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

Friday, 25 November 2022

BBC News

• Mark Harper on rail strike talks with RMT's Mick LynchThe transport secretary said there was a “shared agreement” that the rail dispute had gone on for too long.
• Mercedes-Benz to introduce acceleration subscription feeOwners of some Mercedes electric cars in the US can soon pay a $1,200 annual fee to speed up faster.
• ScotRail strike off as RMT staff accept pay offerWorkers voted to accept the pay offer, meaning strikes in the lead up to Christmas are cancelled.
• Busiest and quietest railway stations in Britain revealedLondon Waterloo had the most passengers and Elton and Orston in Nottinghamshire the least.
• Train strikes: Minister hopes Christmas walkouts can be stoppedThe new transport secretary is hopeful for a deal but says wage rises that match inflation are not possible.

The Herald

• Glasgow Subway: Minister visits new trains ahead of 2023 introductionSome of Glasgow’s new Subway trains are undergoing testing in the city ahead of their planned introduction to the circular network next year.

Times Online

• Hope train strikes will be over before Christmas, says minister after talks with Mick Lynch. [subscription]The transport secretary hopes the dispute between the unions and rail industry will be resolved “before Christmas”.

i News

• Our dire bus services are a quiet national crisisThe real-world consequences of bus delays are acute. Staff are late for work, children late for school

The Mirror

• BBC Question Time: Fiona Bruce breaks up Andy Burnham and transport minister's fiery clashFiona Bruce had to break up a heated row between Andy Burnham and transport minister Richard Holden on last night's BBC Question Time as the government's record on train strikes came under fire

Belfast Telegraph

• Wrightbus: Legal action against 14 directors ‘no reflection on new firm’s success’Legal proceedings against 14 people over the insolvency of Wrightbus should not detract from the success of the bus builder under new ownership, an MLA has said.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham New Street station busiest outside London but passenger numbers slump since pre-CovidBirmingham New Street Station was the busiest for total entries ans exits outside of London in the year to March 2022, but it still lags behind pre coronavirus pandemic levels

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Northern staff mark Inter Faith Week with visit to BradfordSTAFF from train operator Northern visited a Bradford mosque, Sikh temple and a Hindu temple to celebrate Inter Faith Week. 

Bristol Live

• Drivers CAN pay Clean Air Zone charge after their trips council confirmsBut you can't set up payments automatically

London Evening Standard

• ScotRail ’delighted’ after RMT workers accept new pay dealThe rail operator said workers in the RMT union had voted to accept the latest offer after a dispute over pay.

Nottingham Evening Post

• New train services announced between Nottingham and MatlockEast Midlands Railway (EMR) is to reinstate weekday peak services between Nottingham and Matlock as part of a timetable change next month. The changes, which will come into force on December 11, will see 12 extra journeys - six each way - in the morning and evening peak between Nottingham and Matlock.

The York Press

• Wall collapses at York station cycle and pedestrian exitA WALL at York Railway Station has partially collapsed, scattering masonry over a cycle and pedestrian exit.

Other Regional Press

• Better access call for station in WestminsterA station on the Shrewsbury to Chester rail line has been mentioned in Westminster.
• First look at Glasgow’s new subway trains as Transport Minister gives them 'seal of approval'Glasgow’s new subway trains are undergoing testing before their introduction next year, with Transport Minister Jenny Gilruith checking out the new vehicles this week.

Train Operators

• Interfaith visit brings Northern staff and community togetherStaff from train operator Northern visited a Bradford mosque, Sikh temple and a Hindu temple to celebrate inter-faith week.

Coach and Bus Week

• Blackpool top of the tower at UK Bus AwardsThe award ceremony returned to London’s Troxy for an afternoon which highlighted some of the good work being undertaken across the industry despite the difficulties faced by the bus sector in the current climate
• Snapper expands in UKNew Zealand-headquartered public transport technology company Snapper Services is boosting its data and analytics offering as it expands its presence in the UK to help operators and local authorities better manage their networks.
• Almost half of UK adults ’set to switch to bus’ as cost-of-living crisis begins to bite41% of UK adults are planning to use the bus more frequently in a bid to save money as households feel the pinch of the cost-of-living crisis, according to research carried out by First Bus. The research found that the cities whose bus services are most expected to see this heightened demand are London, Glasgow, Leeds and Liverpool.
• Citylink offers free travel to mark new timetable launchTo celebrate the launch of its new Saltire Cross timetable, Scottish Citylink is offering free trips on its services. On Saturday, 26 November, the company will give away 10,000 free tickets to travel anywhere on its Scottish ’Saltire Cross’ network of services from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen, and Inverness. Tickets can be booked through Scottish Citylink’s online journey planner, with no booking fee, though delivery charges may apply.

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 minister admits he can’t predict the rail project’s final billHS2 minister Huw Merriman has admitted that inflation has made it impossible to know how much the mega-project will cost to build.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Newport Transport orders two Yutong U11DD ’deckersNewport Transport has become the first UK customer to commit to the forthcoming Yutong battery-electric double-decker bus, now known as the U11DD. The South Wales municipal signed an order at Euro Bus Expo for two examples to be delivered in mid-2023.
• First Cymru and Ticketer pilot ’crow flies’ tap on, tap offFirst Cymru is working with Ticketer to pilot tap on, tap off contactless payment that uses a journey’s ’as-the-crow-flies’ distance to calculate the adult fare.
• National Express to trial digital mirrors on new Levante IIIANational Express is set to trial a digital camera monitoring system (CMS) in place of traditional wing mirrors on the new Caetano Levante IIIA.
• TfL changes tack on proposed London bus cutsAdditional funding to the average value of £25m per year means only three routes out of Transport for London’s (TfL’s) total of 620 will now be axed in proposed changes to London bus routes made by TfL in June. It means 53 routes will no longer be withdrawn or changed.

Other News Sources

• Stadler begins transfer of operations to new Gosforth Metro depotThe £70m facility will serve as a home to the new Tyne and Wear Metro train fleet.
• Passenger Transport surveys to help inform future transport investment get underwayPassenger Transport surveys designed to gather information to determine future transport provision in Worcestershire are set to be carried out over the next couple of weeks.