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

Friday, 29 November 2024

BBC News

• Long-delayed £1bn train fleet to launchAn event to mark the rollout of long-delayed new trains for South Western Railway will be held later.
• Super bus lane £99m project will be delayedA £99m project to build a "super bus lane" will be delayed, councillors have been told.
• Pavement parking 'free for all' on Belfast streetBusiness groups and campaigners urge the Stormont department to resolve the loophole quickly.
• Town says no more bus cash until it has tram linkStockport Council leader says he will refuse to hike bus funding as the wait for a tram link goes on.
• The growing TfL lost property pile going unclaimedRevenue from unclaimed items sent to auction has doubled in the last year from £96,615 to £199,136.
• Drivers paying more than they should for fuel, says watchdogFuel retailers' profit margins remain "stubbornly high", the competition watchdog says.
• UK electric car production drops with firms under 'intense pressure'The trade body for the sector says these are "deeply concerning times" for the UK's car industry.
• Transport Secretary Louise Haigh quits over phone admissionLouise Haigh resigns as transport secretary after pleading guilty to criminal offence over mobile phone

Department for Transport

• Ministerial appointment: 29 November 2024The King has been pleased to approve the appointment of Heidi Alexander MP as Secretary of State for Transport.
• Transport Secretary unveils her vision for integrated transport across EnglandThe Integrated National Transport Strategy will set out a 'people first approach' to getting people around the country.

Financial Times

• Louise Haigh resigns as UK transport secretary over phone offence MP had admitted she pleaded guilty a decade ago to a minor criminal offence relating to a mobile phone
• Can nationalisation fix England’s rail network?Move by Labour government will trigger a wave of state takeovers in the struggling, cash-strapped sector

The Guardian

• 'People-first' transport in English towns could be integrated by appsTransport across towns and cities could become integrated using dedicated apps, with investment focused on poorer areas and healthier methods, as part of what ministers are calling a 'people-first' revolution in local travel.
• Louise Haigh resigns as UK transport secretaryHaigh tells prime minister in letter she is 'totally committed to our political project' but believes 'it will be best served by my supporting you from outside government'

The Independent

• Heidi Alexander appointed new transport secretary after Louise Haigh resignsMs Alexander was previously a minister of state in the Ministry of Justice
• UK airports warn of higher air fares and fewer routes if business rates soarCurrent business rates at Heathrow equate to £1.40 per passenger
• Louise Haigh resigns as transport secretary after admitting to offence over phone claimTransport secretary admits to making false report after her work mobile was stolen 10 years ago

The Telegraph

• Transport Secretary admits misleading police [subscription]In 2014, Louise Haigh pleaded guilty to making a false report that her mobile phone had been stolen
• Transport Secretary backs surge pricing for public transport and car parking [subscription]Louise Haigh says she's 'never embarrassed to nick a good idea' and technology can work with drivers to lower air pollution in cities

Times Online

• Avanti guards vote to strike over rest-day working [subscription]Members of the RMT union to walk out after £300 daily bonus awarded to CrossCountry guards if they agree to overtime
• A96 dualling hangs in balance as SNP admits it won't meet pledge [subscription]The Scottish government has confirmed it won't meet its 2030 deadline, with Conservative MSPs calling a belated review into the project a sham
• Cost of public EV chargers still high despite fall in energy prices [subscription]The drop in wholesale energy costs has not reached consumers, who are paying 4 per cent more than a year ago and 28 per cent more than two years ago
• Louise Haigh resigns over stolen mobile phone fraud conviction [subscription]The transport secretary, who was investigated by her former employer and the police, says she had reported her work phone stolen when she was mugged in 2013

The Mirror

• Transport Secretary Louise Haigh quits after pleading guilty to falsely reporting phone theftLouise Haigh wrote to the Prime Minister to resign, saying she she is 'totally committed to our political project' but believes this issue 'will inevitably be a distraction'
• Train firms pay £2bn in dividends while passengers endure delays, cancellations and fare hikesLatest figures show train operators doubled the amount of dividends they paid last year to £165million

Labour List

• New Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander: Who is the PM?s newest cabinet member?Heidi Alexander has been appointed Transport Secretary, after the resignation of Louise Haigh over a decade-old conviction for wrongly telling police a work phone had been stolen.

Office of Rail and Road (ORR)

• Train fare revenue rising slower than passenger journeysThe Office of Rail and Road has published its Rail Industry Finance statistics for April 2023 to March 2024.

Sky News

• More than 28,000 rail fare evasion prosecutions by Northern Rail and TransPennine Express quashedThe cases were brought using the single justice procedure (SJP), but under the Regulation of Railways Act 1889, which is not allowed.
• Transport Secretary Louise Haigh resigns after mobile phone guilty plea 'mistake'Louise Haigh admitted on Thursday she had pleaded guilty to an offence after incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013.

