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

Saturday, 15 January 2022

BBC News

• Coventry's 'very light' railway to be UK firstCoventry is to become home to the UK's first "very light" rail line as part of a £1.3bn travel plan.

Financial Times

• Bolt increases fares 10% for London ridesRide-hailing gets more expensive as apps contend with stiffer rules and a shortage of drivers
• If air travel has lost its charm, that’s no bad thingWe should be relieved the pandemic is weaning people off flying, and use the pause to boost green aviation
• Airbus dominates single-aisle jet production driving rebound in sectorEuropean manufacturer leads way over US rival Boeing in powerful pandemic revival of deliveries and future orders

The Independent

• Ministerial manoeuvres leave rail in the darkWho’d be a government minister? Sure, you get to announce plans for spending other people’s money; you are invited to open things on which taxpayers’ cash has previously been lavished; and, from what I can tell, you and are driven around in fancy cars. But imagine being a minister in the Department for Transport (DfT), responsible for the decarbonisation of transport at a time when the railways are imploding.

The Scotsman

• British Airways suspends Inverness-Heathrow flights after Covid cuts demandBritish Airways is to temporarily suspend its Inverness-Heathrow route because of “extremely low demand” during the Covid pandemic.

Times Online

• Smart motorways were a tragic misjudgment [subscription]If we’d listened to commonsense voices instead of technocratic blather, life-saving hard shoulders would still be in place
• Smart motorway plan for night-only hard shoulders [subscription]Ministers are considering turning the inside lane of smart motorways into a hard shoulder at night in an effort to reduce the risk of collisions.

The National

• Mark Ruskell: Public transport is being put at heart of Covid recoveryPUBLIC transport is central to our lives. It influences where we live, where we work and where and when we see our friends and family.

Bolton News

• Common logo plans could make Bolton taxis 'bigger targets' for attacks, drivers fearPLANS to introduce Greater Manchester wide liveries for taxis, that were originally meant to be common colours, could make drivers

Manchester Evening News

• This bus station has been rated the worst in Greater Manchester - but no-one seems to know why'Who's making these comments? They want to go to a few other stations then come back here'
• London to Manchester trains cut from Monday as rail services reducedTrains from London to Manchester will only run once an hour from Monday as rail operators cut services with the aim of making their services more reliable.

Nation. Cymru

• You’ll have to walk up the Wyddfa: Snowdon train won’t reach the summit this yearVisitors to Wales’ highest mountain will have to complete at least part of the journey on foot this year after owners of the rail service up the mountain confirmed that it would not reach the summit in 2022.
• Councillors approve plan for new South Wales Metro railway depotPlans for a new railway depot for the South Wales Metro in Taff’s Well and highway works have been approved by councillors.

The York Press

• NORTH YORKSHIRE: Calls for blanket 20mph speed limit dismissed againCalls to introduce a default 20mph speed limit in built-up areas across North Yorkshire have again been unanimously dismissed after the highways authority said it would focus spending its road safety funding on areas it could make a bigger impact.

Wales Online

• First look at new zero-emission electric buses as they're launched in CardiffThe 36 new buses, which have wifi and USB ports for passengers, now account for 24% of Cardiff Bus' fleet of vehicles

Yorkshire Post

• Yorkshire train passengers 'not getting value for money' as services decline and fares rise, peer warnsYorkshire passengers are not getting value for money from train services as operations decline while fares rise, a peer has suggested.

Other Regional Press

• Hourly rail service demanded for NewtownA full hourly service and more freight transportation should be prioritised on the Cambrian Railway through Newtown, a passenger group has said.

New Civil Engineer

• Bennerley rail viaduct opens for pedestrians and cyclists after half-century of disrepairFormer railway structure Bennerley Viaduct, on the border of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, has re-opened to the public after 54 years of closure.

Rail Magazine

• New freight trips for Tesco and DRSTesco has partnered with Direct Rail Services (DRS) to launch a new refrigerated rail freight service from Tilbury to Coatbridge.

Rail Technology Magazine

• New Executive Director appointed by Transport for West MidlandsAnne Shaw has been appointed as the new Executive Director of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), having led the organisation over the past six months on an interim basis.

Railway Technology

• London Underground Bank branch to close for improvement worksClosure of the Bank branch of the Northern line on London’s Underground Network begins from this weekend, as Transport for London (TfL) carry out improvement works to the station.

The Business Desk

• Increase in transport charges part of LCR Combined Authority’s proposed budgetLiverpool City Region Combined Authority is proposing a one-off admin charge on concessionary travel passes in a bid to bolster its finances in the face of the pandemic.

Other News Sources

• 'I'd rather be in traffic': Surrey residents say smart motorways need to goThe Government is putting the rollout on hold but the M3 and M23 already have them in place
• TfW to trial more convenient ways to purchase rail ticketsThe pilot project will give Transport for Wales (TfW) customers within the South Wales Metro area the opportunity to purchase selected rail tickets for local journeys in a number of convenience stores.
• ScotRail open new customer lounge at Motherwell stationA new customer lounge area has opened at Motherwell train station as part of a large scale redevelopment project.
• Preferred design of Wixams train station revealed with 2024 completion still ‘on track’The long-awaited train station for Wixams is still on track to be completed by 2024, with a preferred design of the building being chosen.