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

Monday, 09 September 2024

BBC News

• More rail stations to adopt contactless paymentsMore train stations across Surrey and Sussex are to get contactless payment systems.
• Weed killer train helps heritage lineWork to clear weeds from a heritage railway line in Dorset has been carried out with the help of specialist equipment.
• Train company launches WhatsApp for service updatesA train operating company that serves Kent, East Sussex and Greater London has launched a WhatsApp channel to provide service updates.
• Train operator to introduce new autumn timetableA train company is preparing to introduce its autumn timetable to combat the threat of leaves on the lines.
• Workers start to demolish M62 rail bridgeWorkers have started to demolish a rail bridge over the M62 with part of the motorway closed for the weekend.
• Rail passengers boarding without ticket to be finedAs new fines come into force, passengers voice their frustration about buying before you board.
• ‘Buses disappear in our towns in the evenings’Concerns are being raised about the availability of evening-time public transport in the country.
• Commuting on NI roads 'draining and expensive'For many commuters, where the M1 and A1 converge is a major pinch point on the daily grind into work.
• Public transport 'not meeting need in rural areas'As Belfast gets a £340m transport hub, County Fermanagh residents call for more equitable provision.
• NI has lowest public transport spend of UK regionsIn 2022, spending per head in Northern Ireland was £193 - less than half the equivalent spend in England and Scotland.
• Boeing offers staff 25% pay hike in bid to avoid strikeThe tentative deal comes just days ahead of a possible strike at the plane maker's main factories.

Department for Transport

• Transport Secretary sets the wheels in motion on "biggest overhaul to buses in a generation"The new Buses Bill will put power over bus services back in the hands of local leaders.

The Guardian

• Labour to give English local authorities power to run bus servicesLegislation will be put before MPs on Monday that extends right to all councils to set routes and timetables. Local transport authorities across England will be able to run and control bus services under a Labour overhaul designed to “save vital routes”, parliament will hear on Monday.The transport secretary, Louise Haigh, said the “bus revolution” would empower local communities as the government prepares formally to announce measures to make services more reliable.

The Independent

• Flight chaos at London Gatwick as air-traffic control staff shortage hits airport againEasyJet passengers have seen 64 Gatwick flights cancelled, while British Airways, Vueling and Whizz Air were also among airlines affected

City AM

• Trainlin's future in focus as Labour plots rail reformThe outlook for Trainline will be in focus next week as the online ticket platform reports its half-year results amid major changes in the UK rail sector.

Daily Express

• The incredible new £116m UK railway line that's just reopened after 50 yearsA new £116million railway line has reopened in Scotland to reconnect communities that had gone without the crucial link for 50 years.
• The incredible £371m project to develop 14 of Greece's busiest airportsFraport Greece, the operator and manager of 14 Greek regional airports, is currently carrying out £371 million worth of Greek airport redevelopment projects.
• Gatwick Airport latest to be impacted by 'nightmare' weekend as 15,000 face cancellationsGatwick Airport was the latest to be affected by a 'nightmare' weekend for the travel industry, with scores of passengers told to go home on Sunday afternoon

Mail Online

• Thousands of holidaymakers affected by Gatwick travel chaos as air-traffic control staff shortage at airport sees at least 100 flights cancelledAccording to Nats, the air-traffic control provider that runs the tower, temporary air traffic restrictions are currently in place at the Sussex airport 'in order to maintain safety'.

Birmingham Mail

• Gatwick Airport latest to be impacted by 'nightmare' weekend as UK holidaymakers face hundreds of trips cancelledAirport bosses came under fire after 15,000 British travellers had the start of their holidays ruined, with an irritatingly simple cause for a weekend of flying chaos
• No motorist exempt from pay-per-mile car tax bands as experts say it will solve a 'very real problem'The Campaign for Better Transport says zero emission vehicles could be charged on a per-mile basis, describing it as the easiest immediate solution
• 'Most dangerous' bus service in West Midlands named as yobs and thieves make passengers' lives a miseryHundreds of offences reported on board buses in West Midlands this year

Birmingham Post

• Commuters could face £20 weekly charge to park at their Bristol city centre workplacesLevy would affect roughly 9,000 employees

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Council decision rejects Leeds Bradford Airport plans 'noisy night time flights'Campaigners have welcomed a decision to reject Leeds Bradford Airport’s plans for noisier night time flights.

Leicester Mercury

• First look inside 'modern' £400 million East Midlands Railway new fleet of trainsA major £400 million investment will see a new fleet of electro-diesel trains for East Midlands Railway (EMR). The new trains will boost capacity on the Midland Main Line according to bosses.

Liverpool Echo

• Train chaos as services delayed and cancelled on West coast linePictures showed crowds gathering at London Euston as signal fault impacts Avanti services

Manchester Evening News

• Government unveils new 'bus revolution' measures for local leaders to bring services into public controlLegislation giving all local transport authorities new powers to run their own bus services will be laid before Parliament

Cambridge News

• Look around £183million Cambridge South station as 'exciting' project takes shapeThe station is expected to open in late 2025

Peterborough Telegraph

• Transport Secretary to stop off in Peterborough to unveil new overhaul for bus servicesPlans to give local leaders new powers to run bus services in Peterborough are to be unveiled today.

Other Regional Press

• ScotRail's booze ban under scrutiny with no prosecutions brought in three yearsFirst Minister Nicola Sturgeon banned alcohol in stations and on trains in November 2020 as a temporary Covid measure - but the "draconian" ban remains in place.
• Transport officials reviewing new West London station design for level boarding, City Hall toldTransport officials are taking a fresh look at the design of a new railway station in west London to ensure it offers level boarding for all its services, City Hall has been told.
• Sarah Olney calls on Network Rail to ensure no more 'disastrous' delays ahead of Kew Railway Bridge worksRichmond Park MP Sarah Olney welcomes Kew Railway Bridge works but hopes they are the "last for a very long time."
• More people cycling in Oxford than almost anywhere else in England, figure showOxford had one of the highest proportions of cyclists in England last year, new figures have revealed.
• New pay-per-mile car tax changes warning with certain drivers at riskThe Labour Party and Sir Keir Starmer have been warned of the "impossible task" of implementing a pay-per-mile car tax system
• Community bus plans progress with hopes it could 'fill in the gaps'Plans for a community bus service are progressing with the hopes that it will help to ‘fill in the gaps’

Train Operators

• First look inside EMR?s new Aurora Bi-mode fleetEast Midlands Railway (EMR) shares first look at the interiors of their new ?400 million Aurora fleet.

Other News Sources

• First look inside new ?400m Aurora train fleet that will run through from London St Pancras to Kettering as well as Leicester, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway, Nottingham and DerbyPlush new trains set to run on East Midlands Railway?s Intercity line will feature more seats, more space ?class-leading WiFi and USB ports at every seat.
• Green Party endorses building HS2 in fullMembers of the Green Party of England and Wales have forced a reversal of their party's position on HS2.
• Major English cities must rapidly expand zero-emission bus fleets to meet net zero targetsEngland's major cities must rapidly increase their adoption of zero-emission buses (ZEBs) if ambitious net zero targets are going to be met, Urban Transport Group (UTG) has said.
• First of Lothian's fully electric double deck buses hit the roadThe first of Lothian's fully electric, double deck buses hit the streets of the capital tomorrow (Sunday 8 September), marking an important milestone in the company's 105-year history.