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

Thursday, 29 February 2024

BBC News

• Gatwick Airport runway inquiry hears from businesses and localsThe inquiry into Gatwick Airport's plan to use its emergency runway for routine flights has heard from business groups in favour and local people opposed to the scheme.
• Bath to Trowbridge bus has funding reinstatedA rural bus route which had half its funding cut because it crosses two counties, has had it reinstated.
• Work on Midlands Rail Hub set to beginDesign work on the Midlands Rail Hub is set to begin, the government has said.
• New Central line timetable as train delays continueCommissioner Andy Lord insists TfL is focusing on resolving challenges on the Central line.

Department for Transport

• Work to deliver Midlands Rail Hub set to begin with £123 millionMillions of people will benefit from more frequent rail services from central Birmingham and upgraded stations across the Midlands.

Financial Times

• Boeing must draw up quality-control plan in 90 days, regulator saysDirective from FAA comes after door panel blew off 737 Max aircraft last month
• Uber chief unlocks $136mn in shares after topping $120bn valuationDara Khosrowshahi became entitled to award after meeting targets set before ride-hailing group’s IPO
• British Airways owner IAG reports surge in profitsCarrier credits ‘strong and sustained demand for travel’

The Guardian

• Ministers to consult on doubling the legal wattage of electric bike motorsExclusive: DfT to launch consultation despite concerns over road and fire safety and legal status as cyclesMinisters are to consult on doubling the legal wattage of electric bike motors, despite concerns over road safety and the risk of deadly fires caused by batteries.The Department for Transport will launch the consultation on Thursday, the Guardian understands, which will propose changing the maximum allowable power of an e-bike motor from 250w to 500w.

The Independent

• Train strikes 2024: What is the latest update and what happens next?In the dispute between train drivers, rail firms and the government, the only certainty is further walk-outs

The Telegraph

• Train companies shun anti-strike law at fear of union revenge, minister says. [subscription]Huw Merriman comments come after one operator backed down from using new Minimum Service Levels legislation

Times Online

• Lumo hopes to extend its service. [subscription]FirstGroup is in talks to extend its open-access rail services from Edinburgh to Glasgow.
• Learner drivers’ shift to automatics spells death of manual gearbox. [subscription]The death of the manual gearbox is looming after a surge in the number of learner drivers taking their tests in automatics.

City AM

• IAG: British Airways owner hits £3bn profit and boss says plenty more to come British Airways owner the IAG reported record pperating profits in its full-year results this morning amid a boom in travel demand.

Daily Express

• The £1bn project to make train journeys between England and Wales way quicker£36billion in savings from HS2 will be reinvested into new transport projects, with Wales benefiting from better connections to other parts of the UK.

Local Government

• Hertfordshire opposes Luton Airport expansionLuton Rising, the owner of London Luton Airport, has for a number of years now been progressing its ambition to grow the Airport from a currently consented throughput of 19 million passengers per annum (mppa) to 32 mppa.

Derby Telegraph

• Workers at Alstom in Derby are set to strike in a row over paySafety-critical workers at Alstom responsible for maintaining and preparing trains across the East Midlands are preparing for four days of strike action

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• HS2’s military partnership with BuildForce puts ex-forces personnel on track for new careersFormer service personnel from the British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force are receiving support to transition into new careers on HS2, Britain’s biggest build.

Doncaster Free Press

• Airport campaigner to host stall at Doncaster Business ShowcaseA campaigner fighting to re-open Doncaster Sheffield Airport will host a stall at a prominent business event in the city tomorrow.

Other Regional Press

• York Street Station: Translink update on opening of transformed train station in North BelfastTranslink has provided an update regarding the construction and opening of a newly renovated train station in North Belfast.
• Cheshire East Council responds to new £180 million transport fundingCheshire East Council is set to be allocated over £180 million in improving local transport following the cancellation of HS2, the government has announced.

Railtech

• Dutch train tickets prices to rise sharply in 2025 due to 380 million euro lossDespite a hopeful start to the year, NS saw its operational performance deteriorate in 2023. Punctuality and seating availability were lower than the previous year. Financially, the railway company continues to struggle with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a significant loss.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Urban Transport Group joins five-year bus funding settlement callThe Urban Transport Group (UTG) is a further body to call for a five-year funding settlement approach for bus services in England. It says that such a policy should begin with provision of “urgent” certainty on revenue support beyond 2025 and work towards a “devolved single pot” allocation for the mode.
• LTA work is crucial, says Rural Zero-Emission Bus TaskforcePartnerships with local transport authorities (LTAs) will be crucial to the decarbonisation process for rural bus operations, concludes the Confederation of Passenger Transport’s (CPT) Rural Zero-Emission Bus Taskforce via its inaugural report.
• Transport UK London Bus is new name for former Abellio LondonOperator Abellio London will formally change its name to Transport UK London Bus from 2 March, the business has announced. It follows a management buyout of the former Abellio UK business to form Transport UK that completed in February 2023. The change in identity of the London operation aligns it with the wider Transport UK company.
• Final Enhanced Partnership Plus push as West Yorks decision nearBus operators in West Yorkshire have issued a final call for adoption of their Enhanced Partnership Plus proposals as the countdown to Mayor Tracey Brabin’s decision on the direction of industry reform in the region enters its final fortnight.

Other News Sources

• Skoda Group has released the first dual-system electric train for EstoniaThe three-car trainset was assembled at the plant in Ostrava and delivered to another Czech site in Pilsen for testing, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.
• The ninth London Superloop bus route launches this weekendIt’s only been a week or so since the most recent addition to London’s Superloop bus network (and just a month since the route before that was launched), but now yet another rapid bus service is set to kick-off in the capital. Following the first routes’ launch last summer and further expansion in December and earlier this year, another Superloop service will officially launch this weekend.
• Isle of Wight rail service cutting service for train maintenance.THE Isle of Wight rail service provided by Island Line will operate to a reduced timetable, starting tomorrow (Thursday).