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

Friday, 15 September 2023

BBC News

• Yeovil bus depot set to be demolished, says First BusIt says inflationary pressures and low passenger numbers are causing challenges which are affecting the sustainability of the business.
• Go North East seeks Acas help to stop bus driver strikeA bus company will call in conciliation service Acas in a bid to prevent 1,300 drivers from taking industrial action.
• Two new tram stops set to open in Wolverhampton city centreFollowing a £50m extension project, the two stops are opening on Sunday.
• Gatwick flights cancelled after air traffic control staff shortagesSome 22 flights from the airport were cancelled and more delayed due to an air control staff shortage.
• HS2: Government refuses to guarantee Manchester branchThe prime minister and chancellor are said to have concerns over spiralling costs and delays.

Financial Times

• Ports and truckers clash over post-Brexit border costsTransport groups oppose high fees, but port operators need to recoup cost of new border facilities
• Shipping industry: risk of war has yet to be fully priced inChinese aggression against Taiwan would increase insurance cover for ships in the area as has happened in the Black Sea
• HS2 route north of Birmingham in doubt as Sunak and Hunt explore more cost-cutsDowning Street, Treasury and transport department refuse to commit to building high-speed line to Manchester

The Guardian

• HS2 at risk of further cuts to route north of Birmingham amid budget squeezeFresh uncertainty for high-speed line as leak suggests Sunak and Hunt have discussed cost implications of Manchester phaseThe HS2 high-speed rail line is at risk of further cuts to its route north of Birmingham as the government considers whether it can afford high-cost projects in advance of the autumn budget.The project has been mired in fresh uncertainty after the prime minister's spokesperson refused to guarantee on Thursday it would run to Manchester, after publication of a photographed document suggesting further cuts were under discussion.

The Independent

• Mothers exposed to air pollution give birth to smaller babies, study findsScientists say that there is an urgent need to decrease air pollution and make urban areas greener to better protect infants from potential harm.

Mail Online

• Plans to axe rail ticket offices in England are a 'dead duck' and look set to be scaled back, insiders sayOpposition to the proposed closure of up to 974 offices by rail bosses has been growing, including among senior Tory MPs such as Dame Priti Patel.

The Mirror

• Delta Airlines makes unpopular change for anyone who flies in economyDelta Airlines is set to make changes to their popular lounges which have seen overcrowding at popular destinations such as JKF Airport and Atlanta International Airport

Sky News

• Dozens of Gatwick flights cancelled or diverted due to 'a short notice staff absence'More than 40 flights have been cancelled or diverted because of a lack of staff in air traffic control at Gatwick Airport.

Birmingham Post

• Cancelling HS2 would be 'disaster' for North and Midlands, High Speed Rail Group says'The government needs to kill the speculation and make its intentions clear'
• Doncaster Airport could be profitable if reopened, report suggestsAs many as 15 parties are said to be interested in operating the airport which closed last year
• Manchester Airports Group raises £360m after securing backing from investment giantsThe group is currently delivering a major £1.3bn transformation programme at Manchester Airport

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Northern encourages people to report ‘unwanted sexual behaviour’TRAIN operator Northern has joined forces with students from Bradford City Community Foundation to raise awareness of ‘unwanted sexual behaviour’ in society.
• Northern leaders slam plans to close rail ticket officesNORTHERN politicians have slammed plans to close most of the rail station ticket offices in the Country.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Welsh 20mph limit is 'absolutely insane' says senior Tory Penny Mordaunt The Commons Leader, whose own Portsmouth constituency has the same limit on 'almost all residential roads', labelled the Welsh Government policy 'crazy'

Wales Online

• Live updates as Gatwick Airport flights delayed and diverted amid chaotic scenesDozens of flights are having to be diverted due to staff shortages in air traffic control

Other Regional Press

• Sadiq Khan supports plan for Heathrow park-and-ride outside expanded ULEZThe airport's employees driving non-compliant vehicles face a daily fee to get to work
• Mass opposition to any future plans for a Coventry clean air zoneNuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council says ULEZ is a 'tax on homeowners, businesses, shoppers and jobs'

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Caetano and Temsa team up for hydrogen coachThe landmark collaboration was sealed this week at CaetanoBus’ Headquarters in Portugal. CaetanoBus, having already developed hydrogen buses, and Temsa have united to create a solution tailored for long-distance travel and tourism needs.
• Cambridge congestion: Stagecoach calls for communicationStagecoach East is calling for better communication as Cambridge closures are due to cause disruption in the city.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Orkney to trail two electric vessels as £15 funding is awardedOrkney is set to benefit from a £15m funding award which will see two electric vessels running routes in the county over a three-year trial period. A twelve-meter vessel will be operating year-round services in the inner North isles and another 24-metre vessel, for passengers and light cargo will operate around Eday, Stronsay, Sanday and Westray.  These vessels will work with the intention of demonstrating and testing how this type of technology could be used in Orkney in the future. Orkney Island council will be trailing these two electric ferries in a partnership with Artemis T...

New Civil Engineer

• £65M concrete reconstruction scheme on A11 in Norfolk completedMorgan Sindall, working on behalf of National Highways, has completed the ambitious £65M concrete reconstruction scheme on an 8km stretch of the A11 in Norfolk.
• Government considering cancelling HS2 north of Birmingham to save moneyPrime minister Rishi Sunak and chancellor Jeremy Hunt are in discussions over whether to cancel Phase 2 of High Speed 2 (HS2) to save money and provide economic headroom.
• Lidar technology supports £3.8M repair works to world’s oldest railway viaductNetwork Rail is undertaking a £3.8M refurbishment of the 193-year-old Sankey Viaduct in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, ahead of its 200th anniversary.
• MPs, councillors and campaigners deliver East West Rail stage three rejection letterA group of representatives in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc including MPs, councillors and campaign groups has delivered a declaration of opposition to East West Rail’s (EWR’s) route between Bedford and Cambridge to the rail minister.
• Meeting needs of self-driving vehicles should be part of future infrastructure strategyThe government must ensure that future infrastructure strategy provides for self-driving vehicles if it is serious about their implementation in the coming years, the Transport Select Committee has said.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Watford link adds to expanding Heathrow coach connectionsA new direct coach link from Watford has become one of the newest of a growing list of services to Heathrow in the light of the recent expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in London.
• Bus operators air fears over new 20mph speed limit in WalesThe measure set to be introduced this Sunday 17 September is already partly blamed for timetable changes, with operators worried that more could be needed
• Zero-emission minicoach support ’highly relevant’ to ScotZEB2Zero-emission minicoach support is as relevant to coach-related work via the second round of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus (ScotZEB2) challenge fund as the purchase of full-size models, an operator involved in the consortium-based approach has said.
• Regulations laid in Scotland to enable bus franchising, partnershipThe Scottish Government has laid regulations to enable local transport authorities (LTAs) in Scotland to explore the bus partnership and franchising powers that are contained in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019. Those powers will come into effect on 4 December.
• Drivers advocate for more women in coach and bus industryCoach drivers in Cambridgeshire have been sounding the call for more women bus drivers as part of Bus Users UK’s Catch the Bus Month.

Other News Sources

• Farnborough Airport wants to more than double number of weekend flights"We're going to have a continuous drone of aircraft noise"