Derby Telegraph

• Derby transport leader 'not prepared' to answer 'straight-forward' A38 questionCarmel Swan was asked if the council supported the £250 million A38 expansion project

London Evening Standard

• London Overground: Mayor Sadiq Khan reveals his favourite line after £6.3m rebranding of train networkSadiq Khan has chosen the Windrush line as his favourite part of the £6.3m rebranding of the London Overground.

Manchester Evening News

• Louise Haigh MP resigns as Transport Secretary over mobile phone conviction Her conviction relating to a mobile phone after a mugging is now spent

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Louise Haigh considers French-style integrated transport system to enhance UK's public transit efficiencyTransport Secretary Louise Haigh said she took inspiration from a visit to the French city earlier this year, where all modes of public transport are joined up in one app

Yorkshire Post

• This small French city is the model for an integrated tram and bus system in West YorkshireGreater Manchester-style integrated transport networks will be created in places like West Yorkshire, Louise Haigh has announced.

Cambridge News

• Cambridge bags big award for transport innovationsAutonomous shuttles, increased use of zero-emission buses, and Dutch-style cycling junctions were all praised by judges

Kent Online

• Southeastern is updating its rolling stock with a new class of trainThere's good news today for commuters after it was announced several new trains will start running on the network from next month.

Plymouth Herald

• Plymouth airport leaseholder reveals massive loss on the siteThe company which controls Plymouth's disused airport says the cost of maintaining the site and fighting legal claims from the council has lost it nearly £1m. Newly released accounts for Plymouth City Airport Ltd, the subsidiary company which holds the long lease on the 113-acre site, shows a huge deficit for 2023/24.

Other Regional Press

• Southend Airport new CEO Jude Winstanley appointedA NEW chief executive with 25 years experience in the aviation industry is on a mission to accelerate growth after being appointed by Southend Airport.
• Sheffield MP Louise Haigh resigns as Transport Secretary over 'stolen phone'Louise Haigh has resigned as Transport Secretary
• Nottingham City Transport named UK Bus Operator of the Year for record-breaking sixth yearIt is twenty years since NCT was first named UK Bus Operator of the Year in 2004, and the company subsequently picked up the top title in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019, and 2024.
• Beam Park station ticket office application sent to Havering CouncilThe much-maligned Beam Park train station project was given a boost with the submission of a planning proposal for a ticket office.
• Council awards bus shelter contract to JCDecaux UKNottingham City Council has awarded JCDecaux UK a 15-year bus shelter and free-standing digital advertising contract following a competitive tender.

New Civil Engineer

• DfT unveils Integrated National Transport Strategy to put 'people first' over next 10 yearsTransport secretary Louise Haigh has unveiled plans for the Department for Transport's (DfT's) Integrated National Transport Strategy which will aim to 'put people first' when developing and constructing different modes of travel over the next decade.

Rail Business Daily

• NSAR appoints Mary Grant, CEO of Porterbrook, as new Board ChairThe National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) has appointed Mary Grant, Porterbrook Chief Executive Officer, as Chair of its Board of Directors.

Rail Magazine

• Heidi Alexander announced as new Transport Secretary following Louise Haigh's resignationHeidi Alexander has been named as the new Transport Secretary, following the resignation of Louise Haigh.

Railnews

• Mayor launches names for London Overground lines Six names for London Overground lines have been officially launched by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. He has been at Dalston Junction today to unveil the names and a celebratory plaque.
• Transport secretary Louise Haigh resigns Transport secretary Louise Haigh has resigned over a conviction she received in 2013 in connection with a mobile phone, which she had wrongly said was stolen. The allegation was an error, but she pleaded guilty to making a false report to police.
• First railway renationalisation Act receives Royal AssentThe Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act has received Royal Assent, and it means that public ownership of the former passenger franchises is now the default, rather than the last resort.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Integrated Transport Strategy for England to be published by DfTThe government is to publish an Integrated Transport Strategy for England that will set out how all forms of mobility can be made to work better together, Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh has announced.
• Oxford Bus Group expands 'Brand the Bus' prize pot to £100,000To mark its seventh year, Oxford Bus Group has announced plans to take its Brand the Bus charity competition up a notch with a record £100,000 prize pot in 2025.

Aviation Industry

• Hong Kong airport starts operating with three runwaysHong Kong airport has formally commissioned its three-runway system, capping nearly a decade of work to boost capacity.
• London's Heathrow Airport Starts Pre-Book Passenger Security Screening TrialLondon's Heathrow Airport has begun a trial service allowing long haul passengers the opportunity to pre-book a slot at the security screening stage.

Other News Sources

• Heathrow 'will need Westminster backing for third runway'HEATHROW's chief executive has confirmed that, alongside 10 years of construction over the M25's busiest junction, government support would be required for expansion of the airport.
• Heineken: Turning Beer Bottles into Road Building MaterialsHeineken repurposes beer bottle waste into construction materials, cutting landfill, reducing costs and setting a sustainable model for the glass industry
• Bus passenger journeys up 11% in ReadingBus usage in Reading has grown by 11.4% to 19.5 million passenger journeys in the last year significantly above the national average increase, according to newly published government figures.