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

Friday, 26 August 2022

BBC News

• 'Important' Bristol community bus service to ceaseA community bus service in Bristol that supports people with mobility issues will cease operations on Friday.
• Trentbarton: Bus routes changed after passenger numbers dropRegional bus operator Trentbarton has announced changes to some of its routes in the East Midlands.
• Trolley on the line: ScotRail tracks go viralAmateur DJs and sound technicians have turned station announcements into music remixes.

Department for Transport

• New UK-Ukraine transport partnership to rebuild war-torn infrastructureThe UK has signed a historic pact with Ukraine that commits to sharing engineering expertise and pledges a new package of support to help rebuild its war damaged infrastructure.
• Light rail and tram statistics, England: year ending March 2022This publication covers 8 urban systems that are predominantly surface-running (see Table 1 for a list of systems covered). Smaller systems (for example, heritage railway and airport transit systems) are not included. London Underground, Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams are also excluded but statistics for these systems are included in the associated tables.

Financial Times

• Germany's cheap public transport experiment reaches end of the lineGovernment says it cannot afford to extend the €9-a-month ticket that has proved hugely popular with voters
• CIMC abandons $1bn deal for Maersk's refrigerated container armUS Department of Justice planned to sue to block move over antitrust concerns as it cracks down on Chinese deals

The Independent

• Eurostar stations in Kent to stay closed for at least two years – partly due to BrexitEurope-bound trains won’t stop at Ashford and Ebbsfleet International stations for at least ’two to three years’

The Telegraph

• Eurostar says trains will not stop in Kent for ’two to three years’ as it blames BrexitEurostar trains will not stop in Kent for up to three years, the operator said as it blamed the decision on Brexit and its post-pandemic recovery.

Daily Record

• First look at Troon's potential new railway station as three plans unveiled to residentsStation bosses Network Rail revealed three designs at the Walker Hall last night.

i News

• Avanti West Coast in chaos with incomplete train timetable for bank holiday weekend as getaway beginsThere are fears of travel chaos with tens of thousands left unable to book trips for events like Manchester Pride

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Take a look inside the first completed trains in the Tyne and Wear Metro's new £362m fleetThe new trains boast modern features that will come as a welcome relief to passengers, including wifi, charging points, and air conditioning

Yorkshire Post

• Government commitment to levelling up questioned following overseas rail dealsThe Government’s commitment to “levelling up” Yorkshire has been questioned after Grant Shapps announced a second overseas rail project amid a hit to rail funding in the North.

Kent Online

• Eurostar announces it will not stop at Ebbsfleet and Ashford International Station for "two to three years"Eurostar will not stop in Kent for another two to three years, it has been revealed.

Other Regional Press

• Rail bosses and MPs welcome £9.5m investment into Cumbria railwaysRAIL bosses and MPs have welcomed plans to extend platforms at five railway stations in Cumbria after a £9.5m investment. Network Rail has already started work to extend the platforms at Oxenholme, with Staveley, Kents Bank, Dalton and Ulverston stations to follow over the next three months.
• Cardiff Bus partners with Cardiff & Vale College for new termCardiff Bus has announced it has introduced a new bus route for students as it partners with Cardiff & Vale College ahead of the new term.
• Bus watchdog investigates Stagecoach Devon over cancelled servicesThe bus industry regulator is investigating complaints about the reliability of Stagecoach Devon services and has been told public confidence in the operator is at an all-time low due to its 'dire' customer service and handling of complaints.
• Electrification of the railway from York to Leeds could lead to a public inquiry over level crossing closuresNorth Yorkshire County Council has pledged it will do everything possible to avoid triggering a public inquiry over Network Rail’s £11bn upgrade and electrification of the York to Leeds line.

New Civil Engineer

• Department for Transport commits to supporting Ukraine rebuild its infrastructureTransport ministers from the UK and Ukraine yesterday signed a joint action plan to provide engineering expertise and support to help the Ukraine rebuild war-damaged infrastructure.

Rail Business Daily

• Second revenue-generating freight route opens up in North WalesWelsh slate aggregate is being transported to Luton via rail freight for the first time ever, thanks to a joint initiative between Network Rail, construction materials company Breedon, and the Welsh Government.

Railway Gazette

• Network Rail needs to change depot plant asset managementConsultancy Frazer-Nash has undertaken a review of Network Rail’s depot plant asset management systems on behalf of the the Office of Rail & Road, looking at whether effective systems are in place to ensure that depot plant is maintained, renewed and upgraded.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Start-up Kleanbus names Terry Spall as ChairmanBus zero-emission repower start-up Kleanbus has appointed former Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) President Terry Spall as Chairman.
• Zero-emission coach interest: ’Marked increase’ in 2022Interest in the purchase of zero-emission coaches has seen a marked increase in 2022, sole supplier of the vehicle type Pelican Bus and Coach had revealed.
• ScotZEB2 extension of scope is welcomed by suppliersMembers of the supply chain have responded positively to diversification of vehicle types and technologies that are provisionally in scope of the Scottish Zero Emission Bus (ScotZEB2) challenge fund.
• Go-Ahead subsidiary Go South West is pioneering what it calls a “first of its kind” toolkit for dyslexic staff members, as part of efforts to support neurodiverse colleagues.Go-Ahead subsidiary Go South West is pioneering what it calls a “first of its kind” toolkit for dyslexic staff members, as part of efforts to support neurodiverse colleagues.
• ADL reveals more about in-house battery-electric rangeAlexander Dennis has revealed further details of its work to offer battery-electric buses that are fully designed and integrated in-house. Alongside a new small bus already outlined, it will introduce such a double-deck product. Both are to complement the existing BYD ADL Enviro200EV and Enviro400EV models, which will continue to be sold and supported.
• Cardiff Bus takes first of seven Enviro400s from MistralCardiff Bus has taken delivery of the first three of seven Alexander Dennis Enviro400s, which are being supplied under a rental package by Mistral.
• Team Pennine operations ’transformed’ by Omnibus solutionOmnibus has “transformed” operations at Transdev Blazefield subsidiary Team Pennine through its OmniDAS depot allocation system, the supplier has revealed.

Other News Sources

• Train strikes: Drivers at three companies vote for strike in latest rail walk outTrain drivers at Chiltern, Northern and TransPennine Express vote for strike action
• Appointed to Transport Scotland’s multiple supplier framework for maritime servicesWe have been appointed by Transport Scotland through a framework agreement to provide maritime transportation consultancy services to support the development of a number of its maritime transport projects.
• Nationalised or regulated: London and Manchester at odds over public transportSadiq Khan, the London mayor, has warned that relinquishing control of the capital’s public transport may be the only way to save it from collapse. Meanwhile his fellow mayor in Manchester, Andy Burnham, has said the opposite. Bringing the network in north west England under the administration of the local authority could be the only way to revive its fortunes and save it from a similar collapse.
• New door-to-door bus service launched to help people with mobility issuesA door-to-door shopper bus service designed to help people with mobility issues across Three Rivers has been launched.
• Crossrail: Elizabeth line trains will wait on tracks between stations for seven minutes in new timetableAnnouncements will be played to keep passengers informed while the train is stationary on the tracks near Paddington

News from Europe

• Why the world’s first hydrogen rail may not be as environmentally friendly as it seemsGermany became the first country to launch a fully hydrogen-powered rail line on Wednesday.