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

Wednesday, 10 April 2024

BBC News

• Funding for operators to make buses more accessibleA multimillion-pound investment to make transport more accessible has been given to small bus operators.
• Second bus firm fills gaps on Littleport to Cambridge route after cutbacksA new operator will pick up some gaps left in a Cambridgeshire bus route's timetable after another firm decided to cut back its services.
• Heritage rail bridge to be demolished and replacedA bridge along the route of a famous heritage railway in West Yorkshire must be demolished and replaced urgently, the charity which runs the line has said.
• Boeing hit after new whistleblower raises concernsBoeing shares dropped almost 2% after concerns were raised over its 787 and 777 jets.

The Guardian

• Boeing whistleblower’s safety claims under investigation by FAA, reports sayFederal Aviation Administration looking into claims US aircraft maker knew of flaws but covered them up to speed productionClaims that Boeing knew of safety flaws in the manufacture of one of its largest passenger jet aircraft, but covered them up to speed production, are under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to a reports.The information came from a whistleblower inside the beleaguered US aircraft maker, and relates to the structural integrity of the 787 Dreamliner jet, a report published by the New York Times alleges. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Congress summons Boeing's CEO to testify on its jetliner safety following new whistleblower chargesA Senate subcommittee has opened an investigation into the safety of Boeing jetliners, intensifying concerns about the airworthiness of the company’s aircraft

Times Online

• Congestion has risen in London since Ulez’s launch. [subscription]Sadiq Khan’s office claimed in 2020 that the clean air scheme had reduced traffic in the central zone by about 10 per cent

i News

• UK’s biggest rail factory and HS2 supplier ‘needs order of 10 trains to survive’The Alstom site in Derby is meant to build HS2 trains in future but could close in weeks without immediate government help, the firm's UK managing director has warned

Mail Online

• Named and shamed: The councils holding back cash plans on fixing potholes as one in six miss the deadlineMark Harper (pictured) revealed nearly one in six councils have not lodged plans for how they intend to spend extra Government cash for mending roads.

Network Rail

• Network Rail announces appointment of three new non-executive directors to its BoardNetwork Rail has today (Tuesday, 9 April) announced the appointment of three new non-executive directors to its Board. Dyan Perry OBE (nee Crowther), Steve Scrimshaw and Stuart Harvey will join the Board from July, and will be bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and experience from a variety of public and private sector roles.
• Network Rail’s £4bn train control systems framework to revolutionise signalling across BritainFrom Carlisle to Brighton, Network Rail’s £4bn, 10-year signalling plan will change the face of Britain’s railway, with modern equipment bringing greater reliability across the country through a mixture of traditional signalling and digital control.

Bolton News

• Bolton based Diamond Bus North West wins three new contractsA bus company that opened it new head office in Bolton last year has been awarded three new contacts, which could see new staff hired.
• 'Even more progress' on Horwich Loco Works spine roadA major new link road is near completion but may not be enough to deal with traffic as a major housing development gathers pace.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Operator signs up to run rail freight interchangeMaritime Transport is to to operate the strategic rail freight interchange that is being built at Gailey in Staffordshire.

Other Regional Press

• Electric buses for CornwallCORNWALL’S first electric buses will take to the streets next year, helping to cut carbon emissions and improve air quality.
• MSP Alex Rowley calls for Fife Circle improvement timetableA PEAK-TIME train leaving Edinburgh for West Fife was so packed that by the time it reached Haymarket - the first stop - no more passengers could get on.
• Rail Safe Friendly programme marks one year with ‘Your Future in Rail’ event at Guilsborough AcademyAiming for rail safety to be in all schools over the next five years.
• Wellington Rail Station – latest from MPAn update on plans for Wellington’s new railway station has been provided by the local MP, Rebecca Pow.
• Wigan railway station set to shut for five months as £100m electrification project continuesA Wigan railway station will be closing its doors to passengers for five months while electrification work takes place.
• Hope for historic Tees shipyard as owners launch talks with potential new occupantsTeesport owner PD Ports says it hopes to have new tenants as soon as possible

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• HS2 invites bids for Automated People Mover infrastructureCompanies are being invited to participate in a market engagement exercise for delivering the infrastructure behind HS2's elevated Automated People Mover (APM) system in the West Midlands.

