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

Friday, 17 May 2024

BBC News

• Bus station to be protected in redevelopment plansA council has said it is committed to keeping a bus station open, as it confirmed plans to buy a shopping centre.
• North Somerset bus lane roll-out 'challenging'New bus lanes planned for North Somerset should be rolled out over a period of up to a decade - not three years, the council's roads chief said.
• Peak-time ScotRail fares scrapped for further three monthsThe scheme - which means fares are the same at all times of the day - has been running since last October.
• 'Time running out' plea over shipyard's futureUnion representatives at Ferguson's warn the yard desperately needs new work as it tries to move on from the ferries controversy.
• Is the move to electric cars running out of power?There has been an unexpected slowdown in sales of electric cars. Could this be more than a blip?

Financial Times

• Tesla must climb "Mount Everest" to win shareholder vote, chair warnsFT Exclusive: Robyn Denholm outlines stakes for carmaker and says the idea she is too close to Elon Musk is ‘crap’
• EasyJet chief Lundgren to step down next yearLow-cost carrier appoints finance head Kenton Jarvis as replacement

The Guardian

• Net zero U-turns will hit UK infrastructure, say government advisersSir John Armitt urges ministers to act swiftly or risk impeding growth and jeopardising climate targets
• New Dutch coalition aims to reintroduce 80mph limit in cull of climate goalsGovernment, including far-right leader Geert Wilders, announces it will abandon key green policies in strategyThe Netherlands’ new right-wing coalition government aims to reintroduce daytime speeds of 80mph on motorways as part of a number of proposed changes to the country’s environmental policies which have sparked concern.

City AM

• HS2: Cancelling London Euston section would pile pressure on Elizabeth Line, advisers warn Cancelling the Euston section of HS2 would put too much reliance on the Elizabeth Line, government advisers have warned.

Daily Record

• Unreliable, expensive bus services in Falkirk leaving poorest people strandedConversations about poverty with 100 people in Falkirk revealed that poor public transport is a major issue for many

Sky News

• Window closing to rectify significant deficiencies in trains, recycling, and bills, advisers warnPoor public transport, flood defences and heat pump plans are impacting people's bills, productivity and quality of life, the National Infrastructure Commission said in its annual review. Businesses say what they need is a clear path towards net zero, so they can plan the future

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford bus stops in city centre altered again with 24 changesBus stops in Bradford city centre have been altered again, with 24 changes incoming, including two airport services.

Northern Echo

• North East mayor calls on Transport Secretary to "do something now" for HitachiThe first-ever North East mayor has written to the Transport Secretary this week requesting a meeting about the future of Hitachi.

Other Regional Press

• Haverfordwest airport lease to make it 'cost-neutral' recommendedSenior Pembrokeshire councillors are next week being recommended to lease Haverfordwest airport as part of plans to make the council-run facility, which had a circa £119,000 deficit last year, cost-neutral to the authority.
• New London to Bradford night coach will stop at Heathrow, Birmingham, Sheffield and LeedsNational Express has announced a new night coach between London, Heathrow, Birmingham and major Yorkshire cities. The new daily 466 service will depart from London Victoria Coach Station, calling at Heathrow Airport, Birmingham Airport, Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield and Leeds before heading to Bradford. It also runs in the reverse direction.
• Dunfermline councillor sees bus station disorder during police outingA DUNFERMLINE councillor got a glimpse of ongoing issues at Dunfermline Bus Station after spending an evening with cops in the city centre.
• Buses in Oldham less punctual than pre-Bee NetworkBuses in Oldham are performing worse in terms of punctuality than they were before the transition to the Bee Network was made, data from last week shows.
• Expo builds excitement ahead of Levenmouth Rail LinkA new exhibition space showcasing all that’s great about Levenmouth ahead of rail services returning to the area for the first time in more than five decades has opened at Edinburgh Waverley.
• Bid for new Norfolk railway station in King's Lynn unveiledTalks are under way about the creation of a new railway station in Norfolk, as part of wider plans for a huge upgrade of the county's train network.
• Eurostar rivals could get £50m boost to run trainsEurostar could face new rivals after Eurotunnel said it was prepared to offer £50m to help other operators run trains across Channel.

British Trams Online

• Planned service frequency announced for Blackpool TramwaySince the announcement last month that the Blackpool Tramway extension up Talbot Road to North Station would open to the public from 16th June (and even before then) one of the questions on people’s lips has been “what sort of service will run on the extension?”. And that has now been answered with the planned service frequency having been revealed.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• TfL launches six-month trial for assisted travel on DLRTransport for London (TfL) and KeolisAmey Docklands (KAD) announced they have launched a six-month trail to help make journeys on the DLR more accessible. Time slots will be available for customers to pre-book travel support at least two hours before their journey and the trail will run daily between 7am to 7Pm. Short term requests can also be made by phone for journeys less than two hours but will be dependent on staff availability. Once a booking is confirmed the customer will be met at the start of their DLR journey by a DLR staff member who will accompany them throughout their trip. Tr...

