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

Saturday, 02 November 2024

BBC News

• Tube strikes by RMT staff called off after talksThe RMT union calls off Tube strikes by its staff after pay talks with Transport for London.
• Major rail line to close for 16 weeksThe line between East Kilbride and Glasgow is set to close as part of an electrification upgrade.
• Boeing raises pay offer in bid to end seven-week strikeThe union representing more than 30,000 striking workers endorsed the offer and will hold a ballot on Monday.

Financial Times

• Decades of bus decline and what hampers Labour’s route forward Bus fare cap increase will have only limited effect as the Budget lacked proper funding boost to support services
• Ryanair warns air travel tax rises mean 10% of its UK flights could be cutCEO Michael O’Leary says decision to raise passenger duty ‘will deliver cuts, not growth’

The Guardian

• From Northern trains to Dolly Parton, the institutions that can’t quit the faxRail bosses admitted earlier this week they still use the surprisingly persistent technologyThere’s not much Dolly Parton and Northern rail bosses can claim to have in common. Frustrated commuters from Manchester to Middlesbrough might complain the train service barely works 9 to 5. What does unite the two is that neither can let go of the fax machine.Banned by the NHS in England and dropped by the Premier League after one too many player transfers crumbled amid faulty transmissions, the persistence of the screeching and buzzing fax was this week blamed for commuter misery by the mayor o...
• RMT union calls off tube strikes planned for coming weekAslef has not called off Thursday’s train driver action but is meeting London Underground on Monday for talksMembers of the RMT union at London Underground have called off plans to strike over the coming week, as transport officials urged tube train drivers to follow suit.The RMT said it had suspended its planned week-long action, which had been due to begin on Friday evening, after receiving a significantly improved pay offer from tube bosses. Continue reading...
• A huge, hideous Canary Wharf by Regent's Park: this could be the result of Labour’s plan for HS2 | Simon JenkinsWhere will Rachel Reeves find billions for a tunnel from Old Oak Common to Euston? Private development is one answerThe face said it all. As Rachel Reeves listed the infrastructure projects being funded by her first budget, she could not even say how much the biggest one would cost. She announced a £22.6bn cash injection for the NHS in England over two years and an extra £2.3bn a year in core funding for English schools. Television showed the relevant ministers cheering to the skies. But when she mentioned a certain railway tunnel from Old Oak Common to Euston in London, the transp...

The Herald

• Ryanair opens new ?5 million training academy at PrestwickRyanair has celebrated the opening of an engineering Training Academy at Prestwick Airport.

The Independent

• Birmingham Council latest to consider cycling ban in city centreCycling campaigners say the Birmingham City Council proposals would be ‘counterproductive’ to its transport strategy
• Japan plans automated cargo transport system to relieve shortage of drivers and cut emissionsJapan is planning an automated cargo transport corridor between Tokyo and Osaka to make up for a shortage of truck drivers

Times Online

• The M1 at 65: from free-wheeling speedway to a riot of roadworks [subscription]In 1959 Britain?s first motorway carried the hopes of a fast-moving future. Now figures reveal that average speeds have fallen to a record low

City AM

• Motor finance industry in crisis mode after landmark court ruling Motor finance providers are scrambling to avoid a full-blown market meltdown after a landmark London court ruling on "secret" car loan commissions sparked chaos across the sector.
• London Underground strikes called off after 'significantly improved' pay offer A planned strike by drivers on the London Underground has been called off after what the RMT union has described as a 'significantly improved offer' was proposed by bosses. Drivers had been due to walk out from this evening in a row over pay following a vote last month. At the time, the RMT branded [...]
• Ryanair to cancel one in ten UK flights in 2025 after Budget tax hike Ryanair has revealed plans to cut flights to and from UK airports by 10 per cent in 2025. The low-cost airline has said it is making the move after Labour’s decision to increase the tax on airline tickets in the autumn Budget. Criticising the spending statement, Ryanair's CEO Michael O’Leary said it has “damaged” UK [...]

Daily Express

• The incredible £3.4bn bridge between two countries that costs £52 to crossIt can cost as much as £183 for a vehicle to cross the bridge due to the tolling system.
• The incredible motorway maps that shows stark contrast between UK and EUThe maps show that the UK has one of the least extensive motorway systems in Europe.

