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

Monday, 11 December 2023

BBC News

• Castleford to York direct trains to run on route again after 50 yearsDirect train services between Castleford and York are due to restart after the route closed 50 years ago.
• Southeastern introduce 100 additional trains per weekRail operator Southeastern has introduced 100 extra trains per week as part of new timetable changes.
• 'Tap on, tap off' launched by bus serviceA bus service has launched 'tap on, tap off' (TOTO) technology to make journeys easier.
• Extra hourly train service to run between Birmingham and NottinghamAn extra train service per hour has been introduced between Nottingham and Birmingham via Derby.

Financial Times

• Why Saudi Arabia and private equity have landed stakes in HeathrowTwo new shareholders, PIF and Ardian could increase their investment further as part of airport’s ownership structure

The Guardian

• Stonehenge campaigners’ last-chance bid to save site from road tunnelHistorian says if ‘Britain trashes their world heritage sites, it bodes badly for the rest of the world’Monuments you can see by road, rail or waterThey are a disparate bunch. Archaeologists, environmentalists, historians, transport experts, countryside campaigners and druids.But they will come together in the Strand in central London on Tuesday with a common purpose: to stop the bulldozers from, in their mind, wreaking havoc at one of the UK’s most iconic sites. Continue reading...
• UK’s Christmas getaway traffic will peak earlier than usual, AA predictsFestive getaway traffic is expected to peak earlier than normal this year as Christmas Day falls on a Monday.

The Herald

• SPT bid for money for electric buses fails in favour of private firmsCampaigners have criticised a government funding decision to reject a bid from a publicly-run transport body in favour of awarding cash to private companies.

The Telegraph

• Rail passengers left stranded by overhead power cable chaos for fourth time in a week. [subscription]Hundreds of travellers on the East Coast Mainline on Sunday were unable to travel from London to the North and Scotland

City AM

• Hitachi UK rail plant takes multimillion hit as train manufacturers struggleHitachi’s UK operation has taken a multimillion pound writedown on the value of its plant in County Durham, as concerns mount over the future of the UK’s train manufacturing sector.

i News

• Europe’s most exciting new rail routes for 2024London to Prague by moonlight? It’ll soon be possible as the Continent’s rail renaissance gathers steam

The Mirror

• Christmas getaway will start early this year as AA reveals when roads will be busiestThe AA predicts more than 16m car journeys on the Friday and Saturday before Christmas, but the outlook looks slightly better for those travelling by train

London Evening Standard

• Brent Cross West: Sadiq Khan opens London's first new mainline train station in 10 yearsThameslink services from Brent Cross West will travel to St Pancras in as little as 12 minutes

Nation. Cymru

• New survey ’paints a clear picture’ of the decline in bus servicesMore than 90% of people quizzed in a new survey say bus services have got worse over the last 12 months.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• "Journey from hell" - Newcastle fans stranded in London after travel chaos but LNER services resume normalityNewcastle United boss Eddie Howe paid tribute to stranded supporters after 4-1 defeat at Spurs

Wales Online

• Rail passenger had to stand in the toilet with eight other people on 'dangerous' journeyThat was the experience of one rail passenger who branded his train journey from Swansea to Cardiff 'dangerous'

Bucks Free Press

• Arriva bus passengers rate company onlineBus passengers have left scathing online reviews about Arriva, with thousands of low scores rating the service as ’bad’.

Other Regional Press

• Network Rail update on progress of Northwich Station rebuildNETWORK Rail have issued an update on the progress of the Northwich Station rebuild with January targeted for the completion of external repairs.
• Electric-powered buses could be rolled out on St Helens roadsDOZENS of electric-powered buses could be rolled out across the region if a bid for funding proves successful.
• What's going to happen to Brandon Station in Suffolk?Question marks remain over the future of a historic station after a rail firm said no-one had a remit to restore it.

Train Operators

• Search begins for new leader of historic Neville Hill TrainCare Centre in West YorkshireNorthern has begun the recruitment process for someone to manage the historic Neville Hill TrainCare Centre in West Yorkshire.
• More services between Reading and Gatwick Airport as new December timetable kicks inGreat Western Railway is to double the number of direct trains between Reading and Gatwick Airport as part of its new December timetable.
• More than 14,000 extra seats every weekend as Great Western Railway responds to changes in customer behaviourGreat Western Railway will provide more than 25 extra train services, equating to more than extra 14,000 seats, every weekend as part of its new December timetable. 

Calling All Stations - The Transport Podcast

• How close are we to guilt-free flying, a more perfect Union and prosperous railways?Christian interviews the Aviation Environment Federation's Tim Johnson about just how green the first trans-Atlantic commercial flight using Sustainable Aviation Fuel really was [2:40]. Mark Walker and Christian discuss the rail, road and aviation measures contained in the UK Government's response to the Union Connectivity Review [24:14]. Our co-presenters also look at what rail patronage numbers in Great Britain say about post-pandemic recovery [36:53]. Finally, Christian asks what a recent legal decision on 'defeat devices' may expose about cheating on vehicle emissions [46:15].

Railway Gazette

• Rail plans in Hull and East Yorkshire devolution dealUK: Electrification from Hull to Sheffield and Leeds, journey time reductions, a parkway station and more local input into rail priorities are included in a proposed devolution deal signed by the leaders of East Riding of Yorkshire and Kingston upon Hull City councils and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing ...

Aviation Industry

• Air Canada announces new ’air-to-rail’ connections for EuropeAir Canada has announced new air-to-rail booking options for customers to connect at European airports with four major passenger rail systems, making it convenient to explore the continent.

Other News Sources

• Improving cost certainty on rail megaprojectsRecent federal and state government reviews have reshaped Australia and New Zealand’s rail development landscape. As we manage demand for public funding, it’s more important than ever for major projects to have budget certainty and effective cost control throughout project delivery, says Ken Bagget, AECOM rail leader for Australia and New Zealand.