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

Wednesday, 10 July 2024

BBC News

• Train fares cut in thanks for passengers' 'patience'Fares will be cut on a rail line that has suffered repeated delays and breakdowns since it opened a year ago.
• On-demand bus service to be expandedOn-demand bus services in Nottinghamshire will be expanded later this month. Nottinghamshire County Council said it is offering the Nottsbus service in central Rushcliffe between 07:00 and 19:00 BST, which will run from Mondays to Saturdays from 22 July.
• ScotRail introduces reduced timetable amid pay rowThe rail operator will slash peak time trains on some routes by half in a bid to avert disruption.
• Town's 'walkable neighbourhood' design unveiledDesigns for a £250m "walkable neighbourhood", green space and leisure facilities have been unveiled as part of a town's regeneration plans.
• All-electric tram-buses due to operate this summerThe vehicles, called ieTrams, will operate in south-east London, linking Orpington with Crystal Palace.
• Watch this space on rail devolution, says KhanLondon's mayor says under Labour plans, suburban rail routes could be brought under TfL control.
• Heathrow Airport granted court order against protestsThe High Court injunction prevents activists from protest groups from trespassing at the airport.

Financial Times

• Singapore port congestion threatens to gum up global tradeThe longer bottlenecks last, the higher the risk of another inflationary jolt for the world
• Climate tech explained: sustainable aviation fuelsAircraft travel is perhaps the hardest human activity to decarbonise. Used cooking oil is part of the solution

The Guardian

• ’We’ll move fast and fix things’: the big transport issues for LabourTransport secretary Louise Haigh says reform of rail leading to full renationalisation will be a priority

The Independent

• Minister says transport department’s new motto is ’move fast and fix things’Transport Secretary Louise Haigh told civil servants she wants to ’change the way our country runs’.

The Telegraph

• New rail minister fuels hopes of HS2 revival [subscription]Appointment of Lord Hendy hailed as a boost for chances of extending the network

Times Online

• Flying taxi service cleared for take-off at Paris Olympics. [subscription]Macron has been invited to take the first flight of Volocopter — but the city’s left-wing council has other plans
• CalMac ferry deal to run for another six months [subscription]Transport Scotland and CalMac have agreed to extend the charter of the MV Alfred ferry for a further six months.
• Staff shortages drive ScotRail to cut services by a quarter. [subscription]Operator says its new reduced timetable will give travellers more certainty after recent late-notice cancellations

Mail Online

• End of the line? Now Royal Mail to stop deliveries by railway after more than 200 yearsRoyal Mail will stop using trains to transport post in a move that brings nearly two centuries of mail rail to an end.

Birmingham Mail

• EasyJet warns passengers travelling to France 'QR code may be needed'UK tourists visiting Paris may need a digital pass to enter parts of the city

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford e-bike and e-scooter concerns will be discussedThe rising popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters has led to a new type of anti-social behaviour, as well as being behind a “marked increase” in battery fires in Bradford.

Manchester Evening News

• New map shows blueprint for Metrolink expansion across Greater ManchesterIt includes proposed new lines to three towns

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Labour government 'urgently exploring options' to save County Durham Hitachi Rail plantSir Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, and new transport secretary Lou Haigh have all committed over recent weeks and months that a Labour administration would act to protect the major trainbuilding plant in Newton Aycliffe, where hundreds of jobs are at risk due to a gap in orders. Labour had claimed that the previous Tory government had the power to save the factory “with the stroke of a pen” by extending the manufacturing giant’s existing contracts, pledging it would do that if it were in power and then also deliver a long-term strategy that would end a “boom-and-bust cycle” for the rail industry.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Video: See latest stages of £24m Dudley Bus Station transformation set to open next yearNew drone footage taken from above shows how work to create a multi-million pound transport interchange at the former Dudley Bus Station is progressing.

Carlisle News & Star

• £1.7m to be spent improving bus routes in Cumbria - see the full listOVER £1.5 million of government funding is set to be used to improve bus services in Cumbria.

Airportwatch

• Bus cab design: Improved greatly, but still more to do, says PailtonThe main character from the 1970s British sitcom On the Buses, a driver named Stan, was always trying to get off work with various hare-brained schemes. Hardly surprisingly, when you learn that during the same era, work-related health problems often forced bus drivers to quit the job long before retirement age.

Railnews

• Three more transport ministers namedThree more ministers have been appointed at the Department for Transport to assist transport secretary Louise Haigh, following last week’s general election.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Wales Bus Bill plans confirmed for current Senedd term by FMThe Bus Bill in Wales as part of work to deliver franchising of services in the country will be introduced during the remainder of the current Senedd term, First Minister Vaughan Gething said on 9 July.

Urban Transport Group

• King’s Speech: Ambitious transport reforms central to Government’s legislative plans for growthReforming bus services and creating Great British Railways are the key transport priorities that city regions are ready to support should they feature in the new Government’s legislative plans.

Other News Sources

• Rail switch sees West Yorkshire energy-to-waste facility slash emissionsPre-existing rail infrastructure used for a single journey displaced 40 trucks in a new milestone for the site.
• London Underground line 'won't get new trains for 15 years' despite ongoing issuesSadiq Khan has said that the Northern line will most likely not get new trains for another 15 years. The Mayor of London said that Transport for London (TfL) is doing 'the best it can' to cope with technical issues encountered with the current 1990s stock.
• CPT responds to First Minister's pledge to bring forward of a Bus Bill to enact franchised bus services across Wales:Aaron Hill, Director, Confederation of Passenger Transport Wales says, "CPT Wales will work closely with Welsh Government on their proposals for reform, and urge them to consider the proposals we made last year for a 'minimum subsidy' franchise that could deliver 40m more bus journeys across Wales.
• First Bus announces plans to close Helston depotA bus operator has announced plans to close one of its Cornwall depots. First South West, part of First Group, said it is proposing to close its Helston depot in a money-saving move.