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

Tuesday, 15 February 2022

BBC News

• Should Scotland have women-only rail carriages?The transport minister wants railways to be safe for women to travel, but is this the way to do it?
• Two green freeports to be established in ScotlandThe Scottish and UK governments agree the deal as Boris Johnson makes a visit to Scotland.
• Mancunian Way speed limit lowered to cut crashesOne of Manchester's best known roads is to have its speed limit lowered in an attempt to cut the number of crashes, the city's council has said.
• London Underground: Tube and bus fares see biggest hike in a decadeTicket prices across the London Underground network will rise from 1 March, Sadiq Khan has said.
• Air fare rises are unavoidable, warns Air France-KLMHigher jet fuel costs will push up the cost of travel this year, says the UK boss of Air France-KLM.
• Petrol and diesel prices reach new record highThe price of fuel at the pump has risen with petrol at 148.02p a litre and diesel at 151.57p.

Financial Times

• London Tube and bus fares face biggest hike for a decadeCost of using passenger services in capital to climb 4.8% as mayor seeks to rebuild TfL finances after pandemic

The Telegraph

• Sadiq Khan hits commuters with highest Tube fare rise in more than a decade [Subscription]Mayor blames TfL funding crisis for 4.8pc jump in Underground fares and 6.5pc hike in bus fares

Times Online

• Fury over airport boss in Whitehall job search [subscription]The Department for Transport has insisted that it is conducting a “fair and open” search for Britain’s top aviation official after airlines expressed frustration at the role played by the boss of Heathrow.

City AM

• Tube journey jumps to £2.50: Sadiq Khan hikes London transport fares by five per centCommuters are set to feel the pinch of a price hike for rail and bus services in the capital as part of efforts to save struggling TfL services.
• Virgin Atlantic to adopt lower carbon fuel converted from plastic in net zero pushVirgin Atlantic is set to adopt a new, lower carbon fuel that has been converted from waste plastics as part of a new partnership with chemical conversion technology firm Agilyx. The collaboration spans the Virgin Group, all but Richard Branson's space venture, and aims to tackle both the plastic problem and carbon emissions.

Mail Online

• Pledge on new smart motorways hits reverse as it emerges two-thirds are to open without extra laybysTwo-thirds of new smart motorways will open with laybys up to 1.5 miles apart, despite government pledge to reduce the distance to one mile - with extra hard shoulders to be added post hoc.
• Cost of filling up family car hits £81 as petrol prices soar to record high amid 'perfect storm'Petrol prices hit an all-time high over the weekend, triggering fresh concerns about the cost of living.

Belfast Telegraph

• Stormont and Translink reject appeal for free transport for young people in BelfastBelfast City Council request is dismissed on financial grounds

Birmingham Post

• Exeter Airport creates jobs after recovering from pandemic lossesAirport made £3.3m loss in 2020/21 and was left reeling from loss of Flybe but is now on flight path to recovery

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Drivers "not just Cash Cows" - Campaigners call for UK to reduce fuel duty amid cost of living crisisWith the price of oil rocketing towards $100 per barrel, and pump prices at record punitive levels - FairFuelUK has called on the Government to cut Fuel Duty across the nation.

The York Press

• Campaign to bring rail HQ to York wins backing from city MPsYORK Central MP Rachael Maskell has pledged 'to do everything possible' to ensure that York becomes the headquarters of the newly-created Great British Railways.

Wales Online

• Government urged to keep emergency bus funding to avoid service cutsThe Department for Transport’s pandemic-related support for the sector is due to expire when the financial year ends on April 5.

Blackpool Gazette

• Blackpool Transport announces plans to turn town into 'zero emissions bus area' by 2023Blackpool Transport, along with the council, has submitted an application for a £19.6m Government grant and a £28.4m shareholder loan in the hope of bringing electric buses to the resort's roads by autumn 2023.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Cash boost to accelerate more transport schemes in the EastAn £800,000 boost has been given to accelerate work on a transport investment plan for the region for the next 30 years.

