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

Sunday, 07 January 2024

BBC News

• Durham bus station: Transport hub opens to publicDurham's new central bus station has opened to the public. The £10.4m building on North Road had been due to open in November but Durham County Council said it was set back due to "unavoidable" delays.
• 20mph: What do people make of Wales' speed limit change?As the 20mph speed limit begins to be enforced, people in Porthcawl share their views on the change.
• Rail disruption between Reading and PaddingtonNational Rail say problems have been caused by damage to overhead electric wires on the route.
• Flights cancelled as regulator grounds Boeing 737 Max 9s over blowoutThe US aviation regulator grounds 737 Max 9s to conduct urgent checks after the incident in Oregon.

Financial Times

• US grounds some Boeing 737 Max planes after window blows out mid-airAircraft manufacturer has been under scrutiny after crashes involving variants of the plane in 2018 and 2019
• Global shipping fleet ages as shipowners resist shift to greener fuels Russian sanctions-busting since start of Ukraine war has boosted value of ageing tankers
• London braces for travel disruption from Underground strikesUnion pushes for larger pay rise in latest round of walkouts to affect UK transport network

The Guardian

• US orders Boeing 737 Max 9 planes grounded after Alaska Airlines blowoutNearly 200 planes grounded as FAA investigates Saturday flight from Portland, Oregon, in which a cabin panel blew out in mid-airUS regulators have ordered the temporary grounding of 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft following a cabin panel blowout late Friday that forced a brand-new airplane operated by Alaska Airlines to make an emergency landing.
• Labour could revive HS2 northern legs after government fails to sell off landSources say land bought for train route north of Birmingham unlikely to be sold before polls paving way for project's revival. A Labour government will have the option of reviving the northern legs of the HS2 rail project, after it emerged it is very unlikely that any land bought by the government for the route will be sold before the general election.
• UK ministers in embarrassing climbdown over claims quad bike roll bars increase injury riskGovernment had rejected campaigners' demands for new safety measures on basis of outdated research. The government is reviewing quad bike safety regulation in what campaigners described as an embarrassing climbdown after ministers repeatedly claimed that the introduction of roll bars could do more harm than good.Ministers had previously said that research by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showed that roll bars could increase the risk of injury.

The Independent

• US orders some Boeing 737 MAX 9 airplanes grounded after mid-flight emergency The inspections will affect roughly 170 planes around the world and will span around four to eight hours per aircraft, the FAA noted

The Scotsman

• Edinburgh-London rail journeys to be cut to 4 hours – LNERMany rail journeys between Edinburgh and London are expected to be cut to around four hours from next December in a long-awaited move that will accelerate the shift from plane to train, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has told Scotland on Sunday.

The Telegraph

• TfL’s own safety advisers say Sadiq Khan's bus stops next to cycle lanes are a ’turd’. [subscription]Documents reveal damning description of Mayor of London's designs for stops where passengers must board and exit onto cycle lanes
• Parents complain children arriving late at school because of low traffic neighbourhood. [subscription]LTN has made public transport unreliable, they claim, and schoolchildren say pollution is greater due to idling cars, buses and HGVs

Times Online

• Watch: Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 fuselage ’explodes’170 passengers survived the incident on the Boeing 737 Max 9 — the latest scare to befall the model, which is now grounded in the US
• What a 10-year bridge shambles says about building in Britain. [subscription]The £10m railway crossing saga was caused by relentless subcontracting, miles of red tape and wrangles over who pays the bills

Mail Online

• Now admit the great e-scooter experiment was a giant mistake This country has many transport problems, from unfilled potholes and unsafe ’smart’ motorways to the never-to-be-finished HS2 railway line. There is hardly an aspect of our transport network which does not need serious attention and reform. So what was the question to which e-scooters and e-bikes were the answer?

The Mirror

• EXCLUSIVE: Network Rail chiefs pocket £35k bonus as passengers face misery and cancellationsDespite services being regularly haled by engineering works, Network Rail staff has taken almost £40million in bonus payments - including an average £35k payout for top bosses
• Planes to undergo inspection after window explosion before being allowed in UK airspaceAfter Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 experienced an emergency landing today, the airline grounded its entire fleet of Boeing Max-9 aircraft and each plane will be inspected, Civil Aviation Authority says

Nation. Cymru

• Lifeline bus service to bypass rural village in timetable changeTransport bosses at the Welsh Government are being urged to reverse a decision to axe a bus route through a rural village following a packed public meeting opposing the sudden withdrawal of the key service.

Wales Online

• Cardiff residents may need to reapply for parking permits under new zonal schemeCardiff Council's cabinet members will meet to make a decision on the proposed scheme on January 18
• The Welsh town where people feel isolated and angry because buses are hit and miss and the trains are a 'lottery''In a way we've lost a bit of our independence without the bus here so we would like to have it back'

Other Regional Press

• Key questions ignored in Council debate of the Barry Dock bus stationKEY questions remain 'unanswered' on the progress of the Barry Docks bus station following a Vale of Glamorgan council debate, says the mayor of Barry.
• Essex County Council make commitment over investment in bus servicesONGOING investment will be made in a large network of local bus services across the county, Essex County Council has confirmed.
• Update on £15m Lea Green railway station upgradeFINAL works to the car park and ticket office as part of the refurbishment of Lea Green railway station remain ongoing.
• Lincoln commuters blast 'inconvenient' rise in UK rail faresCommuters in Lincoln are wary of the 4.9 per cent hike in regulated UK rail fares due in spring and sceptical about corresponding improvements in service quality. Despite passengers in Scotland facing a steeper 8.7 per cent increase from April 2024, those outside Lincoln Central Station and at the University of Lincoln view the hike as excessive, particularly amid the ongoing cost of living crisis.
• Teesside Kickstarts 2024 with a Flurry of Planning Activities The first week of 2024 has marked a pivotal point for Teesside with a surge in planning activities, notably in the housing and transportation sectors

Other News Sources

• Rail revival success following introduction of 30-minute trains, thanks to Mayor fundingMore Bath and NE Somerset residents are catching trains since the introduction of half-hourly services to and from Bristol Temple Meads thanks to funding from the Mayoral Combined Authority, led by Mayor Dan Norris.