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

Thursday, 14 March 2024

Cogitamus

• Draft Bill is tiny step towards rail industry restructuringThe publication of the draft Rail Reform Bill represents a tiny step towards restructuring the industry, although it is of course almost inconceivable that the Bill in its present form will ever progress, given that the Conservative government appears to be in its death throes.

BBC News

• Commuters welcome Leeds-Bradford tram plansPlans for a new tram system linking Leeds and Bradford have been broadly welcomed by commuters.
• Yutong E9 zero-emission bus trialled in JerseyA new zero-emission bus is being trialled for Jersey. This latest wheelchair accessible model, the Yutong E9, is slightly longer than the previous one trialled and can seat up to 62 passengers.
• People in York seek city transport 'changes' to get out of cars - councilConcerns over "unreliable" bus services and cycle lane safety are stopping people in York swapping their cars for other transport, councillors will hear.
• Plans to run new direct rail services to LondonServices from WSMR could see direct trains between north Wales, Shropshire and London.
• Bus services: 'They're good if they turn up'Bus services vary widely on punctuality and value for money, a major passenger survey suggests.
• Clean Air Zone scrappage scheme extendedDifferent grants are on offer for the a scheme the council says will encourage sustainable transport.

Financial Times

• Zombie car factories on the rise in China as buyers opt for EVsPlants geared to producing internal combustion engines increasingly mothballed as foreign groups lose market share
• Malaysia revives ambitious high-speed rail plan amid hurdlesChina Railway Construction and Hyundai unit among companies showing interest

STV

• SPT considers local bus franchising in ScotlandThe transport body said the move could cost £15m and take up to seven years.

The Guardian

• Hollywood connection: Wrexham lines up three-hour direct rail service to LondonTrain maker Alstom plans fast service skirting Birmingham as Ryan Reynolds' football club takeover reaps in ever more benefits. Direct trains could next year connect Wrexham to London, with a new service capitalising on the town's Hollywood-meets-football mini-boom.The train manufacturer Alstom is bidding to set up the Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway with a promise of cheaper, more comfortable trains straight to London.

The Scotsman

• Edinburgh Airport’s bid to be UK’s first with screening for US-bound passengers ’closer than ever’Scotland’s busiest terminal steps up campaign to help further boost its “phenomenal” transatlantic traffic growth

Senedd Cymru

• Computer Says No: Digital exclusion in public transportnaccessible transport is not a new problem, but the problem is changing. In increasingly digitised travel environments, it is no longer sufficient to only consider physical spaces as an enabler for accessible travel. People now have to negotiate virtual systems, digital ticketing, and online information to travel from one place to another.

City AM

• Open access: The quiet revolution that might just fix Britain’s broken railways Open access is offering a fresh approach to the solving British rail's ongoing financial struggles, with more commercial freedom and reduced ticket fares.

The Mirror

• Cyclists left furious at 'ridiculous' pole blocking key cycling route for nearly 6 monthsThe 'ridiculous' lamppost was erected in the middle of a major cycling route in the Edinburgh, and local bike riders have been urging the council to have it removed for the past five months

Local Government

• Bus marketing campaign to ’educate’ people on how to use busesAround £400,000 will be spent on promotional and marketing activities to “educate” people on how to use buses in Hampshire.

Network Rail

• Southern Renewals Enterprise announces Liz Baldwin as new director for Southern Integrated DeliveryNew role part of Southern Renewals Enterprise (SRE) which is being introduced across Network Rail's Southern Region

London Evening Standard

• New train services planned between London Euston and North WalesAlstom says its proposal will offer passengers direct links, quicker journeys and ’more competitive fares’
• Sadiq Khan hits back at criticism over 58% rise in public transport crime during his tenureSadiq Khan is facing criticism for a 58 per cent rise in crime on London’s transport network since 2016, the year in which he took office.

Nation. Cymru

• First Minister blames Network Rail for half of Transport for Wales’ 1 million minutes of delaysThe First Minister has blamed Network Rail for half of the one million minutes worth of delays racked up by Transport for Wales (TfW) last year.
• Transport for Wales says new station proposal remains on trackProposals for a train station next to one of Cardiff’s newest housing estates are still in development, according to Transport for Wales (TfW).

