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

Wednesday, 27 September 2023

BBC News

• Bristol Airport invests £60m in transport hub and car parkBristol Airport is investing more than £60m in creating a public transport hub as part of a plan to expand capacity.
• Fflecsi Bwcabus: Concerns over the end of 'lifeline' bus serviceA woman who described a rural bus service as a "lifeline" says she may have to consider moving when it ends in October.
• Bus fare increases to go aheadBus fare increases are to go ahead across Guernsey from the start of October, with a standard daytime journey fare rising by 25p.
• West Midlands hears HS2 axe calls and pleas to continueAs rising costs raise fresh questions over the project's future, those with a stake have their say.
• HS2: Scrapping Manchester link would be very stupid, says ex-rail bossFormer Strategic Rail Authority boss says cancelling the leg to Manchester would hurt other projects.

Financial Times

• US autoworkers strike: when will dealerships run out of cars to sell? Inventories of popular models like Ford Bronco are running low amid UAW action
• High-speed trains and the crashing of Britain's credibilityDropping a chunk of HS2 would undermine the country as a place to do business
• Greater Manchester mayor proposes compromise on HS2 rail line Burnham says northern leg could be delayed if government commits to east-west route

The Guardian

• Northern Research Group of Tory MPs signals it may accept delay to HS2The chair of an influential group of Conservative MPs including many from northern constituencies has signalled they may be open to a compromise that would see the second phase of HS2 delayed for several years.
• Andrew Gilligan: ex-Johnson adviser said to have Sunak's ear on HS2Former BBC journalist who has a gift for persuasion has reportedly always been 100% opposed to rail project
• Poor public transport to blame for missed GP appointments - LettersMargaret Parker says those living in rural areas have to rely on a patchy service to get to their GP surgery or hospital

The Independent

• Labour’s Andy Burnham warns he could sue Sunak government if HS2 axed’We’re not going to take things lying down – they will be hearing from us,’ says Manchester mayor
• Why Sunak wants to scrap HS2 – project bosses wasting millions ’like kids with golden credit card’PM believes ’ballooning bill is far worse than anyone knows’

Times Online

• How HS2’s fate will be decided in 2025. [subscription]Easter 2025, a little over 18 months hence, is the date when we will have the final reckoning of whether HS2 can be resurrected in the form its original creators envisaged: as a direct high-speed train service between central London through Birmingham and Manchester, linking to the rest of the north of England and then into Scotland.
• Flying electric taxis are hailed as the future. [subscription]The prospect of soaring over traffic has gone from pie in the sky to a reality
• Rishi Sunak aide called HS2 ’greatest mistake in 50 years’Rishi Sunak is being advised on HS2 by a long-standing critic of the project who has described the railway as the “greatest infrastructure mistake in half a century”.
• Disgraceful HS2 should have been axed years ago, says Hague. [subscription]As fears grow that project’s finances are ’far worse than anyone knows’, other senior Tories warn against curtailing route
• Stranded train passengers given 200-mile taxis from Preston to Edinburgh. [subscription]London train stops halfway to Scotland as Avanti West Coast blames track defect
• Electric cars to make up half of sales within five years [subscription]The government will tell leading manufacturers it is sticking with sales targets

City AM

• Bennett on business: Mistakes on HS2 must be learnt from Neil Bennett, Global Co-Ceo of advisory firm H/Advisors, writes for City A.M. fortnightly - this week on HS2, water companies and a new Netflix must-see

Network Rail

• £1 million track upgrades complete near Dalmuir stationNetwork Rail has completed its £1m project to upgrade ageing track near Dalmuir station.

Birmingham Mail

• 'I'm saving £1000 a year by changing the way I travel - it's been liberating'For World Car Free Day, BirminghamLive spoke to some of the groups getting Brummies out of their cars and cycling around the city

Birmingham Post

• Airbus creating more than 1,000 new jobs in the UKNew research shows the aerospace firm has a £7bn impact on the UK economy

Bristol Live

• Ryanair demands air traffic control boss resigns after flight caps and disruptionThe airline says the National Air Traffic Services is a 'shambles' and has not recruited and trained enough staff to provide an adequate service.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Arriva Wales says 20mph limit making buses late and will have to rip-up timetablesThe company said the new limit is causing 'challenging operational conditions' and extra resources will be needed

Manchester Evening News

• HS2 is 'sucking the life out of local transport' in the North, says Conservative MPEsther McVey said 'we certainly don't' need the high speed rail project to go to Manchester
• Manchester's Oxford Road Railway Station could be set for an overhaul to deal with long queuesA major Manchester city centre railway station is set for an overhaul. Network Rail is considering changing the layout of Manchester Oxford Road station in order to alleviate queues during peak hours. It says Oxford Road is the second-busiest city centre station, which means it experiences ’significant congestion issues’.
• Sadiq Khan joins Andy Burnham and Northern mayors in HS2 pleaFive Labour mayors including Andy Burnham were joining forces in Leeds today

