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

Saturday, 23 November 2024

BBC News

• Trains back on track after week of disruptionRail services between Shrewsbury and Birmingham International stations are back on track after a week of disruption.
• Key road connecting city set for improvementsConsultation on plans to improve the A4123 is under way after funds for improvements were allocated.
• Calls for safer cycling lanes after man dies in collision with lorryCampaigners want action after cyclist Gary McMahon was struck by a lorry in Belfast on Thursday.
• 'Getting station back could be big for our town'Locals have welcomed plans for a new railway station, saying it would attract investment to their town.
• Spain fines budget airlines including Ryanair €179mThe government says charging for hand luggage and printing boarding passes at the airport are "abusive practices".
• Two detained over Gatwick Airport 'suspect package'An explosive ordnance disposal team was deployed after a suspected prohibited item was found.

Financial Times

• Spain fines 5 low-cost airlines €179mn for ‘abusive’ practicesRyanair hit hardest as carriers ordered to stop charging extra fees for hand luggage and adjacent seat reservations

The Guardian

• Gatwick airport reopens terminal after bomb scare evacuationSecurity cordon lifted and train services resume as travel plans are disrupted for thousands of people Gatwick’s south terminal has reopened for passengers after a security alert caused disruption for thousands of people.Sussex police said they had released two people after concluding their investigation into reports of a suspect package at the airport. A bomb disposal team made the package safe, the force added in a statement on X. Continue reading...
• Hats off to Jaguar’s ‘inclusive’ new branding: now people of all backgrounds won’t buy its cars | Marina HydeIn the aftermath of Trump’s victory, the ad already looks like a period piece. But aside from that – I mean, seriously?There are many eve-of-the-offensive conversations I would love to have been a fly on the wall for. Inside the Trojan horse, say, with that Ancient Greek SAS unit bantering the day away, before busting out for their daring small-hours raid. Or inside the Jaguar marketing department, on the night before their new rebrand, as these crack experiential troops prepared to release this week’s new ad on an unsuspecting luxury car market. Picture the champagne corks p...

The Herald

• New CalMac CEO appointed as he vows to improve services for passengersDuncan Mackison insists his main focus is to improve every journey on a CalMac ferry and provide vital services to islanders after being appointed Chief Executive Officer.

The Independent

• Gatwick Airport latest: Travel chaos with flights cancelled and passengers stranded as update releasedA spokesperson said the security alert has now been resolved while passengers facing cancellations should contact their airlines
• Jaguar boss disappointed by ‘vile hatred and intolerance’ over new advertThe clip has prompted a backlash online.
• EasyJet launches its longest ever holiday flight from EnglandFancy six hours on an easyJet plane?

Times Online

• My unsettling day in the driverless Google taxi taking over California [subscription]Waymo robot cabs offer a smooth and only occasionally hair-raising trip - but how many of us will miss human interaction?
• ?Box-ticking bureaucrats? hold up donation of bikes to Sudan [subscription]Officials from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency say the 500 bicycles Nigel Carter has collected to be used as affordable transport were 'exporting waste'
• Ryanair fined €108m in Spain for 'abusive' extra charges [subscription]Authorities impose fines on five low-cost airlines, including easyJet and Vueling, for adding fees for extra hand luggage and reserving seats

Daily Express

• The UK train station with three most unreliable routes that rarely run on timeIt's not good news for anyone based in and around the area, especially this Christmas.

Daily Record

• Buses in Scotland 'too dear and too unreliable' as calls grow for public control of servicesThe Poverty Alliance is urging the SNP Government to support more councils to bring buses back under local control.

The Mirror

• EasyJet explains why cancellation fees can cost more than your ticketA customer was frustrated to get no refund

Sky News

• Gatwick: What are your rights if your flight is affected?Gatwick Airport's South Terminal has been heavily disrupted after a 'suspected prohibited item' was discovered in luggage, leaving passengers in limbo.

