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

Wednesday, 20 December 2023

BBC News

• Avanti West Coast: Calls for urgent review of delay-hit rail servicesNorth transport bosses criticise the troubled operator after a fresh spate of delays and cancellations.
• Tube workers vote to strike over pay, union saysThe RMT union says its officials will meet on Wednesday to discuss the next steps.
• Docklands Light Railway fare evaders dodge almost £11m in decadeStaff are being placed at entrances and exits of the Docklands Light Railway to tackle fare evasion.
• What do Red Sea assaults mean for global trade?Supply chains face disruption due to vessels diverting away from the key shipping route.

Department for Transport

• Government sets ambitious target to grow rail freight by at least 75%Target will boost economic growth and lead to significant environmental benefits by taking lorries off our roads, cutting emissions and congestion in the process.

Financial Times

• Toyota halts all Daihatsu shipments over safety test irregularities
• US discount airlines: capacity growth riles shareholders this holiday seasonSouthwest is struggling to manage cost efficiency amid mixed market signals
• Container ships abandon Red Sea as allies scramble to fend off attacksMaersk becomes latest group to divert vessels due to threat of Iranian-backed rebel attacks on Suez route
• Shippers warn of disruptions as US responds to migrant surge from MexicoAuthorities close two crossings that account for 36% of rail traffic on southern border to redeploy personnel

The Scotsman

• Caledonian Sleeper so popular it could fill some trains three times over – managing director Kathryn DarbandiRecord sales for service linking Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Fort William and Inverness with London

Times Online

• Are trains disrupted over Christmas? All cancelled service dates. [subscription]Planned engineering works and special services will affect rail travel until the new year

City AM

• The government must get a grip on HS2 Euston's private funding debacle News that the government is ignoring advice on how to get how to drum up private sector funding to deliver HS2's Euston station is deeply worrying.

Mail Online

• Tube commuters set to start paying MORE as Sadiq Khan's TfL considers whether to introduce Taylor Swift-style 'dynamic pricing'Tube commuters could be set to pay more in the upcoming year as Sadiq Khan's Transport for London (TfL) are considering whether to introduce a Taylor Swift-style 'dynamic pricing' to get more people travelling.

Birmingham Post

• Stena Line signs major deal with Peel Ports to operate at Heysham Port for another 77 yearsIt follows shipping line's launch of a new freight service between Merseyside and Dublin
• Airbus lands order from easyJet for 157 A320neo Family aircraftThe aerospace giant employs people at its UK sites in South Gloucestershire and North Wales

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Cost of school transport 'shows no sign of reducing'THE cost of transporting Bradford pupils from their homes to school via taxi costs almost £54,000 a day – and “shows no sign of reducing.”

Daily Post (North Wales)

• 'Upgauging' plan sees easyJet order a further 157 Airbus planesThe firm order comprises 56 A320neo and 101 A321neo aircraft

Northern Echo

• Plans go in for renovation of Eaglescliffe train stationNetwork Rail has applied for approval to build a new footbridge with lifts and staircases at Eaglescliffe Railway Station.

Wales Online

• How the Welsh Government's budget for 2024-25 affects youRail fares, NHS dentist fees and tuition fees could all go up as the Welsh Government seeks to plug a shortfall in money. In its budget for 2024-25, which totals £25bn, the Welsh Government has had to cut swathes of money from different departments.

Other Regional Press

• Leeds is one of UK's busiest transport hubs as most and least used train stations revealedLeeds is the only station in Yorkshire to rank in the UK’s top 20 most used train stations

Calling All Stations - The Transport Podcast

• Happy 1st podcast birthday and Eurotunnel’s 30th but UK’s infrastructure chief isn’t happy at allChristian and co-presenter Mark Walker consider the transport news and policy highlights of their first year of podcasting [1:10]. Christian celebrates 30 years of Eurotunnel operations with John Keefe, Chief Corporate and Public Affairs Officer at Getlink Group, asking what the future holds for the conveyance of road vehicles, growth in passenger train usage and expansion of rail freight traffic [5:33]. This is followed by a frank discussion with Sir John Armitt CBE, Chair of the UK National Infrastructure Commission, who reveals his organisation was not consulted about the abandonment of HS2 north of Birmingham in October, that he considers the sale of the acquired land unwise and that Great Britain now needs a new Integrated Rail Plan [24:39]. Finally, Christian praises the work and longevity of London's Railway Modelling Club Library [42:57].

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Concessionary bus travel falls by a third following COVID-19 pandemic, report showsThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant reductions in the number of people taking advantage of concessionary bus travel, according to a new report. The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport report compares English National Concessionary Travel Journey (ENCTS) and Active Card Data for the calendar years 2019 and 2022. It shows a 36% reduction in total ENCTS journeys across 18 regions studied, with the total number of journeys falling from 95million in 2019 to 61.2million in 2022. This is in spite of the number of active passholders falling by just 2.6%. Across England, the repo...

Rail Advent

• Avanti must declassify first and standard premium, says transport bodyA transport partnership in the North of England has called for a critical review into the level of service provided by train operating company (TOC) Avanti West Coast.

Rail Business Daily

• Green light for Mid Cornwall Metro initiative to transform transport links in CornwallA project to transform transport links in mid Cornwall so that residents can better connect to employment, education and key services, has been given the green light by the Council’s cabinet.  

Railnews

• East West Rail: some Christmas cheer, but challenges remain Track laying for East West Rail between Bicester and Bletchley is now ‘99 per cent complete’, according to East West Rail Co. But although moving forward, the project has also sustained some hard knocks. Plans to electrify the route as part of the ‘Electric Spine’ of 2012 were dropped some years ago, while the project’s value for money has also been questioned by the National Audit Office.

Other News Sources

• A Christmas Present for GB Public Transport ProcurementThe Public Service Obligations in Transport Regulations 2023 (PSO Regulations) come into force on 25 December 2023. They are the primary legal regime for procurement and subsidy control in the rail and road transport sectors in Great Britain.
• Liverpool Combined Authority plans smart ticketing upgrade for public transportLiverpool City Region Combined Authority has announced plans for a digital upgrade of its ticketing for public transport.
• HS2’s longest tunnel 90% completeTunnelling on HS2’s longest tunnel is on track to be completed next year. TBMs Florence and Cecilia have reached the Chesham Road intervention shaft on the 16km twin-bore tunnel under the Chilterns, marking 90% completion of their two-and-a-half-year drive.
• Attacks on Ships in Red Sea Must Stop, White House SaysAttacks by Iran-backed Yemeni militants in the Red Sea must stop and the U.S. and its partners will continue to protect ships from being targeted, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday.The Houthi militant group…
• Gatwick expansion plan updates are 'an attempt to sneak through' a second runway, campaigners sayCritics say the timing of Gatwick's changes may mislead people into thinking they've already given feedback
• Gatwick Airport prepares for busiest day ahead of ChristmasGatwick Airport is set to welcome passengers from across the world this Christmas as it prepares for its busiest day of the festive season