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

Friday, 19 July 2024

BBC News

• Airports granted court orders banning protestsHigh Court injunctions banning environmental activists protesting at their sites have been issued to three UK airports.
• Mayor 'pressing ahead' on public control of busesThe North East mayor has announced she is pressing ahead with plans to "bring buses back into public control".
• Bus service to southern beauty spot scrappedA bus route allowing access to a beauty spot in the south of the Isle of Man will not run in 2024, the infrastructure minister has confirmed.
• Rat-run ban could make streets ’safer and less polluted’Drivers will be stopped from taking shortcuts and using "rat-runs" through many residential streets in south Bristol as part of a new Liveable Neighbourhood project.

Department for Transport

• Public ownership of rail takes centre stage as government plans radical overhaul of transport... After years of unacceptably low performance, the bill is a landmark change that will allow the government to bring rail passenger services back into public ownership, amending legislation to make appointing a public sector operator the default, rather than a last resort.

Financial Times

• Labour to begin rail nationalisations within monthsNearly three-quarters of journeys could be on state-controlled lines by July 2025, analysis shows
• Record-breaking summer for flights across Atlantic tests demand for travel Booming demand for transatlantic travel comes amid signs of a wobble in the US domestic market

The Independent

• World’s busiest airport revealed as Heathrow rises to fourthLas Vegas and Orlando slipped down the top 20, while Seoul Incheon is the fastest-rising entrant
• How would Labour’s plan to nationalise the railways work?Transport secretary Louise Haigh is spearheading Labour’s ambitious plans

The Telegraph

• More than half of trains to be state-run within a year. [subscription]’Full steam ahead’ for Labour’s plan to renationalise the railways as data analysis shows it will control 3.1m services by next July

Times Online

• Boeing aircraft to get safety checks after engine fire over Scotland. [subscription]The crew were unaware of flames coming from a wing during the incident in February last year
• There’s a better way than taking back the railways. [subscription]Instead of full nationalisation, London shows how best to mix public and private ownership
• Nationalised rail and energy is our patriotic mission, says LabourNew train franchises will be banned while the state-owned GB Energy will run clean power projects, ministers declare

City AM

• HS2 plans sweeping job cuts and major restructuring as it battles soaring costsHS2 Ltd, the private company overseeing the delivery of the high-speed railway line, is planning a sweeping round of job cuts and a major restructuring as the embattled project’s scope narrows following the cancellation of the northern leg.

i News

• Avanti one of several rail firms at risk of nationalisation, minister saysMore train services will be brought under public ownership from “early next year”, the Transport Secretary has said, as she again warned Avanti West Coast over its performance.
• HS2 northern leg definitely dead – but new east-to-west links to go aheadLabour will not revive the northern leg of HS2 axed by the Conservatives, as the new Government aims to prioritise improving rail links across the north.

The Sun

• STATE TAKEOVER Failing rail company Avanti being lined up for swift nationalisation as Transport Sec is fed up with abysmal serviceAll operators will eventually be nationalised as their contracts run out under Labour plans announced in the King’s Speech

Local Government

• New bus ticket offers almost unlimited travel in OxfordshireA new Oxfordshire bus ticket, which offers unlimited travel on nearly all local services, has come into operation.

Birmingham Mail

• New pavement parking rules in England to end 'one of biggest complaints'Drivers could be hit with huge fines for parking on the pavement in a huge crackdown. Motorists and road users are being warned over huge financial penalties for parking on pavements in a clampdown from authorities - and the public is backing the change.

Birmingham Post

• Titanic maker Harland & Wolff denies £200m government loan guarantee decision madeSome 1,500 jobs could be at risk as the shipbuilder awaits news on state deal with the Labour government
• King's Speech: Northern leaders react to Labour's plans for transport, devolution and employmentNew Government pledges to improve rail connectivity across the North
• Welsh Government needs to stop dithering and approve Cardiff Parkway projectThe project with a new mainline train station and employment site has the potential to provide a huge boost to the Welsh economy

Bolton News

• What do Andy Burnham's Bee Network ambitions mean in Bolton?Metro Mayor Andy Burnham made a number of announcements about the transport network at an event last Wednesday (July 10).

