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

Saturday, 23 September 2023

BBC News

• UAW strike expands to dozens of sites at GM and StellantisThe UAW says new walkouts will hit 38 parts distribution centres across the US.
• Net zero: Will Rishi Sunak's changes to climate policies save money?Decarbonising will cost money but some argue in the long run it will boost the economy.
• HS2: Johnson warns against 'mutilated' version of HS2The former PM airs concerns as firms seek clarity over the government's commitment to the rail link.

Financial Times

• Will oil price rally mean even higher air fares?Ticket prices have already soared as airlines make the most of demand for travel

The Guardian

• Manchester to launch 'revolutionary' Bee Network public bus systemFirst buses to return to public control since deregulation to offer cheaper fares across integrated transport systemThe first buses to be brought back into public control in England since deregulation in the 1980s will set out from depots in Bolton and Wigan on Sunday morning.Greater Manchester will launch its Bee Network, which promises better, cheaper transport with fares capped across an integrated public transport system that combines buses and Metrolink trams. Continue reading...

The Herald

• CalMac defends CEO's use of plane to island for ferry meetingCalMac has defended the use of a plane instead of a ferry to fly to Benbecula for a meeting about concerns over its unreliable service.

The Independent

• Trouble for Sunak as Tory MPs in blue wall left 'vulnerable' by PM's net zero U-turnsConservative voters say climate policies are important to how they will vote
• Why Rishi Sunak's net zero bonfire will leave renters colder and poorerThe prime minister made a screeching U-turn on a series of net zero policies on Wednesday

Times Online

• Second-hand electric car prices drop 25% in a year [subscription]Consumers lose confidence as they wait for charging infrastructure
• Rishi Sunak set to scrap second leg of HS2 to Manchester [subscription]Rishi Sunak has been told by Boris Johnson and David Cameron to drop plans to scale back HS2 amid warnings that a “mutilated” line would be “insanity”.

City AM

• Strikes by train drivers in early October will leave some areas with no services (including for Tory conference) Rail passengers are being warned that fresh strikes by train drivers in a long-running dispute over pay will mean some areas will have no services. Members of train drivers union Aslef will walk out on Saturday September 30 and Wednesday October 4, coinciding with the annual conference of the Conservative Party. The drivers will take [...]
• Starmer rejects ’great rail betrayal' tag – but refuses to commit to HS2 in full Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he is not guilty of the “great rail betrayal' that Labour has accused the Government of by not committing to building HS2 in full. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said the costs of the high-speed rail project to the North are 'getting totally out of control' as Rishi Sunak refuses to [...]

Mail Online

• Putting brakes on 2030 fuel ban inevitableThis week Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vindicated the Mail's campaign as he administered the required common-sense reality check.
• Running out of power: Value of used electric cars drops by a fifth, plummeting in price by a quarter in a yearDealers have warned that Electric Vehicles (EVs) are sitting on forecourts for 'months on end while they haemorrhage value', with some at risk of selling at a loss.

This is Money

• Putting brakes on 2030 fuel ban inevitableThis week Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vindicated the Mail's campaign as he administered the required common-sense reality check.

Birmingham Post

• Electric vehicle charge sharing start-up wins top honours at INVENT AwardsGoPlugable describes itself as the Airbnb for home EV chargers

Bristol Live

• As Cambridge ditches its congestion charge - is the tide turning against Bristol's Clean Air Zone?Manchester, Cambridge, Uxbridge and Rishi Sunak - what are the implications for Bristol's Clean Air Zone?
• First Bus invites blind and partially-sighted Bristol passengers to meet driversThe idea is to make people with sight issues feel 'safe and comfortable' in using Bristol's buses

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Wales can't change 20mph now but Cardiff has to listen and learn to avoid full scale revoltThe biggest change on our roads for a generation was never going to be a smooth ride
• The North Wales 20mph test town where locals say 'we told you so' as backlash to new limit spreadsBuckley in Flintshire was the petri-dish where the Welsh Government trialled their new policy last yeat and locals warn the problems like 'road rage' and more will only get worse.

