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

Monday, 30 October 2023

BBC News

• North Lincolnshire Council to spend HS2 cash on improving bus networksA council says it will use its share of savings from the scrapping of the northern leg of HS2 to reduce bus fares and make services more reliable.
• Furness Rail Line: Decision due over 'dangerous' level crossingA level crossing in Cumbria which is over 165 years old is "a danger to the public" and should be closed, campaigners have said.
• Network Rail: Planned closure between Guildford and Gatwick AirportTravellers face disruption next month when the railway line between Guildford and Gatwick Airport is closed for seven days.
• ScotRail services return to normal after weekend of heavy rainTrain services between central Scotland and Aberdeen and Inverness are back to normal after a weekend of heavy rain, ScotRail says.
• Crewe: What will happen now HS2 is cancelled?The town of Crewe owes its growth and development to the railway. Locomotives were built there and its station is still a key transport hub, both for passenger and freight services.
• New rail station 'could help regenerate town'Somerset's newest railway station could help regenerate land north of Wellington, it has been claimed.
• US car giant agrees pay deal to end strikeStellantis becomes the second US car giant to strike a tentative deal with the United Auto Workers union.
• Petrol retailers should cut price by 5p a litre, RAC saysThe motoring body says major fuel retailers should reduce prices to reflect lower wholesale costs.

Financial Times

• EU and UK seek ban on subsidies for foreign fossil fuel projectsMove would target oil and gas infrastructure as well as coal mining
• Jewel in the crown: Chevron follows Exxon to Guyana's oil richesUS supermajors open a controversial fossil fuel frontier in one of Latin America's poorest nations

Times Online

• Bikes stolen from rail stations up by 40% in a year [subscription]Bicycle thefts at railway stations surged last year but the police are becoming worse at catching offenders despite widespread CCTV cameras.
• French cyclists told to steer clear of walking zones. [subscription]Sustainable transport is dividing the French after cyclists were banned from pedestrian zones in several cities.

City AM

• ’Nothing has changed’: Supermarkets back in the firing line for jacking up pump prices Supermarkets are still profiting at the pumps at the expense of British motorists, despite criticism from the UK's competition regulator.

Mail Online

• Chaos for West Coast rail passengers as Avanti cancels HUNDREDS of Saturday trains... even though the Transport Secretary insisted the firm was 'back on track' last monthLong-suffering West Coast rail passengers face more chaos as Avanti is cancelling hundreds of Saturday trains.

The National

• ScotRail’s return to public hands doesn’t give us a real sayTHE bill to privatise the railways in Britain was put on the statute book in Parliament 30 years ago come November 5. For the travelling public, it was definitely a case of “remember, remember the fifth of November” because it has led to decades of untold misery and despair.

Birmingham Mail

• HS2 chiefs 'spending £10m growing grass' next to trackHS2 chiefs 'could spend £10m on growing grass' next to the track. A seed supplier was reportedly sought just days after the northern link between Birmingham and Manchester was axed by the Government due to soaring costs.
• State Pension rail pass for free UK train travel addressed by Dept for TransportA proposed State Pension rail pass that would offer free train journeys anywhere in the UK has been addressed by the Department for Transport. At present, those who are of pension age or with eligible disabilities can get free off-peak travel on buses - and campaigners have asked for this to be extended.

Bristol Live

• Bristol has third highest number of 'bad air days' every year in BritainAir quality breaches World Health Organisation guidelines more days a year in Bristol than in London, Manchester and even New York
• Petition launched for bus route to serve Bristol area's growing population 'People who live there would appreciate this link'

Nation. Cymru

• When politicians want to play trains – Wales and the HS2 debacleProfessor Stuart Cole, CBE, Emeritus Professor of Transport Economics and Policy, University of South Wales.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Avanti West Coast reportedly set to cut key routes immediatelyAvanti West Coast is reportedly set to cut key Saturday routes between London Euston and Manchester just two weeks after its new contract came into effect.

Plymouth Herald

• Penzance to Paddington train had to reverse along rails after 'mis-routing'Passengers were left surprised at learning they were heading towards Bristol instead of London - and even more surprised when the driver put the engine into reverse

Other Regional Press

• App to help cyclists using ScotRailCyclists can now book their bike on board a ScotRail train through the train operator’s mobile app, thanks to a new update.
• Liverpool needs new train station for high speed Manchester link - Metro MayorSteve Rotheram claims Liverpool Lime Street is already ’absolutely rammed’ and couldn’t cope with a Northern Powerhouse Rail link.
• Watford MP critical of Arriva following changes to bus servicesAs someone who didn’t learn to drive until his late 20s, I totally understand the frustrations bus users have with missed buses, late buses and ever changing timetables.

Calling All Stations - The Transport Podcast

• The strange cases of disappearing flightpaths, bridge arches and bus sheltersIn an antidote to intense recent coverage of HS2 and alternative schemes, Christian Wolmar and Mark Walker take a look at 5 transport stories from around the UK listeners may have missed [2:20]. Christian reports on what the House of Commons Transport Committee was told about August's air traffic chaos [11:14], how National Highways in England has been persuaded to reverse the infilling of a much-loved railway bridge [16:50] and why so many bus shelters have vanished from the streets of Croydon [23:10]. Finally, Christian asks why we can't have a comprehensive transport strategy for the UK [32:19].

New Civil Engineer

• TfL seeks funding options for long-awaited Surrey Canal Overground stationTransport for London (TfL) has provided an update on its plan to build a new London Overground station in between Deptford, New Cross and Bermondsey.

Railnews

• RMT warns against betrayal of rail passengers Passenger watchdogs Transport Focus and London TravelWatch are due to reveal their recommendations concerning ticket office closures tomorrow. Operators in England have proposed the closure of more than 900 offices, and the largest stations such as Birmingham New Street, Glasgow Central and London Waterloo are included in their lists. The Department for Transport wants to reduce railway costs by closing the offices and moving the affected staff on to station concourses.

Other News Sources

• Barrow Labour candidate slams Rishi Sunak transport plan for CumbriaTHE Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Barrow-in-Furness has slammed Rishi Sunak’s transport plan for the north and said ’locals are sick and tired of empty promises’.
• Guildford to Gatwick trains halted for a week in November due to upgrade workHere are the exact dates the trains will be out of action