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

Tuesday, 02 July 2024

BBC News

• Closure of major road for work to reopen railwayCommuters are being warned of closures on a major route as part of construction work to reopen a passenger railway line.
• Talks under way between Aer Lingus and pilotsAbout 400 flights have been cancelled up until 7 July as a result of the industrial action.
• New rail service plan to plug HS2 scrappage gapLondon Northwestern Railway hopes to extend its services between London and Manchester.
• Future of Spirit AeroSystems Prestwick plant in doubtThere is uncertainty for the non-Airbus parts of the Belfast business.

Financial Times

• Environmental charges on airline tickets will be the normLegacy airlines fight perpetual war to close significant cost gap on budget rivals
• Boeing agrees to buy Spirit AeroSystems in $4.7bn dealUS aircraft manufacturer will bring parts supplier back under its wing after two decades apart
• Air France-KLM flags financial hit from tourists avoiding Paris OlympicsAirline says traffic to and from French capital is behind other European cities in run-up to games
• Chinese exporters raise fears of Christmas freight crisisRed Sea attacks have pushed up costs and put pressure on profits during critical season for trade
• Boeing to plead guilty to fraud or face criminal trial under DoJ offerAircraft maker faces high-stakes choice over door panel blowout case and implications for US government contracts

The Independent

• Strikes ‘inevitable’ for Aberdeen and Glasgow airports as pay dispute escalatesUnite has repeated calls for AGS, the company that owns the two airports, to intervene over the stalemate on worker pay.

Times Online

• Labour’s plans for rail require taking on the unions. [subscription]In an exchange that went largely unreported in May, Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the RMT union, called the country’s most popular train companies “parasites”. He argued, before the Commons transport select committee, that private, unsubsidised train services, known as “open access”, somehow leech off other operators.

City AM

• What makes King’s Cross London’s best train station? Competitionassengers on the East Coast mainline enjoy fierce fare competition and a choice of routes, so why isn’t this successful model replicated elsewhere on the network? Asks Tony Lodge

Birmingham Post

• Harland & Wolff suspends shares over accounts delayThe firm missed the deadline to publish its results by June 30

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Trains running through Baildon again after landslip repairsTrains are running through Baildon again after repair work at the site of a landslip in the town was completed.

Edinburgh Evening News

• All-electric bus company is going places - Angus RobertsonCongratulations to Ember bus company in Edinburgh, who have secured a £5.6 million loan from ethical investment bank Triodos to expand what is the UK’s first all-electric, intercity bus service.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Passenger numbers rose 12pc at airport in JuneThe number of passengers coming through Birmingham Airport last month was up 12 per cent on June 2023.
• Ugly statistic doubles down on Birmingham Airport problems amid queue chaosA new study has stamped Birmingham Airport with an unwanted tag - the second worst airport in Britain for queueing.
• Plans for extended rail services from the West Midlands to London and Manchester unveiledPlans for new train services from the West Midlands to London and Manchester have been unveiled following the cancellation of HS2's northern leg.

Other Regional Press

• Somerset's newest railway station will have no ticket office or waiting roomSomerset's newest railway station will not have a ticket office or waiting room, a retired Network Rail planner has stated. Somerset Council approved plans in early-May for 200 homes on Nynehead Road in Wellington, which will deliver the access road to the new Wellington railway station site.
• Restoration of Blackpool rail link still has government supportPlans to restore the Fleetwood to Poulton rail link remain on the table but have been delayed by the pandemic, a hustings panel has been told. Paul Maynard, who is fighting to hold onto his seat in the newly redrawn Blackpool North and Fleetwood constituency for the Conservatives, said the project became government policy in 2019.

Train Operators

• New Manchester to London train service proposal unveiled by London Northwestern RailwayProposals to run new train services between Manchester, the West Midlands and London Euston have been unveiled by rail operator London Northwestern Railway today (Monday 1 July).

Bus-News

• National Express West Midlands Expands Partnership with CitySwiftNational Express West Midlands (NXWM) has expanded its partnership with CitySwift to enhance bus performance using AI technology.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Evri gears up for UK's largest E-Cargo Bike fleet with £19M InvestmentDelivery service provider, Evri, has announced they expect to deliver the UK’s largest fleet of e-cargo bikes for parcel delivery. This comes after the company received a £19 million sustainability investment as they grow their e-bike fleet from 33 to 99 in months.

Rail Advent

• Proposals for new Manchester – London train service announcedLondon Northwestern Railway has announced proposals for a new train service connecting Manchester with London Euston via the West Midlands.

Route One

• First Bus orders 169 Yutong electrics for ZEBRA 2 successful bidsFirst Bus has ordered 169 Yutong battery-electric buses from dealership Pelican Bus and Coach. They form part of four successful local authority (LA) bids to the second round of the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA 2) scheme in England.

The Business Desk

• Labour plans to abolish Network RailThe Labour Party will scrap Network Rail as part of its plans to hand over running of the railways to a new Great British Railways (GBR) body.
• Plans revealed for new rail line to plug HS2 holeLondon Northwestern Railway has announced plans to introduce new train services linking the West Midlands, Manchester and London Euston after the northern leg of HS2 was scrapped.

Other News Sources

• Pollution from air freight has increased 25% since 2019An investigation by Stand.earth has revealed that the increase in air freight that was driven by the pandemic has not been reversed and, as a result, companies such as FedEx, UPS, and Amazon Air have increased their greenhouse gas emissions by 25% since 2019.
• Trends in bus journeys per person by regionBus services can support a wide range of policy objectives that are important for health, by increasing economic and social participation. In some regions, especially in rural areas and isolated communities, buses are the only means of public transport that enable people to connect with other areas.
• ‘Some people will stop using the tram’ after tram ticket price hike, says transport campaignerCampaigners and passengers have warned fewer people will use Nottingham’s trams after the network put ticket prices up for the second time in six months.
• Dissatisfaction with public transport and provision for walking and cyclingThe share of people dissatisfied with cycling provision was highest in the East of England (53%) and North West (52%) and lowest in the North East (30%) and London (35%).
• Earthworks underway on £30M transport hub upgrade in CheltenhamGroundworks specialist McCoy Contractors is carrying out earthworks on the £30M upgrade of the Arle Court transport hub in Cheltenham, as part of the M5 Junction 10 Improvements Scheme.