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

Tuesday, 23 April 2024

BBC News

• Bus lane programme 'paused' after complaintsPlans to roll out more bus lanes in North Somerset have been put on pause following complaints about the disruption caused by construction.
• Demolishing Bracknell Bus Station 'would be a crime', cafe manager saysDemolishing a bus station in favour of a market square would be a "crime", volunteer staff at a cafe have said.
• Plane refuelling staff to walk out at HeathrowWorkers employed by AFS Aviation plan to walk out for 72 hours over the early May bank holiday.
• Rail strikes announced for May Bank Holiday weekTrain drivers will stage walks-out between 7 and 9 May while overtime bans will disrupt services.
• Smart motorways: How safe are they?BBC Panorama finds the technology behind England’s smart motorways stops working on a regular basis.

Financial Times

• Mobico finance chief to exit after delays to resultsNational Express owner says Helen Cowing will replace James Stamp as it publishes 36% drop in annual profits
• Mediterranean ports warn of overflowing storage yards in latest threat to supply chainOperators say ports severely congested because of Red Sea disruptions

The Guardian

• Aslef drivers to hold more train strikes in early MayTrain drivers will strike again in early May in a series of rolling 24-hour walkouts that will bring many services around Great Britain to a halt.
• Electric and hybrid car sales to rise to new global record in 2024International Energy Agency says 17m vehicles will be sold this year, up more than 20% compared with 2023Electric and plug-in hybrid car sales will jump to a new global record in 2024 despite slowing growth in some markets, according to forecasts from the influential International Energy Agency (IEA).The Paris-based forecaster said that 17m battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will be sold in 2024, up more than 20% compared with 2023. Continue reading...

The Herald

• Green members want 'transformational' rail travelMinisters are being urged by Green activists to support a £22billion long term investment in rail infrastructure as they consider whether their party should remain in the Scottish Government.

The Independent

• National Express owner shares hit after results woes as finance boss quitsNational Express owner Mobico reported a 36% fall in full-year profits and revealed slowing sales growth so far in 2024.

The Mirror

• National Express owner shares fall after results woes as finance boss quitsShares in Mobico, the owner of National Express, plunged after it reported shrinking profits and announced the resignation of its financial boss following accountancy complications which led to twice-delayed annual results.

Network Rail

• Good to grow: Network Rail chair Lord Peter Hendy marks new partnership at West Midlands High SchoolNetwork Rail's Lord Peter Hendy joined Central route director Denise Wetton, with staff and students from Woodrush Academy and The Tree Council, to plant new trees in the school's grounds as part of a new collaborative partnership.

Birmingham Mail

• Ryanair passengers using digital boarding passes face being turned awayUK tourists have been warned that digital boarding passes won’t be accepted at every airport the budget airline flies to this spring and summer.
• Jet2, Ryanair, Easyjet passengers warned to have 'at least two' blank pages in passportJet2, Ryanair, Easyjet, TUI, British Airways passengers and more risk being turned away from their holiday destination and hotspot upon arrival.

Bristol Live

• How transport and getting around Bristol could change from next monthVoters will head to the polls on Thursday, May 2, with transport being a key issue for many
• A432 named as Bristol’s most traffic-clogged major road This was followed by the A38 and A37

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Flights resume after Liverpool John Lennon Airport power failure hit servicesThe problem halted all operations on Monday afternoon
• 'Never say never' on big ticket road schemes says Transport minister but sets out what comes first New minister Ken Skates gave updates on a third Menai crossing, the Flintshire red route and Llanbedr bypass

Northern Echo

• Green Party mayoral candidate on Newton Aycliffe Hitachi crisisThe Green Party mayoral candidate Andrew Gray has given his opinion on the Newton Aycliffe Hitachi crisis.

