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

Wednesday, 06 November 2024

BBC News

• Mystery fires were Russian 'test runs' to target cargo flights to USThe attacks targeted couriers in Poland, Germany and the UK, Polish prosecutors say.
• Train safety system failed before mid Wales fatal crash, report saysDavid Tudor Evans died after the crash and four others were seriously injured.
• ‘Lessons learned’ after station collapse - MPAn MP meets with rail bosses after the collapse of a station roof three years ago.
• Network Rail redesigns Liverpool Street proposalsNetwork Rail says it has listened to concerns and new station plans "embrace Victorian features".
• Fire safety issues raised over EV bus depot plansLondon Fire Brigade says a fire in the planned basement depot could result in structural collapse.
• Bus drivers warn of fatigue and poor conditionsBus drivers marched in London to highlight issues such as a lack of toilets and insufficient breaks.
• Arran's main ferry could be out of service until late MarchCalMac said new problems had been uncovered on MV Caledonian Isles while the ship was in dry dock.
• Tube strikes called off after union talks London Underground drivers were due to walk out on 7 and 12 November.

Financial Times

• London Underground strikes called off after ‘improved’ pay offer Aslef union suspends planned walkout that would have caused major disruption to transport network
• Eurostar £39 ticket adverts banned by UK watchdog for second timeAdvertising Standards Authority said no evidence enough seats available for purchase at cheap fare during promotion

The Guardian

• Tube drivers call off planned strikes after ‘improved offer’Industrial action by Aslef members threatened to halt all London Underground servicesA planned strike by tube drivers that threatened to halt all London Underground services on Thursday has been called off, their union announced.Talks between Aslef officials and Transport for London management on Tuesday led to a “significantly improved offer”, according to the union. Continue reading...
• Planning rules have failed to link new homes to public transport, report findsA decade of planning policy has achieved nothing, leaving millions of people still dependent on cars, study showsA decade of planning rules designed to create housing connected to public transport routes has achieved nothing, a report has found, with millions of people in new homes still dependent on cars to get to local amenities.The study by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) looked at more than 1.6m homes given planning permission in England from 2012 to 2021, finding that while major housing developments are supposed to be designed around transport infrastructure, this has not happen...
• Watchdog rules Eurostar ads on social media for £39 seats were misleadingAdvertising Standards Authority censures posts on Instagram and Facebook for trips from London to Amsterdam and BrusselsCross-channel train operator Eurostar has been criticised by the advertising watchdog for exaggerating the number of £39 seats on sale.The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that Eurostar ads across Instagram and Facebook for £39 tickets from London to Amsterdam and Brussels were misleading, the second time it has censured its ads this year. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Boeing strike ends as workers accept new pay deal [subscription]Union members back contract which includes a 38 per cent pay rise spread over four years and enhanced pension contributions
• 'Shops with wings' - how low-cost airlines are beating the headwinds [subscription]A new business model is emerging as Wizz Air launches a subscription service and easyJet runs its own holiday company
• Electric car prices slashed to meet sales targets [subscription]More than a fifth of new vehicle registrations in October were for pure electric cars as manufacturers scrambled to meet zero-emission mandate and avoid fines
• Network Rail axes plans to put skyscraper on Liverpool Street station [subscription]Vocal opposition from heritage groups has led to the plan for a 21-storey tower being shelved, but a smaller project is still in the works
• Wales train crash: automated braking system failed to activate [subscription]Rail Accident Investigation Branch said it believed the system, which dispatches sand when it senses that the wheels are sliding during braking, was blocked

City AM

• Eurostar's £39 fare promotion blasted for being misleading - again Eurostar has been scolded by the advertising regulator for the second time this year, over how it presented Instagram and Facebook ads for £39 fares.

This is Money

• Crippling Boeing strike finally ends after seven weeks as workers approve new pay dealAround 30,000 Boeing employees walked out on 13 September, slowing aircraft production and plunging the company further into crisis.
• Sales of new cars slump as drivers shun electric and diesel vehiclesIndustry body, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said 144,288 new cars were registered in October, compared to 153,529 during the same month last year.

Birmingham Post

• Big Bus Tours Group slashes losses by $50m, sees revenue surge across global marketsBig Bus Tours Group - which also operates in the USA, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe - has posted its financial statements for the year ending April 30, 2024

Bolton News

• One-way system and 20mph limit planned for town centreA one-way road system and 20mph speed limit are set to be introduced in Ramsbottom town centre.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Leeds Bradford Airport marks 40-year runway expansion anniversaryLeeds Bradford Airport is marking the 40-year anniversary of its runway expansion.

