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

Saturday, 27 January 2024

BBC News

• M42 motorway bridge struck by lorries set to be demolishedThe bridge has been hit some 20 times in the last decade, National Highways says.
• Edinburgh trams and the mystery of the crumbling tenementResidents made homeless by damage to a city building fear the latest city tram line may be to blame.
• Avanti quizzed by Andy Burnham on 'free' public money slideGreater Manchester councillors hear language in a leaked rail firm presentation was 'unacceptable'.
• Tube: Central line train failures set to cause problems for monthsThe 30-year-old fleet is among the least reliable and is set to cause issues for months, TfL warns.
• Tesla: Electric carmaker's shares slide after Musk warns of slowdownThe electric carmaker's shares fell by more than 12% in New York trading on Thursday.

Financial Times

• Boeing chief Dave Calhoun's leadership under scrutiny after 737 Max crisisPlane maker boss faces increasing pressure from customers, politicians and regulators over safety concerns
• HS2 considers scrapping first-class seats to maintain passenger capacityOfficials to tackle drop in passenger capacity after Rishi Sunak revised rail link plans

The Guardian

• 'They quoted £7,000-£8,000': young drivers face huge car insurance risesMotorists between ages of 17 and 20 are being quoted thousands but there are ways to cut costsDrivers paying monthly 'face interest charges of more than 30%'Young drivers have always faced the highest premiums for getting behind the wheel, but with figures showing that the average price of car insurance for motorists aged 18 is now more than £3,000 for the first time, this traditional rite of passage is becoming unaffordable.Premiums are going up for drivers of all ages - the average annual cost of insurance is now at a record high of close to £1,000 - but drivers aged 17-20 are bearing the br...

The Herald

• Aberdeen's FirstGroup moves to buy York Pullman Bus CompanyFirstGroup has moved to boost its presence in the north of England with the acquisition of York Pullman Bus Company.
• Aberdeen's FirstGroup moves to buy York Pullman Bus CompanyFirstGroup has moved to boost its presence in the north of England with the acquisition of York Pullman Bus Company.
• 'Greenwashing': The 'farce' of ScotGov's eco-friendly fiasco ferriesThe green credentials of the vessels at the centre of Scotland's ferry fiasco have been thrown into disarray as experts predict they will be expected to produce far more dangerous emissions than if they ran on pure fossil diesel.
• Edinburgh Council to ask SNP ministers for £2bn to build new tram lineCouncil bosses in the capital are set to plead with SNP ministers to hand over up to £2 billion for a new tram line connecting the north of the city with the south.

The Independent

• The world's largest cruise ship begins its maiden voyage from the Port of MiamiThe world’s largest cruise ship is set to begin its maiden voyage from the Port of Miami

Times Online

• How congestion charge and new trams will help Edinburgh hit net zero [subscription]Councillors want to further restrict access to city centre

Daily Record

• Edinburgh Lufthansa flight diverted to Amsterdam after 'unusual smell' detected mid airThe aircraft travelling from Frankfurt had to touch down in the Netherlands capital to allow checks to be carried out.

Mail Online

• Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead and Manchester to delay the end of the 100ml liquid rule for millions of passengers as government to grant deadline extensionBritain's biggest airports have been granted more time to install new security scanners that would end the need for 100ml limits of liquid in hand luggage, it is understood.
• Road to nowhere for Sadiq Khan's despised ULEZ scheme as TfL reveals over 65 per cent of appeals against fines have been successfulA total of 52,924 ULEZ fines had been overturned - around 67.5% of 78,357 appeals up to December 22 2023.TfL also confirmed that over 4,000 fines were issued through mobile camera vans.

Bolton News

• Avanti boss reiterates apology to Andy Burnham in tense exchangeThe boss of Avanti West Coast apologised to Andy Burnham and Greater Manchester residents over its service in a tense exchange on Thursday.

