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

Friday, 18 October 2024

BBC News

• Campaigners meet MP over Skipton-Colne railwayCampaigners who want the government and rail industry to reopen the Colne to Skipton rail link have taken their local MP down to see its potential.
• Buses to become safe spaces for vulnerable womenA scheme to create safe spaces for vulnerable women and girls on buses has been welcomed by campaigners.
• Bakerloo line extension plans examined furtherTwo firms will further examine the possibility of an extension to the Bakerloo line.
• Parents fight to stop cuts to school transportA campaign to overturn a council's decision to change school bus services in rural areas has been stepped up.

Department for Transport

• Future of Great British Railways - Speech in Derby, Louise Haigh MPSecretary of State for Transport outlines next steps for rail reform in Britain during the Derby rail skills event.
• Passengers to enjoy cleaner travel between UK and Europe  New green corridors could boost use of sustainable fuels, secure green jobs of the future and advance environmentally friendly travel within Europe.
• Transport Minister celebrates community transport in West LondonGovernment is committed to improving local transport networks and making them more inclusive to enable vulnerable people to travel safely and confidently.
• Ministers bring together industry experts and consumer champions to tackle spiralling costs for driversNew taskforce is a major step forward in getting a fair deal for UK drivers by rooting out factors that increase costs for car insurance industry.

Financial Times

• Uber explored takeover bid for ExpediaBuying travel website would be ride-hailing group’s biggest deal as it looks to diversify
• UK explores plans for new rail line as alternative to axed HS2 northern legFeasibility study for a Birmingham to Manchester route to be launched by ministers

STV

• Calls for clean-up of neglected bus sheltersDundee council has been criticised for the provision and maintenance of approximately 1,000 bus stops across the city.

The Guardian

• UK should ‘repurpose’ Belfast shipyard to make green infrastructureThinktank says government should set up arm’s-length company to buy Harland & Wolff site, which is in administration

The Independent

• Eurostar cuts London-Paris rail fares for passengers with plenty of flexibilityCross-Channel train operator says: Spontaneous travel starts here with range of possible departures from 5.40am to 8.40pm
• Train ticket promotion to launch in early 2025Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said passengers will be able to save up to 50% off the price of Advance and off-peak fares.

The Telegraph

• Quarter of city bus services at risk from Reeves's Budget cuts [subscription]Specialist funding introduced in 2022 is said to be in Chancellor's sights

Times Online

• Lost in London? How about a £75k tube map [subscription]Harry Beck's map of the underground, based on an electrical circuit, has become iconic. Dr Louisa McKenzie reports on a new exhibition and map sale devoted to his creation
• Cost of six-mile A9 upgrade skyrockets by £111m in three years [subscription]The work from Inverness to Moy is now expected to cost £308 million

i News

• Labour started HS2 so it must finish itHS2 has been a shambles, but it is a shambles we have to make the best of

Birmingham Mail

• Drivers will wake up to £600 car tax bill under new bands from LabourEV drivers face paying the same flat rate as petrol and diesel motorists from next year, in a major Cost of Living blow.

Bolton News

• Bolton has 'no enforcement powers' for out of town taxisBolton does not have “enforcement powers” for “out of town” taxis that have been licenced by other councils; town hall has heard.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• MP visits trackbed of disused rail line as campaign to reopen route gathers paceCAMPAIGNERS who want the government and rail industry to reopen a 12-mile link between Skipton and East Lancashire have met the new Labour MP for Pendle and Clitheroe for talks and a walk on the old route, which was shut in the 1970s.
• Permanent gates to be installed at rail arches in Bradford by end of yearWORK to install new gates and lighting at the rail arches at Forster Square Station is due to be completed before the end of the year.

Nation. Cymru

• Transport secretary criticised for greater 'prize' claim when quizzed on HS2 fundingOpposition politicians have criticised the Transport Secretary after he promised funding from a state owned railway company that doesn't exist yet in response to questions about HS2.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• List of plans for key Birmingham roads including new bus gateA new bus gate and the removal of another are being considered to improve a key public transport corridor in Birmingham.

