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

Friday, 12 April 2024

BBC News

• Factory to make plane fuel out of poo in world firstBiofuel company Firefly says it has already made a deal to supply airline Wizz Air.

ITV News

• Carlisle: Minister bids to change rules for young bus driversA proposal to tackle cancelled bus journeys and the closure of local routes has been launched in Carlisle.

Department for Transport

• New proposals just the ticket for getting young people into transportProposals could improve job opportunities for people aged 18 to 20, ease driver shortages and provide more reliable bus and coach services across England.

Financial Times

• A $10bn car? The trend for hyper-personalised cars gains momentumWealthy customers are pouring more money than ever into customisation, pushing carmakers to invest in supply chains and dedicated teams

The Guardian

• UK government to relax rules to get 18-year-olds driving busesIt’s not just police officers: bus drivers will be officially getting younger under government plans to relax laws on 18-year-olds behind the wheel.

The Independent

• Labour’s HS2 plans confirmed by shadow transport secretaryThe shadow transport secretary has confirmed Labour has “no plans to resurrect HS2”.

Times Online

• Sewage gets green makeover in plans for aviation fuel. [subscription]Firefly Green Fuels has developed a way to turn human waste into sustainable fuel for aircraft and wants to build a commercial production facility

City AM

• Brompton pedals out free bike hire for London Marathon spectators Heading to the London Marathon next weekend? Brompton is offering spectators free bike hire so you can see the action from every point of the city.

Daily Record

• Direct Stirling-London link set to be axed at end of 2024 as consultation concludesStirling’s only direct rail link with London will be axed later this year after the operator of the service announced the results of a consultation.

Labour Party

• Steve Rotheram: ‘Mayors are paving the way now for Labour’s bold bus plans’Pick up any paper or turn on the news on any given day and you’re bound to be hit with a story about transport. Take your pick: the repeated broken promises on HS2, government inaction to avert rail strikes, or the Prime Minister’s predilection for helicopter rides to avoid public contact.

Local Government

• Transition Team opens office in Derby as agent appointed to find home for GBRGreat British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) will officially take up residence in Derby next week at a new, temporary office located right next to Derby Railway Station.

Network Rail

• Partnership with local steel fabricator strengthened by accessibility projectsNetwork Rail engineers visited a steelworks in Annan to see progress on steel fabrication for ongoing projects to improve accessibility at three stations across Scotland.
• Wendy Chamberlain MP sees Leven station progressAs work to deliver the Levenmouth Rail Link nears completion, local MP Wendy Chamberlain visited the site of the new Leven station.

Birmingham Mail

• One million drivers face new tax from next year to make roads 'fair'Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced that electric car, van and motorcycle owners would begin paying car tax from April 2025.

Birmingham Post

• Manchester Airport reports record-breaking March with Dublin, Amsterdam and Dubai among top destinationsThe figure was up 12 per cent on the previous March

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• See which roads will get Government cash to repair potholesTHE first roads in Bradford to benefit from millions of pounds of funding to repair potholes has been revealed.

Bristol Live

• Labour pledges to 'take back control' of bus services and accelerate franchisingLabour has pledged to end the "postcode lottery" of bus services by speeding up the franchising process
• 'Optical illusion' cycle lane that caused scores of injuries getting major revampDozens of compensation claims have been made against the council after the controversial cycle lane was rolled out

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Terrified residents say they're 'nearly run over' by buses driving by their front doors on Welsh street'They continue to drive at speed past the houses, that close to the door...We’ve even had a double decker do it as well'

Derby Telegraph

• Alstom: We must save Derby's vital rail industry now before time runs outAn order of just five more trains would save the Litchurch Lane factory and thousands of jobs - we say enough is enough and the time is now
• Great British Railways moves into temporary home as hunt for Derby headquarters goes onGreat British Railways (GBR) will move into temporary premises in Derby next week ahead of finding a permanent home. The GBR Transition Team (GBRTT) has been working with Derby City Council and other local organisations to map out a shared vision for its new national headquarters, which Derby was awarded early last year, beating off five other cities and towns.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Hitachi Rail could start redundancy process at County Durham plant as early as June, Rachel Reeves warnsLabour's Shadow Chancellor visited the Newton Aycliffe train-building factory this week, amid continuing fears over the future of the massive manufacturing site

Yorkshire Post

• York cycle route to re-open following pressure from councilA key cycle route that was closed by LNER has re-opened following pressure from the City of York Council.

