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

Tuesday, 28 January 2020

BBC News

• Northern Rail: Your tales of 'atrocious' serviceCommuters and business owners in one village express their frustration about rail disruption.
• £500m fund to restore Beeching rail cuts goes ahead amid criticismThe transport secretary is to unveil the first two railway lines to receive funding to restore rural services.

Financial Times

• Boeing upsizes new debt fundraising to $12bnAircraft manufacturer originally sought $10bn to cover mounting costs of Max crisis
• Flybe rescue complicated by mortgaging of assetsLack of collateral raises spectre of unsecured high-interest government loan
• Ministers set to renationalise failed Northern rail franchiseUK government to invest £500m towards reopening defunct lines as it tries to contain network crisis

The Guardian

• Manchester cycle network plan could be national blueprint, says BurnhamMayor urges backing as report sets out predicted gains from walking and cycling schemeA joined-up cycling and walking network in Greater Manchester could provide a national blueprint for reducing congestion and air pollution and improving health, a report says.Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, and Chris Boardman, the region’s cycling and walking commissioner, are calling on the government to back plans for an 1,800-mile network of protected routes for pedestrians and cyclists. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Ministers announce £20m new station boost for Beeching towns  

Times Online

• Thomas Cook advisers are on board as Flybe seeks funding [subscription]The government has brought in the same turnaround advisers used during the collapse of Thomas Cook to counsel ministers on how much cash they should inject into Flybe.
• £500m to reverse Beeching’s rail cuts [subscription]A £500 million fund to resurrect railway lines axed under the Beeching cuts will be unveiled today as part of a plan to rebalance the economy.
• Third Heathrow runway at odds with carbon-neutral target [subscription]Senior scientists have called for the planned third runway at Heathrow to be scrapped, saying it is inconsistent with the government’s legally binding commitment to make the UK carbon neutral by 2050.
• E-scooters on UK roads set for the green light [subscription]Electric scooters will be legalised on roads and cycle lanes for the first time under government plans to encourage green transport.
• Expansion of smart motorways must stop now, MPs warn [subscription]The introduction of smart motorways is being carried out with a “shocking degree of carelessness” and should be halted immediately, according to a cross-party group of MPs and peers.

Mail Online

• MPs accuse road bosses of a 'shocking degree of carelessness' over smart motorway roll-outFurious MPs are urging Highways England to halt construction of the new roads for three years so safety improvements can be made.

The Mirror

• Tory pledge of £500m to reopen railways would build 'just a meaningless 25 miles'Transport Secretary Grant Shapps today will announce plans to "undo the damage of the Beeching cuts" fifty years ago which shuttered stations across the country.

Belfast Telegraph

• MOT tests for cars and light vehicles in Northern Ireland suspendedAll MoT tests for cars and light vehicles have been suspended “with immediate effectâ€�, the Department for Infrastructure announced last night.

Birmingham Post

• Teesside takes-off with Flybe franchise to UK capitals and moreLondon, Belfast, Cardiff and Dublin will be served by Eastern Airways team as strong network developed from North East
• 'It's cheaper to fly to Europe than take the train to London'A Cardiff businessman says the cost of train travel between Wales and London is of 'huge concern'
• What the East Midlands should be doing to get more cash out of Boris JohnsonDerby inward investment chief believes the region should follow the example of the ‘two Andys’

Bolton News

• Bee Network: £15m plans to get Bolton families off the roads approved - but now it needs Government cash before it stalls A MULTI-million pound scheme to get children in Bolton walking to school and adults out of their cars needs Government cash to drive it forward.
• Bolton passengers urged to sign up for bus fightPASSENGERS and residents are being urged to sign a petition to try and save a threatened bus service.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Leeds Bradford Airport wants flights from 6amLeeds Bradford Airport chiefs hope to extend the facility’s so-called ‘daytime’ hours to begin at 6am as part of plans to revamp the airport’s capacity.

