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

Wednesday, 13 December 2023

BBC News

• Warwickshire councillors agree new 20mph zone for SouthamA 20mph (32km/h) speed limit is to be introduced in a Warwickshire town using funding from the HS2 rail project.
• Northern: Delay for rail passengers after tree falls on lineThe Preston to Bolton line was blocked after a tree fell on high-voltage overhead electricity cables.

ITV News

• Long-awaited Northumberland Line delayed with no timescale for completionA project to bring passenger rail back to south east Northumberland has been delayed -with no timescale on when the project will be completed.

Financial Times

• Confusion and delay: the dismal state of the English railwaysStrategic paralysis of the network is having serious knock-on effects in the sector

The Guardian

• No more drunk driving? US to force carmakers to adopt life-saving tech by 2024National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it has begun process to force adoption of technology, as long as it worksUS auto-safety regulators said on Tuesday they have begun the process that will eventually force carmakers to adopt new technology to prevent intoxicated drivers from starting vehicles.In 2021, Congress directed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to mandate a passive technology to try to avert more than 10,000 road deaths annually. The law requires a technology safety standard by November 2024 if the technology is ready. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Food at train stations costs 10% more than on the high street [subscription]Passengers buying food and drink at railway stations are being charged an average of 10 per cent more than on the high street, a new report has warned.

Network Rail

• Key upgrades to railway in North Yorkshire to be delivered this ChristmasTeams from Network Rail will be giving up spending the festive period with their families to deliver vital upgrades to the railway in North Yorkshire.

Birmingham Post

• New larger Manchester home for electric vehicle charging firm Be.EV as it joins Bruntwood SciTech's 111 Piccadilly'We’re delighted to be at the heart of the Manchester business community'

Nation. Cymru

• Frustration for rail passengers as opening of new park and ride scheme is delayedA new park and ride facility serving two railway stations, is standing empty with no date for when it will be opened.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• 600,000 free bus tickets in new West Midlands 'try-before-you-buy' schemeTransport for West Midlands will be offering thousands of people free "try-before-you-buy" bus tickets as part of a £19 million scheme.

Yorkshire Post

• Leeds received less than half of its £100m consolation after HS2 was scaled backLeeds received less than half the £100m consolation it was promised by Boris Johnson, after he revealed the HS2 line would not reach the city.
• Doncaster Dome and Bridlington Station's goods shed among 27 Yorkshire buildings newly listed by Historic England in 2023A 1980s leisure centre, an early railway goods shed, several unique telephone boxes and a windmill are among 27 diverse buildings that have been given listed protection by Historic England this year.

Plymouth Herald

• Plymouth set for 50 electric zero-emission buses to transform transportIt would deliver four of the passenger priorities for a good bus service – frequency, accessibility, simple and understandable and modern

Other Regional Press

• Bus coverage in Derbyshire has fallen by a quarter over last decadeThe number of miles covered by bus services in Derbyshire has fallen by a quarter over the last decade, new figures show.
• Green, amber or red? New Department for Transport figures show state of roads in Telford and WrekinFive per cent of roads in Telford & Wrekin have been classified as ’poor’ in figures recorded by the Department for Transport.

Coach and Bus Week

• First Bus futureproofs with AI techFirst Bus has announced what it says is a ’groundbreaking’ partnership with an artificial intelligence (AI) technology firm to revolutionise services for its customers following a successful roll-out in West Yorkshire and the West of England.

Construction Enquirer

• East West Rail: ’Not yet clear’ how benefits of £6.6bn project will be achievedMinisters have failed to demonstrate how they will achieve the promised benefits of the under-construction Oxford-Cambridge rail link, despite spending more than £1bn on the project to date, a watchdog has warned.

New Civil Engineer

• Union Connectivity Review: Which transport recommendations were overlooked in DfT response?The Department for Transport's long-awaited response to the Union Connectivity Review saw it committing to some schemes but completely overlooking other recommended transport interventions around the UK.

Rail Advent

• Northern to operate first-ever special limited-stop trains on New Year’s Day!The special services will run between Middlesbrough and Whitby on the 1st of Jan 2024

Rail UK

• Mott MacDonald focussed on the future after Department for Transport re-appointmentMott MacDonald has been re-appointed by the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) as its Futures and Foresight Support Advisor.

Railway Gazette

• Hybrid train comes with ethical certification of its supply chainITALY: Hitachi Rail says it is the first rolling stock manufacturer to be able to track not just the environmental impact of its products, but also their social impact via a Social Product Declaration.

The Business Desk

• Transport for West Midlands brings in £19m sustainability initiativeTransport for West Midlands (TfWM) plans to provide thousands of individuals with try-before-you-buy bus tickets as part of a £19m government-backed initiative aimed at boosting bus passenger numbers and safeguarding services.

Other News Sources

• Rail managers vote to strike over on-call workingRail managers have voted in favour of strikes in a dispute over on-call working.