Birmingham Mail

• Drivers warned they are being secretly filmed on these motorways and busy roadsDangerous drivers have been warned they never know when they might be being filmed

Bristol Live

• Ryanair, easyJet and others fined millions over 'abusive' feesThe airlines have been fined for charging people extra for things like cabin hand luggage, though Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has said the fines are 'illegal'

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Almost 50 roads and one industrial estate may revert to 30mph in North Wales countyIn submissions, only 6% of people opposed changing Wrexham's 20mph roads. Here's a full list of roads that now could go back to 30mph in the county
• People evacuated from Chester bus and railway station in 'bomb scare'Train services were disrupted until close on Friday and the North Wales main line was affected

The York Press

• Busy North Yorkshire bus station to get £500k revampNorth Yorkshire Council has announced a £500,000 scheme to give Tadcaster bus station a makeover.
• York could be trailblazer for new bus services, says Government ministerYork and North Yorkshire could be a trailblazer for the future running of bus services, the transport secretary has said.

Wales Online

• DVLA big change that affects every driver in the UKThe DVLA has announced a new service that will change car tax renewals in the UK, allowing drivers to go digital and pay their vehicle excise duty even if they have lost their V5C log book
• Drivers hate this 'scary' section of M4 in Wales 'I hate driving when it’s raining on that particular part of the M4. It’s scary'

Bucks Free Press

• Wycombe bus users give views on services after calls for London-style franchise modelBus users in High Wycombe have shared their views on services following calls for Bucks Council to adopt a London-style franchise model.

North Wales Live

• Ryanair, easyJet and others fined millions over 'abusive' feesThe airlines have been fined for charging people extra for things like cabin hand luggage, though Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has said the fines are 'illegal'

Other Regional Press

• Oxford train stations still quieter than before the pandemicTrain station footfall in Oxford continues to lag behind the levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show.
• Motorists could be fined twice for driving through ZEZ and traffic filtersMotorists in Oxford could be fined twice for driving through roads within the ZEZ that have traffic filters, should the proposals come into place.
• Newcastle Airport launches flights to Berlin as Eurowings announce destinationThe twice-weekly service will be the only regular direct flight to Berlin from the North East and Yorkshire regions
• Huddersfield Railway Station revamp latest as we take a look behind the scenesMajor works are ongoing as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade
• Little-known Yorkshire train station 'gem of a find' with craft beer and gin bar‘One visitor described The Track and Sleeper as a great welcome to Knaresborough right on the platform!’
• Spain driving rule changes for UK tourists that could see Brits fined up to £2,500The Direccion General de Trafico (DGT) is introducing three new rules that drivers in Spain need to know when travelling on dual carriageways and motorways from 2025
• CGI shows planned new bus access into Nuneaton town centreThe image is of the Newdegate Street/Abbey Street area

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Rapid charging tram-like buses launched on London’s longest routeTransport for London (TfL) has introduced new "tram-like" buses powered by pantograph technology, now operating on one of London’s longest bus routes, connecting Crystal Palace and Orpington. The project is the result of a collaboration between TfL, Go-Ahead London, and Spanish bus and coach manufacturer Irizar. According to TfL, the pantograph system on Route 358 enables rapid, high-power charging of the buses at both ends of the 15-mile route. This technology employs an arm-like structure attached to the roof of the buses, allowing them to recharge in j...

Other News Sources

• Liverpool Street named busiest station in Britain 2023-24The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) confirmed this, with the station seeing more than 14 million additional entries and exits compared to the previous year.
• 'The idea of locating a bus station close to the trains at the railway station'This week's Hampshire Chronicle covers two stories that affect bus services in our city - firstly the all-important future of the bus station and secondly the experimental pedestrian crossing on Romsey Road by Clifton Terrace. I am a bus industry professional with experience dating back to the 1970s and have also made a careful study of local bus operations in our congested city covering the hundred years or so since 1920, and I'd like to comment on both issues.
• Gatwick Airport reopens terminal after package triggers security alertGatwick Airport's South Terminal  was closed to new passengers for more than four hours on Friday as Sussex Police deployed its bomb disposal unit because of “the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage”.