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

Wednesday, 10 January 2024

BBC News

• Shrewsbury Parkway: Plans for additional railway stationShrewsbury could be set for a new railway station under plans to take traffic away from the town centre.
• First of £1bn Arterio trains completes inaugural journeyThe first of a £1bn fleet of trains has completed its inaugural journey - over four years behind schedule.
• Unite Translink workers to join Northern Ireland 'biggest ever strike'Public transport workers from at least one union will join the mass action later in January.
• Reading to Paddington rail disruption continuesTrain services at the UK's second busiest station are disrupted for the third day in a row.
• Sexual offences rise on London's Tube network, figures showBritish Transport Police figures also show a rise in violent crime and robberies on the Tube.
• Boeing admits mistake over plane door blow-outBoeing's boss Dave Calhoun vows to find the cause of the incident on the Alaska Airlines flight.

Financial Times

• What went wrong with Boeing's 737 Max jets?The blowout on the Alaska Airlines flight follows the Max 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019
• Boeing chief admits ˜our mistake' after 737 Max door panel mishapRegulator revises timeline for returning grounded aircraft to service
• Red Sea security fears cut container shipments through Suez CanalHouthi attacks force vessels to divert via longer route round the Cape of Good Hope

The Guardian

• CEO says Boeing must acknowledge 'our mistake' as 737 Max 9 jets are groundedPlanes await inspection by aviation regulators after panel blowout on Alaska Airlines flight amid heightened safety concerns. Boeing must acknowledge 'our mistake' it's CEO has said, after the cabin panel of a 737 Max 9 jet blew off during an Alaska Airlines flight last week.
• Ministers prioritised driving in England partly due to conspiracy theoriesGovernment's deprioritising of active travel policies influenced by unfounded fears about loss of freedom of movement in urban areas. Ministers decided to prioritise driving over active travel because of worries among ministers about 15-minute cities, documents seen by the Guardian show. They indicate that a significant shift in transport policy was guided at least in part by conspiracy theories.

Times Online

• The era of the drone is about to take off [subscriptionThe self-driving cars bill may be navigating its way through parliament in 2024 but another hands-off, equally controversial, form of transport is also accelerating this year: drones.
• Khan ’must explain where £30m Tube settlement will come from’ [subscription]RMT union called off this week’s strike on the London Underground after mayor of London made the offer

City AM

• The Debate: Should London make its public transport free?City A.M.’s new weekly feature takes the fiercest water-cooler debates and pits two candidates head to head before delivering The Judge’s ultimate verdict. This week: after Montpellier has announced free transport passes for all, would London benefit from a fare-free bus, rail and tube system?

Daily Express

• London named slowest city in the world sparking outrage at Sadiq Khan's 'war on motorists'Conservative politician Susan Hall said the Labour Mayor of London had made the capital the

Daily Record

• Row over ScotRail staffing figures after union claims 100 jobs have been cutEXCLUSIVE: The union claimed the rail company had cut over 100 jobs in past two years.

The Mirror

• InterCity 125 trains branded 'death traps' amid calls to pull them all from serviceWhen the iconic trains entered service in 1976 it heralded a new era of rail travel in Britain but train drivers’ union ASLEF says a crash late last month exposed failures in the train’s design

Bolton News

• Bee Network boss says Ramsbottom bus services will improveThe reliability of bus services in Ramsbottom are set to be improved after complaints from residents.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford Interchange: Questions continue to be askedQuestions continue to be asked surrounding the partial closure of Bradford Interchange.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Bus charter is enhanced to improve conditions for passengers across the West MidlandsBus companies and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) have made a new commitment to deliver a minimum standard of service.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Otley: Plans to create new 'Transport Hub' in Leeds town offering bus services, e-bikes and cars for hireOtley: Plans to create new 'Transport Hub' in Leeds town offering bus services, e-bikes and cars for hire

Chester Standard

• CHESTER: Future of transport in county up for debateThe council-run consultation is open until 28 January 2024, so there is still time to get involved. The authority wants views on all aspects of transport in the borough, not just public transport services, it wants to hear what works and what could be improved between now and 2040.

Other Regional Press

• Council underlines importance of strategic transport list in current financial climateIn light of the present financial situation, Bridgend County Borough Council has stressed the importance of a list of strategic transport projects, as well as a Cabinet review of the list in the near future.
• East West Rail campaign groups accuse the Department for Transport of ’wishful thinking’Campaigners have accused the Department for Transport (DfT) of “wishful thinking” over its claims of East West Rail-related economic growth.
• Aerial images showcase Darlington Station as £150m overhaul featuring new gateway and car park takes shapeOver 1,100 tonnes of British Steel have been installed

Intelligent Transport

• Quicker bus journeys and safer walking and cycling for Portsmouth in 2024Portsmouth’s City Centre South is set for a transport upgrade, introducing widened roads and pedestrian-friendly crossings to enhance public transport and active travel, with completion targeted for May 2024.
• Breaking financial barriers with fare-free services: Offering a more equitable transport system for transit-dependent ridersAfter a nearly two-year pilot programme, numerous data reports and feedback from community members, New Mexico’s largest public transportation system, ABQ RIDE, will permanently remain fare-free for all modes of transit (rapid transit, fixed route and paratransit services).

New Civil Engineer

• Council to submit business case for £152M Portishead line reinstatement ahead of summer work startNorth Somerset Council’s cabinet has been recommended to approve the submission of a Full Business Case for the £152M reinstatement of the abandoned Portishead Branch Line, with the aim of commencing works in August.

Rail Business Daily

• Stevens & Bolton advises Rock Rail on its new joint venture with InfracapitalLaw firm, Stevens & Bolton has advised Rock Rail (the investor-developer of rolling stock and other rail infrastructure) on its new joint venture with Infracapital, which will develop opportunities in the German regional passenger rail market, and its equity investment in the first project under this new rolling stock investment platform.

Rail Magazine

• West Coast Railways handed ultimatum after judicial reviewWest Coast Railways will have to fit central door locking (CDL) to its carriages by February 29, or cease main line operations.

Railtech

• Half a billion pound overhaul transforms London’s Central LineThe Central Line carries some of the busiest parts of the London Underground network. Now, it’s set for a step-change in rolling stock provision. Despite the gloomy post-pandemic financial health of the network, things are looking up for one deep-level line in particular. The half-a-billion pound (around 550 million euro) Central Line Improvement Programme (CLIP) is almost ready for deployment. The first overhauled Central Line trains are already out on the route, surprising commuters with non-stop runs.

RMT

• RMT RESPONDS TO P&O OPENING NEW FREIGHT ROUTESeafarer Union RMT today responded to disgraced P&O Ferries CEO Peter Hebblethwaite’s announcement of a new freight route between the Thames Freeport and Europoort in Rotterdam.

Other News Sources

• Siemens kickstarts recruitment drive at Goole train factorySiemens Mobility has recruited 35 new employees in the first major wave of recruitment for its train manufacturing facility in Goole as it prepares to begin production this year.
• Alstom and Siemens Named Potential Suppliers for California’s High-Speed TrainsThe California High-Speed Rail Authority has released the shortlist of bidders to supply its new electric trains. This includes two teams: Alstom Transportation and Siemens Mobility.
• Walking, cycling and wheelchair use at centre of new High Wycombe transport planWalking, cycling and wheelchair use has been put at the centre of a new transport plan for High Wycombe.