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

Thursday, 03 October 2024

BBC News

• Public transport commuter discount scheme backedA discounted ticket scheme for commuters in Nottingham has moved a step closer.
• A5 road upgrade announcement hailed as 'momentous day'An official announcement from John O'Dowd is expected after an executive meeting this afternoon.
• London mayor to call for transport projects cashSadiq Khan wants to secure funding for a number of transport projects from the new government.
• Passengers being put in danger at Euston - watchdogThere are "high levels of overcrowding" at Euston Station in London, a transport watchdog warns.
• Design unveiled for urban sports park under M74 motorwayThe Devon Street Urban Park will be a hub for skateboarding, BMX riding and free-running in Glasgow.
• Toyota delays US electric car plans as sales slowThe Japanese car maker has become the latest industry giant to scale back its EV plans.

Department for Transport

• New Chair appointed to drive forward major rail reformEstablishing Shadow Great British Railways is a significant step towards delivering a unified railway with Britain's passengers at its heart.

Financial Times

• Why the US can’t impose its will over global trade in electric carsThe American market is too small to give Washington leverage over Chinese software in EVs
• Hungarian investors accuse Spain of breaking EU law over rail deal vetoMadrid blocked sale of Spanish trainmaker Talgo for political reasons, says Ganz-MáVag chief

The Guardian

• Overcrowding at London’s Euston station ‘puts passengers in danger’Independent transport watchdog says station struggles to cope when train services are disruptedRail passengers using London’s Euston station are being put in danger from high levels of overcrowding, a transport watchdog has warned.London TravelWatch said the station, which hosts services to and from places such as Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow, was “struggling to cope” when train services were delayed. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Hamburg train station platforms closed over suspected Marburg cases. [subscription]Passengers were evacuated from a train after a man with a recent travel history to Rwanda developed flu-like symptoms

Times Online

• Windscreen wiper dispute with union stalled £1bn trains [subscription]Aslef claimed the wipers on South Western Railway's Arterio trains blocked drivers views of signals, but the dispute was settled as part of a 15% pay rise deal
• Hydrogen revolution in hands of firm that really knows its history [subscription]Johnson Matthey is keenly aware of its ICI legacy as it pushes towards a clean-tech future
• Siemens puts further £40m into Goole train manufacturing facility. [subscription]The plant will bring up to 1,000 new jobs to the East Riding in Yorkshire, in addition to a further 1,700 supply chain jobs in the surrounding area
• Tesla misses delivery target and puts shares under pressure [subscription]Elon Musk's electric-vehicle maker fell short of expectations for the third quarter, but analysts remain confident in its ability to hit its annual target

Daily Express

• We live next to wasteland earmarked for £9bn UK tunnel - here's why it'll never get builtA campaign group has slammed the costly project which is more expensive per kilometre than HS2 and will only add 0.03 percent to the British economy.
• Network Rail 'cyber vandal' attack sparks debate on safety of public WiFiLondon Euston, Birmingham New Street, Glasgow Central and numerous other UK stations were among those impacted by a 'cyber vandalism' incident.

Mail Online

• Brand new £1billion fleet of passenger trains has been sitting in storage for YEARS after trade union row over window wipersSouth Western Railway bought ninety Arterio trains (pictured) to replace the 40-year-old ex-British Rail carriages that are still in use on commuter lines out of London Waterloo.

Sky News

• Rising cost of social care and school transport to cause £54bn blackhole for councilsHaving to spend more on statutory services means councils have to take away funding from other areas, such as libraries and buses.

London Evening Standard

• Silvertown tunnel 'bike bus': New details emerge of cyclists-only shuttle service under ThamesThree single-decker buses are to be converted to create a fleet of 'bike buses' to transport cyclists through the Silvertown tunnel.
• Transport Secretary Haigh to open £200m train factory in YorkshireThe plant in Goole will build trains for the revamped Piccadilly Line on the London Underground.

Kent Online

• Transport experts call for Lower Thames Crossing to be scrappedA long-awaited river crossing has been branded a 'dinosaur scheme' that should be extinct by a transport expert.

Wrexham.com

• Transport for Wales staff balloted for strike action over payStaff at Transport for Wales (TfW) are being balloted for industrial action over a below inflation pay offer.

Other Regional Press

• Network Rail bosses update timetable on Botley Road announcementNetwork Rail has updated its timetable on when an announcement can be made about the reopening of Botley Road in Oxford
• Mass 'cyber vandal' attack on train station WiFi - is public WiFi safe?Last week, a 'cyber vandalism' incident saw several main UK train stations' Wi-Fi systems targeted - but what can the public do to ensure they're safe while browsing the internet? Cybersecurity experts have weighed in
• Labour councillor Sarah Young announced as Hackney's new transport chiefHackney's new transport chief Cllr Sarah Young (Labour) is to begin her role from 14 October, the council has confirmed.

New Civil Engineer

• Infrastructure at risk as ministers told to slash spending on major capital projectsMajor public infrastructure projects could be scrapped or delayed this month as the government looks to cut costs further, according to reports.
• National Highways accused of attempting to 'influence' Lower Thames Crossing DCO decisionCampaigners have reported National Highways to the road regulator for 'inappropriate attempts to influence the decision making process' on whether to grant development consent order (DCO) for the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing (LTC) as the deadline looms.

Rail Magazine

• New Tube train factory opens in YorkshireThe UK's newest train factory is being officially opened today (3 October) in East Yorkshire.

Other News Sources

• Uber launches 'Meet & Greet service for Heathrow Exec & Lux tripsUber are set to introduce a new feature at Heathrow Airport, aiming to enhance the experience for business travellers and upscale riders. From 8 October 2024, Uber drivers handling Exec and Lux bookings will provide a Meet & Greet service across all Heathrow terminals.
• Croydon's Superloop bus link to Heathrow facing the axeBarely a year after the £6million introduction of the Superloop network, with rebranded express routes mostly around outer London, Mayor Sadiq Khan is considering axing Croydon's long-standing bus link to Heathrow Airport.
• New rules for Surrey bus stops as new charges in place to 'deter' disruption “You can imagine the inconvenience to passengers to turn up there and they can't get to appointments
• Powys councillors join forces in bid to block new school transport policyA spanner has been thrown into the works of implementing a new home to school transport policy in Powys after opposition groups joined forces to try and block the decision.
• Blackpool Airport supporters welcomes positive feedback from UK's Transport Secretary of StateWhile the future of commercial operations returning to Blackpool Airport in the UK remains uncertain, a recent visit from the UK's new Transport Secretary of State Louise Haigh, MP in Blackpool, has given the airport and its supporters hope.
• Net zero transport requires collaborationAs the decarbonisation of transport moves into a key delivery phase, unprecedented collaboration will be required across government and industry to meet national and local goals, the Zemo Partnership Summit will hear today (3 October).
• Transport Secretary to open new £200m train manufacturing factory in GooleThe Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, will open a new £200m train manufacturing factory in Goole, East Yorkshire later today.
• Hydrogen plant: the way of the future?At the 2024 GE Basements & Underground Structures conference, Cementation Skanska project manager Chris Roberts will discuss how a real-world trial on a dual-fuel piling rig shows the potential of hydrogen for fuelling plant and equipment.
• RHA calls on government to give Lower Thames Crossing the greenlightAhead of the government's announcement this week on the future of the Lower Thames Crossing, RHA has issued a plea for the project to be given the go-ahead.