Wales Online

• Bus spotted at Cardiff's new bus station for the first timeThe long-awaited moment has been met with incredulity

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Annual revenue rose 12.2pc for National Express ownerNational Express owner Mobico Group saw revenue rise 12.2 per cent to £3.15 billion in 2023.

Cambridge News

• New bus services to be launched across North NorthamptonshireThe council's executive announced their plans to use £2m of government funding to improve local public transport

Oxford Mail

• Oxford Bus Group completes half its electric vehicle targetThe Oxford Bus Group has announced that it has achieved the midway mark in its transition to electric vehicles.

Other Regional Press

• London buses 'more crowded' but TfL insists there's 'no need' for extra services after cutTfL has insisted that service on a London bus route is frequent enough after services were made to call less often. The 213 operates between Kingston and Sutton. SL7 Superloop services also serve the route. These only call at at some stops in order to make sure journeys are quicker.
• Dozens of Dundee bus stops could be axed to reduce journey timesThe local authority is responsible for the provision and maintenance of approximately 1,000 bus stops across Dundee.
• Watford's busiest trains to get more capacity from JuneRail bosses have committed to running longer trains through Watford from June to ease the commuter squeeze.

Train Operators

• “97% of passengers are with us on this issue” says Northern as train operator releases annual fare dodging statisticsNorthern says 97% of its passengers are ‘with us’ when it comes to tackling the issue of fare dodgers on its network as it released the annual figures from its Debt Recovery and Prosecutions Unit.

Rail Advent

• New rail freight safety product tested in the Black CountryBCIMO used to gather data on product to improve rail freight safety.

Rail Magazine

• Elizabeth line ‘345s’ offer a lifeline for Derby WorksAlstom's Derby works could be saved by an order for ten Class 345 nine-car electric multiple units (EMUs) for the Elizabeth line - but only if the ‘price is right’.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Southeastern completes £10 million fleet upgradeOne of Southeastern’s largest train fleets has received a series of upgrades and improvements which will provide a better passenger experience on a number of routes.

Railtech

• Eleventh hour reprieve for Alstom at Derby?Litchurch Lane. It’s an address that is synonymous with UK train manufacturing. However, the famous railway works in the city of Derby are facing ultimate closure. The order book has run dry, and the current owners, Alstom, have been preparing to lay off the remainder of the 3000 workforce. There could however be a last-minute reprieve. Details have emerged that the UK government could be on the brink of placing a life-saving order.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Mark Fowles named TravelMaster Independent ChairpersonMark Fowles has been named Independent Chairperson of TravelMaster, which is responsible for the South Yorkshire multi-operator and multimodal transport ticketing platform. He succeeds former Stagecoach Supertram Managing Director Tim Bilby.
• McGill’s claims £400m annual cost of SPT bus franchising plansMcGill’s Bus Group has furthered its attack on bus service franchising plans by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) by referencing what it claims is a vast understatement of the costs attached to that overhaul and ongoing service delivery method.

Other News Sources

• Siemens submits £100m Wiltshire facility plansSiemens has submitted plans for a new £100m rail infrastructure manufacturing, digital engineering and research and development (R&D) facility in Wiltshire.
• How data keeps Britain’s trains on trackIn this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how Network Rail is ensuring train safety in the face of extreme weather thanks to advanced data analytics
• Brand new trains have been launched on the Ebbw ValeBrand new trains have been launched on the Ebbw Vale line from this week (Monday 22 April) offering customers a more comfortable and reliable experience.
• Heathrow Airport could be forced to cancel flights over early May bank holidayHeathrow Airport could be hit by delays and even cancellations over the early May bank holiday as refuelling staff threaten to strike over conditions and contracts

News from Europe

• ‘Smooch cabins’: German trains will soon have private cabins with frosted glassState operator Deutsche Bahn will also allow passengers to reserve seats with ‘digital towels’
• Malaga to Marbella: New train line proposed for Spanish coast linking seaside citiesThe extension would make it easier to explore more of the sun-drenched coastline loved by tourists.