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

Thursday, 19 September 2024

BBC News

• Inflation holds steady despite jump in air faresLower fuel prices helped offset the higher cost of flying in the year to August.
• City region's clean air targets delayed until 2026Greater Manchester's clean air targets are delayed due to issues with electrifying bus depots.
• London Tube map creator's story told in new playThe life of Harry Beck, the man who modernised the Tube map, is being explored in a new play.
• US sues ship firms for $100m over Baltimore bridge crashThe Justice Department said repair costs should be carried by the companies responsible, not US citizens.
• Boeing suspends jobs for thousands after strikeBoeing says it is suspending jobs for thousands of staff in the US due to a worker strike.

Financial Times

• EU carmakers say they risk ‘billions of euros’ in emissions fines
• London transport upgrades stall as financial squeeze bitesMayor Sadiq Khan argues improvements are needed to stimulate housebuilding in the capital and regenerate neighbourhoods

The Guardian

• Aslef train drivers vote to back pay deal and end two-year standoffDfT offer will mean rise of almost 15% over three years after dispute between unions and 16 operators in England
• Campaigners call for unlimited ‘climate card’ UK rail passResearch says flat-fee train travel would bring economic and health benefits as well as simplifying ticket fares. Renationalising the railways does not go far enough – Labour should spur a rail renaissance by allowing people around the UK unlimited train travel for a flat fee, campaigners have said.Under a “climate card” system, passengers could pay a simple subscription to gain access to train travel across all services.

The Telegraph

• Train drivers accept pay deal as Starmer caves in to union's demands [subscription]Aslef says members voted by 96 per cent in favour of deal, worth 15 per cent over three years

Times Online

• Train drivers accept 15% pay deal, ending two years of strikes. [subscription]Members of Aslef union vote in favour of three-year offer worth about £9,000 to most drivers
• Boeing to furlough tens of thousands of staff as strike starts [subscription]The aircraft-maker takes drastic measures to save money as industrial action halts the manufacture of its bestselling jets

City AM

• Cost still biggest blocker of SAF uptake, says Biggin Hill airport boss Airlines are banking on SAF, a biofuel drawn from cooking oil, to hit looming green targets across Europe without cutting flights.

The Mirror

• I tried to work from a train for the day and came across a £18bn problem'The UK rail system received £46 billion of government support since 2020, rendering the £200million one expert predicts it would cost to fix its Wi-Fi a drop in the ocean

Bolton News

• Former 'UK's worst' train station continues to climb ranks - but is it all good news?A Bolton train station, which was formerly the ‘worst in the country’, has continued to climb the ranks despite its punctuality declining.
• Manchester Airport's Terminal 2 to open more than 20 shops and restaurantsFrom Chanel to Greggs, there are a variety of shops, restaurants and bars opening in Manchester Airport's Terminal 2 by summer 2025.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• 'Alternative rail line through Pennines could have multiple benefits for Bradford'AN ALTERNATIVE railway line through the Pennines would have "multiple benefits" for passengers in areas such as Bradford, a meeting heard.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus could revive helicopter bid that would bring 400 jobs to North WalesThe aerospace giant last month withdrew its bid to secure a £1bn contract from the Ministry of Defence

The York Press

• Mayor ‘determined’ to get half-hourly service between Scarborough and YorkYork and North Yorkshire’s mayor has said he is ‘determined’ to get a half-hourly train between Scarborough and York.

Wales Online

• Treasury issues HS2 funding update for WalesWales losing out on funding through HS2 has been a huge talking point
• No trains to run on major line for nine days to make way for South Wales Metro The engineering work will run for nine days between the outskirts of Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Train drivers vote to accept multiyear pay offer and end two-year disputeThe ballot result ends what Aslef called the longest train drivers' strike in recent history, during which drivers took 18 days of strike action.

Yorkshire Post

• Labour urged to introduce £49-a-month rail subscription to reduce transport inequalities in the NorthA new report from Greengauge 21, commissioned by Greenpeace UK and exclusively shared with the Yorkshire Post and the Guardian, argues that by launching the project across the North it would help reduce regional transport inequalities.

Bucks Free Press

• E-scooters: Police seize over 100 vehicles amid recent dangerous incidentsPolice have seized more than 110 e-scooters and e-bikes over the last three months, as people continue to be seriously injured in incidents involving the vehicles.

