wolverhampton Metro link but driver training 'on schedule'An exact opening date for the Wolverhampton Metro extension which will see trams connect to the city's railway station has yet to be set.

Yorkshire Post

• Civil servants lack an understanding of the region’s rail needs - Yorkshire Post LettersWhile the Rail Delivery Group may well deserve the opprobrium heaped on it by Dave Ellis, the Group are not their own masters.

Bucks Free Press

• High Wycombe company slammed by parents for cutting school bus serviceThe owner of a Buckinghamshire bus company that charged parents for a school service which has since been cut has told them to seek refunds.

Other Regional Press

• ‘Don’t penalise drivers for Dartford Crossing shambles’The government’s roads chief has waded into the Dart Charge furore amid ongoing issues collecting payments for motorists using the Crossing.

Train Operators

• Worcestershire Parkway passenger numbers exceed all expectationsMore than 540,000 journeys have been made from Worcestershire Parkway Railway Station in the space of 12 months – exceeding all expectations.

Rail Business Daily

• Leading figures from Scotland’s rail industry attend Women in Rail eventLeading figures from Scotland’s rail industry learned about the importance of diversity during a recent Women in Rail event, held at Holyrood and sponsored by Graham Simpson MSP.

Rail UK

• Signal upgrade set to modernise Cornwall’s railwayThis weekend Network Rail will begin the core phase of work to change the way the railway is run in Cornwall.

Railway Technology

• Heathrow Southern Rail Link gets boost as London Mayor gives backingThe Railway Industry Association has welcomed the backing from London Mayor, Sadiq Khan for the proposed Heathrow Southern Rail Link.

The Business Desk

• Council eyes up land for station to restore mainline rail services to townPlans to bring back mainline train services to Rotherham are accelerating, with Rotherham Council looking to buy land which could form a suitable location for the railway station.

Other News Sources

• RIA Scotland welcomes rail decarbonisation funding commitment and the potential private investment in Scottish infrastructureRIA Scotland has welcomed two key announcements by the Scottish Government.