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

Tuesday, 19 September 2023

BBC News

• Stroudwater: Stonehouse station decision 'due by end of 2023'A decision on an £18m bid to revive a railway station that has been shut for nearly 60 years will be made by the end of the year, the government says.
• Go North East bus driver strike dates announcedA local bus company will be hit by two weeks of industrial action when 1,300 Go North East drivers walk out next month in a pay dispute.

ITV News

• Train operator Avanti West Coast awarded long-term contract after 'significant improvements'Train operator Avanti West Coast has been awarded a new long-term contract, after making 'significant improvements for passengers', the government says.

Department for Transport

• Avanti West Coast awarded long-term contract after significant improvements for passengersNew long-term rail contracts awarded to Avanti West Coast and Cross Country.

Financial Times

• Tory MPs warn UK government against killing off northern leg of HS2 Ministers also consider option of cancelling final stretch of high-speed line into central London to cut spiralling costs

The Guardian

• Build HS2, say northern leaders, as ministers refuse to confirm Manchester linkNorthern leaders have called on Downing Street to honour promises to build the HS2 high-speed rail line, as ministers repeatedly refused to confirm to MPs whether it would run to Manchester.
• European governments shrinking railways in favour of road-building, report findsRail networks in most countries have been starved of funding while motorways lengthen, study shows

The Independent

• Project Redwood: Proof PM did plan to scrap new HS2 lineSecret documents drawn up to cost the closure of northern rail route have been given special codename and presented to Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt
• Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry handed new contractsTrain operators Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry have been handed long-term contract renewals, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.

The Scotsman

• Edinburgh tram inquiry report: Council and ministers 'principally responsible for failure to deliver project on time and budget'Lord Hardie says “little doubt council tram firm Tie’s mismanagement played a significant role in the failure”

Times Online

• Bond Street Tube station’s Burberry Street stunt branded a no-no [subscription]Commuters and tourists are not amused by marketing stunt to change signage inside and outside station as part of London Fashion Week

Reuters News

• Avanti West Coast 'back on track' with UK's new long-term contractBritain has awarded Avanti West Coast a long-term contract to run rail operations on routes including Manchester, Birmingham and London, citing an improvement in services in the last six months.

Daily Record

• Edinburgh trams inquiry report finds debacle caused by 'litany of avoidable failures'The long-awaited report by the Edinburgh Trams Inquiry, which began its investigation in 2014, blasted council bosses, Scottish ministers and the company set up to deliver the project.

Local Government

• Cheaper park and ride bus travel deal extended until April 2024A deal which offers discounted parking and bus travel at Oxford’s park and rides has been further extended to April 2024.
• Enforcement underway at Belgrave Gate bus stopCAMERA enforcement has begun in Leicester’s Belgrave Gate to tackle motorists who illegally park in a bus stop.

Birmingham Mail

• Avanti West Coast handed long-term contract after poor performance recovery plansThe train operator has dramatically reduced cancellations as implementing the recovery plan

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• What has the Government said on HS2 plans for Manchester?Ministers have been accused of

London Evening Standard

• They make a wasteland and they call it progress on HS2f you have occasion to take the Elizabeth line from one of the Ealing stations you will soon pass a large area of London that might come as something of a surprise to you. Old Oak Common is slowly being turned into what the Government likes to call “a new super-hub set to be the best-connected and largest new railway station ever built in the UK”.
• Avanti secures West Coast rail contract renewal after ’significant improvements’Avanti West Coast could continue to operate long-distance services between London, Manchester and Glasgow for the next nine years, the Government has announced.

Manchester Evening News

• Andy Burnham says Labour WILL bring HS2 to Manchester after fears it could be droppedA senior Labour party figure would not commit to completing HS2 when asked about the controversial project over the weekend

Nation. Cymru

• Transport for Wales finishes bottom of rail operator customer satisfaction surveyTransport for Wales (TfW) is the worst ranked rail operator for overall customer satisfaction in Britain, according to a new survey.

Wales Online

• The one part of HS2 used to justify Wales not getting billions of pounds is now in doubtBut when a question over the future of HS2 was raised in the Commons, a minister responded with a series of taunts

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Stafford councillors oppose rail ticket office closuresThe proposals, which affect hundreds of ticket offices across the country, have sparked concerns about how passengers who need assistance when booking tickets will access services in the future.

Yorkshire Post

• Labour ministers back HS2 to Leeds amid uncertainty over inclusion in manifestoDelivering HS2 trains to Leeds may not be a Labour manifesto commitment, despite senior shadow ministers insisting that it is “committed” to delivering the rail project.

Chester Standard

• Council says it's in the dark over HS2 axe rumoursCOUNCIL chiefs say they are none the wiser over speculation that a section of HS2 due to pass through the borough could be scrapped.

Other Regional Press

• Edinburgh Tram Inquiry report LIVE: updates as findings finally publishedAlmost nine years after an inquiry into the problems with Edinburgh's tram project was announced, Lord Hardie is this morning expected to publish the findings and recommendations of his inquiry.
• Preston Bus university bus pass sees ’bewildering’ price hikeThe Preston Bus university bus pass has increased by more than two-and-a-half times. The price of a UCLan term ticket, which is available to both staff and students, has risen from £90 to £238.
• Catch the bus with 50% off selected TrawsCymru tickets this SeptemberTO celebrate Catch the Bus Month this September, Transport for Wales (TfW) is making sustainable bus travel easier by offering 50% off first-time TrawsCymru app purchases on selected TrawsCymru routes.
• Belfast Council criticises all-island rail plan for leaving out Port of BelfastBelfast Council has described as “disappointing” a failure to include the Port of Belfast in a plan for extended rail networks across the island of Ireland.
• Rail representatives will be hosting a ’Meet the Manager’ event in ManeaRailway representatives will be joining villagers in Manea this week to discuss all things rail over a cuppa and cake.
• Ministers accused of ’rail betrayal’ as they refuse to confirm HS2 to ManchesterA transport minister continually refused to commit to HS2 reaching Manchester as Labour accused the Government of a “great rail betrayal” and vowed to build the project “in full” if it wins power.

