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

Saturday, 23 March 2024

BBC News

• Croydon tram strike called off after talks heldTrade union Unite said its members are in a dispute with TfL over pay disparities.
• Highland community concerned at loss of island linkResidents of Kilchoan rely on a car ferry connection with Mull for shops and services.
• Bahrain takes full control of supercar brand McLarenSovereign wealth fund takes full control following deep financial uncertainty for the British firm.
• FBI probes mid-air blowout on Alaska Airlines flightLetters sent by the FBI to those on board confirm that a criminal investigation is underway.

Financial Times

• Gatwick plans first shareholder dividend in five yearsUK's second-largest airport expects passenger numbers to be back at pre-pandemic levels in 2025

The Guardian

• Heathrow Border Force staff vote to strike in dispute over shift patternsNo dates announced for industrial action, but stoppages could begin as soon as 8 April, says PCS unionBorder Force staff at Heathrow have voted to strike in a dispute over shift patterns.The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said 600 of its members, who carry out immigration controls and passport checks, voted 90% in favour of strike action. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Boeing’s Starliner gears up to launch crewed mission, seven years late [subscription]Delays have cost the company $883 million as it seeks to rival SpaceX’s Crew Dragon in providing an ISS taxi service for Nasa astronauts
• Aston Martin poaches boss from rival Bentley [subscription]Aston Martin has poached the chief executive of its rival Bentley to take up the same job at the London-listed carmaker, in the third change in leadership in the space of four years.
• Half of motorways and major roads strewn with litter [subscription]Almost half of all motorways and major A-roads are covered in “unacceptable” amounts of litter.

City AM

• Gatwick Airport set to pay first shareholder dividend in five years as growth returns Gatwick Airport says it expects to pay out its first shareholder dividends in five years, with passenger numbers set to be back at pre-pandemic levels next year.
• Aston Martin poaches top boss of luxury car rival Bentley The chairman and chief executive of luxury car maker Bentley has left to take over at rival Aston Martin.

Mail Online

• Passengers on doomed Alaska Airlines flight may be victims of a crime, FBI warns in a letter months after door plug flew off Boeing plane mid-airPassengers aboard the Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 have been notified by the FBI that they may each be considered a 'possible victim of a crime' following a midair blowout incident earlier this year.
• Heathrow Airport Border Force staff announce they will strike over a row concerning their shift patternsBorder Force staff at Heathrow Airport have voted to strike in a dispute over shift patterns, The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has announced.

This is Money

• Petrol prices heading north of 150p a litre just as Britons prepare for their Easter weekend getawaysA jump in the price of oil is set to trigger an increase in costs at filling station, the AA says, with some non-motorway forecourts already charging 149.9p per litre for unleaded.
• Who is Aston Martin's new chief executive? Carmaker poaches Bentley Motors boss Adrian HallmarkAdrian Hallmark has left Bentley with immediate effect, having overseen a significant turnaround of the carmaker since becoming its chairman and chief executive in February 2018.

Birmingham Mail

• Neighbours consider legal action against HS2 claiming 'damage to homes' amid health concernsResidents living in Washwood Heath's Common Lane say 'enough is enough'

Birmingham Post

• Government to pay for electric buses in West of EnglandThe buses will replace older First Bus vehicles that run on diesel
• Concerns raised over hundreds of jobs at Hitachi plant in County DurhamLabour and Conservative MPs have raised fears that there aren't enough orders to keep the UK train building industry alive
• Bristol Airport agrees renewable energy dealThe South West transport hub says the agreement will help it achieve its ambitious net-zero plans

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Concerns over Bradford Interchange bus station closureQUESTIONS are being asked of the operators of Bradford Interchange after it was announced the bus station would remain closed for at least another three months.

Northern Echo

• Bus drivers and engineers at Arriva to go on strikeUnite members at Arriva Northumbria are to take weeks of strike action this spring in protest over their pay and conditions, it was announced today.
• Mystery as archaeologists find LNER train in BelgiumMystery surrounds a London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train carriage unearthed by archaeologists in Belgium.
• Disruption expected on Tyne Tunnel at weekends due to worksThe Northbound Tyne Tunnel on the A19 is to be closed on 36 weekends for scheduled maintenance to ensure the longevity of the tunnels for generations to come.

Wales Online

• Residents left furious after Transport for Wales chops down 60 treesTfW says it will replant but there are some caveats

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Black Country's busiest railway stations as number of train journeys continues to increaseTrain journeys on the operators that serve the Black Country and Staffordshire continue to increase
• Speculation Avanti is days away from being nationalised - we asked the Department for Transport for the truthSpeculation has been growing over whether a rail operator will be brought under imminent public control.

Other Regional Press

• HS2 longest tunnel complete after Maple Cross launchExcavation of HS2's longest tunnel has been completed after a second machine reached the end of its 10-mile journey from a site near Maple Cross.
• Somerset to receive 25 new electric buses from investmentSomerset is set to receive 25 new electric buses from a £14.7million investment which won't cost Somerset Council a single penny.
• Multimillion-pound Solent Rail Terminal unveiled in SouthamptonThe Minister for Rail and HS2, Huw Merriman, officially opened the new Solent Rail Terminal
• Street car parking costs in Oxford city centre to increaseCar parking costs will increase in Oxford city centre next month amid concerns the project is a
• "Is this the worst motorway in the country?"Kent is blessed with two motorways - but is one of them the nation's most soul-destroying, asks our columnist?
• National Highways makes motorists plea over 'entirely preventable problem', saying it 'risks lives'It can often be seen as a minor issue, but it endangers lives and causes congestion and delays

Railnews

• Derailed Northern train blocks line Four passengers and four members of railway staff were unhurt when a Northern unit was derailed between Lancaster and Barrow-in-Furness early today. The line will be closed for some time yet, while inspectors from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch gather evidence.

Other News Sources

• What is the strategy for transport?A pragmatic consensus on transport policy has been shattered by the return of' ˜war on the motorist' rhetoric. We must do better   Our current PM has boxed his government into being the motorist's friend   BY David Begg I have been on a sabbatical for a few years and have been catching up on transport policy from a fresh perspective. I have been shocked by the vacuum when it comes to strategy. What exactly is it that the government is trying to achieve? The 'war on the motorist' has been weaponised by a desperate government facing oblivion in the polls in the same way as identity poli...
• No trains or disruption at 13 Surrey stations this weekendSouth Western Railway (SWR) trains in Surrey to London, Hampshire, and the south coast will be disrupted by emergency and planned engineering work