London Evening Standard

• TfL spent £8m paying staff for time off to attend official union dutiesTransport For London spent £8 million last year paying staff for time off to attend official union duties.
• Cabinet minister says 'taking plunge on HS2' may be the right thing to doA second Cabinet minister today hinted that HS2 will get the go-ahead.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• HS2 decision could be made this week as Government prepares to announce green light for phase oneGovernment expected to announce go-ahead for southern section of HS2 but fate of northern legs is unclear
• Rail Minister announces £1.5 million to help re-open Northumberland rail lineMetro operator Nexus is also announcing the manufacturer of a new fleet of trains

Northern Echo

• Business case submitted with plans for £100m Darlington station refurbishmentPLANS to dramatically overhaul a railway station have taken a step forward with a bid for Government funding.

The York Press

• York Railway Station, where engineering becomes art PLANS are afoot to improve the frontage of York Railway Station, to make it easier to use for buses, taxis, cyclists and pedestrians.

Yorkshire Post

• This is why most of Yorkshire's closed railways won't re-open under the 'reverse Beeching fund'Transport secretary Grant Shapps has promised £500million of funding to go towards reconnecting communities that lost their rail links in the 1960s.

Cambridge News

• Plans for massive redevelopment of Peterborough train station are unveiledThe multimillion pound redevelopment hopes to create a 'new gateway' into the city

East Anglian Daily Times

• Union brands shock airport expansion decision ‘flawed’ and ‘short-sighted’Union chiefs have slammed a shock decision to block plans to expand Stansted airport as “short-sighted” and damaging to jobs.
• Would you like to see regular car free days in Woodbridge?Woodbridge is to hold up to eight town centre car-free days this year after a successful experiment proved popular.

Leeds Live

• Northern Rail named most improved brand in UK ahead of Netflix, Greggs and IKEAIt beat thousands of brands to take top spot

Other Regional Press

• Oxford railway line's future on agenda at Growth Board meetingPLANS to reopen the Cowley branch line could hit the buffers if the Oxford mainline is not upgraded, according to a new report.
• Council to fork out £18m for rail stationControversial plans for a commuter railway station in a village have moved a step closer.
• Pictures of new superferriesThe biggest ships to cross the English Channel will start their journeys in three years — here are the first pictures of what they will look like.
• Smart motorways like M62 blamed for increase in 'near misses'Huddersfield road safety campaign urges re-think on schemes that scrap the hard shoulder