Bristol Live

• Bristol bus lane plans criticised over claims of ‘traffic vandalism’Work is expected to start soon on a key route running through the north of the city
• M49 'ghost junction' one step closer after years of delaysThe infamous 'ghost junction' on a major motorway just outside Bristol is one step closer to being finished. Despite the M49 having Junction 1 built, it was never joined to the local road network and remains destinationless.
• Eurostar mislead travellers with £39 ticket claim, says watchdogThe ASA has revealed how many tickets could actually be bought at the advertised price

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Major update issued on Welsh train crash that left one dead and four seriously hurtEleven other people were injured when two Transport for Wales trains collided head on

Wales Online

• Rail crash investigators give major update after trains collide in WalesOne passenger died and four were seriously injured when two Transport for Wales trains collided in Powys. Now new details about the crash have emerged

Burnley Express

• One-way system and 20mph limit planned for town centreA one-way road system and 20mph speed limit are set to be introduced in Ramsbottom town centre.

Cambridge News

• Call for Mayor funding to be used to keep £2 bus fares after government announces increaseThe government announced it would extend the single bus fare cap into the new year, but said the fare cap would increase to £3
• Innovative solutions needed to fix ‘significantly’ damaged Fen roadsCouncillors hope new technologies can be found to repair “significantly” damaged peat affected roads in the Fenland area.

Other Regional Press

• Time is ticking as Botley Road answers could be months awayAnswers on when the Botley Road in Oxford will reopen to traffic at the rail bridge could still be months away.
• Police launch road safety initiative with mandatory roadside test for driversRandom checks will be conducted across the country to catch poorly-sighted motorists
• Major change to Coventry buses set to come into force after ChristmasBuses will be undergoing a huge change as part of a £140m project by the Department for Transport

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• National Express announces adding thousands more seats on key intercity and airport routesCoach and airport transfer company, National Express, has announced they are boosting their network on key intercity and airport routes. The coach operator stated that from 4 December its adding over 16,000 seats per week on popular services following a 25% increase of customers in 2023.  National Express said services between London and Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Leicester, London Heathrow, Newcastle, Newport, Nottingham and Manchester will benefit. Ed Rickard, Network Director at National Express, said: “We recognise the growing need for reliable, affordable a...
• New 30-acre rail freight and logistics hub planned for former Olympic site in LondonThe London Legacy Development Corporation has unanimously approved an outline masterplan to transform over 30 acres of brownfield land at Bow Goods Yard in East London into a major new rail freight and logistics hub. The industrial-led masterplan, submitted by Network Rail Property, will see up to 3 million square feet of new floorspace created, including heavy and light industrial space as well as a range of complementary leisure uses. The development will serve as a crucial last mile logistics facility for the capital, helping to take up to 90,000 HGV movements per year off the national ro...

Rail Magazine

• Call for government to announce rail investment plans after survey finds almost half predict industry contractionThe Railway Industry Association (RIA) has called for the government to set out an investment schedule after a survey found almost half believe industry will contract in the next year

Railnews

• Welsh train in fatal collision had blocked sanders Accident investigators have confirmed that the fatal head-on collision on the Cambrian line in mid-Wales on 21 October was caused by wheel slip, and that although the driver of the affected train made an emergency brake application the automatic sanders which should have been triggered by the slipping wheels were blocked.

Other News Sources

• London Underground station to close for 9 weekends as 17-storey development built on topAffordable homes, student rooms and office space will be included in the development
• Bus station's £800,000 makeover aims to improve town's public transportA bus station has received an £800,000 makeover with modern shelters and wireless charging points for passengers.

EIN News Subscription

• EasyJet release millions of seats in Edinburgh sale for 2025 budget getawaysBudget airline easyJet has released millions of the UK, or explore Europe’s most loved cities, easyJet enjoy great value fares to Europe’s most popular leisure destinations
• Western officials suspect Russia behind plot to put incendiary packages on cargo planesand arson attacks in Europe this year. Several officials … , as well as other EU and NATO members, had or critical infrastructure such as airports, airplanes and other vehicles, and the cargo plane incidents. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration
• Bristol Airport wants an even bigger expansion planof Bristol airport Dave Lees (Image: John Myers) The new ‘transport hub’ will arriving by public transport has doubled in the past facilities for public transport. It’s going to more as those caused by European air traffic control strikes last summer.”