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

Tuesday, 30 January 2024

BBC News

• New Metro trains launch delayed againThe introduction of new trains on the Tyne and Wear Metro has been further delayed, with bosses now hoping they will begin entering service at the end of 2024.
• Beeston railway station access work for new liftsWork has started on a multi-million pound project to improve accessibility at Beeston station.
• Rishi Sunak disappointed new rail strike law not used, says No 10Train operators are not enforcing minimum service levels to ease the impact of upcoming strikes.
• Car insurance: Young drivers risk fraud to save on costsInsurance industry says young drivers could be tempted to break the law as insurance gets more expensive.
• Ryanair cuts profit forecast after online travel agent rowThe airline reduced its fares in December after sites including Booking.com suddenly removed its flights.

Financial Times

• Boeing withdraws FAA request to expedite approval for 737 Max 7
• UK infrastructure costs are much higher than European peers, research showsBCG report reveals price of a flat road in Britain is £8.45mn per km against European average of £5.77mn
• Bulk commodities vessel owners face pressure to travel through Red Sea Some traders have threatened legal action and sought to alter contract terms so ship owners take the cheaper, faster route
• Ryanair offers to take Boeing 737 Max craft if US airlines pull ordersChief Michael O'Leary makes offer as European airline cuts profit forecast after spat with travel agents

The Guardian

• Rail strikes: trains in south-east England halted as rolling stoppages beginAslef drivers at Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink and South Western stop work. Most commuter trains in south-east England will not run on Tuesday, in the first in a series of rolling 24-hour strikes by drivers that will bring more disruption to Britain's rail network this week. Drivers in the Aslef union are on strike at Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Thameslink and South Western Railway on Tuesday, as part of a long-running dispute over pay.

The Independent

• Facing scrutiny over quality control, Boeing withdraws request for safety exemptionBoeing says it is withdrawing a request for a safety exemption needed to certify a new model of its 737 Max airliner

The Telegraph

• I don’t care if London Bridge supports demisexuals – I just want my train to run on time. [subscription]... Call me a basic b**** but what I require of Network Rail is trains running on schedule, clear signposting, assistance for those who need it, and to feel safe on trains and at stations.
• Sunak urges rail firms to use minimum service level powers during strikes. [subscription]PM calls for train operators to ’act in best interests of passengers’ by providing at least 40pc of normal services

Times Online

• Edinburgh fast-tracks plans to drive cars off the streets. [subscription]Council hits accelerator on scheme to eliminate traffic in transformation of the city centre
• London council to charge for parking according to vehicle emissions. [subscription]Councils are increasingly “cooking up” new ways to tax residents, it has been claimed, as Westminster became the latest to unveil changes to the way it charges for parking.
• Ministers were warned rail strike law was doomed to fail [subscription]As week of action begins, Downing Street voices anger that train companies bankrolled by the Treasury have declined to use minimum service legislation

Network Rail

• Major rail upgrades planned for Yorkshire Wolds Line in FebruaryNetwork Rail will be carrying out major upgrades to the railway between Beverley and Hunmanby in February.

Sky News

• Fresh train strikes announced in long-running pay dispute - full list of datesTrain strikes will affect commuters over several days starting this week and into next week, ASLEF has announced.

Birmingham Post

• Why we need to look again at a new international airport for Wales and the south-west of EnglandCardiff and Bristol airports would need to close to support a new international airport handling 20 million passengers annually, says Grant Thornton economist Joel Strange
• Aerospace and defence company acquired saving 200 Dorset jobsThe business is involved in several flagship aerospace programmes including Airbus A350 and A320, Boeing 737 and 787

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Latest on the closure of Bradford Interchange bus stationPreparations should be made for the likely case that Bradford Interchange's bus station needs to be closed for longer than two months – a meeting has heard.

Sheffield Star

• Back Our Buses: Why are Sheffield’s buses so bad? We took the bus with Mayor Oliver Coppard to find outIt's no secret that South Yorkshire's buses get low scores for their reliability - we met with Mayor Oliver Coppard to find out why, and how they could be improved.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Company plans for new Shropshire and Black Country to London rail serviceA new train operator could bring back a regular direct link from the Black Country to London. The new Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway Company (WSMR) is proposing to bring back a direct service to and from London in 2025.

Cambridge News

• Taxi licence fees to go up but drivers question why some increases are above inflationThe council has agreed to increase some of the licensing fees it charges taxi drivers registered with the authority in the coming financial year

Get Surrey

• Leatherhead train station to undergo £6.2m upgradeThe improvement works have been praised by a disability campaign group

Other Regional Press

• No plans to increase levy funding for buses across the regionCouncil funding to pay for buses in the West of England is set to be frozen again this year, as Metro Mayor Dan Norris says that he loses sleep over bus cuts.
• Train station on track for step-free accessNetwork Rail is about to install three new lifts at Tilehurst station, making it fully accessible for the first time.
• Company plans for new Shropshire to London rail serviceA new train operator could bring back a regular direct link from Shropshire to London, 14 years after the shock closure of Wrexham & Shropshire Trains.

Calling All Stations - The Transport Podcast

• Should the next UK Government be aiming to complete more of HS2?In this special episode with just one item, Christian discusses with Jim Steer, Director of Greengauge 21, the prospects for restoration of the cancelled sections of Great Britain's new high speed railway - HS2 - and the difficult choices facing whichever party forms the next UK Government later in 2024.

Rail Advent

• Unite Union secures pay deal for some Hitachi workersUnite Union has announced that they have secured a pay deal for Hitachi workers working on Great Western Railway.
• Belvoir Rail’s new robots to boost efficiency of rail inspectionsBelvoir Rail’s new robots to boost efficiency of rail inspections
• Porterbrook’s Rolling Stock to See a Second Lease of LifeEnd-of-life rolling stock is being repurposed to create useful spaces across an array of organisations, including the emergency services

Rail Business Daily

• Hitachi Rail and Mer Mec sign put option for sale of French mainline signalling business, and signalling business units in Germany and the UKHitachi Rail and Mer Mec S.p.A. have signed a put option agreement for the sale of Hitachi Rail’s mainline signalling business in France, as well as its signalling business units in Germany and the UK.

Railway Gazette

• Improving mobile connectivity in King’s Cross tunnelsUK: Rail connectivity company Linbrooke is installing bespoke antennas to eliminate mobile phone coverage ’not-spots’ in the Gasworks and Copenhagen tunnels on the approach to London King’s Cross station.

Other News Sources

• Alstom to Deliver 96 Double-Decker Coaches to Israel RailwaysAlstom has signed a contract with Israel Railways (ISR) for the production of 96 double-decker train coaches.
• Ministers warned new minimum service levels was doomed to fail as rail networks grind to a haltMinisters were warned that the new minimum service legislation would be doomed to fail after fears that it would make industrial relations worse and cause further travel chaos for passengers.