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

Sunday, 07 April 2024

BBC News

• More buses added to East Midlands Airport routeThe number of buses to and from East Midlands Airport (EMA) has increased.
• Old Dalby: Work to repair landslip-hit railway test track beginsWork has started to repair a railway test site in Leicestershire after a landslip forced the line to close.
• Planes clip each other at Heathrow AirportA British Airways plane waiting to take off was struck by a Virgin Atlantic aircraft.

Financial Times

• Investors tap into demand for electric buses with new funding model Aviva and UK infrastructure bank to lease 60 battery-powered vehicles to Go-Ahead Group as part of £100mn plan

The Guardian

• Two passenger planes clip wings on Heathrow runwayFootage on social media shows wing of Virgin Atlantic plane overlapping wing of BA aircraft
• From HS2 to the NHS, Britain doesn't cut costs. Disastrously, it just cuts corners...Ministers say they are saving money even when it is clear they are spending more – whether incurring higher costs per mile on HS2, installing a “dysfunctional” IT system or building an aircraft carrier that sails with only a fraction of the planes it was designed to support.

The Telegraph

• Heathrow sale at risk of collapse after Australian investment giant pulls out [subscription]The £6bn sale of Heathrow Airport is at risk of collapse after the Australian investment giant Macquarie ruled out buying a stake in the business.
• How a 200-year-old British industry reached the end of the line. [subscription]Once a Victorian behemoth, train manufacturers are now fighting for survival

Times Online

• Parking is a £2bn cash cow — at what cost to town centres? [subscription]Debt-ridden councils are hiking charges but an app that could lead to dynamic pricing at different times may offer some hope for motorists
• Why are the UK’s bus drivers paid so much less than train drivers? [subscription]Drivers at the wheel face abuse, harassment and uncomfortable conditions on £750 a week. The pay doesn’t seem to match what they can go through, as their railway counterparts — on higher salaries — go on strike
• Two years after mass sackings, inside the fraught world of P&O Ferries. [subscription]Concerns for the company’s financial position are rising because it is some four months late in filing its accounts

Metro

• Major change is being made to one of UK’s busiest train stations this summerIf you commute into London Waterloo each day, you might soon notice something very different at the train station, as a big change is being made this summer.

Lancashire Telegraph

• Councillors call for better rail links with £494m windfallCOUNCILLORS in Ribble Valley will be pushing for better rail connections amid a public transport windfall for Lancashire.

Other Regional Press

• Highbridge bus stops given new look by GWR to promote rail and bus connectivityNew bus stop signage has been installed in Highbridge thanks to funding from Great Western Railway to promote local travel.
• Bosses of new direct London train outline timetable, passenger service and route plansTwo-and-a-half-hour journey times and local produce are some of the pledges made by those behind a new train firm hoping to link Shropshire with London.
• Former chief executive of Bord na Gaidhlig joins HiTrans boardA former champion of Gaelic culture and language is taking up a new role to help improve public transport in the Highlands. Shona MacLennan, the recently retired chief executive of Bord na Gaidhlig, has been appointed to the board of HiTrans, the regional transport partnership for the Highlands and Islands.

Forbes

• French Revolution: Cyclists Now Outnumber Motorists In ParisOfficial measurements have found that Paris is rapidly becoming a city of transportation cyclists. The survey of how people now move in Paris was conducted with GPS trackers by academics from L’Institut Paris Région, the largest urban planning and environmental agency in Europe.

Other News Sources

• Could the Lewes to Uckfield railway line reopen?The case for restoring the Wealden Line between Lewes and Uckfield is strong and would help reduce road traffic congestion
• £27 million drainage improvement works on East Midlands rail network£27m is to be spent by Network Rail to improve drainage on the East Midlands’ rail network, helping to prevent major disruption brought to passengers by landslips and heavy rain.
• Big increase in road to rail modal shift at port of SouthamptonTerminal operator DP World reports rail container shipments up 66% over last six months.
• No drop-off in performance for Falkirk bus operator in the running to be named Scotland's bestA Falkirk bus company is just a few stops away from picking up Public Transport Operator of the Year title and possibly more at this year’s Scottish Transport Awards.