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

Tuesday, 10 December 2024

Cogitamus

• Chris Stokes reflects on a long railway career in his final KeepingTrack columnI joined British Rail at the start of 1967 in the Signalling and Telecommunications Department of the then London Midland Region. I was sponsored by BR through university, making me relatively wealthy compared with most of my contemporaries – at the princely salary of £550 per annum!

BBC News

• Pupils to demonstrate against school bus cuts planPupils angry at plans to axe two school bus services are set to demonstrate outside Bradford's City Hall as councillors meet to discuss the cuts.
• Station gets country's first AVA bridge with liftsA Suffolk railway station will be the first in the country to have an accessible AVA bridge, which will include fully-operational lifts.
• Train graffiti 'completely unacceptable' - c2cThe rail operator c2c has condemned what it calls "completely unacceptable" vandalism, after several of its train carriages were covered in graffiti. The spray-painted carriages were seen at Laindon station, near Basildon, on Monday morning.
• Pier's railway work still on track despite weatherThe railway line along a Victorian pier will reopen in May next year after a nine-month closure, according to Network Rail.

Financial Times

• Legal hands pilot launch of green shipping dealAdvisers help navigate the competition and antitrust concerns for association promoting low-carbon marine fuels
• Euston HS2 project costs rise to more than £7.5bnPrice of extending high-speed rail line into central London set out in confidential government documents

The Guardian

• Tesla lobbied UK to strengthen rules on carbon emissions from cars and lorriesElon Musk carmaker pushed for British government to introduce rules for HGVs, as it readies Semi truck. Tesla lobbied the UK government to strengthen rules on carbon emissions from cars and lorries, according to documents that also show the electric carmaker continued to push for increased taxes on fossil fuel cars.The US carmaker, which is run by Elon Musk, pushed for the British government to strengthen its zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate for cars and introduce equivalent rules for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), in a letter to Lilian Greenwood, the Labour roads minister.

The Scotsman

• Wonder why it's cheaper to fly than take a train? Here's one big reasonA survey of 27 train operators across Europe finds rail travel is relatively expensive in the UK

City AM

• British rail firms have the most expensive tickets in Europe British train companies are the priciest in Europe, new analysis has revealed. A study from campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) listed Great Western Railway (GWR) Eurostar and Avanti West Coast as the top three most expensive European train firms by ticket price.
• Airlines battle for a slice of the Arctic -who stands to gain? Demand for Arctic travel is booming, driven by attractions such as the Northern Lights. Who stands to gain?

Bolton News

• Rail firm never discussed fax machines with unions despite blaming them for useUnder-fire train company bosses who blamed rail unions for the use of fax machines have never spoken to them about modernising their technology, it has emerged.
• Taxi drivers to be given access to £30m fund to switch to electric vehiclesBolton Council wants private hire and hackney carriage vehicles to comply with the Euro 6 and Euro 4 standards, or be electric, by the end of next year.
• Council seeks talks with Uber and independent taxi test centreHyndburn Council is looking at granting Uber a licence to operate in the borough and if it can set up an independent MOT centre.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• MP Judith Cummins on plans to cut school bus servicesThis week's column comes from Judith Cummins, Labour MP for Bradford South
• Northern admits fax machines should play 'no part' in running of 21st century railwayUnder-fire train company bosses who blamed rail unions for the use of fax machines have never formally spoken to them about modernising their technology, it has emerged.

Bristol Live

• More bus lanes 'welcome' as major changes proposed for key Bristol routeThe committee will be asked to approve proposals to submit an outline business case for nearly £1m in order to fund construction of the scheme

London Evening Standard

• Is the Elizabeth line a Tube line? Route named 'most popular' on London UndergroundThe prices on Zone 1 of the London Underground are the same as those on the Elizabeth line's central portion

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Northern announces new rail timetable coming into effect from this SundayA new rail timetable comes into effect across the region on Sunday, December 15
• Tyne and Wear Metro app upgrade plans as boss promises 'step change' for passengersNexus managing director Cathy Massarella admits that better communication with Metro passengers is needed, with a big upgrade to the service's Pop app due in 2025

This Is Local London Network

• Superloop buses: speeding away from limboDespite having only travelled on the SL2 (Superloop bus 2) for the better part of a miniscule 3 months, its impact and gravitas cannot be understated to the slightest.

