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

Thursday, 06 June 2024

BBC News

• Council makes £1m in controversial bus gate finesFines for drivers travelling through a controversial bus gate have generated more than £1 million in less than six months, figures show.
• Axing school buses will save £700 per pupilHundreds of school pupils who use the bus to get to school will have to take the train instead.
• Rail services from Manchester to London Euston suspendedLines reopen after trains were suspended earlier due to an incident north of London.

Financial Times

• How the energy transition could create a fleet of ghost shipsNew study warns that up to $286bn in value is at risk in the fossil fuel shipping sector
• Infrastructure fund Antin backs French high-speed rail challenger Private equity firm invests 1bn in start-up set to challenge SNCF on intercity routes

STV

• Rural residents feel ’let down’ over bus provision, study findsThe Institute for Public Policy Research finds people feel ministers are not doing enough to improve local bus services.

The Guardian

• Boeing's Starliner spacecraft lifts off for first crewed flight after multiple delaysLaunch from Cape Canaveral carrying two Nasa astronauts comes seven years after capsule's original target date.Two Nasa astronauts were on their way to the international space station on Wednesday after Boeing's pioneering Starliner capsule finally made its much delayed first crewed flight from Cape Canaveral.

The Herald

• CalMac to get uncontested award of ferry fiasco contractThe ferry operator CalMac's community board has said it is working with ministers after being "clearly informed" that the Scottish Government-owned ferry operator is to get an uncontested award of the lifeline islands contract, despite objections.

Times Online

• Delivery vans ’will slow Edinburgh’s buses to walking pace’. [subscription]Passenger numbers will dwindle if bus lane operating hours are not extended — and vehicle-mounted cameras should be used as enforcement, transport expert says

City AM

• Lime willing to ’take shortcuts’ to make money says rival e-bike boss The CEO of Voi has likened Lime's rapid expansion across London to Uber's controversial emergence in the UK capital after 2012.

Sky News

• Rishi Sunak pledges to cut price of railcard in pitch to veterans on D-Day anniversaryBoth main parties have seized on the theme of the week to pitch to veterans and the armed forces community as commemoration events for the 80th anniversary of D-Day take place.

Birmingham Post

• Humber Freeport sets up headquarters in Grimsby Dock OfficeThe move has been welcomed by owners ABP
• Nissan road tests self driving technology with eyes on 2027 for market launchThe firm says its system has become more advanced with the ability to judge pedestrian behaviour and create a smoother ride

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Defects found in Bradford Interchange are revealedDETAILS of the structural problems that have led to Bradford Interchange bus station being closed until at least September have been revealed.

Sheffield Star

• Faster buses, safer walking and cycling and flood prevention part of South Yorkshire £11.14m spending packageMoney for bus priority traffic signals, two sets of active travel measures, a tech business support programme and a flood risk management plan were all approved by a meeting of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority board in Sheffield yesterday (June 4).

Wales Online

• Cardiff's long-awaited bus station won't be fully operational for monthsDespite an opening date finally being announced Cardiff's long-awaited bus station won't operate a full set of bus services for months after it opens. Transport for Wales announced on May 30 that the bus station would open to passengers a month later on June 30 but not all the services listed under the bus station's operational plan will use the station from day one.

Other Regional Press

• Transport Minister makes North West Relief Road pledge – if the Conservatives win the electionThe Transport Minister has promised Shrewsbury's voters that the North West Relief Road "will be delivered" if his party wins next month's General Election.
• Labour's Great British Railways pledge to end "30 years of privatisation" and bring rail back to public ownershipThe Shadow Transport Secretary says the commitment would serve as a boost for rural areas like Lincolnshire
• Free bus pass scheme benefiting thousands in RenfrewshireThousands of people in Renfrewshire have been benefiting from the free bus pass scheme, new figures reveal.
• £2 bus fare cap confirmed on Nottingham City Transport until end 2024Single fares on Nottingham City Transport bus services will continue to be capped at £2 until the end of 2024, with NCT confirming its continued participation in the government’s Help for Households scheme.
• 'Lobbying must continue to guarantee Dorchester station upgrade'DORCHESTER will need to keep on track with its lobbying if the town wants to achieve improvements to the South rail station.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Hydrogen Energy Set to Boost North West Economy by £3.4bnHydrogen energy is deemed to be one solution to achieving net zero targets by 2050 and a report by the Northwest Hydrogen Alliance (NWHA) expects the region could see an ’economic boost’ of £3.4bn Gross Value Added (GVA) by 2030. The report looks into understanding the economic impact of hydrogen activity in the North West and further suggests that 11,500 jobs could be created from the hydrogen sector. According to the NWHA, the hydrogen value chain including production, infrastructure and end use with hydrogen production is estimated to have the greatest impact on employme...

New Civil Engineer

• Bradford Interchange | Bus station remains unsafe as £22M committed for new rail gatewayBradford Interchange bus station will remain closed until at least September while in-depth surveys are carried out to determine if it can ever safely reopen, but £22M has been confirmed for an “enhanced” rail gateway.
• Manchester Airport link bridge installed for £1.3bn transformation programmeMace installed a new link bridge at Manchester Airport during a “very tight” window, as part of the £1.3bn terminal transformation programme.

Rail Advent

• Cumbria’s ’Connecting Penrith’ project takes a step forwardTransport body meets with train operator and others to discuss Penrith plans

Rail Magazine

• UK train operators under new ownership as I Squared buys ArrivaArriva, which operates Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, the London Overground concession and open access operator Grand Central, has a new owner.

Railway Gazette

• Liverpool – Manchester Railway Board created to push for construction of new lineUK: A Liverpool – Manchester Railway Board has been launched by the two cities’ metro mayors and other stakeholders to lead the development of proposals for a high speed line between the conurbations.
• Battery trains could save £3·5bn, says Siemens MobilityUK: ’Britain should never have to buy a diesel passenger train again’, said Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO of Siemens Mobility UK & Ireland, when the company set out a case for ordering battery-electric trainsets which would use electrification where available and battery power on non-electrified tracks.

Railway Gazette

• Freight: ’Nobody is writing us a cheque for €13bn’European policymakers and the larger rail freight operators are confident that the Digital Automatic Coupler programme can move from vision to reality by 2028. Nevertheless, significant financial and logistical barriers remain. Toma Bačić reports.

Transport for the North

• ’Connecting Penrith’ project takes a step forwardOn Monday (3 June), Matt Smallwood (Head of Connected Mobility) and Paul Collinge (Project Manager) were pleased to meet with partners in Penrith to advance the ’Connecting Penrith’ project.

Other News Sources

• Translink to introduce 100 zero emission electric buses in Northern IrelandBus operator Translink is set to roll out one of the largest fleets of zero emission buses in the UK across its routes in Northern Ireland.
• University of Kent collaboration to explore clean energy distribution along HS1 routeA pioneering new study exploring clean energy distribution is being led by the University of Kent in partnership with HS1.