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

Saturday, 16 December 2023

Cogitamus

• Serious rather than magical thinking needed for rail in 2024Policy towards the rail industry appears to be at one with the wider malaise that reflects a tired, divided and demoralised government, bereft of ideas. The effect is the reverse of the Midas touch; everything the Department for Transport touches seems to turn to dross. High Speed 2 is of course a prime example. The […] The post Serious rather than magical thinking needed for rail in 2024 appeared first on Cogitamus.

BBC News

• Further warnings A9 dual target was 'unachievable'Transport chiefs advised ministers in 2018 and 2021 of the risk to completing a dualling project by 2025.
• Translink: NI buses and trains cancelled for third dayTranslink staff enter a second consecutive day of strike action, and a third since the dispute began.
• Heathrow Airport due to hit record passenger numbersAbout 81.4 million passengers are predicted to travel through the airport's terminals in 2024.
• Shipping firms pause Red Sea journeys over attacksMaersk temporarily stops its ship using the route - and a German company follows suit.

Financial Times

• Trainline shares rally after UK ministers cancel rival digital ticketing serviceThreat of competition has hung over group since government pledged to simplify fares in 2021
• Turkish Airlines orders 200 Airbus aircraft worth tens of billions of dollarsDeal is welcomed by jet engine maker Rolls-Royce and is a boost for Istanbul as an international aviation hub
• Shipping companies avoid Red Sea after Houthi attacksMærsk and Hapag-Lloyd halt journeys as threats mount to global supply chains through Suez Canal

The Guardian

• Shipping companies suspend Red Sea traffic after Yemen rebel attacksMove by Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd comes after Houthis began attacking ships to pressure Israel over Gaza war Two of the world's largest shipping firms, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, have said they are suspending passage through a Red Sea strait vital for global commerce, after Yemeni rebel attacks in the area.The Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of Yemen but are not recognised internationally, say they're targeting shipping to pressure Israel during its two-month-old war with Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Continue reading...
• Are electric cars too expensive to tempt motorists away from petrol and diesel vehicles?In part four of our series exploring myths surrounding EVs, we weigh up the issue of costsIs it right to be worried about getting stranded in an EV?Do EVs pose a greater fire risk than petrol or diesel vehicles?How problematic is mineral mining for EVs?Cars are money sinks: the second biggest purchase most people will ever make also requires spending large amounts just to keep them on the road. It is no surprise, then, that claims that electric cars will add to the bills have alarmed drivers around the world.Our EV mythbusters series is examining claims such as this in detail. So far we have l...

The Herald

• Cairngorm railway shut for safety reasons for indefinite periodConcerns have been raised about the future of the beleaguered Scottish Government agency-owned Cairngorm railway as it emerged that it will be closed for an indefinite period and won't be available for the start of the winter season.
• Colonsay residents demand £33k in ferry loss compensationIslanders living in one of Scotland's most remote communities are demanding £33,000 in compensation for every day they are without a winter ferry service.

Times Online

• Passenger numbers will soar to record highs, Heathrow predicts [subscription]Britain’s biggest airport is forecasting record passenger traffic after a quicker than expected recovery from the lows of the pandemic.
• Trainline share price boost as state ticket app goes off rails [subscription]Shares in Trainline went full steam ahead on Friday after confirmation that the government had officially ditched its plans to launch a rival, state-run ticketing app.
• Petrol prices on cusp of falling to pre-Covid levels, says AA [subscription]The steady decline of the past two months is unmatched since the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused a period of prolonged market volatility

City AM

• Heathrow airport expects passenger numbers to hit record levels in 2024 Heathrow expects 79.1 million passengers to have travelled through the airport this year.
• Airbus and Rolls-Royce ink multi-billion pound deal to build planes for Turkish Airlines in the UK Airbus and Rolls-Royce have today announced they have been picked by Turkish Airlines to supply the carrier with 220 new aircraft.