Business Live

• Avanti West Coast awarded nine-year contract after 'significant improvements'Avanti West Coast handed £13.5m to its shareholders during its latest financial year.

New Civil Engineer

• Geofencing tech to be used on DLR to improve trackworker safetyGeofencing technology will be implemented on London's Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to improve track worker safety.

Rail Advent

• Passenger experience to be improved by Govia Thameslink Railway at seven of its stations in LondonThe rail operator has revealed will see the work carried out using funding via its Station Improvements and Minor Works programmes
• ScotRail’s trial off-peak fares are now live on ticketing systems ahead of the trial starting this OctoberCustomers wishing to check out or book the rail operator's trial off-peak fares can now do so ahead of the trial starting on Monday 2nd of October
• Varamis Rail links up with Carousel Logistics to boost pan-European operationsCarousel Logistics, the night delivery specialist, has linked up with Varamis Rail to boost its pan-European operation.
• Network Rail release update on Leicestershire railway line reopeningNetwork Rail has released an update on the Ivanhoe Line project, which is set to have an Outline Business Case by the end of the year

Rail Business Daily

• Carousel Logistics teams up with Varamis Rail to electrify cargo route between England and ScotlandCarousel Logistics has joined forces with Varamis Rail to develop a fully electric rail cargo route between Birmingham and Glasgow.

Railtech

• UK train factories at risk of closureWith manufacturing jobs threatened and train factories at risk of closure, there have been calls for the UK government to make immediate decisions on the building and upgrading of rolling stock. Leading the chorus has been the Railway Industry Association (RIA), the vociferous champion of the supply chain in the UK. The Government for its part is reportedly working urgently with train manufacturer Alstom to secure the jobs of its staff and suppliers in its Derby factory, the UK’s largest train factory.

Railway Gazette

• More trains and Spanish connections planned as SNCF signs Occitanie operating contractFRANCE: The Occitanie région has directly awarded SNCF Voyageurs a €4bn contract to operate regional passenger trains for 10 years, and has set a target of increasing ridership from 80 000 to 100 000 passengers/day as soon as possible.

Aviation Industry

• London’s airport operators gave donations-in-kind to UK prime ministers: reportA new report alleged that operators of London-based airports gave non-cash gifts to Britain’s last three prime ministers.

Other News Sources

• Connecting the World: How High-Speed Rail Is Transforming Asia’s Economic PotentialIt was the inauguration of the Shinkansen “bullet train” in the 1960s that arguably kicked off the high-speed rail revolution, representing a triumphant economic achievement for Japan that helped it return to the international fold following the turbulence it had experienced during the 20 years since its defeat in the Second World War.
• Avanti West Coast secures contract after ’significant improvements’Avanti West Coast has been awarded a new nine-year contract in a major turnaround for the rail operator after it was said to have made "significant improvements" across reliability, punctuality and customer satisfaction.
• First Light Rail Vehicle Arrives in Greater CopenhagenThe first of 29 new trains for Greater Copenhagen’s light rail project has been delivered to the Hovedstadens Control and Maintenance centre in Glostrup, Denmark.
• New transport hub in West MidlandsAccording to West Midlands Combined Authority, a new extension to rail links will provide a major transport hub for Wolverhampton.
• Cambridgeshire: Which county bus services are under review?The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has said 18 of the services it subsidises could need to be changed for funding to continue.
• £900,000 fund for Nottingham to save at-risk bus servicesNottingham City Council has been granted an additional £899,044 by the Department for Transport (DfT) to support the Greater Nottingham Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).
• Swindon bus company rejects pollution criticism over London busesSwindon Bus Company has denied sending the town's environmentally friendly buses away and replacing them with vehicles that are more polluting.
• Scania and Flix promote biogas in bus travelFlix and Scania announced a long-term partnership to enable more sustainable long-distance travel. The two companies see this cooperation as an opportunity to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility by developing new solutions and influencing the design of the needed infrastructure.
• Motorway investments outweighed rail by 66% in twenty years: studyEuropean countries allocated around two thirds more money to roads than railways between 1995 and 2018, a period which saw the construction of an extra 30,000 km of motorways and a contraction of the rail network by over 15,000 km, according to a new study.
• One month to go: Reliability improvements set to begin this October on the railway between Yeovil Pen Mill and WeymouthFrom Monday 16 to Friday 20 October, buses will replace Great Western Railway (GWR) trains between Yeovil Pen Mill and Weymouth while Network Rail engineers carry out work to bring smoother and more reliable journeys on the Heart of Wessex line.
• Network Rail expands EV provision with Chippenham chargersNetwork Rail has rolled out charging points at Chippenham Station, extending its EV provision further.
• Commit to northern HS2, Tory MPs urge PMTory MPs have called on the prime minister to commit to the northern leg of HS2, after ministers refused to confirm that the rail link will ever reach Manchester.
• Pictures: A final farewell – York says goodbye to the InterCity 125The High Speed Train (HST) or InterCity 125, which revolutionised travel from North Yorkshire to London in the late Seventies, has left the area for the final time.
• Heathrow Airport park and ride to help staff avoid ULEZ chargeThe airport wants to use the land as a facility with more than 900 parking spaces for three years

News from Europe

• Some German cities are offering drivers free public transport. But there’s a catch.Some German cities are offering drivers the chance to exchange their driver’s licence for free public transport.