Coach and Bus Week

• CT4N goes green with new red busesThe Nottingham operator has invested in a pair of new electric buses for a five year logistics park shuttle service

Rail Advent

• West Yorkshire railway upgrade work completedDisruption to services in West Yorkshire, as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) that required the railway to be closed for ten days, has been successfully completed.

Railnews

• "Gloves off" at Alstom Derby after government turned its back Patience in Derby with the Government over the plight of Alstom's train building works in the city has now run out, according to the managing director of Marketing Derby.

Railtech

• European Sleeper’s Amsterdam-Barcelona night train faces French hurdlesEuropean Sleeper plans to operate night trains between Amsterdam and Barcelona starting in 2025 but faces opposition from the French rail infrastructure manager. Co-founder Elmer van Buuren revealed this to BNR. Among other issues, the outdated infrastructure is expected to pose challenges for the service.
• Rail sleuths: the investigative edge of rail forensic technical servicesWhile the quest for solutions to engineering failures is as ancient as the field of engineering, the increasing complexity of the discipline has led to a need for novel investigative methods. Forensic technical services specifically oriented towards rail have thus seen the light of day. RailTech.com interviewed Dr. Nigel Bish, Technical Director at the international consulting group HKA’s Rail Forensic Technical Services.

Railway Gazette

• Technology tackles train surfers and bicycle thievesUK: The Docklands Light Railway is to be equipped with technology which can detect ‘train surfers’ illegally clinging to the back of its automated trains or between vehicles.
• Armitt criticises ‘blurred picture’ for rail development in wake of HS2 axe‘It hasn’t been a great six months for rail’, suggested Sir John Armitt, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, in his keynote address

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Women in Bus and Coach names nine-strong board of DirectorsWomen in Bus and Coach (WiBC) has named a nine-strong inaugural board of Directors. It is a step that the organisation says represents a move forward in its mission to promote gender diversity in the coach, bus and community transport areas.
• National Express bus tickets launched within Uber appNational Express West Midlands (NXWM) has joined up with ride-sharing giant Uber and London-based technology company Masabi to offer bus tickets directly through the Uber app.
• SPT opens consultation on recommended bus reform optionsStrathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) has published a non-statutory consultation on recommended options for reform of bus services in the region that extend to development and deployment of a franchising model.

The Business Desk

• £66m refinancing deal secured for West Midlands Trains depotPorterbrook has committed to refinancing a £66m redevelopment of Bletchley depot for West Midlands Trains (WMT).

Other News Sources

• Amazon to shift goods from road to railEUROPE: Amazon has awarded FS Group’s Mercitalia Logistics a contract to transport goods between its fulfilment centres in Germany and Italy.
• Mayor Dr Nik Johnson saves Littleport to Cambridge bus routeA2B Travel Group has won the contract to ‘plug the gaps’ on the number 9 route between Littleport, Ely and Cambridge.
• 65% Passenger Growth for New Electric Bus RouteNew electric TrawsCymru buses running between Carmarthen and Aberystwyth have seen a 65% increase in passengers this year.
• Bideford/Barnstaple rail link backedHopes for an extended Tarka Line too Torridge councillors have joined a new alliance dedicated to reinstating the rail link from Bideford to Barnstaple.
• Freeths advises Porterbrook on £66m redevelopment of Bletchley DepotNational law firm Freeths has advised Porterbrook on financing the redevelopment of Bletchley depot for West Midlands Trains (WMT). Porterbrook is the UK’s leading rolling stock financier and asset management company.
• Shoosmiths advises Porterbrook on purchase of Long Marston Rail Innovation CentrePorterbrook has since invested more than £13m to upgrade facilities throughout the centre. The purchase of the freehold from St Modwen will enable Porterbrook to deliver its future plans for the centre, including further improving its facilities – assisting the development and testing of new technologies, while also helping meet the rail industry’s training and recruitment needs.
• Majority of ScotRail passengers want booze ban liftedThe majority of ScotRail passengers want an end to the ban on alcohol, according to the firm’s own survey.

News from Europe

• Wifi coming aboard public transport in LuxembourgLuxembourg’s trams and train stations should be equipped with free internet connectivity by the end of this year, with buses rolling with wifi sometime in the future, the government has said.
• How much did it cost Spain's train operator Renfe to remove graffiti from rolling stock in Andalucía in 2023?Last year such vandalism throughout the country cost the state company 25 million euros to stamp out