Mail Online

• Gatwick issues warning over rogue meet-and-greet parking firms ahead of Christmas break after 250% surge in complaints from travellersGatwick Airport has warned travellers to be aware of rogue meet-and-greet firms ahead of the Christmas and New Year holiday after complaints surged by 250 per cent.
• British Airways identifies 600 areas to improve as it announces £7billion overhaul in bid to reclaim 'world's favourite airline' title from Middle Eastern rivals after years of declineBosses at Britain's flagship airline have identified more than 600 areas where it needs to improve after years of decline and a series of mass cancellations.

This is Money

• MARKET REPORT: Trainline steams ahead as UK axes ticketing planThe Department for Transport outlined proposals for a Great British Railways website and app in May 2021. But plans have been shelved

Birmingham Mail

• 40,000 drivers caught out by these two Birmingham bus lanes this yearInfamous bus lanes continue to catch out motorists in their thousands

Birmingham Post

• Stagecoach South West's boss reflects on past yearThe largest bus operator in the South West serves over 2 million journeys monthly across the region

Bolton News

• Bolton's self-driving transport system could come to WesthoughtonThe Connected and Autonomous Mobility System (CAMS) would run at least in part on a railway line between two hubs at Bolton Interchange and the hospital.

Bristol Live

• Bristol Airport's flights that are most likely to be delayed this ChristmasOne Ryanair flight leaving Bristol Airport has been delayed 82% last December

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus secures mega plane order that will boost Broughton wing plantTurkiye's national carrier, Turkish Airlines, will expand its fleet with an order for 220 Airbus aircraft
• Council admits it can't afford to properly maintain roads and car parksA pause on spending means vandalised toilets will close and road markings will be left unpainted

Northern Echo

• Durham bus station delayed and now due to open in 2024The opening of Durham's new bus station has been delayed until next year.

Cambridge News

• Cambridgeshire's most and least used railway stations - with one seeing just 142 passengersThe Office of Rail and Road has released figures which reveal the most and least used railway stations in the UK

Other Regional Press

• Luton Airport expansion plan apposed in HertfordshireLeader of the county council Cllr Richard Roberts was not permitted to vote or take part in the Luton Airport debate - after declaring that his wife was a non executive director of EasyJet, which has its headquarters at Luton.
• 'It's already so busy - new slip-road will create traffic nightmare'Plans for a new £8.8 million slip-road off the A2 have been branded 'absolutely daft' by critics who fear it will only make traffic issues worse.
• One of country's least used train stations is in WarwickshireCoventry is the busiest railway station in the Coventry and Warwickshire area - but smaller stations are struggling

New Civil Engineer

• Network Rail to begin ’once in a generation’ Stoke-on-Trent station improvement worksNetwork Rail is to begin a major overhaul of Stoke-on-Trent station this Christmas period that will include a “once in a generation” renewal of its extensive glazing.
• National Highways to undertake two year project to replace cracked M4 overbridgeNational Highways will start a two year project to replace the cracked A432 bridge, which carries the road over the M4 in south Gloucestershire, in January.

Railnews

• HS2 cancellation prompts council bankruptcy warning One of the councils on the abandoned route of HS2 to Crewe says the impact of the cancellation could force it into effective bankruptcy. Cheshire East Council, which covers Crewe and Macclesfield, said it had spent £11 million preparing for HS2, of which £8.6 million had been borrowed. The money will have to be found from general revenues but the budget is already under pressure, despite a number of economy measures, and had been facing a deficit of �18.7 million even before HS2 was cancelled. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been warned that he may face legal action over the ca...

Other News Sources

• Where is the evidence that 20 mph helps cut pollution?IF Jonathan Roger (Letters, December 7) has any good evidence that 20mph zones will lower street pollution could he please send it to transport ministers?
• Stagecoach in Hastings cancels evening services after windows smashedA bus company has been forced to cancel its evening services due to a spate of attacks by vandals.