Other Regional Press

• Green councillors meet rail minister and demand answers over Bristol Road stationGreen councillors Catherine Braun, Chloe Turner and Carol Kambites met with the minister of state for rail, Huw Merriman, along with MP Siobhan Baillie, to call for a decision on the campaign to reopen Stonehouse Bristol Road station, writes Sue Fenton.
• Bus driver recruitment top of agenda as minister visits CarlisleThe challenges of recruiting young people to become bus drivers was the focus of a ministerial visit to Stagecoach in Carlisle.
• Nottingham’s new electric buses start carrying city passengersThe first of Nottingham City Transport’s (NCT) brand new electric buses entered service and started carrying their first passengers this week.
• Signals are good for return of passenger trainsThe return of passenger rail services on the Northumberland Line has moved another step closer following the completion of major signalling and level crossing work. 
• Ealing Council leader raises concern over HS2 plans that could see Old Oak Common Lane in Acton closed for up to five yearsThe Leader of Ealing Council, Councillor Peter Mason and Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Action Deirdre Costigan have sent a joint letter to HS2 voicing their concerns over plans that could see Old Oak Common Lane in Acton closed for four or five years

Coach and Bus Week

• RHA partners with ABTA to offer new coach benefitsTravel association ABTA and RHA Coaches have launched a new partnership which aims to enhance the benefits received by coach travel companies within each organisation’s membership, and amplify the voice of the coach travel sector.
• Pulhams invests in new appWebsite and app specialist Passenger and Go-Ahead have launched a new Pulhams Coaches app as part of the Cotswolds operator’s effort to make travelling easier for passengers.
• Snapper partners with Hayden AI to enhance data analysisData analytics and transport intelligence specialist Snapper Services has partnered with artificial intelligence (AI) and spatial analytics specialist Hayden AI to enhance data analysis for public transport providers and tackle sources of delays
• Scottish Citylink adds more journeys in new summer timetableScottish Citylink has launched its 2024 summer timetable, introducing more direct services, and a higher service frequency across the country. The timetable, which runs from March to September, adds extra services and additional journeys adding up to around 10,000 extra seats per week.

Construction News

• HS2: Cost of phase 2a decommission still unclearHS2 is still unclear about the costs of decommission its enabling works on the route’s cancelled phase 2a, six months after the government pulled the project.

New Civil Engineer

• RIA releases strategy for achieving a net zero UK rail network by 2050The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has revealed its blueprint for achieving a net zero railway in the UK by 2050, which aims to maximise current government infrastructure plans.
• East West Rail Co CEO Beth West decides to step away ‘after much reflection’East West Railway Company (EWR Co) chief executive Beth West has announced that she will move on from her post “after much reflection”, having been in the role for two years.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Southern section of Cambridgeshire Busway reopensThe southern section of the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway has reopened after completion of work to increase safety.
• VDL deal for Van Hool goes ahead as first T coach delivered in UKPurchase of the Van Hool coach and bus activities by VDL has been agreed, with remaining Van Hool employees having been informed of that progress late on 10 April. It comes as hopes of a strong future for the Belgian marque in the UK grew, with the first example of a T range coach for a buyer here having been handed over on 11 April.
• DfT set to partially remove 50km limit on youngest PCV driversThe Department for Transport (DfT) has opened a consultation on proposed changes to restrictions on vocational drivers that include partial removal of the 50km, regular service limit that is imposed on the youngest PCV licence holders.
• Labour: Expansion and simplification of bus franchising in EnglandLabour has again pledged to give “every community” in England outside London scope to roll out franchising of bus services and says that under its plans for overhaul, reregulation could be delivered in “as little as two years.”
• Stagecoach to start Dover Fastrack BRT with ‘interim’ fleetStagecoach South East will commence operation of the Dover Fastrack bus rapid transit corridor from this summer, Kent County Council (KCC) has announced.
• Industry flagship event set for strong returnEuro Bus Expo back on 12-14 November with strong demand and curated seminar line-up

Transportxtra

• £50m ‘Mid Cornwall Metro’ rail upgrade scheme underwayTransport Secretary Mark Harper has met with local leaders in Cornwall to plan progress on the major Mid Cornwall Metro project funded by a £50m Levelling Up allocation just announced by

Other News Sources

• It’s electrifying: Bus depots and EV charging infrastructureAs public transport operators around the UK introduce more and more electric buses, so the need for extra charging infrastructure has grown.
• MP hails ‘astonishing’ progress made on £116m Levenmouth rail projectPROGRESS made over the last 18 months on the £116 million Levenmouth rail link project has been hailed as ‘astonishing’.
• Stadler hydrogen train breaks world recordSwiss train manufacturer Stadler has confirmed that a FLIRT H2 has been entered into the Guinness World Records database for the longest distance — 1,741.7 miles (2,803km) — achieved by a ‘pilot hydrogen fuel cell electric multiple unit passenger train’ without refuelling or recharging.

News from Europe

• Europe’s truck and bus CEOs launch manifesto for zero-emission vehicles as EU inks deal on CO2 reduction rulesBrussels, 11 April 2024 – Truck and bus CEOs step up call to Europe’s law makers as EU signs off on ambitious CO2-reduction targets.