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

Monday, 03 July 2023

BBC News

• Birmingham Airport staff vote to strike over payTechnicians and security staff at an airport have voted to strike in a dispute over pay, a union has said.
• Rail disruption warning due to six-day train drivers' overtime banFifteen train companies based in England will be hit from Monday until Saturday next week.
• Elon Musk: Tesla delivers record number of cars after price cutsThe electric car maker has lowered prices of vehicles in countries including the US, UK and China.

Department for Transport

• Works complete on vital £82 million sea wall to protect coastal Dawlish rail routePassengers in South West England will benefit from a new station and more reliable train journeys that will boost local and regional connections.

Financial Times

• Tesla delivers record number of cars as price cut pays off for MuskElectric vehicle maker beats targets after identifying affordability as barrier to sales
• China urges developing countries to oppose unrealistic shipping levy Emissions tax would impose high costs on maritime trade, says world's largest exporter
• EU rail industry warns over proposed ban on ˜forever chemicalsManufacturers say PFAS are vital to thousands of products including trains and signalling systems

The Guardian

• Rail passengers warned of disruption from Aslef driver overtime banDispute involves 16 train operators in England from 3-8 July, and cross-border services may also be affected
• Greater Manchester ‘worst city in Europe for clean and green transport’, says new report“I’d hoped we could take a Bee bike to Salford,” said Sarah Rowe of the Clean Cities Campaign after meeting the Observer at Piccadilly station in Manchester. “But look.”

The Independent

• Train strikes 2023: Everything you need to know about July rail walkoutsOver a year on from the start of the first national rail strikes since the 1980s, the dispute over pay, jobs and working conditions appears as intractable as ever.

The Telegraph

• ‘Driving test backlog so bad my children gave up trying to learn’. [subscription]Edmund King, president of the AA, ‘disappointed’ to see teenagers struggling to book tests as they face waiting time of more than 15 weeks

Times Online

• ScotRail train fares rise almost 5% today. [subscription]The Liberal Democrats say ticket prices should be frozen until the end of the year
• Warnings of summer travel chaos in Europe as air traffic control expected to be ‘overloaded’. [subscription]Aircraft passengers have been warned of a “challenging” summer ahead, with air traffic control expected to become overloaded at many key locations.
• Aslef overtime ban will give rail passengers a week of woe. [subscription]Rail passengers have been warned to expect a week of significant disruption as train drivers refuse to work overtime.

Transport Committee

• Transport Committee launches two new inquiries following Dragon’s Den-style ‘Our Future Transport’ campaignThe Transport Committee today launches two new in-depth inquiries following its Our Future Transport campaign, where MPs invited the public to pitch ideas on what the Committee should investigate.

City AM

• Tube journeys regularly hitting over 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels as commuting reboundsWeekday tube and bus journeys are regularly hitting over 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and often exceed 2019 footfall figures on the weekend, according to Transport for London’s chief operating officer Glynn Barton.

Mail Online

• BRIAN CLEGG: The 2030 deadline to ban petrol and diesel cars is near impossibleBRIAN CLEGG: There is a site in Cornwall that could one day help to transform Britain's car industry. But at the moment, that dream is a long way off.

Sky News

• Rail passengers warned of six days of disruption as train drivers refuse to work overtime​​​​​​​Disruption to rail journeys are expected across the country this week as train drivers refuse to work overtime for six days.

Birmingham Mail

• The two Birmingham bus lanes which caught 20,000 drivers in just five monthsNotorious city centre bus lanes continuing to catch out motorists in huge numbers

Birmingham Post

• Political and business leaders meeting in Derby to set out "overwhelming" case for HS2 in the East Midlands'HS2 will nearly double the number of jobs in high value, rail-linked sectors within an hour of Nottingham by rail'

Bristol Live

• Bristol taxi fares set to rise by up to 10 per centBlue-cab drivers struggling with the cost-of-living crisis have asked for the increases

Nation. Cymru

• Reopening the Carmarthen to Aberystwyth railway line – the economic case doesn’t stack upProfessor Stuart Cole, CBE, Emeritus Professor of Transport Economics and Policy , University of South Wales

Northern Echo

• Teesside Airport awards contract for 'giant' new hangarTeesside International Airport has awarded a lucrative new contract to build a new hangar to Barnard Castle business S&A Fabrications.

