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

Friday, 15 March 2024

BBC News

• Limited rail service to resume after landslipWest Midlands Railway plans run a temporary service between Shifnal and Birmingham from Monday.
• How HS2 is boosting SMEs, with 2024 procurements over £1bnHS2 Ltd says that its construction project - Britain’s biggest - is helping the UK’s small business community to thrive.

Financial Times

• SpaceX's Starship rocket reaches space but is lost on return to EarthWorld's most powerful rocket fails in final phase after meeting third test missions other objectives
• Working from home made UK air traffic control chaos worse, report findsBig outage in August 2023 more protracted because engineers were not in the office
• Suez, Schmuez: how global trade is shrugging off the Houthi attacksBlocking cargo ships passage through the Red Sea hasn't noticeably hurt global growth or pushed up inflation

The Guardian

• Vehicles can now be donated to Ukraine instead of being scrapped under UlezFrom Friday, non-compliant cars, vans and minibuses can be sent to country which is short of vehicles to transport casualtiesMotorists planning to scrap vehicles that do not meet ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) standards in London can instead donate them to Ukraine from Friday, as a scheme is launched after a protracted campaign to win the support of the mayor and central government.
• No compelling examples of what levelling up has delivered, watchdog findsPublic accounts committee report shows hardly any of 71 projects due to be completed this month are on trackRishi Sunak's levelling up agenda is beset by an absolutely astonishing level of delay, and the government cannot give any compelling examplesf what it has delivered, parliament's spending watchdog has found.The public accounts committee (PAC) said barely any of the 71 shovel-ready projects due to be completed this month were on track. 

City AM

• Sadiq Khan under fire for breaking his pledge to ban Transport for London gambling ads London Mayor Sadiq Khan has come under fire for breaking a pledge to ban gambling adverts on the London tube.

The Mirror

• Only 10% of promised Levelling Up funds actually spent, damning report findsDame Meg Hillier, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said the levels of delay in the Tories’ flagship plan were 'absolutely astonishing' and hit out at a 'waste of resources'

Network Rail

• Major Upgrade Promises Rail Investment for ShipleyThe Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is investing around £100million in a new rail depot in Shipley.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Decision is 'biggest change to bus service in 40 years'THE decision to bring West Yorkshire's bus services under public control has been described as the biggest change to bus services for four decades.
• £100 MILLION investment to create new rail depot in Shipley£100 MILLION will be spent on a new electric train depot in Shipley – a development that will bring 100 jobs to the town.

Wales Online

• 'It's going to really affect us', says Swansea cab firm as Uber arrives in cityLocal cab firms have criticised the arrival of Uber, with one saying there is little enough work for the existing drivers
• Buses will be completely free in Swansea on these datesThe scheme will run on several dates in March and April and includes certain restrictions

Yorkshire Post

• Bus services in West Yorkshire to come back under public controlBus services in West Yorkshire are to come under the control of the region’s mayor, following approval by local leaders.
• Rail link to former Ferrybridge power station site in Yorkshire to be kept open for business park developmentPlans have been approved to transform the former Ferrybridge C power station site into a major industrial and employment zone.

Other Regional Press

• Stagecoach receives first delivery of battery-electric busesStagecoach, the nation's largest bus and coach operator, has taken delivery of its first battery-electric buses from.
• Great Northern and London Overground top rail satisfaction surveyGreat Northern and London Overground have come joint top in the country for rail passenger satisfaction, according to a survey carried out by the independent national passenger watchdog Transport Focus.
• Somerton and Langport station raised in Parliament by Sarah Dyke MPPRIME minister Rishi Sunak has failed to provide clarity to Somerset residents on the fate of a long-running bid to build a new railway station near two growing towns.
• Faster train journeys for Norwich to London services in 2024Faster train journeys between Norwich and London are set to be introduced.

British Trams Online

• New board member confirmed at LRSSBThe Light Rail Safety and Standards Board have confirmed another permanent appointment to its board of directors. Danny Vaughan (Head of Metrolink at Transport for Greater Manchester) is now on the board permanently having served as an interim board member for the past six months.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Kent Fastrack to go green with ie-Trams trialKent County Council (KCC) has signed a 15-year contract to continue the Kent Thameside Fastrack service.
• ’Shocking’ bus funding imbalance, says CampaignThere is a ’shocking’ imbalance between ’winners and losers’ when it comes to government bus funding, according to the Campaign for Better Transport. The campaign group has revealed figures showing up to £230 per head difference between local authority areas.
• West Yorkshire to franchise from 2027Bus franchising is coming to West Yorkshire. It is to be introduced in phases, with the first franchised buses up and running in parts of Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield from March 2027.

Coach and Bus Week

• Abellio London becomes Transport UK London BusFollowing its divestment from Dutch-owned Abellio, the former Abellio London has become Transport UK London Bus, formally changing its name from 2 March. The business says it is excited to start its next business chapter.

New Civil Engineer

• Council recommended to approve £65M York Outer Ring Road dualling projectCity of York Council has been recommended to approve the £65M scheme to dual the York Outer Ring Road.
• Prep work for Transpennine upgrade starts in West YorkshirePreparatory work is starting in West Yorkshire for a multi-billion-pound programme of upgrades that will transform rail travel across the Pennines.

Rail Advent

• New Traincare depot to be built in West YorkshireIt was announced this morning, 14th March by Rail Minister Huw Merriman, that a new Traincare depot at Shipley will be built as part of the governments £3.9 billion investment in the Transpennine Route Upgrade.
• SELRAP disappointed with no mention of Colne to Skipton line in BudgetThe Skipton and East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) has expressed disappointment that last week's budget ignored Marginal Constituencies in the area.
• 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.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Evidence to Lords Committee explores EU Entry/Exit SystemChallenges posed by the rollout of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) were heard by the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee on 26 February.
• Coach should ’embrace consolidation for future opportunities’Coach sector consolidation is pathway to exploring new potential, delegates at UKCOA's annual conference heard in March
• Initiation of bus franchising process in Strathclyde is recommendedThe process of franchising bus services in Strathclyde should be initiated and long-term operation under either the current mechanism or through voluntary partnerships should be ruled out, a report by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has recommended.
• Shadow minister furthers engagement with coach and busShadow Buses Minister Simon Lightwood continued his interaction with the coach and bus industry via a visit to FlixBus on Monday.
• Bus franchising in West Yorkshire formally adopted as reform pathAs expected, Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin has decided that franchising will be introduced to bus services in the region.

Other News Sources

• Nottingham’s buses named best in the countryNottingham has been named top city in the UK for bus passenger satisfaction according to a major survey conducted by Transport Focus.