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

Monday, 19 February 2024

Government

• Belmont trains boosted with £14.1 million (Levelling Up Fund 2)A £14.1 million allocation from the Levelling Up Fund is set to double the number of trains running to Belmont.
• £43.1 million to upgrade 2 London Underground stations (Levelling Up Fund 2)£43.1 million to upgrade 2 London Underground stations (Levelling Up Fund 2)

BBC News

• Huddersfield-Leeds rail disruption warning as upgrade work beginsRail commuters in West Yorkshire have been warned to expect disruption as work on the line between Huddersfield and Leeds gets under way.
• Heathrow Airport eyes summer for switch to new security scannersHeathrow Airport aims to have high-tech security scanners in all terminals by summer, allowing passengers to carry liquids of more than 100ml in hand luggage.
• Police chiefs condemn abuse of transport commandercomments made online about a colleague. Commander Karen Findlay was targeted on X following her move and promotion to assistant chief constable at the British Transport Police (BTP).

Department for Transport

• New railway station backed for the Vale of GlamorganPlans for a new station at St Athan will restore services to the area for the first time in 60 years and reconnect thousands to jobs, education and business opportunities.

The Guardian

• Profits of UK’s private train-leasing firms treble in a yearMore than £400m paid in dividends in 2022-23 while rest of railway faced cuts and salary freezes
• On a roll: bullet train food carts become Japan’s latest must-haveRail company inundated with requests after putting up for sale 50 of the disused trolleys from the Tokyo-Osaka shinkansen route
• ’Naked-person-on-bus is surprisingly common’: meet the cool-headed controllers who really run the countryFrom the road network to our airspace and the electricity grid, teams of workers are busy behind the scenes responding to every eventuality. But what does it take to keep Britain moving?

The Independent

• Dubai International Airport had 86.9 million passengers last year in a post-pandemic surgeThe number of passengers flying through Dubai International Airport surged last year beyond its total for 2019 — just before the coronavirus pandemic grounded global aviation

Times Online

• Mess made in ferry procurement cuts islands adrift. [subscription]nyone keeping up with our Scottish government’s efforts to provide our island communities with efficient and reliable ferry services will have been looking for a lifebelt in the past few weeks. Ministers have swapped portfolios, as well as any accountability over the brief, as fast as the service timetables change on a stormy day. The tempers of some of those involved are visibly fraying.

City AM

• Explainer-in-brief: An overhaul for the overground sparks outrageLast week’s revelation that Transport for London’s overground “orange spaghetti” lines had been granted names – Windrush, Lioness, Weaver, Suffragette, Mildmay and Liberty – sparked a heck of a hoohaa.

Network Rail

• Network Rail completes final phase of £375m investment to install state of the art signalling system which will improve the reliability of the line between Feltham and WokinghamNetwork Rail and South Western Railway have officially switched on new signalling equipment to bring more reliable journeys to customers travelling between Reading, London and Guildford.

Birmingham Mail

• √Locals living near Birmingham Airport demand action over Uber drivers lay-by behaviourWest Midlands Police have resorted to handing out £100 on-the-spot fines to Uber drivers causing chaos on a red route near Birmingham Airport, with the local council confirming they have visited the spot a whopping 417 times since Christmas

Daily Post (North Wales)

• New Gwynedd bus services with 'no fixed route and timetable' launch todayPeople will be able to board or leave the buses anywhere within specific zones

Nation. Cymru

• Two new fflecsi bus services launch next weekTwo new fflecsi services will begin operating from tomorrow (19 February) replacing fixed route services in Gwynedd.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• 13 pictures reveal incredible scale of HS2 project in the West MidlandsNew images reveal the scale of the HS2 project as it makes its way into the West Midlands.

Other Regional Press

• Ceredigion MP supports investigation into poor rail services across mid WalesThe Office of Rail and Road launched an investigation into poor train punctuality and reliability in the Network Rail Wales & Western region late last year.
• More CCTV to be introduced on London Underground as cash boost to Met could improve safetySadiq Khan says he is giving the Met an additional £48.9 million in his planned budget
• Glasgow Airport slammed as staff parking to be relocated in 'unacceptable' moveThe airport plan to close their staff car park near the terminal and relocate employee parking to the long stay car park in a move that has caused anger among workers.
• 13 pictures reveal incredible scale of HS2 project in the West MidlandsNew images reveal the scale of the HS2 project as it makes its way into the West Midlands.
• The Northumberland Line and better public transport for everyone"While much of the country remains stuck in traffic in the North East we’re the heirs of Stephenson. The Northumberland Line is just the beginning"
• Reduced North East transport fares has saved residents £7m since 2023The reduced travel fares have saved North East families around seven million pounds since it was launched last year.
• Senedd committee explores free public transport for young peopleThe Welsh Government’s Petitions Committee, chaired by Alyn and Deeside MS Jack Sargeant, will explore the possibility of providing free public transport for young people.

Rail Advent

• Stadler secures order for more hydrogen-powered trains for CaliforniaThe State of California has exercised an option under its contract signed in October 2023 for Stadler to supply six more FLIRT H2 hydrogen-powered trains.

Trafnidiaeth Cymru [Transport for Wales]

• Brand new trains on the Maesteg linePeople living in the Maesteg valley are set to benefit from brand new trains after their introduction this week (19 Feb).

Other News Sources

• Accessibility work on Greater Manchester train station delayed due to discovery of disused mine shaftsWork to improve accessibility at a Greater Manchester train station has been delayed due to the discovery of mine shafts. The historic shafts have been uncovered underneath Walkden station.
• Facial Recognition: Coming Soon to an Airport Near YouBiometric technology is expanding at airports across the United States — and the world — and transforming the way we move through them, from checking a bag to boarding the plane.
• Revolutionizing Public Transport in Gwynedd: Fflecsi Dolgellau and Fflecsi Dyffryn DulasFflecsi Dolgellau and Fflecsi Dyffryn Dulas are transforming public transport in Gwynedd, offering demand-responsive bus services that connect remote villages and towns. The initiative promotes sustainable tourism and accessibility, empowering passengers to book their travel in advance through the fflecsi app.
• New mayor needs vision for rural transport across the county... We already have had the first sign of an electoral spring with a renewal of the 50-year-old promise to dual the A64. As a Councillor representing villages along the A64 any improvements to the road would be very welcome.

News from Europe

• €400 million allocated for the modernization of railway infrastructure and the procurement of rolling stock for CroatiaThe European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide Croatia with a €400 million loan for the modernization of railway infrastructure and the purchase of rolling stock, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.