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

Wednesday, 12 June 2024

BBC News

• Uncertainty over future of new railway stationUncertainty remains over when construction work will resume on a new £26.5m railway station in Leeds. Work on the White Rose Rail Station, between Morley and Cottingley, was stopped in March when contractors left due to rising costs.
• Return of railway line could be extended to more townsA much-anticipated railway line could be extended to more towns than previously announced, a councillor has claimed.
• Railway station plan to be discussed after electionA developer has said further discussions will be held about plans for a new railway station following the general election.
• Changes proposed for Aberdeen bus gates schemeChanges to Aberdeen's controversial bus gate scheme in the heart of the city are being proposed. The experimental bus priority routes were implemented last year.
• Bus stops to close as gateway project work beginsWork to improve the entrance to a city is about to enter its next phase. Contractors will start working on English Street in Carlisle, as part of the Southern Gateway project.
• Tories vow to reverse Wales' 20mph speed limitThe Conservatives have vowed to reverse Wales's 20mph speed limit policy, should they win the general election.
• Labour pledges to fix a million potholes a year in EnglandCouncils would be given an extra £320m in funding over five years to fix broken roads under Labour's plans.
• Runaway trolley hurtles towards rail workersThe trolley's brakes reportedly failed before it narrowly avoided crashing into workers.
• Heathrow records highest-ever passenger totalHeathrow Airport records its highest passenger total for a 12-month period.
• Rail services to resume from Ayr to Glasgow after hotel fireRail services from Ayr will return next week after safety work on a fire-damaged station hotel.

Financial Times

• EU to impose multibillion-euro tariffs on Chinese electric carsBrussels moves ahead with additional duties of up to 25% despite opposition from Germany
• Elliott cannot solve Southwest’s Boeing problemActivist investor wants CEO replaced, but turnaround remains at mercy of plane maker
• Singapore Airlines offers $25,000 to seriously injured after turbulent flightAirline’s payout deal comes after Austrian Airlines’ plane suffers severe damage from a hailstorm
• HydrogenCan the gas deliver on its promise of clean, green energy? From fixing supply and demand blockages to infrastructure, industry and the spectrum of blue, green and gold hydrogen

The Guardian

• Rail firm FirstGroup plans to expand cut-price Lumo servicesThe British transport operator FirstGroup has applied for two more “open access” services outside the main train operating contracts as the government attempts to increase competition on the rail network and cut fares.
• We’ll fix 1m potholes a year and end Tory neglect of roads, says LabourParty pledges to defer new A27 bypass to fund repairs and break down planning barriers to facilitate upgrades Labour has pledged to fix 1m potholes every year if elected on 4 July and turn the tide on the “neglect” of the UK’s roads.Last year pothole damage cost drivers almost £500m, with the average damage worth £250, the party has claimed. Continue reading...

Times Online

• No gravy trains for the public sector. [subscription]Labour plans to renationalise the railways, but the public sector could end up paying more

City AM

• Lack of train station catering options costing passengers, warns watchdogRailways station operators are being urged to create more competition between resident food outlets, as a study by a regulator concluded passengers are being let down by a lack of catering options.

Local Government

• Cabinet asked to approve next steps towards reopening the city’s airportCity of Doncaster Council is due to take the next steps in its process to appoint an operator later in the summer.

Office of Rail and Road (ORR)

• Railway station catering market studyThe Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has completed its market study into the provision of railway station catering services. We have decided not to refer the market to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and we have instead set out a package of remedies to address the issues we have identified in this market.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Travel warning issued to anyone heading to Manchester Airport this summerMonths of roadworks are underway with drivers warned of 'disruption'

Metro

• Europe’s £8,100,000,000 high-speed train that puts the UK to shameA luxury high-speed train between two major European cities puts the UK’s creaking rail network to shame. The £8,100,000,000 line linking Barcelona and Madrid allows passengers to whizz the 385-mile distance in just two and a half hours.

Other Regional Press

• Trenitalia c2c new Driver Simulator Academy in SouthendRail operator Trenitalia c2c has announced it will open a new Driver Simulator Academy in Southend.
• Tories plan to extend £2 bus fare cap if they win general electionThe cap on the cost of single journeys on urban services is due to end on December 31 and Labour has promised to extend it to rural services if it wins the election

Rail Business Daily

• Conservative Manifesto 2024 lays out plans for railThe Conservative Party has said it is the only party with a “credible plan for rail reform”, claiming “Labour’s nationalisation plan would put the trade unions in charge, continuing to prolong unaffordable and unfair working practices which are unjustifiable to the public”.

Rail Magazine

• Conservatives would use GBR to increase private sector role... The Conservative manifesto says: ’GBR will usher in a revitalised private-public partnership, delivering a modern and innovative railway with reliable services, and simpler tickets.’
• Which party offers the best hope for the railway’s future?With the General Election now less than a month away, Howard Johnston studies party statements and photo opportunities to assess what the next government might really do for rail
• Conservatives promise GBR and Network North “in full”There were little surprises in the Conservatives manifesto, which was launched today (Wednesday 11 June), with the party pledging to deliver the Network North schemes outlined in last years paper as well as establish Great British Railways.

Railnews

• Conservatives would use GBR to increase private sector role The Conservative Party has confirmed in its manifesto that, if elected, it would create Great British Railways, which was envisaged in the 2021 Rail Review and described then as the industry's "guiding mind".. The Conservative manifesto says: ‘GBR will usher in a revitalised private-public partnership, delivering a modern and innovative railway with reliable services, and simpler tickets.

Railway Gazette

• Steam turbine freight locomotive prototype to be developedUK: A Class 60 diesel locomotive is to be converted to a modern form of steam power as a potential alternative to electrification for zero-emission heavy freight operations.

road.cc

• High Court judge dismisses legal challenge to government's cycling funding cutsA High Court judge has ruled against campaigners who mounted a legal challenge after the government last year cut the budget for active travel schemes by two-thirds.

Other News Sources

• Office of Rail and Road publishes final report into the railway station catering marketOffice of Rail and Road (ORR) has published its final report into the railway station catering market, setting out recommendations to reduce barriers to competition.
• What are the Tories going to do for us? Pay-per-mile road tax ban in 2024 Conservative manifestoConservative Party election manifesto pledges to address multiple issues facing drivers, including rules surrounding tax and the standard of our roads
• British Airways customers invited to travel to London City Airport by boatBritish Airways has teamed up with Uber Boat by Thames Clippers to offer a scenic journey to the airport with 25% off tickets and a complimentary drink on the Thames.