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

Thursday, 06 July 2023

BBC News

• Guernsey harbour and airport fees could increaseFees at Guernsey's harbour and airport may have to increase, the politician in charge of ports has said.
• Guide Dogs for the Blind criticises plan to shut train ticket kiosksPlans to close ticket offices at smaller train stations have been met with criticism by a disability charity. Guide Dogs for the Blind, based in Reading, said the move would make those living with sight loss "less confident" when using public transport.
• Historical Wakefield rail line to be removed over safety fearsPart of a historical railway line in West Yorkshire is to be removed over road safety concerns. The "Nagger Line" in Stanley near Wakefield was built in the 1700s to transport coal from local pits.
• New car sales in Northern Ireland up 18% in six months of 2023Northern Ireland's top three sellers so far this year are the Hyundai Tucson, Ford Puma and Kia Sportage.
• Chinese owner of iconic MG car brand to build Europe plantMG, which has roots dating back over a century, was made in the UK until production moved to China in 2016.
• Oil giant Shell warns cutting production 'dangerous'The world's need for fossil fuels is

The Guardian

• ‘No country for old people’: readers on losing England’s rail ticket officesFive passengers discuss the impact of proposals to remove ticketing staff from almost all stationsRail firms have announced plans to shut down almost all of England’s remaining ticket offices in an attempt to “moderniseâ€� the railway.The move has angered unions and disability and passenger groups, who say it would affect the ability of some customers to travel independently. Continue reading...
• Share your thoughts on plans to close railway ticket offices in EnglandWe would like to hear from people who will be affected by planned ticket office closuresRail firms have announced plans for the mass closure of England’s ticket offices amid opposition from rail unions and concern voiced by disability and passenger groups.The move, pushed by the government to save costs, was confirmed by the industry body, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). Train operators told staff on Wednesday morning of proposals to shut down almost all of the 1,007 remaining offices, except the busiest stations, within three years. Continue reading...
• Time to worry about car tyre pollution, Chris Whitty tells MPsChief medical officer says move to electric cars can reduce impact of exhausts, but may bring different problem to the foreMinisters need to start looking seriously at the health risks from vehicle tyre wear as the impact of pollutants from car exhausts gradually reduces, Sir Chris Whitty has told MPs.Giving evidence to the environmental audit committee, England’s chief medical officer said improvements in emissions from petrol and diesel vehicles, and a shift towards electric cars, were reducing the extent of dangerous pollutants such as nitrogen oxides. Continue reading...

Times Online

• TfL bans West End play poster over ‘unhealthy’ wedding cake. [subscription]Underground makes a meal of advertising policy to render Broadway production sugar-free

Mail Online

• The £255M black hole in ULEZ's accounts: Scheme owed more money than it made amid drivers' 'revolt'The London Mayor's flagship scheme has caused backlash amongst drivers who resent having to pay a daily £12.50 fare in order to drive cars which do not meet strict environmental standards.

The Mirror

• Train ticket station closures IN FULL - all of the UK locations going ticketlessA full list of train stations that will lose their ticket offices under new plans has been unveiled - with London Marylebone, Manchester Piccadilly and Birmingham New Street among the cuts

This is Money

• Tesla Model Y tops UK's sales chart in June as registrations grow againDespite the headline figures suggesting ripe demand for EVs, industry bosses say incentivised fleets and businesses are the major driving force behind increased sales.
• Asda owner to be grilled over petrol pricingThe business and trade committee wrote to Mohsin Issa about the 'apparent discrepancies' between the supermarket's figures and a CMA market study..

Birmingham Post

• Metro Mayor denies free Bristol ‘birthday bus’ travel is a ‘gimmick’The West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris said ‘new and innovative’ measures were needed to encourage more people to use public transport, in order to cut pollution and boost the economy
• Global Centre of Rail Excellence boosted with £15m rail innovation projectThe project at the planned facility follows a successful bid by a consortium led by the University of Birmingham to the Research Partnership Investment Fund

Bolton News

• Bolton: Average speed cameras planned for the boroughIt comes after Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) announced plans for average speed cameras to be installed at 25 locations across the region.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford councillor hits out over ticket office closure planA BRADFORD councillor has hit out over plans to close almost every railway station ticket office.
• Bid to replace footbridge at Burley-in-Wharfedale Railway StationNETWORK Rail has submitted a planning application to Bradford Council for footbridge strengthening, repair and refurbishment works at Burley-in-Wharfedale Railway Station.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Airbus secures multi-billion pound deal with Mexican airline in boost to Broughton wing plantViva Aerobus has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 90 A321neo aircraft

Derby Telegraph

• Three months of roadworks as upgrades around Derby railway station beginMuch of the facelift will be done sympathetically to match the existing brickwork and pavements in the area

Manchester Evening News

• Manchester Airport owner earns £1billion thanks to low cost, short-haul flightsThe group's passenger numbers surged from 20.5 million to 54 million during the year, 91% of pre-pandemic levels
• 'Not everyone wants these to be gone... not everyone is online and people need a choice'The Rail Delivery Group has revealed plans to axe the majority of ticket offices in trains station across the UK in order to cut costs
• 'It's scandalous': Manchester Piccadilly rail passengers slam controversial plans to shut section of station"They can’t close Piccadilly surely! The impact it would have would be massive!"