Wales Online

• Major roads could be changed in Cardiff to make it easier to take the busA public consultation on the council's plans launched on Monday, December 9 and will run for seven weeks

Cambridge News

• Stowmarket railway station 'first in the country' to get accessible footbridgeThe ‘AVA’ bridge includes fully-operational lifts

South Wales Argus

• Plan for 'bus corridors' to improve travel to CardiffA number of changes could be made to roads across Cardiff including introducing new bus lanes and stopping pavement parking to encourage more people to use public transport.

Other Regional Press

• Bolton to Wigan rail electrification set to go live on New Years DayTHE long-awaited electrification of the railway route between Bolton and Wigan is set to go live on January 1.
• Busy roads to go back to 30mph in 'confusing' plansSouthampton City Council has put plans into motion to scrap 20mph limits on four busy city centre roads - but only in certain parts.

Construction Enquirer

• Former Heathrow boss joins Mace in board rejigMace has brought in the former chief executive of Heathrow Airport as a non-executive director in final appointment to a rejigged group board from the start of next year.

New Civil Engineer

• DfT won't progress mayors' Birmingham to Manchester rail plan until HS2 Phase 1 completedThe Department for Transport (DfT) has no intention of progressing the proposals for a High Speed 2 (HS2) Phase 2 alternative from Birmingham to Manchester until Phase 1 is completed.
• House of Lords peer and Paralympian criticises inaccessibility of UK rail networkBaroness Tanni Grey-Thompson has criticised the inaccessibility of Great Britain's rail network, a week after the rail sector marked International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Rail Engineer

• Resurrecting Railways: lessons from two Scottish projectsThe DfT's 'Restoring Your Railway' initiative has raised hopes of extending England's rail passenger network. Yet Scotland has led the field in expanding its passenger network. This article describes the two largest completed projects and highlights best practice.

Rail Magazine

• Long-disused platform at Cleethorpes reopens to passengers after £1m refurbishmentCleethorpes' platform 4 has been reopened to passengers after years of being out of use. Network Rail has upgraded the platform, which until recently could only be used for stabling stock, to help ease congestion at the station.
• Fuel for GB Railfreight '99's announced as operator gives update on first class membersGB Railfreight has announced that its new Class 99 locos will use renewable fuels when operating on non-electrified parts of the UK rail network.
• First Class 175s move to GWR's Laira depot - but no deal signed yet to take them onThe first of 27 Class 175 diesel multiple units expected to move to Great Western Railway was collected from store at Ely on November 26 and taken overnight to Devon via Hereford.

Railway Gazette

• Swiss rail electrification firm opens Nottingham hub to help 'ditch dirty diesel'UK: Swiss electrification firm Furrer+Frey has chosen Nottingham as the base for its expanding UK operations, saying it will bring highly skilled engineering jobs to the East Midlands.

Transportxtra

• Why rail and rail stations are mission-critical for the UKAcross the UK, transport operators 'especially rail' and property development professionals are working together to deliver the Government's missions

Other News Sources

• Former Heathrow boss joins Mace boardFrom 1 January 2025, former Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye and Sylvia Metayer, former chief growth officer at Sodexo, will join as non-executives as Mace looks to expand hubs in the UK and Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the Americas and Asia Pacific.
• West Midlands offering free evening bus travel this weekTransport for West Midlands is offering free bus travel for all passengers after 7pm every night this week throughout the region.
• Oversite development being planned for London Victoria rail stationNetwork Rail is reportedly considering a major redevelopment of Victoria station, with an on-site office and housing as likely options.
• UK train fares are 'the highest in Europe', study findsTrain operators serving the UK are the most expensive in Europe, according to new analysis.