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Light rail crucial to future, says shadow minister in visit to regionDeep in the bowels of the Black Country, shadow rail minister Stephen Morgan takes a ride on a railway that few even know exists.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Mayor to make major announcement on Leeds bus reform and proposed tram link fundingThe Mayor is set to make an announcement today on Leeds bus reform.

South Wales Argus

• Women in Wales fear for safety on public transportThe Senedd backed a call for legislative change following concerns that twice as many women as men do not use public transport out of fear for their safety.

Other Regional Press

• Alstom plans new train services between London and WrexhamThe train and rail infrastructure supplier said its proposal will offer passengers direct links, quicker journeys and ’more competitive fares’.
• Tracy Brabin to end mayoral term with landmark decision on bus reformTHE FINAL Combined Authority meeting of West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin’s term in office will today see a raft of decisions and investment made to create a region that works for all.
• Criticism as crime on London transport rises 58% in eight yearsLib Dem mayoral contender says increase represents a “worrying trend” over Sadiq Khan’s tenure, reports Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter
• Criticism as crime on London transport rises 58% in eight yearsLib Dem mayoral contender says increase represents a “worrying trend” over Sadiq Khan’s tenure, reports Noah Vickers, Local Democracy Reporter
• Mapped: Birmingham public transport plans for trains, trams and rapid bus networkTake a look at the public transport map for Birmingham and the West Midlands with extra rail stations, trams and rapid buses

Rail Advent

• Future confirmed as Porterbrook acquire Electrostar train fleetPorterbrook has announced that it has been successful in its big to acquire 30 Class 379 Electrostar trains. The intention is to lease the 30 Electrostar trains to Govia Thameslink Railway and these will enter service with Great Northern.
• West Yorkshire politicians call for long term investment in region’s rail networkPoliticians in West Yorkshire are calling on the Government to provide more investment in the region's transport network.

Railtech

• Manchester Metrolink gets further investmentMetrolink, the branding of the familiar yellow trams in Manchester, is to see a further 21.4 million pounds (just over 25 million euro) investment. The local authority has approved the programme of works to improve several short-term issues on the extensive network. The budget is for implementation in the next twelve months.

The Business Desk

• Plans for new transport routes unveiled as bus station demolition beginsTransport for West Midlands (TfWM) is developing plans for five new rapid transit routes, to deliver new Metro or Sprint rapid bus services.

Transport Network

• Analysis: Brabin unlikely to be deflectedWest Yorkshire mayor Tracy Brabin is due to announce on Thursday whether the combined authority that she leads will take forward proposals for bus franchising, but bus operators have poured resources into promoting their preferred option.

Other News Sources

• Baldwin to run £9bn southern rail programmeNetwork Rail has appointed civil engineer Liz Baldwin as its southern integrated delivery director.
• Where are we with bus franchising?March 2024 is proving to be a big month for buses across the UK, with milestones for bus franchising taking place across several Mayoral Combined Authorities, as well as in Wales and Scotland, meaning people can look forward to cheaper, greener, faster and more reliable services in their regions
• Porterbrook transforms Long Marston Rail Innovation CentrePorterbrook, the UK’s leading rolling stock financier and asset management company, has sealed the acquisition of the Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre from St Modwen, aiming to bolster Warwickshire’s rail infrastructure.
• CAF: Launch of Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot in SwedenSpanish company CAF continues to expand its capabilities in servicing and supplying rolling stock in Europe, this is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.
• Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham rail line: Major new report highlights massive benefits to universities of potential rail linkA new report by Midlands Connect highlights the ’massive’ benefits to major universities throughout the region if the rail link between Coventry, Leicester, Nottingham is delivered. Academics said it would facilitate growth at the universities and help collaboration.
• Preston’s buses to see new Public Transport Safety Officers on patrolA scheme has been set up, seeing new Public Transport Safety Officers patrolling Preston’s buses and bus stations.
• No work taking place on ’pay-per-mile’ road user charging, says TfL chiefLondon Assembly members also heard that drone home deliveries aren't on the capital's transport horizon either
• England’s worst bus operator right now has been revealedA travel watchdog has named and shamed what it says is the country’s worst bus company
• Forecast: Stirling’s direct rail link to London will put its property sector on fast track to growthFOLLOWING rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) approval of an application by Grand Union Trains to operate four daily return services between London Euston and Stirling from June 2025, Shepherd Chartered Surveyors is forecasting that the direct link will put Stirling’s residential and commercial property sectors on the fast track to growth.