Northern Echo

• Durham and Darlington train ticket offices set to closeRail ticket offices at stations across the region will close under new plans revealed today.
• West End composer to write musical for railway bicentenaryWest End composer to write musical to celebrate railway bicentenary

The York Press

• York: train ticket office to stay at station amid industry shake-upThe ticket office is to stay at York railway station amid an industry shake-up announced today (July 5).

Wales Online

• Stagecoach announces changes to its routes and timetables across south Wales Stagecoach has announced upcoming changes to their bus services

Yorkshire Post

• Doncaster Sheffield Airport: Council begin looking for 'experienced operator' to take over running and re-opening of site for aviationDoncaster Sheffield Airport: Council begin looking for 'experienced operator' to take over running and re-opening of site for aviation

Burnley Express

• All East Lancs rail ticket offices but Blackburn set to shutRail operator Northern has announced only Blackburn will remain open in East Lancashire amid mass closure of station ticket offices.

Cambridge News

• Readers debate proposals to close ticket offices across EnglandSeveral ticket offices across Cambridgeshire would be closed under the proposals, with staff available on-site to ask questions
• All the changes planned for Cambs railway stations as ticket offices set to shut across EnglandChanges could come to stations in Cambridge, Peterborough, Ely, Huntingdon, March, Shelford and St Neots

Other Regional Press

• Morebus tests out electric bus on its M1 and M2 routesMOREBUS has been testing out an electric Volvo bus on one of its busiest routes.
• Some York bus operators facing ‘catastrophic losses’Some York bus operators are facing ‘catastrophic losses’ due to huge cost increases and a lack of passengers.
• Emissions fall as bus passenger numbers tumbleBuses in Dorset produced far fewer emissions in 2021 than a decade before, with passenger journeys tumbling, new figures show.
• All Isle of Wight train ticket offices expected to closeAll of the Isle of Wight's train station ticket offices are proposed to close following an announcement by South Western Railway today (Thursday).
• Section of historic Wakefield rail line to be removed over traffic safety fearsA section of an historic rail line which serves as a reminder of Wakefield’s celebrated mining heritage is set to be removed.
• Upset at Dorchester and Weymouth train ticket office closureRail passengers say they are ‘astounded’ to hear of the planned closure of railway ticket offices in Dorset.
• Emissions fall as bus passenger numbers tumbleBuses in Dorset produced far fewer emissions in 2021 than a decade before, with passenger journeys tumbling, new figures show.

New Civil Engineer

• Stuttering rail electrification strategy ‘has to change’The UK must radically ramp up its rail electrification programme, a key figure has urged, after data revealed the sustainability benefits of traveling by train.
• £15M awarded to consortium of universities to establish new railway innovation centre at GCRE in south WalesA consortium of universities has been awarded £15M to develop and establish a railway research and innovation centre in south Wales.
• How National Highways and partners used Project Speed to compile a robust DCO application for the £1.3bn A66 upgradeNational Highways, working with delivery partners Kier, Balfour Beatty and Keltbray, worked under Project Speed principles to collaboratively create a robust development consent order (DCO) application for the £1.3bn A66 North Trans-Pennine upgrade, the project manager told NCE.

Rail Advent

• Maintenance firm opens new commercial site in Goole’s Rail VillageRail supply, maintenance and logistics company CWE Ltd has officially opened its new commercial site at RaisE Business Centre in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire.

Railnews

• Ticket office axe: staff may be offered voluntary severance Most station ticket offices in England are set to be axed, it has been confirmed. Consultations into proposals to close the offices at all but the largest stations have been launched. They will run for 21 days. The government has been accused of ‘ducking and diving’ from scrutiny, and the RMT says redundancy notices have been issued to staff. The Rail Delivery Group said the proposals were ‘being launched against the backdrop of long-running industrial action by rail unions RMT and ASLEF over changes necessary to bring the railway up to date and make it sustainable in the long term.’

Other News Sources

• New grid connection helps Transport for Wales deliver faster, greener rail travel in South WalesA new grid connection is allowing trains in the South Wales Valleys to be electrified for the first time.
• Mick Lynch BACKS GB News campaign as he highlights sinister issue with radical rail reform plansRMT union leader Mick Lynch has given his backing to the GB News Don't Kill Cash campaign.
• Alstom supplies new Traxx locomotives to PCC intermodalThe locomotives will be used in cross border operations across Poland, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Slovakia.
• Stoke among train stations to lose ticket offices - the full listUp to 1,000 tickets offices are due to shut across the country with passengers forced to buy online or via self-service machines
• Universities win £15m for new Railway Research and Innovation Centre at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence in South WalesThe University of Birmingham and a consortium of Welsh universities have been awarded £15 million by the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) to establish a new world-leading railway research and innovation centre in South Wales.
• HS2’s Crewe to Manchester leg moves forward with design changesA second set of proposed changes to the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill, which includes the relocation and redesign of some tunnel assets, has been introduced to Parliament.
• Ponant to Build Sailing, Fuel Cell Cruise ShipPonant has committed to a unique transoceanic ship design, Swap2Zero, that combines six new energy technologies.The ship is expected to be ready by 2030. Ponant has partnered with naval architect Stirling Design International, and discussions are ongoing to select a shipyard.