Construction News

• Net-zero progress ’impeded’ by government indecision, NIC saysDelay in implementing changes to the infrastructure system has hit the UK’s net-zero ambitions, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has said.

New Civil Engineer

• Under 10% of railway landslips detected by remote sensors despite Network Rail investmentJust 13 of 147 landslips identified by Network Rail in 2023 were detected via remote sensors, despite the rail organisation having spent £33M to increase remote monitoring and sensing during Control Period 6 (CP6), 2019 to 2024.
• Union chiefs criticise Rail Reform Bill for lack of social impact and private investment incentivesThe government’s Rail Reform Bill will not reduce fragmentation of the railways, improve supply chains or court private investment, according to leaders of rail industry trade unions.

Rail Advent

• County Durham railway station sees multi-million-pound improvementsAccessibility improvements underway at Eaglescliffe railway station.

Rail UK

• Industry bodies respond to National Infrastructure Commission annual reviewThe review calls for a new long-term plan for rail with a steady delivery pipeline, and includes new analysis of the railway network in the North and Midlands, following the cancellation of HS2’s northern leg.
• Siemens Mobility wins eleven-year contract extension to maintain Edinburgh Trams infrastructure network.Siemens Mobility in a joint consortium with Bilfinger UK has been awarded an eleven-year contract extension for the maintenance of Edinburgh Trams infrastructure to 2035. This includes the continuous maintenance of the overhead contact line system, the track, SCADA and signalling system of the Edinburgh Trams infrastructure network to allow the safe day to day operational running of the trams.

Railtech

• Deutsche Bahn introduces innovative energy hub in TübingenAs part of its corporate strategy “Strong Rail,” Deutsche Bahn (DB) has launched an Innovation Hub in Tübingen.

Railway Gazette

• Oxygène next-generation French inter-city train unveiledFRANCE: National passenger operator SNCF Voyageurs and manufacturer CAF have unveiled the first of the Z26700 Oxygène inter-city trainsets which will replace Corail locomotive-hauled coaches on 200 km/h inter-city serves on conventional lines.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• West Midlands bus franchising process set to start in 2025: MayorThe process for franchising bus services in the West Midlands is hoped to begin in 2025, with the first such services starting around two years later under plans announced by newly elected mayor Richard Parker.
• 22 more battery-electric buses announced for First in BramleyFirst Bus and West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) have announced an £11.2 million investment for the operator’s Bramley depot and an additional 22 double-decker battery-electric buses.
• Running punctual buses proving ’near impossible’ in cityCongestion worsened by poor city planning is negatively affecting efficiency and punctuality, says the Managing Director of South Wales-based Adventure Travel. Adam Keen, who talks specifically about Cardiff, says running a punctual bus service there is “near impossible”.

Transport Network

• National Infrastructure Commission issues warning over spendingPublic spending plans beyond the current Parliament suggest that the UK will be unable to afford the infrastructure it needs, the Government’s official advisers have said.

Other News Sources

• Emirates to power London Heathrow flights by SAFEmirates has brought sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Shell Aviation for use at London Heathrow Airport.
• Britain’s bus market begins 2024 with green boostThe UK’s new bus, coach and minibus market grew by 74.6% in the first three months of 2024 with 1,690 public service vehicles joining roads across the country, according to new figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The growth reflects the steady recovery of the passenger road transport sector since the pandemic, when ridership levels fell sharply.1
• Greater Cambridge Partnership welcomes new partners for self-driving bus projectTwo new partners have come onboard Greater Cambridge Partnership’s (GCP) self-driving vehicle project, Connector.
• New Somerset bus lanes plans put on hold - and could take a decade to installThe council has put its roll out of new bus lanes on pause until November
• Calls for improved bus services in Whitehaven amid late bus complaintsCALLS are being made for improved bus services amid complaints of buses turning up late on a major route used by commuters.
• Landmark EV charging hub supports Network Rail Scotland with electric switchNetwork Rail Scotland has gone live with the first of two major EV charging hubs to support electrification of its operational fleet.
• Government to investigate ’fake disabled’ mystery shopper rail claimsThe government is to investigate claims that rail companies are using “mystery shoppers” who are pretending to be disabled as a way of providing data on the accessibility of their services. One campaigner said the concerns could have “huge consequences” for the rail industry.
• Rail Fares Pilot Extension Underlines Need for Fairer Pricing, says MSPThis item has been submitted on behalf of Claire Baker MSP, Scottish Labour PartyFollowing the announcement that the peak fares removal pilot is being extended by three months until September 2024, Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Claire Baker has called on the Scottish Government to set out its plan for a more permanent move to fairer rail pricing.