Manchester Evening News

• 'The Bee Network is a game changer': A new era begins for Greater Manchester's buses - with passengers in the driving seat "In the old world that we are leaving behind, if you are standing at a bus stop and your bus doesn't turn up or is late, there's just nothing you can do because the private operators have had the run of the road. They have been able to suit themselves. In this new system, the buses have to work for the travelling public. That's what public control means"

Northern Echo

• Government money for Teesside Airport and Hartlepool tech blueprintTeesside Airport and efforts to breathe new life into the heart of Hartlepool have received a £200,000 technology boost.

Wales Online

• Rail services on Ebbw Vale line set to double in frequency in December after Welsh Government invests £90mThe Welsh Government stepped in to provide the money despite it being Westminster's responsibility
• YouGov poll shows massive opposition to 20mph speed limits and calls into question claim a silent majority support itA majority in all age groups and social classes appear to oppose 20mph speed limits, according to the YouGov poll.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Severn Valley Railway partners with Network RailSevern Valley Railway has joined forces with Network Rail to share expertise, experience and technology.

Other Regional Press

• Airport redevelopment plan granted take-off as legal challenge quashedA bid challenging the legality of the government's decision to reopen Manston Airport has been thrown out by a High Court judge.
• Celebrations as scrapped Weymouth bus service returnsA COMMUNITY in Weymouth is celebrating after securing a vital Sunday bus link after several years without one.
• Swindon council makes £1.3m from bus lane and parking finesSwindon Borough Council expects to make a seven-figure sum from drivers who park illegally on the street and mistakenly venture into bus lanes.
• Train and tube strikes October: All the key dates to knowHere are all the train and tube strike dates you need to know about for October 2023 to help you plan ahead.
• HS2 opens doors to schools for job opportunitiesStudents from across Oxfordshire got an insight into the range of jobs on offer at HS2 this week when the high-speed rail project opened its doors to local schools and colleges.
• Bicester based EZ-Charge boss condemns petrol car ban delayThe Bicester based manufacturer behind one of Oxfordshire's largest public EV charging networks has condemned Rishi Sunak's delay on the ban for petrol and diesel cars.

Railnews

• Rail Delivery Group warns of strike disruption The Rail Delivery Group is warning that train services in England are set to be seriously disrupted from the end of this month, when the drivers’ union ASLEF stages industrial action in the continuing dispute over pay. Two 24-hour strikes have been called for 30 September and 4 October, and the union will also ban overtime on 29 September and from 2 to 6 October. The walkouts will affect nearly all English operators, and also disrupt cross-border train services in Wales and Scotland.

Other News Sources

• Buses – 'councils should be in the driving seat'With bus franchising due to start in Greater Manchester, the LGA and Urban Transport Group are seeking a greater role for the public sector   The report has been published just two days before Greater Manchester becomes the first city region outside London to run franchised bus services, 37 years after deregulation   The Local Government Association and the Urban Transport Group want new powers for English councils to decide the way local bus services are delivered to end a 'spiral of decline'. A new report from the LGA and the Urban Transport Group warns that the task of patching an...
• Southampton Airport committed to net zero despite extensionSteve Szalay said Southampton Airport is still committed to achieving net zero for its direct emissions by the mid-2030s despite the runway expansion
• Brighton: Cyclists stage ride to campaign for safer roadsCyclists will take part in a family-friendly bike ride as part of a campaign for safer roads in the city
• Cash-strapped Surrey Heath shelves plans to increase car park chargesThe council has now said, in papers published this week that 'it has become clear' car park income was 'higher than budgeted'
• Can Manchester's 'transformational' public transport be a template for the UK?50 yellow branded buses are taking to the streets of Manchester this weekend, the first area in England and Wales, outside London, to have its own regulated bus system since privatisation almost four decades ago.