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• New powers for the police to enforce drone lawsThe government has acted to give police forces across the country new powers to tackle the misuse of unmanned aircraft, including drones, as the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Bill has its second reading in Parliament. The legislation will give the police new powers to land, inspect and seize drones if an offence has been committed and a warrant is secured. Drone users could also face an on the spot fine for certain offences such as failing to provide evidence that they have the correct permissions and exemptions if found to be flying their device too high or too close to build...
• World’s largest twin-engine jet completes first flightBoeing has successfully completed the first test flight of the world's largest twin-engined plane, the 777X. It comes as the firm attempts to boost its image after its 737 Max plane was grounded last year following two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. The flight took off near Seattle and lasted four hours. Two attempts were called off this week due to high winds. Further tests are needed before the aircraft enters service with Emirates next year. The 252-foot-long passenger plane had been due to launch this year but has been delayed by some technical difficulties. The 777X is a large...
• Go North East to launch innovative pollution-busting bus to help clean up urban airGo North East, part of the Go-Ahead Group, is rolling out its unique ‘Air Filtering Bus’ to help tackle pollution in Newcastle and Gateshead and will be deployed to rotate across a variety of routes in the area. Go North East is part of Go-Ahead’s national roll out of its Air Filtering Bus into six cities throughout the UK as the group accelerates plans to have the greenest fleet of buses in the country. The single-decker buses – which strip pollutant particles from the air as they drive – are also being deployed in Brighton, Manchester, Oxford, Plymouth and Cra...
• Uber logs 28,000 safety complaints about London driversNearly 28,000 safety-related complaints were made about Uber drivers in London in a six-month period, it has emerged. The safety concerns were among almost 600,000 complaints made to the firm between December 2018 and May 2019. The figures were included in a newly released letter from Transport for London (TfL) which sets out its reasons for not granting Uber a private hire vehicle operator licence. Uber said safety was its
• Third generation mariner to turbocharge the future of maritime’s brightest talentA third-generation mariner has been appointed chair of a new skills commission, Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani announced during her visit to the Port of Tilbury. Professor Graham Baldwin will lead the Maritime Skills Commission, which is being set up to better understand the existing and future skills needs of the industry both on land and at sea. It will future proof training for the 220,100 people working in the sector, including for the 27,000 employed at ports around the country. Starting work in the coming months, the commission will bring together leading maritime experts to report on t...
• More towns and cities to get air-filtering busesBuses that filter pollution from the atmosphere are to be introduced to six more towns and cities after a trial. Go-Ahead's buses have fans on the roof that suck particles into filters. The technology was trialled on the company's Bluestar buses in Southampton and resulted in 65g of pollutants - the weight of a tennis ball - removed from the air in a 100-day period. The buses will be rolled out in Oxford, Plymouth, Newcastle, Manchester, Crawley and Brighton from the summer. A further five buses are also due to be brought into service in Southampton next month. Go-Ahead chief executive Da...
• Financing decarbonisation of the freight transport sectorCILT members are invited to join Decarbonising UK Freight Transport on 18th February for expert led discussions on enabling greater investment in freight transport decarbonisation. Held at Country Hall, London, the event will consist of This event will consist of panel led and group discussions that will seek to answer questions on the following topics: 1. The nature of decisions investors are making today, that have an effect on decarbonisation 2. The thresholds and accuracy of evidence that investors need to make decarbonisation-aligned decisions 3. The stakeholders that they need to &ls...
• Bus use falling steeply in England but new markets emergingA new report by the Independent Transport Commission (ITC), Britain’s leading pan-transport think tank, uncovers major changes in travel behaviour across the bus market in England over the past decade. Against a backdrop of falling overall bus usage in spite of significant population growth, the report shows that the traditional core market for the bus has been shrinking. Today’s bus travel is shaped around a smaller number of higher-intensity users, with each passenger outside London making an additional 5% journeys than in 2009. The report – “The shape of changing bus...

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 boss tops government’s ‘high earners list’High Speed 2 (HS2) chief executive Mark Thurston has topped the government’s ‘highest earners list’ for senior officials, taking home an annual wage of £620,000.

Rail Technology Magazine

• ORR launch signalling systems market studyThe Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has today (Jan 27) opened a market study into the supply of rail signalling systems. The study will aim to examine issues within the rail signalling marketplace and address them if appropriate, taking into account various economic drivers, consumer patterns and...
• Ep. 6. Unlocking the potential of NPR, Tim WoodDirector Northern Powerhouse Rail and Transport for the North, Tim Wood, joins us in the RTM Podcast room to discuss benefits and opportunities the NPH Rail can bring. Gain insider information on the progress of Northern Powerhouse Rail from the Director himself. With hosts Emily Rodgers...
• 120 NPH leaders call for HS2 to be delivered in fullOver 120 senior business leaders from within the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands have signed an open letter to Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, urging him to commit to HS2 in full. The letter, published on behalf of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, outlines the importance of completing HS2...

Railnews

• Northern franchise likely to end within days Transport secretary Grant Shapps is reported to be preparing an announcement about the ending of the Northern franchise, which seems likely to be made on Thursday. The chances of the present Arriva Trains North contract being replaced by a shorter-term alternative are now being discounted in favour of a complete return to public ownership under the Department for Transport™s Operator of Last Resort. A return of Northern to public control is set to be welcomed by politicians in the north of England, some of whom have been voicing opposition to a new, shorter management contract staying in the ...

Other News Sources

• Urban Transport Group responds to NHS campaign to tackle climate change Monday, January 27, 2020   The Urban Transport Group has welcomed the launch of the NHS’ campaign ‘For A Greener NHS’ designed to tackle the climate “health emergencyâ€�, which it announced this weekend. Topic:  Sustainability Health and Wellbeing
• Transport boss in East Lancs rail pledgeREGIONAL transport bosses have promised to fight for the rights of East Lancashire railway users amid uncertainty over the future of services.
• Southampton Airport expansion special meetingPLANS to expand Southampton Airport are to be scrutinised at a special meeting next week. (Jan 28)