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

Thursday, 10 October 2024

BBC News

• Delay to direct Cleethorpes to London rail serviceA planned direct train service between Cleethorpes and London has been delayed.
• Railway work to replace 50-year-old trackA section of railway line in Devon is scheduled to close for two weeks in November for maintenance.
• Public consultation held on M5 transport schemeThe public is being invited to have their say on potential new route options for roads around a major motorway junction.
• Tesla to unveil Cybercab, its big bet on self-driving carsElon Musk will unveil a prototype for the long awaited robotaxi at a film studio in Hollywood.
• Free asylum seeker bus travel scheme back by 2026 - Hyslop The policy had previously been scrapped in August due to budget cuts on public spending.
• TfL accidents not all unique, crash victims saySally Sivas, whose friend died in a bus crash, is one of three people calling for improved safety.

ITV News

• Transport minister calls P&O Ferries 'rogue operator' as law is tightenedP&O caused controversy by sacking almost 800 British seafarers without warning and the government is now taking action to end 'fire and rehire' practices.

Financial Times

• How Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ gets its shipsAn FT investigation into the role of a British accountant, a London-based broker and Dubai companies in the acquisition of vessels

The Guardian

• New UK laws to stop repeat of P&O mass sackings scandal go before parliamentLabour clamps down on poor working conditions at sea with laws on collective dismissal and minimum wage on cross-Channel ferries
• Northern criticised after young people prosecuted for peak-time railcard useRail users say exceptions to rules that allow some peak-time use of railcards are confusing. The train operator Northern has been criticised for prosecuting young people, leaving some facing bills of hundreds of pounds, after they have used their railcards to save just a few pounds on morning journeys.

The Independent

• Transport Secretary says Government 'aware' of challenges with EV transitionThe Cabinet minister said the Government is 'giving clarity' to manufacturers amid a global drop in demand for EVs.

i News

• Reeves resisting pressure to sign off northern rail projects including HS2-lightLabour mayors including Andy Burnham endorse a plan for a new line to be built on roughly the same route as the northern leg of HS2

Local Government

• Popular cycle hire scheme expanded to Croxley GreenA popular cycle scheme, which has been very successful in Watford, has been expanded to Croxley Green, giving residents greater accessibility to travel sustainably.

Network Rail

• 2,608 lives saved on the railway across the south of England in just five yearsNew figures reveal that the Rail Suicide Prevention Programme has carried out over 2,600 potentially life-saving interventions across Network Rail's Southern region

Sky News

• Luton Airport car park fire report reveals how blaze started - and how it could have been 'limited'Luton Airport ground to a halt last year after a red Range Rover drove into the Terminal 2 car park with "light smoke" coming out of it.

Birmingham Mail

• Fuming residents say Dudley's new parking charges have made them targets to scamsDudley Councillors also told new charges are forcing people to quit gym memberships

Birmingham Post

• Public transport revolution in Greater Manchester hailed as model for national changeLocal Transport minister Simon Lightwood visited Manchester to celebrate women's achievements in transport
• New HQ for traffic management firmTraffic Safety & Management strikes deal for head office in Worcestershire

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New platform at Bradford rail station takes shape as expected opening date revealedWORK to create a new platform at a Bradford rail station is well underway, and project bosses have told the Telegraph & Argus when they expect the work to be completed.
• M62 rated England's second worst motorway in transport watchdog surveyThe M62 has been rated the second worst motorway in England, in a new survey from independent watchdog Transport Focus.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Welsh Government to close A470 for up to seven weeksIt has been reported that a closure will be in place - with more details coming on Friday

Liverpool Echo

• Liverpool City Region wins award after 'setting new standard for public transport'Judges said the "Liverpool City Region are setting a new standard for public transport in this country"

Wales Online

• Transport for Wales strike threat update issuedUnion members were unhappy with the level of pay they were being offered

Yorkshire Post

• Labour focused on improving transport connectivity across the North instead of 'HS2-light'The government is more focused on improving transport connectivity across the North than creating HS2-light rail line, a Cabinet Minister has said.

Burnley Express

• Almost 800 untaxed cars clamped last year - and 2024 figures set to beat itAlmost 800 untaxed vehicles were clamped in Blackburn with Darwen last year, with this year’s figures on track to beat that.

Lancashire Telegraph

• Disabled bus passengers early morning £1 fare set to be scrappedPlans have been drawn up to scrap a special bus pass concession for disabled people travelling in the mornings in East Lancashire.

Oxford Mail

• Oxford 'on way to becoming first all-electric city' in UKOxford is "well on its way to becoming the first all-electric city in the country" according to Transport Secretary Louise Haigh.

Other Regional Press

• Public transport is a postcode lotteryPublic transport has been a postcode lottery of unreliability for many and Greater Manchester has paved the way for change, a minister has declared.
• Motion against Powys council transport chief rejectedA MOTION of no confidence against Powys council's cabinet member for transport has been rejected by the council's chairman, and will not be debated.
• 'Gobsmacked': Step-free access at station 'could cost £10 million'Adding step-free access to Croxley Underground station could cost £10m, according to Three Rivers District Council leader Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst.
• M40 named as most popular motorway in whole of EnglandThe M40 in Oxford, London and Birmingham has been named as England’s most popular motorway.
• Network Rail will 'try to answer' questions Botley Road questionsNetwork Rail bosses have promised to try to answer key questions on the Botley Road closure.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• London's cycling network reaches milestone 400km lengthIn a significant advancement for sustainable transport in the capital, London's network of Cycleways has expanded to over 400 kilometres, marking a substantial increase from just 90km in 2016. This expansion represents more than a fourfold growth in the city's cycling infrastructure over the past eight years. The milestone achievement comes as Transport for London (TfL) and Mayor Sadiq Khan continue their commitment to making cycling in the capital safer and more accessible. TfL’s recent data indicates that road fatalities in London have decreased by 30 per cent, c...

Railnews

• Wednesday briefing: Lobby group claims private rail operators are better value The lobby group Rail Partners is claiming that private rail operators are better value for taxpayers.

Other News Sources

• Tony Travers: Transport and devo are profoundly linkedPlans to renationalise the railways provide an opportunity to increase local say over public transport, writes writes the associate dean, School of Public Policy, at the LSE.
• New parking racks installed across the cityNottingham City Council has been installing parking infrastructure to support the city's e-bike scheme which is operated by Lime and e-scooter hire trial which is set to return later this year. The project is funded by the which was secured to deliver sustainable transport improvements across Nottingham and Derby as well as in parts of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
• Secretary of State for Transport Hosts a Road Safety RoundtableOn 7th October 2024, PACTS was pleased to participate in a Road Safety Roundtable event hosted by the Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh MP
• Immingham freight terminal extension gets go-ahead from UK transport secretaryThe UK government has approved the £100 million Immingham Eastern Ro-Ro Terminal, paving the way for a major expansion of the port's freight capacity.
• Major disruption to railway routes in Sussex this weekendPassengers have been urged to check their journeys on the railway in Sussex this weekend as planned engineering works could cause disruption.