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

Sunday, 08 October 2023

BBC News

• Catching the 'bike bus' to school in north BelfastA group of north Belfast parents are ensuring their children can ride to school safely while having fun.
• HS2: London mayor writes to PM over Euston concernsLondon's mayor says government HS2 plans may result in a journey
• Work due to begin after seven landslips close A83 in ArgyllInspectors will assess damage and decide what work can be done to re-open the vital Argyll road.

The Guardian

• Rishi Sunak sends Britain's long-term projects up in flames - cartoonHS2, A levels and smoking are consigned to the dustbin before the general election• You can order your own copy of this cartoon Continue reading...
• HS2 services to Manchester may run slower than normal trains'High-speed' trains from Birmingham to Manchester could also impact west coast mainline serviceJourneys from London to Manchester that use the new HS2 line as far as Birmingham could run slower as they continue north than existing services, and with less capacity, rail experts have warned.And in a blow to Rishi Sunak's plan to spend the money saved by scrapping HS2 north of Birmingham on other transport projects, the Observer has seen invoices suggesting the government will have to spend more than £1bn on work relating to the part of the line now terminated. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Bowling train: Images of flooded stations reveal scale of disruptionIncredible scenes of flooded train stations across Scotland have been posted by Network rail as Saturday’s torrential downpour continues unabated.
• Revealed: Scots rail chiefs forced to pay £133m in compensationTHE publicly-funded owner of Scotland's railways has had to fork out £133m of in compensation claims in two years while incurring an over £350m budget 'overspend' over four years, it has been revealed.

Times Online

• Ten airlifted to safety as month’s worth of rain causes landslides [subscription]Downpours flood roads and railways and cancel sporting fixtures — use our interactive map to see the forecast where you are
• The surprising truth about Gatwick’s air traffic control tower chaos [subscription]As staff shortages cause a wave of flight cancellations, are there more fundamental problems at the airport?
• Sunak under fire after reviving plan for HS2 private money [subscription]Rishi Sunak blocked a private sector-led plan to build HS2’s Euston station when he was chancellor, just three years before adopting a near-identical version last week.
• Why does electric car insurance cost so much? [subscription]Battery prices, a shortage of mechanics and a rise in write-offs mean that you may find it hard to get cover at all

Daily Express

• Britain's most remote bus stop that's closer to the Arctic Circle than it is to LondonWindy, deserted and isolated - the UK's most remote bus stop is exactly what you would imagine it to look like.

Daily Record

• Rain chaos sparks new Scotland Met Office amber warning as roads turn into riversA greater area of Scotland will be under a two-day amber warning as fast flowing and deep flood water could create dangerous conditions.

Mail Online

• Sadiq Khan 'gives firms £151m of contracts to track down drivers who fail to pay ULEZ penalties and other road fines'The London mayor has briefed four companies to chase motorists who are dodging the £12.50 daily charge for driving into recently-expanded Ulez with non-compliant vehicles.
• Who's had the last laugh on HS2? We faced losing our farms, homes and villages... now we're picking up the pieces after fatal blow to the high speed lineEXCLUSIVE: ollowing the news of the cancellation of Phase 2, MailOnline travelled the length and breadth of HS2's proposed second stage speaking to the people who have seen their lives up uprooted
• Eco council's dirty little secret: How local authority is making life miserable for motorists as part of its climate change mission... while fuelling 387 of its 420 vehicles on DIESELEXCLUSIVE: Oxfordshire County Council that claims tackling climate change is its priority is accused of hypocrisy after it was revealed 92% of its vehicles are diesel.
• New assault on drivers as Labour plots Ulez-style Clean Air Zones after the party's policy document for its Liverpool conference pledges to pass a 'Clean Air Act'The proposal says that the legislation would build on the pioneering work of Labour in Wales, where the administration has proposed new powers to increase road-charging schemes.

Sky News

• People airlifted to safety from vehicles as extreme rainfall causes multiple landslidesTen people have been airlifted to safety after extreme rainfall caused multiple landslides in Scotland.

Bristol Live

• EV parking rules could cost drivers hundreds in finesThere are various rules around parking bays that have been marked for EV use and breaking them could see drivers hit with a fine

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Welsh Government will only overrule councils on 20mph exceptions if 'glaringly obvious' breachCouncils have guidance about what roads can stay 30mph but also have a degree of flexibility

Other Regional Press

• Free country-wide train travel could be offered to pensioners to 'enhance their mental wellbeing'An online petition calling for the change has received nearly 22,000 signatures of support from across the UK
• Swindon major route reopens after two years of roadworksThe Marsh in Wanborough, Swindon, is officially open to the public after two years of disruptive roadworks.
• Sarah Dyke wants HS2 cash to save train ticket officesSomerton and Frome's LibDem MP is calling on the Government to spend some of the tens of billions of pounds saved from the axing of the northern leg of HS2 to help save ticket offices under threat of closure.
• Bluestar: Southampton bus fare prices go up as paper tickets ditchedBluestar managing director Andrew Wickham has confirmed the bus company operating in Southampton has 'reluctantly increased some fares' having promised not to last year

C.N.N.

• Airlines cancel flights to Israel amid attacksAirlines scrambled to cancel flights into Israel early Saturday after Palestinian militants launched a surprise attack, firing thousands of rockets from Gaza into nearby Israeli towns during a Jewish holiday.