Cambridge News

• Off-peak concession could turn into all-day free travel for Cambridgeshire bus pass holdersThose with disabilities and older people may shortly be able to enjoy all-day free travel across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough if a £500,000 subsidy is agreed. Currently concessionary bus pass holders are limited off-peak times, which are from 9:30am on weekdays and at weekends.

East Anglian Daily Times

• MPs want Haughley junction improvements to be prioritisedAn all-parliamentary group of MPs has asked for a scheme which would see improvements made to an important rail junction in Suffolk to be prioritised.

Oxford Mail

• Council improves plans for Banbury Rail Station improvementsWork is set to begin on Banbury Rail Station this autumn, after the council gave its approval.

Other Regional Press

• Night buses to return to Bournemouth and PooleNIGHT buses are to return to Bournemouth and Poole after a break of more four years.
• MPS demand action over Ely and Haughley junction revampsRailway bottlenecks holding back better train services in Norfolk and Suffolk must be made priorities for improvement by the Labour government, the region's MPs have demanded.
• Council considers £6.95m boost for roads, parks, and flood alleviationRCT's Cabinet could agree an additional, targeted investment of £6.95m for Council priorities over and above this year's capital programme for areas including road maintenance, repairs to structures, flood alleviation, parks and green spaces, and the Llanharan Sustainable Transport Corridor.
• Great Western Railway restores line through SwindonGreat Western Railway has restored one of its direct services connecting Swindon to major nearby cities.
• Update in plans to replace 'severe congestion' point in city centreA major road project to replace an ageing rail bridge which is a “severe congestion pinch point” has taken a step forward.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• More seafarers to receive training for electric-propelled vesselsThe Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has put out key benchmarks for consultation, aiming to increase training opportunities for seafarers working on the growing number of electric-propelled vessels. The MCA published draft criteria today (September 17) as the foundation for new courses to be offered by maritime training providers. These criteria include minimum learning requirements for safety and technical skills. Each course must receive MCA approval before being made available to trainees.  The document is the result of close collaboration between the MCA and various stakehol...

New Civil Engineer

• Mace reveals it is nearing completion of Heathrow cargo tunnel renewalThe last module in the lining of Heathrow Airport's 870m cargo tunnel under its runways is about to be installed by Mace under a £145M renewal project.
• What can be done to resolve the UK's local road crisis?Local roads in the UK are at a crisis point after years of underfunding, which has left authorities unable to maintain them to the required level.

Rail Advent

• Next generation of battery train technology coming thanks to new partnershipA new battery pack is to be created thanks to a new partnership led by Hitachi Rail.

Rail Magazine

• Scotland to restore peak fares after year's trialPeak fares will be reinstated on ScotRail services from September 30, after ministers announced that passenger numbers had not increased enough to make an all-day off-peak trial permanent.
• ORR: train drivers need sufficient restTrain companies and unions have been told to be more vigilant when rostering crews for long night shifts when they have had insufficient rest.

Railnews

• Arriva sets out plans to ‘stabilise’ railway industry Arriva has published a series of proposals which it says are designed to improve the railways in the shorter term. Its report ‘Accelerating the Government’s Ambition to Fix Britain’s Railways’ includes recommendations such as making more effective use of the existing network, rolling stock and other assets, making timetabling more flexible and responsive, and also allowing train operating companies to make decisions about timetables.
• ASLEF pay dispute is over, as drivers accept pay deal ASLEF members have voted to end their long-running pay dispute and to accept the offer which was made by the Department of Transport in August. ASLEF drivers at most train operators in England have been in dispute since 2022 over pay, and there has been a series of strikes.

Railway-News

• UK: Alstom Completes First Phase in Overhaul of Pendolino Train BogiesAlstom has reached a significant milestone in the overhaul of train bogies for Avanti West Coast's Class 390 Pendolino fleet.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Bus operators urged to respond to planning policy consultationThe bus sector is being encouraged to respond to proposed changes to the government's National Planning Policy Framework by the 24 September deadline to help ensure that new housing developments are adequately served by public transport.
• CitySwift announces extension of Transport for Wales partnershipCitySwift has announced a continuation of its partnership with Transport for Wales (TfW), helping enable the body to analyse network performance.
• Bus funding devolution needs to come with targets, says CPT CEOIncreased devolution of funding to local authorities for bus services should be accompanied by measurable targets, the Chief Executive of the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has stressed.

Transport Action Network

• Government urged to save money and boost growth by cancelling Conservative road schemesTransport Action Network (TAN) today published its submission to the urgent review of the UK Department for Transport's infrastructure capital spending portfolio, commissioned by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh MP.