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

Friday, 16 February 2024

Cogitamus

• Labour should commit to build HS2 Phase 2AThe cost of HS2 continues to shoot up. Sir Jon Thompson, HS2’s Executive Chair, told the House of Commons Transport Committee that the likely cost could be £65 billion, in part because of extraordinary inflation in recent years. The Government, still whistling in the dark, asserts that it should be significantly less.

BBC News

• Essex transport safety officers to patrol public transportNew safety officers are being deployed to tackle anti-social behaviour on Essex's public transport network.
• Kentish Town Tube station to remain closed until SeptemberA north London Tube station that was closed for repairs will now likely remain closed until September.
• Swanage Railway holds behind-the-scenes community daysA heritage railway line is giving people a chance to see behind the scenes. Swanage Railway in Dorset is holding a special community weekend on Saturday and Sunday.
• Waterbeach station relocation delayed for second timeThe relocation of a railway station has been delayed for a second time and will open 12 months behind schedule.
• Calls for 'iconic' bridge graffiti to be repaintedCalls have been made to repaint a fading piece of graffiti on a railway bridge that was painted almost 60 years ago.
• Lioness, Suffragette: New lines on Tube map revealedWith each line given separate colours, the rebrand means major changes to London's famous Tube map.
• Kentish Town station to remain closed until SeptemberIt was closed in April to upgrade the escalators but transport bosses say other repairs are needed.

STV

• First Bus creates streetwear collection inspired by Scotland’s bus routesFirst Bus has launched a streetwear range, which is inspired by the design of the bus seats, in a collaboration with Scottish creatives.

The Guardian

• London Overground: new names and colours for six lines revealedWeb of orange on tube map revamped to celebrate city’s unique local history and culture, says mayor
• Tickets, please, angry Tories! You may not like the name, but you’re welcome on London's Windrush line | Jonn ElledgeThe right is furious, but those frothing about woke rail routes and a line called Suffragette should just try to enjoy the ride. One of the things that makes London's transport network so special along with the world's oldest underground railway, and the invention of the non-geographic metro map is its use of language.

Times Online

• The Times view on London Overground names: Battle Lines. [subscription]Having spent its short existence as one undifferentiated network, coloured orange on the map, London’s Overground rail system is being rebranded.
• First Bus creates streetwear inspired by seat designs. [subscription]Free hats, T-shirts and bags designed by the Scottish artist Boiiing are aimed at encouraging under 22s to use their passes

Local Government

• Portsmouth bus boom: city rated first in England for bringing passengers back to the busThe latest data from the Department for Transport (DfT) shows that buses in Portsmouth have seen a 22.3% increase in passengers over the course of the last year.

Bristol Live

• Robot dog unleashed alongside major roads to carry out survey workThe dog will operate in difficult to reach areas alongside motorways and A roads

London Evening Standard

• What are the new London Overground line names? Rail network set for rebrandAll six of London’s Overground lines will receive new names, in an attempt to make it easier for passengers to know where their train goes.

Manchester Evening News

• The new routes from Manchester Airport launching this year including the USA, China and moreAirlines including Virgin Atlantic are expanding their services from Manchester Airport in 2024

Bucks Free Press

• Bucks HS2 sinkhole: Results of pollution investigationAn investigation into potential pollution at a Buckinghamshire sinkhole caused by tunnel boring for the HS2 rail project has concluded.

Other Regional Press

• Plans for Castle Bromwich railway station welcomedPLANS to bring a new railway station to Solihull have been welcomed. The borough will get a share of the £1million earmarked by transport bosses to develop proposals for a new railway station Castle Bromwich.
• New 'park-and-rail' scheme could help Southend prosper like New Zealand and BelgiumSOUTHEND could mirror New Zealand and Belgium after a “park-and-rail” scheme was mooted as a way to help the city prosper.
• Nottinghamshire councillors clash in row over HS2 land at TotonConservative and Independents councillors have continued to bicker over the latter’s porposals to raise £20m for road repairs across the county by selling land at Toton initially bought for the now-scrapped HS2 northern leg.
• £32m Northlight mill businessman blasts Colne to Skipton rail reopening 'red tape'“I will keep working on the Colne-Skipton railway. I’m pleased we have made some progress but want to see more investment to come”
• London Underground 'should be extended using disused railway line' as council considers motionJust three passenger trains per day connect Watford and Rickmansworth which are less than five miles apart
• MSP calls for sustained action to secure new station in WinchburghLabour MSP Foysol Choudhury has called for sustained action to secure a train station for Winchburgh.