Wales Online

• Road charging will be a 'last resort' in WalesThe First Minister has said he wants a new bill to improve air quality but road charges will be a last resort
• The biggest thing that one of Wales' leading transport campaigners wants to change about the 20mph speed limitNow the law is in place, there has to be quick action to improve pavements and bike paths
• Company says 20mph limit making buses late and they will change timetablesArriva Wales confirmed there will be changes to bus routes and frequencies as a result of the much-debated 20mph policy

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds Bradford Airport: Campaign group pen letter to chief executive over night flight fearsA leading climate activist has written to the head of Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA) over fears it’s trying to ditch its night flight limit.

Yorkshire Post

• Labour mayors demand HS2 goes to the North against the wishes of Yorkshire votersLabour’s Northern mayors are to make a unified plea to the Prime Minister to not further scale back HS2, as new polling suggests that the North is split on whether to go ahead with the project.
• HS2 is no longer just about transport but whether the North can trust politicians in WestminsterA failure to deliver high speed rail in the North will be emblematic of far wider problems with the transport infrastructure in the region.

Bucks Free Press

• HS2 says work in Buckinghamshire brings ‘real benefits to passengers'A multi-million pound project to enable HS2 trains to run under an existing rail line will bring immediate benefits to passengers, HS2 and Network Rail said.
• Oxford Tube announces more service with stop in High WycombeA bus company has announced more frequent service from Bucks to central London.

Cambridge News

• Lower speed limits for Cambs village agreed with new 20mph zoneCambridgeshire County Council is planning to reduce the speed limits across Cambourne to try and improve road safety

Get Surrey

• Major change at Heathrow and Gatwick for arrivals which could speed up queuesArriving at the airport might just become an easier experience for those travelling

Other Regional Press

• Bristol Airport announces work on new £60 million transport interchangeWork has started on a new £60 million public transport hub and multi storey-car park at Bristol Airport. The project, aimed at improving services for passengers arriving and departing the airport, will see a new public transport hub created along with an additional multi-storey car park.
• Bristol Airport starts work on ’transformational’ £60m public transport hub projectBristol Airport is investing over £60m in creating a public transport interchange hub and multi-storey car park.
• Row over Peterborough's multi-million bus depot prompts angry exchange of letters between political leadersA row over the future of transport in Peterborough has triggered an angry exchange of letters between rival politicians.
• Ayr railway station plans submitted by Network RailProposals to turn Ayr railway station "grey" have been lodged with planning chiefs.
• TikTok and Instagram are 'glamourising bike thefts' in Nuneaton and Bedworth says top copIt comes as issues with bike-related crime continue across Nuneaton and Bedworth

British Trams Online

• Edinburgh Trams nominated for Global Light Rail AwardIt’s a year where the award nominations for Edinburgh Trams just seems to have kept on coming and it shows no signs of ending after it was confirmed that they are up for a number of awards at the forthcoming Global Light Railway Awards, which take place on 4th October.

Business Live

• Business leaders issue £2bn HS2 warning as decision loomsLocal leaders have warned 27,000 new jobs would not be created if HS2's northern leg is scrapped

Coach and Bus Week

• Coventry electric bus city project gains paceCoventry is another step closer to its zero-emission bus goal following the delivery of 130 BYD ADL electric double-deckers

New Civil Engineer

• Hunt begins for company to reopen, operate and develop Doncaster Sheffield AirportCity of Doncaster Council is surging ahead with its plan to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) by launching procurement for a company to bring it back into operation.
• Bankrupt Thurrock Council needs further £5.6M for Stanford-le-Hope station overhaulFinancially strained Thurrock Council must find a further £5.6M if it is to deliver the promised Stanford-le-Hope station upgrade, council documents reveal.
• Full planning permission granted for £46.2M Long Stratton BypassThe proposed £46.2M Long Stratton Bypass has been granted full planning permission by South Norfolk Council.

Rail Advent

• Railway footbridge plans on show in South WalesResidents living in a South Wales village are being invited to find out more about a new footbridge which is to be installed across the main line running between Cardiff Central and Swansea.
• Cheshire East Council leaders’ open letter to the Prime Minister about HS2The Leader and Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council have written an open letter to the Prime Minister, expressing their “deep concern” about the recent speculation about the future of HS2 north of Birmingham and of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR).

Other News Sources

• Transport Scotland informs industry of £13.4M asset management frameworkTransport Scotland will soon start procurement for a multi-supplier framework agreement covering asset management technical services, including geotechnical design certification, for its trunk road network.
• Survey of bus and tram users reveals what people want to see in NottinghamA passenger survey has revealed that people rate the city’s public transport system highly – but would like to see more buses and trams.