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

Monday, 23 October 2023

BBC News

• Poole volunteers clear right of way on former rail lineCampaigners who successfully registered a disused railway line as a right of way have said they hope to open the first section in summer 2024.
• Bus fares to be capped at £1 for ChristmasBus fares in Oxfordshire will be capped at £1 in the run up to Christmas thanks to government funding.
• Transport for Wales: No blank cheque for rail services - ministerRail operator Transport for Wales (TfW) will not receive a "blank cheque" for future funding, Wales' economy minister has said.

Department for Transport

• Major £150 million funding boost for local bus services as fare cap set to be extendedReallocation of HS2 funding to improve bus services across every part of the North and Midlands.

Financial Times

• Chevron’s Mike Wirth: We are not selling a product that is evilOil and gas executive says he will defy critics to make a real world case for fossil fuels
• Aviation is on ˜a precipice': Airbus plots course to net zero for UK aerospacePioneering British sector drives development of more fuel-efficient aircraft, but admits it is a huge opportunity and a big risk
• Airbus signs up Northrop Grumman in bid for SkyNet military satellite contractProgramme is expected to be one of the most hotly contested procurement deals in the UK in years
• Toyota nears mass production of solid-state batteriesWorld’s biggest carmaker says stacking speed needed for full manufacturing is ‘almost there’
• US regulator hands out more fines in shipping crackdownFederal Maritime Commission expands activity after claims of unfair charging practices
• Aircraft rental costs soar as industry struggles with manufacturing delays Leasing companies have been able to increase their rates significantly for the most in-demand jets

The Guardian

• Belgium investigating alleged criminal breach of data protection laws over Ulez finesThousands of fines sent to EU drivers by TfL debt collection agent may be unlawful, Belgian transport ministry claims. Thousands of fines for breaches of London's ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez) rules may have been sent unlawfully to drivers of EU-registered vehicles,

The Herald

• ScotRail spend £1.2m on emergency bus replacement servicesScotRail has spent £1.2 million on emergency rail replacement services in the 15 months since nationalisation, according to new figures.

The Independent

• Sunak says pumping £150m into bus services instead of HS2 makes for ’fairer transport system’Rishi Sunak said he was delivering a “fairer and improved transport system” by putting £150m into bus services rather than the HS2 high-speed rail project.

Times Online

• HS2: The secret files that expose a multibillion-pound cover-up. [subscription]As the cost began to spiral, bosses allegedly shredded documents, sacked whistleblowers and used misleading projections to keep the scheme alive and the cash coming. The result was a ’fraud against the British people’

City AM

• ’Breathtaking’ HS2 failure slammed after whistleblowers allege cover upThe government is facing fresh political backlash over HS2’s “staggering failure” amid whistleblower accusations of a multi-billion pound cover up.
• Jaguar Land Rover unveils £250m EV facility as electrification push revs up Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled a new £250m engineering facility at its centre in Whitley, Coventry, bringing 350 jobs to the region. The 323,000 sq ft Future Energy Lab will enable rapid testing of electric vehicles (EVs), including in extreme-weather conditions, as the marque preps for the launch of nine new luxury models by 2030.

The Mirror

• Rail ticket offices 'in line to be spared' as watchdogs want bosses to agree to changesWatchdogs are poised to block mass closure of rail ticket offices unless train companies make last-minute changes.

Network Rail

• Network Rail completes railway reliability improvements between Yeovil Pen Mill and WeymouthNetwork Rail is thanking customers and local residents for their patience and understanding following a five-day closure of the Heart of Wessex line between Yeovil Pen Mill and Weymouth while engineers completed key upgrades to bring smoother and more reliable journeys for customers.
• VIDEO: Frightening new video footage highlights dangers of the railway as Network Rail warns young people to stay off the tracks this October half-termNetwork Rail is issuing a reminder to the public warning them of the dangers of misusing level crossings and trespassing in a new safety campaign launched across Network Rail in the south of England.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford firm is manufacturing an innovative canal boatA BRADFORD plastics firm is manufacturing an innovative canal boat.

Wales Online

• Train services and jobs would have been cut without huge cash boost, says Transport for WalesThe company is £100m short on money from ticket sales compared to where it had hoped to be by now, its chief executive admitted

Yorkshire Post

• Leeds is an example of how productivity and transport connectivity are interlinked - Sir John ArmittWest Yorkshire remains the largest metropolitan area in Western Europe without a mass transit system. And Leeds, along with other cities in the North and Midlands, has lower productivity than similar sized places in Europe. These two facts are not unrelated.

Other Regional Press

• Devon buses get a boost with new lanes and gatesDevon County Council is making bus travel faster and more reliable with two new schemes funded by the Bus Service Improvement Plan
• West Sussex: Child bus tickets extended until 21st birthdayA child bus fare scheme has been extended for an extra five years and will help more people.
• Glasgow parents plead with council for safer school transportA long and dangerous walk to school has prompted a group of determined parents to campaign for safer transport for their children.
• More giant cruise ships set to dock in KentLarger cruise ships could be set to dock in Kent after plans to upgrade a historic pier were revealed.
• Furious traders demand road scheme is scrapped as they claim 'only benefit' is to issue parking ticketsThe Far Gosford Street scheme has been an 'unmitigated disaster' claim traders

Construction News

• Two-thirds of TfL suppliers based outside LondonTransport for London (TfL) has published research highlighting its “UK-wide” economic impact, as it calls for £500m in capital funding for 2024/25.

New Civil Engineer

• Inside Network Rail’s four-night OLE renewal programme that produced zero carbon emissionsUtilising “small changes” Network Rail completed a four-night overhead line equipment (OLE) renewal programme in Cambridgeshire with zero emissions.
• Leicestershire County Council lines up objection to East Midlands freight mega-hubLeicestershire County Council chiefs have expressed "concern" over proposals to build Hinckley National Rail Freight Interchange, a £750M rail hub in the East Midlands.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• 152 further electric buses for London in latest contract awardsTransport for London (TfL) has awarded operator contracts that will see a further 152 new electric buses added to the capital’s peak vehicle requirement (PVR).

Other News Sources

• HS2 firm accused of cost cover upHS2 Ltd has been accused of deliberately covering up its escalating costs to make sure politicians kept spending billions of public money on the project, according to a Sunday Times investigation. Whistleblowers claim senior managers instructed staff to keep
• Shipping needs act quickly to achieve 5% zero-emission bunker fuel target by 2030, report warnsReport revealed that while it is possible for scalable zero-emission fuels to make up 5% of international shipping fuels by 2030 – shipping’s breakthrough target – the window of opportunity will close soon.
• Part of Lancaster bus station forced to close again due to roadworksSeveral stands at Lancaster Bus Station have been forced to shut due to roadworks - the second such closure this year.