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bus station plan hit by £1.8 million rise in costs and six-month delayTHE COST of building a new bus station in the Spen Valley has risen by £1.8 million, it has been revealed.
• Leeds Bradford Airport granted injunction against protestersLeeds Bradford Airport has been granted a High Court injunction banning fossil fuel and environmental activists from protesting at the site.

London Evening Standard

• Train services to be brought into public ownership from early 2025 – ministerEffectively nationalising all train operations in Britain was a long-standing pledge for Labour while the party was in opposition.
• Euston station as final London HS2 terminus to undergo early review - ministerLouise Haigh says she was ’working at pace’ to determine what to do with the proposed station and wider redevelopment of the area

Northern Echo

• North East MPs write to Transport Secretary for Hitachi newsA group of North East MPs have written to the new Transport Minister asking for an "urgent" update on the situation with Hitachi.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Leeds buses: Mayor launches new 'superloop' service that removes city centre changeBus passengers in Leeds will soon be able to travel around suburban areas without changing buses in the city centre.

Bucks Free Press

• Arriva's closure and new bus routes - what to knowA leading bus company in the area has closed down its bus depots serving thousands of passengers - this is what you need to know.

Carlisle News & Star

• Call made for transport review after reduction in Penrith bus servicesA former town council member and environmental campaigner has called for a review of public transport provision after bus services have been reduced.

Train Operators

• Northern issues plea to headteachers to help tackle ’persistent, calculated fare evasion’ by studentsNorthern has written to the headteachers of eleven secondary schools and academies across the North of England with a plea to help them tackle what they call ’persistent, calculated fare evasion’ by students.

Rail Magazine

• Further details on rail reform emergeMore detail and reaction on what to expect from the government’s rail reform has emerged. The King set out planned reform to the railways in the state opening of parliament yesterday (July 17) with many of Labour’s manifesto pledges for it included.

Railtech

• New UK government hears from rail industryRail reform is at the heart of the new UK Government. With the general election in the UK two weeks ago, and the Labour Party taking over in power, the official opening of parliament had added significance. They have already committed to sweeping changes in the rail industry. The King’s Speech, the ceremonial reading of the order of business for the new parliament, outlined almost forty bills, put forward by the Labour Party, which now must deliver a nationalised railway as a part of a reinvigorated UK economy.

Railway Gazette

• Study aims to reduce tram-train cost and complexityUK: The Institute of Railway Research at the University of Huddersfield is leading a study which brings together industry and academia to promote the benefits of the tram-train concept and address a lack of standardisation.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• First Bus and Cadbury offer free seaside bus tripsFirst Bus has partnered with Cadbury Flake 99 to offer families free trips to the seaside from London, Leeds and Bradford on two weekends in August.
• Arriva London orders 51 Volvo BZL electric double-deckersArriva London has placed an order for 51 Volvo BZL battery-electric double-deckers. They represent the first order for the BZL from Arriva and will be deployed from Tottenham depot on Transport for London (TfL) routes 243 and 341.
• Crosskeys Coaches expands Enviro400 fleet to three examplesKent operator Crosskeys Coaches has taken delivery of a third Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double-decker, supplied new by the manufacturer.
• Patronage growth praised on Superloop anniversaryTo mark its one-year anniversary, Transport for London (TfL) and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have praised growth for the Superloop network.
• ’Passenger-in-chief’ Haigh underlines plans for England bus reformSecretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh has taken on the role of “passenger-in-chief” and underlined the new government’s desire for reform of bus services across England as she visited Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Go-Ahead London’s all-electric Waterloo depot.

Other News Sources

• New government can unlock huge opportunities for coach and busCEO Graham Vidler explains what CPT is saying to the new administration
• LNER appoints McCann Central and Havas CX helia to recharge brandRail operator LNER has appointed McCann Central as its lead marketing communications agency and Havas CX helia to head up its digital customer experience.
• No son of HS2 but Crewe-Manchester link confirmedKeir Starmer said he is not reversing the decision to scrap the northern leg of the HS2, but instead is going to upgrade the Crewe -Manchester to enable it to run high-speed trains.