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

Wednesday, 07 August 2024

BBC News

• South West airports well rated for accessibilityCornwall and Devon's airports have been assessed by the UK aviation regulator for the accessibility for travellers with mobility issues and disability.
• Former railway path upgrades inspired by historyA coastal path could have rest areas created on the sites of old railway features as part of a £2.9m upgrade inspired by its heritage.
• Rail station car parks set for payment changesThe way people can pay to park their cars at 38 train stations across the Southeastern network is set to change.

ITV News

• Widespread disappointment as long-awaited Northumberland Line railway opening delayedThere has been widespread disappointment in South East Northumberland following the news that the opening of the long-awaited Northumberland Line railway has been delayed.

Financial Times

• UK watchdog bans misleading Virgin Atlantic ad about sustainable fuelAirline rebuked for claims about first long-haul flight to be fully powered by cooking and animal fats
• Train delays disrupt Italian business and tourismNumerous maintenance works scheduled this year have thrown the country's rail industry into chaos

The Guardian

• Being outdoors is amazing: how British Cycling is helping more women enjoy life on two wheelsA mainstay of childhood for so many, cycling often gets dropped by girls as they become adults. Now, an initiative is encouraging women to hit the road on their bikes.

The Independent

• EU to reintroduce 100ml liquids rule at airport security as travellers warned of lengthy delaysAirports Council International expect ’significant operational strain’ at European airports
• Rail misery on three key train lines over the August bank holiday weekendExclusive: Engineering projects will cause train cancellations both the main north-south artery as well as the Great Western route

Times Online

• Falkland Islands sacks Harland & Wolff from £120m port project. [subscription]Troubled Belfast shipbuilder sacked as preferred bidder after failing to agree final pricing
• Boeing to change design of 737 Max after door blowout at 16,000ft. [subscription]US safety watchdog told that airplane manufacturer plans to retrofit entire fleet within 12 months

City AM

• Why Virgin Atlantic’s cooking oil flight ad was banned for being ’misleading’ on green claims A ruling by the UK ad watchdog has raised questions over Virgin Atlantic's

Daily Express

• The incredible new £5.6 billion road and rail tunnel connecting two European citiesThe Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link, when fully completed, will lie 40 metres beneath the Baltic Sea, connecting Denmark and Germany to be the longest immersed tunnel.

The Mirror

• Fines warning as not enough people are buying EVsSales are lagging behind targets as the UK moves towards the end of petrol and diesel car sales

Local Government

• Council launches consultations on bus service improvementsDerby City Council has launched two twelve-week consultations on proposals to introduce bus lanes on two major routes, alongside other improvements.

Network Rail

• Giant rail vacuums poised for West Coast main line weekend upgrades in Stoke-on-TrentThroughout August, Network Rail engineers will deploy industrial-sized excavators on the West Coast main line to suck up track foundation stones - or ballast - to allow for vital track upgrades which will improve journeys for passengers and freight.
• FOUR WEEKS TO GO: Island Line and Ryde Pier set to close for vital maintenanceMAJOR engineering works will take place on the Island Line and Ryde Pier starting in four weeks time.

Office of Rail and Road (ORR)

• ’Evolution, not revolution for rail health and safety’In ORR's latest Annual Rail Health and Safety report, Richard Hines, the new HM Chief Inspector of Railways, says the industry cannot afford to be complacent when faced with the effects of climate change, an increased reliance on maintaining existing infrastructure rather than replacement, and a period of significant change through reform.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• £65m road scheme between Bradford and Kirklees moves to next stageSenior councillors have backed key measures to help drive forward a £65 million major road scheme connecting Bradford and Kirklees.

Bristol Live

• Bristol Airport and two others secure court order to stop activists targeting them in protestBirmingham, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports have secured injunctions stopping activists from trespassing on their land in a bid to prevent disruption

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail passengers warned of five days of disruptionMerseyrail passengers are set for disruption later this month as Network Rail plans to replace a bridge that crosses the River Alt in Formby. The Southport line will be affected from Monday 19 to Friday August 23.

London Evening Standard

• Accessibility improves at UK airports but ’more work’ needed, says reportThe annual Civil Aviation Authority report said no UK airport had received a ’poor’ rating for the first time since 2020.