Bikebiz

• Bike.rent Manager talks revenue, and transforming urban transportCycling plays a key role in the transformation of transport, shifting travel habits toward greener, more sustainable, future mobility options. This shift isn’t just a fleeting trend but a full-scale revolution fuelled by the burgeoning bike rental industry.

Rail Advent

• Rail Partners’ ’Manifesto for Rail’ sets out aims for rail reformA ’Manifesto for Rail' has been launched by Rail Partners that sets out a five-point plan for politicians to create a thriving railway that works for both customers and taxpayers.
• Greater Manchester: mine shafts found in railway station workWhile carrying out work in connection with a multi-million-pound ’Access for All' upgrade of Walkden station in Greater Manchester, engineers discovered some historic mine shafts.
• West Yorkshire train services to be disrupted next weekContinuing work on the Transpennine Route Upgrade will affect train services between Huddersfield and Leeds between this Saturday, 17 and the following Sunday, 25 February.

Railway Gazette

• Secondment scheme to develop tram talentUK: Light rail industry body UKTram is developing a framework for staff secondments with the aim of helping the sector retain top talent and to provide additional experience for young managers, engineers and other key personnel.

Railway Technology

• Siemens Mobility Shakes Up Train Rental Market with Innovative Leasing ModelIn a move that could change regional rail transport, Siemens Mobility has launched Smart Train Lease GmbH, a subsidiary offering flexible rentals of state-of-the-art battery, hydrogen, and electric multiple-unit trains.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Congestion hurts bus services ’regardless of regulatory model’Stricter parking enforcement and a harder line with roadworks by utilities companies are two areas that must be acted on if the congestion that increasingly hinders bus services is to be mitigated, Stagecoach East Business Development Director David Boden (pictured) has said.
• Young Bus Professionals is go as Glasgow conference approachesThe former Young Bus Managers Network has been rechristened Young Bus Professionals in a move that the organisation says reflects the bus industry’s evolving landscape.
• CMAC Group is purchased by ComfortDelGro in £80 million dealGround transport management specialist CMAC Group has been bought by ComfortDelGro for £80.2 million. The Singaporean buyer says that the deal reinforces its strategy to expand point-to-point mobility services and offerings.
• Pulhams Coaches looks to growth as training academy establishedPulhams Coaches’ focus on growth under Go-Ahead Group ownership has seen the appointment of Stuart Exler (pictured, above) to head a newly established training academy at the Bourton-on-the-Water business.

Other News Sources

• Watch incredible drone footage showing the latest progress at huge rail freight interchange in NorthamptonWatch incredible drone footage which shows the latest progress at the major rail freight interchange development in Northampton.
• Siemens Mobility Launches Smart Train Lease SubsidiarySiemens Mobility has launched a subsidiary for leasing regional trains: Smart Train Lease GmbH.
• There is no plan,,, “Where’s the plan?” in respect of train procurement. Five thousand vehicles were ordered between 2014 and 2019 though since then there has been no substantial mainline train orders except for HS2.
• Optibus’ transit software has been adopted by 5,000 cities worldwide (growing 5-fold in 2 years)Optibus announces that usage of its software for planning and operating more sustainable and efficient public transportation has grown to 5,000 cities.
• UK, Germany and Norway lead the 2023 e-bus market in Europe (high growth in Italy and Spain)The European electric bus market experienced a remarkable surge in registrations in 2023, with a 53% growth in 2023. A total of 6,354 electric buses were registered across EU27, Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland