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

Friday, 23 August 2024

BBC News

• Hythe Ferry service suspended for repairsA ferry service has been suspended for the foreseeable future after the pontoon and its supporting structure were found to be damaged.
• Calls to reintroduce trams to serve communitiesTrams should be reintroduced to parts of the North East not currently served by the Metro, campaigners have said.
• Reading-Heathrow link 'top priority for region', MP saysBuilding a £900m rail link between Reading and Heathrow Airport is the “number one infrastructure priority” for the Thames Valley, an MP who supports the plan said.
• Network Rail apology over planters 'put in wrong place'A councillor says the placement of planters at Manchester Piccadilly Station entrance is
• South London train disruption to last nine daysSouthern Railways warns several services in the Crystal Palace area will be affected.
• Canada rail shutdown threatens US supply chains Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would soon move to resolve the work stoppage.
• Gatwick Airport has one of its busiest summersAlmost 20 million passengers have travelled through its terminals in the first half of 2024.

ITV News

• Borders commuter says the reintroduction of peak rail fares is 'extremely frustrating'A Borders commuter who has been forced to move back in with her parents due to rising costs, has described the reintroduction of peak rail fares as 'extremely frustrating'.

Financial Times

• Can UK industry make carbon capture work?The technology offers huge benefits for polluters struggling to reduce emissions and meet climate goals, but it is untested at scale
• Gatwick airport waits for approval to expand as business boomsPassenger numbers rise in first half by almost 8% as demand for air travel takes off
• Uber partners with GM's Cruise to offer self-driving car ridesCar company is seeking to bounce back with ride-hailing app tie-up from next year in a yet to be disclosed city

The Guardian

• Gatwick boss ’hopes and expects’ ministers will back second runwayStewart Wingate says £2.2bn plan will add to south-east’s air capacity more quickly than Heathrow expansion
• A national disgrace: cyclists and motorists lament UK's pothole-ridden roadsCyclists are being injured and drivers left with costly car repairs as British roads continue deteriorating.

The Independent

• Gatwick records 7.7% half-year rise in passenger numbersChief executive Stewart Wingate said the airport is ’experiencing one of our busiest summers yet’.

The Telegraph

• How airports became a battleground for a looming Labour revolt [subscription]Heathrow and Gatwick expansion plans risk backbench rebellion

Times Online

• More low traffic zones will only add to congestion [subscription]he remarks of the transport secretary, Louise Haigh, that councils which want more low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) have her “absolute support” will set alarm bells ringing. She criticises the previous government for adopting a top-down approach. But don’t her remarks suggest top-down government approval for LTNs, particularly when she hinted that financial help might be available?
• Heathrow’s flight of fancy not needed. [subscription]Hub airports belong in desert environments like Dubai and would bring no benefits to densely populated west London
• Gatwick passenger numbers up by 7.7 per cent [subscription]Short-haul passenger volumes in second half of the year expected to be higher than before pandemic

City AM

• Aircraft orders still lagging behind despite UK airlines hitting 2024 high The number of aircrafts being ordered by UK airlines hit its highest monthly figure in July as a slew of deals at the Farnborough Airshow helped the industry weather wider supply chain issues.

The National

• Scrapping of rail fare pilot puts greener future at riskScrapping of rail fare pilot puts greener future at risk

Network Rail

• Network Rail announces major bridge replacement in StockportNetwork Rail is investing £16m to replace the uniquely designed bridge that takes the Greek Street roundabout, Stockport, over the West Coast main line.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Half-price school run rail tickets for under-16s with Northern schemeNorthern is offering West Yorkshire students 50% off school run train tickets for the 2024-25 academic year.

London Evening Standard

• Gatwick's second runway would be an easier 'win' than Heathrow's thirdCity Comment: Extra aviation capacity will be needed for London to help deliver growth - but the question is...where?

Manchester Evening News

• 'Absolute madness': The huge planters outside Piccadilly station installed in the wrong place - that transport bosses didn't even know aboutNetwork Rail have apologised and said the planters, placed on Wednesday next to a pedestrian crossing and busy footbridge were 'not installed in the right place'

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• North East mayor demands Tyne and Wear Metro improvement and answers on delayed new fleetKim McGuinness has told Nexus chiefs that she expects the Metro to reach "world-class" levels of performance by the time of the next mayoral election in 2028

Northern Echo

• New Bishop Auckland bus station due to open in December 2025A new County Durham bus station is due to open in December 2025.
• Campaigners call for return of North East street trams decades after closureTransport campaigners have urged North East leaders to revisit dreams of installing a network of street trams across the region.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Ambitious vision for transport projects set outAn ambitious vision for transport has called on places like the West Midlands to work with other regions and the private sector to create a UK-wide network fit for the next 50 years.

Other Regional Press

• Calls for train ticket price freeze as increase could reach £300An MP has called for rail fares to be frozen as season tickets between Botley and London Waterloo could rise by more than £300.
• Final three new trains inspected at Glasgow Subway DepotThe Cabinet Secretary for Transport recently visited the Subway Depot to inspect the final three of 17 new trains.
• MSP calls for summit over bad behaviour on Fife busesAN MSP is calling for action on anti-social behaviour that is plaguing Fife's bus services and forcing drivers to the point of quitting their jobs. 
• Warrington leaders considering tram system for townCouncil bosses say it has not ruled out a tram system being brought in for Warrington
• Outcry in Coventry over plans to remove cherished trees for Binley cyclewayAn online petition has been launched to save 26 mature trees in Coventry, with campaigners branding the council's plans to chop them down to make way for a cycle lane 'environmentally damaging'
• Railway line closures as tunnel set for major improvement worksNetwork rail said it will be working in the 1,282 metre long Ore tunnel between Hastings and Rye this autumn to improve rail services.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Compass Travel launches new appSussex and Surrey independent operator, Compass Travel, has launched its new mobile bus app.

New Civil Engineer

• Transport experts write to transport secretary demanding HS2 be completed from Euston to CreweA coalition of transport experts and campaigners have written to the new secretary of state for transport, Louise Haigh, demanding that High Speed 2 (HS2) is delivered from Euston to Crewe.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Major shift recommended in rail reviewYesterday saw the publication of the review into rail and urban transport, establishing a bold vision for the future of the UK’s rail industry.

Transportxtra

• Change needed to make bus services accessible for disabled users, report saysBus services are still not meeting the needs of disabled users despite improvements in recent years, says a new report from Bus Users UK.

Other News Sources

• Report will inform new government’s thinking, says transport secretaryThe new government should urgently commission a feasibility study for a new rail link between the Midlands and West Yorkshire following the cancellation of HS2’s northern leg, a Labour-commissioned report has urged.