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

Tuesday, 17 September 2024

BBC News

• Opening of 'unique' ?68m bypass delayed until 2026Completion of one of the biggest road-building schemes in the north of England has been delayed, North Yorkshire Council has confirmed.
• Disability blogger to be 'critical friend' to rail operatorA disability blogger will be "a critical friend" to a train company after it invited him to help train its staff following an "anxiety-provoking" journey home.
• Cost of extending the life of older trains revealedExtending the life of older Merseyrail trains has cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds, a report said.
• New plans revealed to pedestrianise Oxford StreetBritain's busiest shopping street is set to ban motor traffic under proposed powers for the mayor.
• Brexit deal impact 'worsening', economists warnThe findings come from a report covering the three-year period after the Brexit deal was signed.
• Boeing warns of job losses and cuts spending after strikeThe strike at Boeing has sent the company scrambling to save cash.
• Titanic shipyard to go into administrationHarland and Wolff confirms it is set to be placed into administration for the second time in five years.

Financial Times

• Harland & Wolff appoints administrators to wind up companyShipping group hopes to conclude a deal for its yards within weeks but sees ‘no return likely for shareholders’

Times Online

• Six years of disruption on railways as HS2 works wreak havoc. [subscription]Up to a third of weekend and overnight train services leaving Paddington will be axed from this Christmas because of work on Old Oak Common station
• Is International Airlines Group worth investing in right now? [subscription]The British Airways owner delivered a strong performance in the first half of this year
• Sadiq Khan to ban cars and buses from Oxford Street [subscription]Sadiq Khan unveiled plans to overhaul ?the nation?s high street? after the closure of several shops and a rise in crime left it needing a ?boost?

City AM

• Oxford Street: Sadiq Khan plans to pedestrianise iconic retail centre Sadiq Khan has announced plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street in a bid to reinvigorate the nation’s “most famous high street” and attract more shoppers. The mayor of London has announced the proposals to turn the road into a traffic-free avenue, alongside a wider regeneration of the shopping destination.

Daily Express

• The ambitious ?14bn plan to transform a major UK airport expansion gears for take offPlans to overhaul Heathrow Airport with another terminal could finally be set to take flight.

Labour List

• ?Why Labour must go full steam ahead with fixing Britain?s railways?It?s hugely exciting to see the new government going full steam ahead with plans to bring rail franchises into public ownership, supported by 76% of the UK public.

Birmingham Post

• Harland & Wolff to address financial crisis in shareholder meeting amid administration fearsHarland & Wolff is set to meet with shareholders on Thursday amid reports the troubled shipbuilder could be on the brink of administration
• Cardiff Parkway project would have a hugely positive impact on economy of the Cardiff Capital RegionThe mainline train station and its integrated 900,000 sq ft business park would help Wales out punch its weight in attracting inward investment shows a leaked Savills report

Bolton News

• Publicly owned buses could be coming to Bolton with ban set to liftNew publicly owned buses could be set to roll out across Bolton with a government ban set to lift.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Catch a bus to the Yorkshire Dales to mark World Car Free DayThe volunteer-run organisation behind the weekend DalesBus network is celebrating World Car Free Day and Catch the Bus month by promoting its bus services to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

Bristol Live

• “Don’t bother” driving into Bristol after pedestrianisation of Broadmead, says councillorThe pedestrianisation of Broadmead, plus changes to transport in the city centre, aims to promote buses, cycling and walking

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Hopes major Eryri lake railway expansion will provide 'massive boost' to regionAn exciting future lies ahead for a popular Eyri heritage narrow gauge railway which is now poised for a multi-million pound expansion. After a ten-year battle the Bala Lake Railway recently won planning permission for a major upgrade and expansion.
• 'Huge response' on 20mph and update on when your local road could change back to 30mphWhile the number of responses has been massive the actual roads targeted is far lower

Liverpool Echo

• Cost of keeping old trains on the Merseyrail network uncoveredDozens of new trains came on service as part of a £500m investment last year

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Record number of people use public transport on Great North Run day - with 20% increase in two yearsFigures from Nexus reveal a rise of almost 20% in two years and a new record for Metro, bus and the Shields Ferry

Wales Online

• Computer generated footage shows how Cardiff's first trams for generations will lookComputer generated footage showing the new ?100m tramline that will run between Cardiff Central railway station and Cardiff Bay has been released. The impressions, created by Cardiff-based architectural firm, the Urbanists, show what the first trams in the city since the mid-twentieth century could look like.

Lancashire Telegraph

• Northern reveals why Tinder is blocked on its trains' Wi-FiA train operator has revealed why its onboard wi-fi blocks Tinder and other dating apps.

Other Regional Press

• Fife MSP renews call to scrap return of ScotRail peak faresA FIFE MSP has welcomed what he calls an "embarrassing defeat" for the Scottish Government over their plans to reintroduce peak fares on ScotRail services.
• Merseyrail passengers fume at 'mad' train ticket price increaseTicket prices have gone up by nearly 5% - to match the national price hike - following a six-month prize freeze and it has caught some commuters by surprise.
• Government update on future of Totton to Hythe rail linePlans to reopen a railway line have reached the end of the line - despite widespread support for the scheme.
• New Devon bus-rail link to streamline travelDevon County?s cabinet has approved a new scheme at Barnstaple Railway Station which will make it easier for passengers to transfer between bus services and trains and access the town centre.

Rail Magazine

• CPT welcomes exemptions for rail replacement coachesThe CPT, which represents bus and coach companies, is welcoming a Department for Transport announcement of exemptions to Accessible Information Regulations (AIR) for coaches used on rail replacement services.
• GB Railfreight prepares for 2024 Tube stock movementsPreparations are under way for the start of GB Railfreight?s contract to move brand new Piccadilly Line trains from East Yorkshire to London.

Railnews

• First two train operators reach core expiry dates Two operators with National Rail Contracts reached their core expiry dates yesterday, but they seem set to remain in the private sector for now. Greater Anglia and West Midlands Trains could both theoretically have been terminated, but in practice the Government is waiting for the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill to become law. It received its Third Reading in the House of Commons on 3 September, and had its First Reading in the House of Lords the following day. When law, this Bill will make operation of the former franchises public by default, and is intended to pave the wa...

Other News Sources

• ?LOW ON TAXIS?: Calls for change as taxi drivers locked out of high Heathrow Airport rank demandA recent call for more taxis at Heathrow Airport has reignited frustrations over the restrictive access system in place for cabbies.
• HS2 selects six new companies for Accelerator programmeThe company also announced that it has opened applications for the programme?s seventh round.
• Hammersmith station gets a colourful tribute for its 150th anniversaryLast week, Hammersmith tube station turned 150 years old, and to mark its sesquicentenary, the station has been given an artistic makeover.
• PROPOSALS FOR A NEW MIDLANDS-NORTH WEST RAIL LINK REVEALEDA new report has revealed plans for a rail link between the Midlands and the North-west, at a far lower cost than the scrapped HS2 northern leg.