Bucks Free Press

• Chiltern Railways announces £145k funding for 12 projectsChiltern Railways has announced 12 projects it will support with £145,000 of funding

Other Regional Press

• Over nine million free bus journeys delivered in Aberdeen as MSP praises milestoneThe SNP Government has protected free bus passes for everyone over 60, disabled passengers, and injured veterans, while also providing free travel to those under the age of 22.
• Fix-it wait over as Evanton bus shelter activists go DIYEASTER Ross community stalwarts fed-up with endless delays over the repair of a vital bus shelter took matters into their own hands - and did it themselves.
• TfL bus route 63 gets upgrades with USB chargersA new fleet of buses with cutting-edge features has been introduced on bus route 63.
• Wakefield Council to 'take on' Arriva over bus service cut threatsWakefield Council plans to 'take on' Arriva over the bus operator's plan to cut services, the authority's leader has revealed.
• Watford '3rd best in Britain' for public transport linksWatford has placed in the top three in a new study of the best-linked locations for public transport in Britain.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• UK unveils world's first Green Shipping Corridors to decarbonise European trade routesThe ;government has announced plans to create the world';s first green shipping corridors between the UK and Europe, connecting major destinations such as Amsterdam, Oslo, Copenhagen and Dublin.

New Civil Engineer

• Designs for Poland's new £25bn airport and transport hub finalisedThe design for Poland's ambitious new PLN 131bn (£25bn) airport and transport interchange has been completed by an architectural consortium led by Foster + Partners and Buro Happold, with the first phase set to open by 2032.

Rail Advent

• Transport for Wales passenger numbers up by 27%7.6 million passengers travelled by rail on Transport for Wales (TfW) services between April and June this year.

Rail Engineer

• A Beacon at GarforthGarforth station's new footbridge opened in July, replacing a 190-year-old North Eastern Railway cast iron structure. An additional link span also connects the station to Aberford Road. Work to complete the lifts is now almost complete, and this will give rail passengers a safe, step-free option at the station for the first time.
• Calling for connectivity Part 1: Labour's reportIn December, the Labour Party commissioned a Rail and Urban Transport Review (RUTR) to examine how a future government could accelerate connectivity within and between the UK's key urban areas. This was led by Juergen Maier CBE, former Siemens CEO and vice chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership. He was supported by nine senior professionals from industry, devolved regional bodies, and the Trades Union Congress.
• Calling for connectivity part 2: The Mayors' planLess than a month after the publication of the Rail and Urban Transport Review (RUTR) came the Opportunity through Connectivity (OtC) report which was published on 13 September. This reinforces the RUTR's conclusions by emphasising the importance of rail connectivity, the need for more effective project management, and better use of private finance.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Multi-billion economic impact of coach services explored in reportCoach passengers spend £8.3 billion per year in local economies and the mode delivers 450 million passenger journeys over the same period while supporting 81,000 jobs, a report into the economic impact of providing and using coach services in Britain commissioned by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) and produced by KPMG has found.
• UTG calls for extension of bus funding schemes at the BudgetThe Urban Transport Group (UTG) has urged the government to extend the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), Bus Service Operators' Grant Plus (BSOG+) and the £2 national fare cap at the Budget on 30 October.
• Community transport has role in England bus reform, says ministerUnder-Secretary of State for Transport Simon Lightwood (pictured, third from left) has underlined the government's belief that community transport has a part to play in work to give greater local control of bus services in England.
• Usage success for Manchester bus franchising night service pilotAll-night journeys introduced to two bus services in Greater Manchester that are part of the first tranche of franchising carried around 7,000 passengers in the opening four weeks of their pilot period.
• Transport Manager CPC review called for by Traffic CommissionersThe Transport Manager (TM) CPC qualification should be subject to review in the same manner as is ongoing for Driver CPC, the Traffic Commissioners (TCs) have advocated.

Other News Sources

• Andy Burnham backs plan to bring HS2 back to north westANDY Burnham has appeared to back a rumoured plan to bring HS2 back to the north west.
• Update on plans to extend Sheffield tram network to Chesterfield using use old railway linesSouth Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard first announced that she was considering extending the Sheffield Supertram network to Chesterfield in April 2024.
• Lower-emissions transport: Electric trucks for electric componentsThe electrification of transport logistics for e-component production is gathering pace
• DNV slashes forecast for hydrogen use in road transport amid advances in battery-electric trucksHydrogen's expected share of global energy demand in the sector by 2050 reduced from 3% to 1% in new Energy Transition Outlook

News from Europe

• Cycling is a secret weapon against transport poverty help us secure its place in the EU Social Climate Fund!From 2026, €87 billion will be available through the EU Social Climate Fund for targeted purchase subsidies, cycling infrastructure projects, and bike-sharing schemes key tools to fight transport poverty