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

Wednesday, 25 October 2023

BBC News

• Brentwood train passengers still campaigning for station liftPeople with disabilities say they still cannot catch a train from their local Essex station to London because a lift has not been installed.
• Ferguson ferry design 'more complex' than warshipsThe shipyard's boss tells MSPs the ill-fated ferries are more challenging than Type 26 frigates.
• Avanti West Coast: Union hits out at Christmas rail service cutsAvanti West Coast says it is reducing services from 9-31 December on the West Coast Main Line.
• London day travelcards saved following revenue dealMayor Sadiq Khan says the travelcard will stay with TfL receiving a
• Could Glasgow return to the orange buses of the 80s?Manchester has brought its buses back under public control - so could Glasgow make a similar move?
• Car workers' strike costing GM $200m a weekGeneral Motors details the hit it is taking from the strike, while the UAW union expands its action.
• Rural buses: Councils opt for 'on-demand' services in face of cutsCouncils said they could not offer a like-for-like replacement for commercial services that have faced cuts.

The Guardian

• £1bn fund to expand EV charging network still not open after three yearsRishi Sunak unveiled funding pot for expanding charging facilities at motorway services in 2020 but it is not yet accepting bids

Times Online

• Wrong type of steel used to build new CalMac ferry. [subscription]Ferguson Marine chief admits to ’lots of mistakes’ in the design of the MV Glen Sannox
• California puts brakes on ’dangerous’ Cruise robotaxis. [subscription]California regulators have suspended the licence of a self-driving taxi service after ruling that its autonomous cars pose a danger to the public.

City AM

• Seat and Cupra chief: There’s a ’perfect storm’ ahead for European carmakers City A.M. sits down with Seat chief Wayne Griffiths to discuss the European car industry and Cupra's roaring success.

The National

• Busiest Scottish car ferry route delayed again amid repairsKATE Forbes has said locals should be given discounted fares on a trouble-hit ferry route once service resumes.

Local Government

• More regular buses for King's Lynn thanks to bus service improvement planBuses between North Wootton and King’s Lynn will be running more regularly thanks to money that Norfolk County Council secured from the Department for Transport (DfT) to improve bus services across the County.

Network Rail

• Changes to passenger journeys between Manchester and Sheffield while essential upgrades take place on Hope Valley lineVital work on the Hope Valley Railway Upgrade is set to resume as improvements to the railway line between Manchester and Sheffield advance. As a result of these developments, train services will not run between Sheffield and New Mills stations on both Sunday 5th and Sunday 12th November.

Bolton News

• Bolton: Bus funding boost replicates Bee Network schemeA cash injection into transport services around Bolton has been dismissed as 

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Ilkley 20mph zone: Results of Parish Poll are revealedA Parish Poll carried out in Ilkley to gauge reaction to the planned 20mph speed reduction with road humps has resulted in a resounding no.

London Evening Standard

• One-day Travelcard saved as TfL strikes deal with train operatorsTicket popular with people visiting London is saved - but passengers face one-off levy from March on top of annual fares hike

Other Regional Press

• £1.84m boost for bus services across ShropshireNorth Shropshire MP Helen Morgan and Ludlow MP Philip Dunne have welcomed news that Shropshire is set to receive £1.84 million in extra funding for bus services.
• Fife MSP to raise Dunfermline bus concerns with Transport SecretaryCONCERNS over local bus services will be raised with the Scottish Transport Secretary after Baldridgeburn residents expressed their dissatisfaction about routes serving their community.
• Glasgow's economy crippled by poor public transport, says reportGlasgow’s economic potential is being crippled by poor public transport links, a new report suggests.
• HS2 name its next two tunnel boring machines after two famous Ealing womenHS2 has announced that its next two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) have been named Emily and Anne after two famous females who lived in Ealing.
• Bus fares capped at £1 on Sundays in run-up to ChristmasSunday single fares in December in the run-up to Christmas are set to be capped at £1 after Oxfordshire was awarded extra government funding
• 'LTNs should be introduced in Wallingford', says councillorPete Sudbury said some traffic should be restricted from entering Blackstone Road and Norries Drive in the estate off St Georges Road in Wallingford.

New Civil Engineer

• Report on 2021 Salisbury tunnel crash recommends Network Rail review fallen leaf low adhesion riskThe Rail Accident Investigation Branch's (RAIB's) final report into the 2021 collision between two trains in the Salisbury tunnel has recommended Network Rail review its management of fallen leaves causing its trains to suffer from low adhesion with rails.
• National Audit Office opens investigation into scope of East West RailThe National Audit Office (NAO) has begun an investigation into a number of factors relating to the construction of the £5bn to £8bn East West Rail (EWR), planned to connect the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge.
• Balfour Beatty seeks sub-contractors for £334M of works on £1.3bn A66 upgradeBalfour Beatty has launched tenders worth £334.5M for sub-contractors to take on major aspects of the £1.3bn A66 Northern Trans-Pennine upgrade project including earthworks, pavements and steelworks.

Rail Advent

• Electric bus service links Glasgow’s three main transport hubsA zero-emission electric bus service has been introduced by ScotRail, in partnership with First Bus to connect Glasgow's three major transport hubs: Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street, stations and Buchanan Bus station.

Railnews

• London Day Travelcards are saved after talks National Rail operators and Transport for London have reached an agreement which means Day Travelcards can continue to be bought by passengers who are starting their journeys from outside the TfL area. Travelcards were introduced in the 1980s as a joint initiative between British Rail’s Network SouthEast and London Transport, when the tickets were originally branded Capitalcards. They allow unlimited travel for one day on Transport for London trains, trams and buses, but were in danger of being abolished as Transport for London was struggling to balance its books. The Mayor of London Sadiq Kh...

Railtech

• What is the state of railway competition in Germany?“Where does the still unshakable political trust in Deutsche Bahn come from?”

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Blackpool Transport to migrate Omnibus software to cloud platformBlackpool Transport is to migrate its Omnibus scheduling and depot allocation software to a cloud-based platform.

Other News Sources

• Vossloh Rolling Stock Adds Hydrogen to Modular PortfolioVossloh Rolling Stock has taken its first steps into offering hydrogen-based traction for its latest fleet of switcher locomotives. Kevin Smith visited the manufacturer in Kiel to learn more about its project with Germany’s Duisport Rail.
• Railpool orders 45 Modula locomotives from Vossloh Rolling StockWith its first order for shunting locomotives, Railpool enters the European shunter leasing market.
• Wincanton named Jet2.com’s transport partner for retail productsAirline Jet2.com has appointed Wincanton as its ’dedicated transport partner’, with the logistics company set to manage the delivery of Jet2.com’s retail products to airports across the UK.

News from Europe

• Montpellier to be first French city to make all public transport freeWe look at how residents can get a free pass and which other towns offer free public transport