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

Wednesday, 28 August 2024

BBC News

• Project manager plan to drive forward Borders Railway ambitionsCouncillors are being asked to agree to appoint a project manager to help drive forward an extension to the Borders Railway.
• Initial works for new £62m rail station beginsPreparatory works for a long-awaited new train station are set to begin. Plans to build a new two-platform station at Wixams, a new town close to Bedford, were first discussed over 20 years ago
• 'Improvements to rail line would be transformative'Investment in a main rail route, including the provision of a new hourly service from London to Shrewsbury, would be transformative for the West Midlands region, employers and civic leaders have said.
• HS2 hits milestone as tunnel reaches halfway markThe 1,600-tonne machine is currently working more than 40m under Birmingham.
• Two Delta workers killed while servicing plane at airportFew details are available on the incident, which took place in a Delta Air Lines maintenance facility.
• Our new railway station will be 'an amazing thing'The start of work to build a new (GBP) 62.2m railway station in a new town is an "amazing thing", a councillor said.
• UK airport cannabis arrests tripleThe number of arrests at airports of people trying to smuggle cannabis into the UK has tripled, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has said.

Financial Times

• Ryanair expects airfares to continue to fall this winterChief executive Michael O’Leary says the declines are smaller than previously feared

The Guardian

• Amount of cannabis seized at UK airports triples in less than a yearNational Crime Agency says overproduction of drug in countries where it has been legalised may be behind rise
• The Guardian view on heritage railways: where the British summertime gets steamy | EditorialThe 600 miles of touristic train track are a national speciality that could not function without volunteersThere are functioning steam railways in other countries: tourists in France can go for a ride in Brittany or the Cévennes; so can visitors travelling to the Dandenong Ranges in Australia. Mallorca has a narrow-gauge line that transports passengers through olive groves and pine forests in vintage wooden carriages. But no other country has a heritage railway sector anywhere near as vibrant as the UK’s, where more than 170 services traverse around 600 miles of track...
• Ryanair passenger numbers pass 20m a month amid 5% fall in faresShares rise despite a drop in carrier’s revenues, which Michael O’Leary says will last until spring 2025Ryanair said it has reaped strong traffic growth after a summer when the airline’s fares were down 5% and passenger numbers passed 20 million a month.Shares in Europe’s biggest carrier rose on Tuesday, after the group chief executive, Michael O’Leary, revised previous gloomier predictions of a double-digit drop in peak-season fare income, although he said the dent in revenues would probably last until spring 2025. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Impose two-drink limit at airports to combat passenger violence, says Michael O'Leary. [subscription]Ryanair boss blames combination of alcohol with powder and tablets for rising disorder on flights

Times Online

• Dover border processing zone to cut delays needs French approval [subscription]New entry/exit system comes into force on November 10 and will require all passengers without EU passports to have their fingerprints and pictures taken
• Ryanair boss demands two-drink airport limit to prevent violence. [subscription]Michael O'Leary said assaults on cabin crew were of greatest concern but that fights between passengers were common, with some mixing alcohol and other drugs

City AM

• Next London runway won’t be at Heathrow or Gatwick, says Ryanair boss Michael O’LearyThe next runway in London will not be built at either Heathrow or Gatwick Airport, according to the chief executive of Ryanair.

The Mirror

• Ryanair boss calls for two-drink airport limit law change to curb violence on flightsRyanair chief Michael O'Leary has called for a change in the law after a rise in in-flight violence this summer with fights and attacks on a weekly basis due to alcohol with 'powder and tablets'

Network Rail

• Railway reopened after major track work in Birmingham to improve journeys and prepare for HS2The railway between Birmingham New Street and Coleshill Parkway reopened today (Tuesday 27 August) after major track upgrades to improve journeys and in preparation for HS2 ? Britain?s new high-speed railway.

Birmingham Post

• Spaceport Cornwall announces ambitious future aerospace plansIt is hoped Cornwall will become a 'world-leading location' for manned and unmanned technology

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Station may only have 'finite lifespan remaining' - even if deemed safe to re-openA NEW bus station may still be needed in Bradford city centre – even if the existing Bradford Interchange does re-open.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Entire Welsh railway line blocked after train derailmentThe incident, which happened just outside Llandrindod station, is being investigated

London Evening Standard

• Gatwick's second runway would be an easier 'win' than Heathrow's thirdHeathrow may not be top of the global tree any more in terms of passenger numbers. But what is sometimes overlooked is that London as a whole remains the busiest aviation city in the world. By some margin.

Get Surrey

• The nine Surrey train stations getting contactless pay-as-you-go next month47 more National Rail stations across South-East England can soon ditch queues and paper tickets

Lancashire Telegraph

• Ramblers' rail service in Lancashire reaches early milestoneRail bosses in East Lancashire are celebrating an early milestone for a returning ramblers' favourite service.

Other Regional Press

• Network Rail prepares to shut crossing near IpswichA pedestrian crossing used by walkers and runners near Ipswich is unlikely to reopen after being closed due to trespassing and anti social behaviour concerns.
• Inverness airport passengers continue to experience delays going through securityAir passengers flying from Inverness are still being advised to arrive early as work continues to resolve a technical issue with a security scanner.
• First pictures of new Huddersfield bus station revealed after plans delayedThe scheme was originally expected to be completed by the end of next year but a formal planning application has only just been submitted
• New e-bikes installed on seafront...where cycling is bannedNew e-bikes have been installed on the Esplanade in Weymouth

Rail Magazine

• West Yorkshire mayor visits Nottingham for City tram tourMayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, met with Nottingham City Council on August 7 to learn more about how Nottingham has developed its award-winning tram network (NET).

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• New Potteries paint booth helping First Bus livery transitionTransition of First Bus vehicles to a fleet-wide purple and grey livery is being helped by the recent installation of a new paint spray booth at the First Potteries depot in Adderley Green, Stoke-on-Trent.
• National Express Coventry trials Volvo BZL ElectricNational Express Coventry is operating a Volvo BZL Electric bus on trial over the next few weeks.
• Dover among beneficiaries of government EES preparation fundingThe government has pledged ?10.5 million towards preparation for the Schengen-area EU Entry/Exit System (EES) at juxtaposed border points including the Port of Dover ahead of that scheme?s commencement on 10 November.
• First Leicester to end Aircoach Birmingham Airport trialFirst Leicester will start to wind down the trial of an Aircoach service between the city and Birmingham Airport after 31 August.

Aviation Industry

• 59,000 Daily Passengers: The USA?s Huge London Heathrow Operation ExploredThe UK Civil Aviation Authority provides a handy list of passenger traffic on all routes touching the country. In June 2024, the latest month with data when writing, London Heathrow had 1,762,564 roundtrip US passengers ? nearly 59,000 daily.
• Greenhouse gas removals must not give aviation a licence to polluteFrom May to August, the Government sought views on integrating greenhouse gas removals (GGRs) into the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) via a public consultation. GGRs include any method of … The post Greenhouse gas removals must not give aviation a licence to pollute appeared first on Aviation Environment Federation.

Other News Sources

• Our Chief Executive: In response to the return of ScotRail peak fares A pilot scheme scrapping peak-time ScotRail fares will end in September.
• Bus companies sharing timetables 'emphasises connectedness' of city's networkCommuters planning trips across the city will find it easier to get where they want after changes to the bus company's app.