Wrexham.com

• Arriva Buses Wales to improve Rhostyllen and Johnstown bus service routeArriva Bus Wales are set to re-introduce a bus service in Rhostyllen. The company have confirmed a variation of its 4A and 4C bus serving Rhos, Penycae (including Afoneitha Estate) and Rhostyllen with effect from Sunday 1 September 2024.

Lancashire Telegraph

• New rail or tram link study for Rossendale deserves chanceCouncillors have insisted a potential East Lancs to Manchester rail or tram link deserves further study - after a government funding axe.

Other Regional Press

• Tim Farron asks for funds to repair bridges in Cumbria, near KendalA CUMBRIAN MP has urged the government to provide ’emergency funding’ to repair two bridges which closed due to structural concerns.
• Andrew Cooper MP: 'Railways need to be back in public ownership'At the general election, millions of people demanded change, not just in how the country is governed, but how it works.
• 'New Rossendale railway or tram link deserves further study'Rossendale's potential for a future railway or tram link deserves further study and funding, some councillors have said following the new government's cancellation of the Restoring your Railway Fund.
• How Waterloo Station went from a Victorian embarrassment to a modern masterclassFor decades, Waterloo Station was a standing joke among Londoners, as shown in this extract from a comic novel published in 1899
• Assurance sought that Devon railway station will reopenDevon MP Richard Foord has requested assurance that funding to reopen Cullompton railway station will still be available under the new government. The scheme was announced by the Conservatives in the 2021 budget, with £5 million pledged for both Cullompton’s station and Wellington’s in Somerset.
• Bus travel boost for High Peak studentsHundreds of students in the High Peak are set to benefit from free bus travel to colleges in the Manchester area next term.
• Doubt cast on Mayor's £1bn package of transport improvements as Govt moves to plug funding 'gap'MP Matt Vickers said he feared for Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge as a result

Train Operators

• Never Mind the Gap: TPE and Northern among rail operators teaming up to showcase opportunities for women after career breaksTransPennine Express (TPE) and Northern are among rail operators teaming up to support women after they have had career breaks – or just want to try something new.  

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• World record broken for longest single-charge electric car journeyThe Guinness World Record for longest journey via an electric car on a single charge has just been broken. Fleet management solution company, Webfleet and motor manufacturing company Bridgestone achieved this milestone alongside Webfleet-sponsored drivers Kevin Booker and Sam Clarke. The car, a Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV, travelled 569.64 miles (916.74 km) on a single charge. Beverley Wise, Webfleet UKI Regional Director for Bridgestone Mobility Solutions said: “This record is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in this endeavour. “It represents a sign...

Rail Magazine

• London Mayor Khan held up in bid for Southeastern metroThe London Mayoral ambition to bring South London suburban services under Transport for London control has hit a stumbling block over what is known as the Southeastern Metro.

Railtech

• Was it liberalisation? Spain’s high-speed rail use jumped 37% in 2023Spain’s high-speed rail use increased by 37 per cent in 2023, according to the latest Annual Railway Sector Report. Several of the key lines broke passenger records, the report said, in part, due to corridors being opened to competition.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Metroline opens bus driver apprenticeship pilot with RealiseLondon operator Metroline has commenced a pilot bus driver apprenticeship scheme in partnership with supplier Realise.
• Row over competing commercial and subsidised bus journeysA dispute has broken out between Grant Palmer and Bedford Borough Council over what the SME bus operator says is the local authority’s use of taxpayers’ money to provide subsidised journeys that compete with its commercial departures on the same service.

Other News Sources

• RYANAIR CELEBRATES 30 YEARS AND 30 MILLION PASSENGERS AT PRESTWICK AIRPORTRyanair, Europe’s No. 1 airline, has celebrated carrying 30 million passengers through Prestwick in its 30 years of operations. Ryanair was the first low-cost airline to operate at Prestwick, starting with its first flight from Dublin Airport back in 1994. Ryanair now operates 10 routes to/from Prestwick, connecting 3 countries across Europe with its 2 Prestwick based aircraft – an investment of $200m and supporting over 500 local jobs, including 60 high-paid, high-skilled aviation jobs.