Bucks Free Press

• Aslef overtime ban: Rail travellers warned to prepareMany rail operators will be running reduced services over the six-day overtime ban from Aslef from July 3-8

Cambridge News

• The historic Cambs railway station that lay disused for more than 50 years before reopeningSoham Railway Station has a fascinating history and was only recently reopened

Other Regional Press

• Transport for Wales announce improvement plan for Wrexham to Bidston rail lineTRANSPORT FOR WALES has announced a 5-step improvement plan for rail services on the Wrexham to Bidston line in North Wales and the borders.
• Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire rail travellers hit with ‘steep’ fare rises from todayThe rise in fares comes 15 months after ScotRail was taken into public ownership but the hike will not apply to season and flexi-ticket holders to ensure regular travellers are not impacted.
• Are the railways working for passengers? Take part in the Shropshire Star Great Train SurveyToday we launch the Great Railway Survey to gauge your views on services in our region.

New Scientist

• HS2 | Report makes ‘overwhelming’ case for East Midlands high speed railThere are “overwhelming” arguments in favour of delivering high speed rail to the East Midlands and Sheffield, according to a new report.

Airportwatch

• Tyne and Wear Metro bosses rule out barriers at level crossingsMetro bosses say installing barriers at level crossings is not practical despite two crashes between cars and trains within two months.

Calling All Stations - The Transport Podcast

• Calling All Stations with Christian Wolmar, Episode 21 EXCLUSIVE! With industrial disputes continuing to affect most main line passenger rail services in Great Britain, Christian hears from ASLEF train drivers' trades union leader Mick Whelan that there has been no contact from UK Department for Transport Ministers since 6 January [1:04]. Christian and co-presenter Mark Walker also follow-up the item from Episode 20 about the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway [10:12] while the centrepiece of this episode is an extended interview with Howard Smith, Director of Transport for London's Elizabeth Line, who explains the challenges which preceded the breathtaking success of this new railway [13:13]. Finally, Christian puts the newly-released paperback edition of his book 'British Rail: A New History' in historical context [41:33].

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 | Report makes ‘overwhelming’ case for East Midlands high speed railThere are “overwhelming” arguments in favour of delivering high speed rail to the East Midlands and Sheffield, according to a new report.
• Listed bridge closed for 13-weeks for repairs and reinforcementA Grade II listed road bridge in North Yorkshire is to undergo major repairs including work to reinforce its load capacity.
• How engineers worked at pace to restore Nuneham Viaduct in only 10 weeksBringing the failed Nuneham Viaduct up to modern standards and reopening the railway line in 10 weeks required team alignment, iterative design and supply chain utilisation, NCE has learned from key players involved in the bridge's restoration.

Railway Gazette

• Sheffield Supertram modernisation works plannedUK: Sheffield Supertram owner South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is to hold a market engagement event in July to support the development a programme of significant investment and improvement works on the network.

Aviation Industry

• Happy Birthday: Liverpool Airport Marks 90 Years Of FlyingOn July 1st, 1933, Liverpool Airport was officially opened by Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, the Secretary of State for Air. He formally declared the airport open with a high-profile ceremony, followed by one of the largest air displays at the time. A couple of days ago, the airport celebrated nine decades of successful operations on Saturday.

Other News Sources

• Glasgow Airport welcomes new larger Loganair planesAn airline has introduced larger new aircraft at Glasgow Airport as part of a multi-million-pound investment.
• Silvertown Tunnel voted to be reprioritised for public transportA South London council has voted for the Silvertown Tunnel to be reprioritised for public transport use, with a local councillor calling the project a “ticking timebomb” in relation to traffic and pollution.
• Liverpool City Region transport leader’s call as bus consultation reaches half-way markLiverpool City Region’s transport lead has issued an important call as a major 12-week consultation on the future of bus services in the region reached its half-way point.
• Witham MP addresses rail and road conditions with Transport SecretaryWITHAM MP has addressed the delays in the station's redevelopment and asked for progress on widening the A12.
• Starship Technologies talks ethical last mile, carbon reduction and regulation with Shadow Transport Secretary Louise HaighStarship Technologies has been dipping its toes into the world of politics, with the robot deliveries firm last week meeting Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and Leeds Council Cabinet member Helen Hayden.
• Brighton Mini Run cancelled and organisers blame London ULEZA classic car run which has become a staple of the Brighton event calendar will no longer run after organisers cited “spiralling costsâ€� and the effects of Ultra Low Emissions Zones.

Other Subscription Services

• Three make cut for HS2 Interchange station design-build HS2 Ltd has shortlisted three bidders to build Interchange station near Solihull.The winner of the contract, worth up to 370m, will develop the detailed design of the station before...
• Wigan-Bolton wires cost doubles as CP5 project revived Electrification of the railway between Wigan and Boston has been reauthorised by government at a cost of 78m.The 13 mile route between Wigan North Western station and Lostock Junction near...