Bristol Live

• Driving examiner strike at 270 centres - who's affected and what to do if your test is cancelledAlmost 2,000 driving examiners are set to strike at 270 test centres across England, Wales and Scotland next month

Daily Post (North Wales)

• North Wales village set to be partially reinstated on bus route after being axed due to 20mph changeLlandegla had been axed from the X51 leaving locals 'isolated and 'cut off', but there is still work to be done
• Three weeks of A55 roadworks works near Penmaenbach headland start this weekendThere will be a 30mp speed restriction and a contraflow in place through the main westbound tunnel

Manchester Evening News

• The scenes from Manchester Airport that 'drove staff to tears'Airport says animal welfare is responsibility of airlines

Northern Echo

• £250m proposal for Darlington A66 and A1 relief road approvedPlans to build a long-awaited Darlington relief road took a step closer after a £250m funding package was approved.
• New tram system, airport upgrades and Hartlepool link for DarlingtonA raft of new schemes to improve rail travel in Darlington are set to be boosted by a multi-million funding package.
• TVCA transport plans approved including town centre tramsWork on a £1bn package of transport development across the Tees Valley will press ahead after the plans were given the nod by the TVCA's Cabinet.

The York Press

• First Bus has bought York Pullman based at RufforthBUS company First has bought York coach firm Pullman.
• Car expert warns Brits they face £5000 fines at drive-thrusFrom fine dining to driving fines, your drive-thru meal could cost you more than you thought.

Get Surrey

• M25 to close for 12 hours this weekend as part of £317 million upgradeDiversions could add an extra 15 minutes to journeys over the weekend

Other Regional Press

• Southampton Central taxi rank change could lead to strikeSouthampton taxi drivers said they could strike over changes to the newly-opened southern entrance to Southampton Central railway station.
• Reduced services at Chiltern Railways amid ASLEF strikeChiltern Railways has warned customers that ASLEF industrial actions will affect journeys next week.
• TVCA leaders give green light to £1bn transport package for Tees Valley The 26 projects are aimed at improving road, rail and bus travel across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool
• Transporter Bridge at risk of 'catastrophic collapse', structural assessment warnsAn Atkins assessment categorised the bridge as an 'immediate risk structure', posing a safety risk to the public
• 'Huge new speed bumps are damaging our cars'Worried shoppers are calling for 'ridiculously high' new speed bumps at a retail park which scrape and damage cars to be lowered.

Railnews

• New buildings for University station to open their doors The new buildings at University station in Birmingham will be open to passengers from Sunday. The station on the Cross City line opened in 1978, and was designed for 500,000 passengers a year. Since then, Birmingham University has grown, while the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital was opened near the University on the same site in Edgbaston in 2010. The station, which has been managing with the original entrance, now handles as many as 3.5 million passengers a year. The 1978 building will remain in use as an exit.

Other News Sources

• Brighton: Notorious potholes won't be fixed before summerThe city council said it must submit a planning application to itself before it can fix a number of notorious potholes.
• Bus Partnership Fund pause disappoints CPTScottish Government pledged £500m – but has spent only £26.9m   As recently as last October, Scotland’s minister for transport, Fiona Hyslop, told Passenger Transport that the Bus Partnership Fund was “a key area of investment”   Formally launched in November 2020, Scotland’s Bus Partnership Fund was hailed as a “landmark long-term capital investment of over £500m for bus priority measures”. But with the Scottish Government having “no plans” to make money available to the fund in the next financial year, there are fears over its future. As recently as last October, Scotland’s m...
• Labour – 'No more tinkering on the edges'With a general election drawing closer, shadow transport minister Simon Lightwood addressed bus and coach operators in London last week   Simon Lightwood at last week's CPT Conference   An incoming Labour government would use simplified and extended franchising powers to grow public transport, and provide the sector with greater certainty. That was the message from shadow local transport minister Simon Lightwood at last week's CPT Conference in London. Lightwood told delegates: 'No more tinkering around the edges … Labour's bold industrial strategy, together with our ambitious ...