Sunderland Echo

• New vision unveiled for future of North East rail and Metro - here's how to have your say on plansA new vision of the future of the North East’s rail and Metro network has been unveiled.

Other Regional Press

• MP calls for £132m Cambridge South East Transport busway to be ditched after surveyAn MP has called on the Greater Cambridge Partnership to rethink its controversial £132million Cambridge South East Transport (CSET) off-road busway after a survey revealed more than 80 per cent of respondents do not support it.
• Lancaster cycle group calls for 'realistic' funding to support local transport routesA Lancaster cycling group is hoping the appointment of Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman as head of a new national body will help make the region's streets safer for cyclists.
• Better Buses campaigners hear 'horror stories' from passengers at stationsBetter Buses campaigners have been speaking to passengers about their experience on local services and their hopes for the future.
• Should cyclists need a licence on Oxford's roads?Readers have been giving their views on whether Oxford’s roads should have a congestion charge and whether cyclists should need a licence to be on the roads.
• Calling for two trains an hour from Weymouth to LondonI was pleased to see South Western Railway's announcement last week that service levels will return to December 2021 levels from February 21st.

Train Operators

• Petrol and diesel prices reach record highFuel experts warn costs will continue to rise amid fears Ukraine crisis could affect supply

Forbes

• Wales Offering Free Transport For Asylum SeekersA pilot programme in Wales is offering free bus and train transport to asylum seekers through the months of February and March. Supporters of the pilot hope to see the system become permanent. The programme exemplifies Wales’ attempts to diverge from U.K. asylum policy and governance.

New Civil Engineer

• Heathrow accused of ’risky’ sustainability strategy that relies too much on undeveloped technologyAviation experts have criticised Heathrow's new sustainability strategy, claiming it does not adequately factor in expansion emissions and relies too heavily on the development of negative emission technologies.
• HS2 | Local ministers blindsided by severance of Tameside tram connection in ManchesterLocal ministers have expressed outrage after discovering that work on the new HS2 section of Manchester Piccadilly station will sever tram connection between the city centre and Tameside for two years from 2024.

Railnews

• RMT stages first of four TransPennine strikes Conductors on TransPennine Express have staged their first Sunday strike, in a dispute over pay. Unless there is a breakthrough in the meantime, strikes have also been called for the next three Sundays.
• Transport for London fares to rise by 4.8% Fares on Transport for London services will rise by almost 5 per cent on 1 March, as TfL continues to struggle with its finances. Temporary funding support from the government was extended on 4 February for another two weeks, but there are still no signs of a long-term settlement. The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the rise is based on last July's RPI of 3.8 per cent plus 1 per cent, and TfL said the increase was 'in line with conditions placed on continued short-term funding agreements by the government'.

Railway Technology

• Network Rail appoints new Route Services Managing DirectorRob Morton has been appointed as the new Managing Director for Route Services at Network Rail, replacing Susan Cooklin.

Transportxtra

• Solent builds Future Transport Zone teamSolent Transport is recruiting for five positions in its team delivering the region’s Future Transport Zone (FTZ). They will support the provision of a mix of innovative transport and infrastructure trials designed to transform the way people and cargo move around the Solent region. This is one of only four regions to be awarded FTZ Programme funding by the DfT.
• Transport for Cornwall launches bus fares promotionThe first in a series of lower fare initiatives to make bus travel cheaper, easier and more attractive to new passengers has been launched in Cornwall. 
• EV Energy Taskforce releases electric road transport transition reportsThe government-backed Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce is now looking at what needs to be achieved to deliver the charging infrastructure and the enabling conditions required to deliver it.

Other News Sources

• Mayor of London announces changes to Transport for London faresAs the future of Transport for London’s longer term funding settlement remains uncertain, Sadiq Khan has announced a RPI+1 increase for London fares as part of efforts to ensure that TfL can reach financial sustainability by April 2023.
• Two new 'green' freeports to be created in Scotland, but likely benefits scrutinised The UK and Scottish Government have today (14 February) made an agreement to establish two new freeports "with net-zero at their heart" in Scotland.