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

Tuesday, 24 December 2024

Cogitamus

• Merry Christmas from TransportInfo !We will be taking a short break over the festive season. TransportInfo will not be updated between 25 December 2024 and 1 January 2025. We will be back on Thursday 2 January 2025.

BBC News

• Door-to-door bus service a lifeline, charity saysA transport service that takes residents in rural parts of Leicestershire on day trips and to the shops is approaching 30 years of operation.
• Busiest Christmas for Gatwick since the pandemicGatwick Airport is expected to experience its busiest festive season since the pandemic, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
• Clarity needed over Holyhead reopening, say hauliersA lack of clarity over the Holyhead reopening date has exacerbated issues for haulage companies.
• Passengers arrive at Belfast airport despite disruptionThe airport reopened on Monday, a day after its runway closed when a plane was damaged in a "hard landing".
• Honda and Nissan join forces to take on China in carsThe firms want to strengthen their offerings in the face of Chinese competition in the electric vehicle sector.
• Consultation launched over petrol car phase-outThe government says it will "restore clarity" for vehicle manufacturers and the charging industry.

Department for Transport

• Industry encouraged to shape UK transition to zero emission vehiclesSeeking views on how to restore the 2030 phase out date for new purely petrol and diesel cars and make the transition to zero emission vehicles a success.

Financial Times

• FedEx looks to deliver value by uncoupling freight trucking divisionMove should unlock immediate gains for shareholders, but won’t tackle the logistics group’s bigger problem
• Airlines see busiest Christmas season on record Consumers in UK and US still prioritising holidays and travel over other discretionary spending, say industry bosses

The Guardian

• Paris to Berlin by train is now faster by five hours. We try out the new serviceThe new direct daytime route, via Strasbourg, sweeps through enchanting landscapes from vineyards to forests. But some say it needs to be quicker still if the train is to be more attractive than flying

The Independent

• Why did Heathrow cancel flights so early?The basic issue: concern that strong winds would disrupt the normal pattern of arrivals and departures at the UK?s busiest airport. Heathrow has only two runways.
• Government aims to 'restore clarity with consultation on petrol car phase-outTransport Secretary Heidi Alexander has launched the consultation to ask for views from industry.

Times Online

• Train hit fallen tree at 84mph after warning not passed to driver [subscription]A member of the public reported the hazard near Dundee 12 minutes before the train hit it, but the call-centre worker was unable to reach Network Rail in time

City AM

• Honda and Nissan unveil merger plans as talks continue Honda and Nissan have signed a deal to proceed with talks to unify under a joint holding company, it has been announced.
• IAG shares: Ambitious British Airways will deliver, say analysts Analysts are backing British Airways for a bumper 2025 as the UK's flag carrier pushes ahead with a £7bn transformation plan.

Birmingham Post

• Nissan confirms merger talks with Honda to create automotive giantNissan has been facing major challenges in recent weeks but the impact on its Sunderland plant is not clear
• IAG shares set to benefit as British Airways pushes ahead with £7bn transformationThe IAG share price has been on a tear since the UK lifted its Covid-19 restrictions, surging 95.9 per cent in 2024 amid booming travel demand, and analysts believe there is more upside to come.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• £35 million road scheme to go out to public consultation in New YearDETAILS of a £35 million scheme to improve a busy Bradford route will be revealed in the New Year.
• FareShare Yorkshire services to gain boost after LNER van donationLNER, which runs direct train services between Bradford Forster Square and London, has provided a new van to a food charity.
• FareShare Yorkshire services to gain boost after LNER van donationLNER, which runs direct train services between Bradford Forster Square and London, has provided a new van to a food charity.

Bucks Free Press

• Fewer major Buckinghamshire roads meeting standards, new data showsFewer major roads in Buckinghamshire are meeting adequate standards, new data has shown.

Other Regional Press

• New Derbyshire rail training centre is on track after council agrees lead contractorChesterfield Borough Council?s innovative railway training centre project is moving full steam ahead as part of the ?25.2m StaveleyTown Deal regeneration scheme, after the final funding elements have been agreed with plans to appoint a project contractor.
• Passengers can travel for free on Coventry buses on New Years DayMayor Richard Parker said he hopes the initiative will help people 'avoid the stress' of driving on New Years Day
• New giant 'loop' bus service to be launched in Milton Keynes next month to connect key destinationsBus operator Arriva is launching a new bus service that will run in a giant loop to connect key destinations around Milton Keynes.

Rail Magazine

• ORR statistics shows operators revenue return to growthThere were just under 450 million journeys made by passengers between July and September this year, a 9% increase on the same quarter in 2023, according to the Office of Rail and Road, which has released its quarterly statistics. There was further good news for operators as revenue also saw an 11% uplift, bolstering hopes that the rail network is beginning to return to its pre-covid levels.

Other News Sources

• Pre-Christmas works completed on c2c network with 50-year-old-rail replacedEngineers have completed track and station improvement works on the c2c route to help boost reliability and the passenger experience.
• Contractor named for Derbyshire rail innovation and training centreA contractor has been appointed to create a rail innovation and training centre in Derbyshire.
• Cornwall Airport Newquay prepares for new era with significant upgradesCornwall Airport Newquay completed a number of significant upgrades in 2024, which it called a year of "significant progress".
• Self-Driving Test by DHL Completed at HeathrowA Ford Mondeo fitted with technology from Oxa has successfully negotiated a 14-day pilot at the airport