This is Money

• As easy as booking a Lime bike: Tesla opens 17 'Self-Serve' test drive centres that let customers try its EVs using only the appTesla's Self-Serve  programme has expanded to almost 20 new locations across the UK with Elon Musk's brand sounding the death knell for the car salesman.
• RAY MASSEY: How I wish they'd scrap crazy electric car quotasThat's the strategy being pursued by the Government because of a green plan dreamed up by civil servants that could lead to a glut of expensive EVs.

Birmingham Mail

• Transport chief says minister set to give green light to Waterfront Metro linkCouncillors also told director had not heard of workers drinking beer on Metro construction site

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Budget pledge will mean extra trains between London and BradfordMore trains between Bradford and London will be introduced in May after funding for Bradford Forster Square Station was included in the Government’s Autumn Budget.
• Transport bosses asked if new £13m footbridge will be 'gold plated'Transport bosses have been asked whether a proposed pedestrian bridge in the District, expected to cost almost £13m, was going to be “gold plated.”
• Car dealership that has served Bradford for more than 70 years shutsA car dealership that has been serving Bradford for more than 70 years has closed.

Bristol Live

• Disabled transport campaigner says ferries in Bristol need to become more accessibleA longer term review of how people can get around via water transport is planned

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Car tax changes mean some drivers will pay up to £5,490 from April 1, 2025The Government has announced standard Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rates for cars, vans and motorcycles will increase in line with inflation
• 'As if Rhyl doesn’t struggle enough' - seafront car park decision slammedThe plan is designed to save money on energy costs and security guards

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Rail passengers in England facing price hike as fares set to rise next year The HM Treasury revealed further details about the increase in fares after the Budget
• Ryanair to cut UK flights by 10% as boss calls Budget air tax rise ‘idiotic’The planned reductions could result in five million fewer passengers at UK airports

Northern Echo

• Track repairs complete as part of plans to restore rail services to villageWork began in mid-September on a 0.75-mile section of track at Wensley, close to the site of the former Wensley Station.

The York Press

• Budget commitment to electrify York to Church Fenton rail line welcomedA commitment in this week’s Budget which is set to see the rail line between York and Church Fenton electrified by next year has been welcomed.

Burnley Express

• New bus gate plan for town centre 'to reduce journey times'A bus gate is set to be installed in an East Lancs town centre as a part of a major overhaul of its gyratory system.

North Wales Live

• One million drivers to pay more after car tax hikesWhile many measures were introduced in the Budget to support motorists, owners of a certain type of vehicle will need to pay road tax for the first time

Other Regional Press

• Oxford Buses app to 'revolutionise' how customers travelA new feature on the Oxford Buses app will 'revolutionise' how customers plan journeys, says Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel.
• Rail and Huddersfield Open Market plans secure funding as MPs praise decisionFunding for a number of projects in the area has been confirmed
• Drivers born in certain years could be hit with potential £85 test if they want to keep licenceDrivers over the age of 70 could be required to take an £85 resit of their driving tests under new rules, it has been warned by some road experts
• Chiltern Railways asks passengers to check journeys this weekendChiltern Railways has asked customers to check their journeys this weekend due to industrial action and fuel supply issues.
• ‘What’s happening to millions promised for ditched road improvements?’Councillors say it is “unacceptable” that junction upgrades have been axed after being allocated government and developer cash.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Yodel partners with InPost for 'Locker-to-Door' deliveriesIndependent parcel carrier Yodel has joined forces with InPost, one of Britain's largest out-of-home parcel locker network, to provide final-mile delivery services. The partnership will see Yodel handle hundreds of thousands of parcels through InPost's 'Locker-to-Door' service, delivering items from InPost lockers directly to customers' homes. Yodel said recipients can monitor their deliveries in real-time via the InPost mobile app. The collaboration aims to strengthen InPost's existing customer offering amid growing demand for their services. ...

EIN News Subscription

• Ryanair will axe thousands of UK flights after hike in air passenger duty: Boss Michael O'Leary blames Rachel Reeves' 'idiotic' tax grab which will cut capacity by 5million passengers on economy seats to European hotspots such as Spain, growth prospects and made air travel much more expensive so that low fare Airlines can grow tourism, traffic AirportsUK, described the announcement as disappointing The Tories&transport