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

Friday, 14 June 2024

BBC News

• 'Eco buses' get £18m investment sign-offCouncil leaders have signed off a £17.6m investment to pay for 95 environmentally-friendly buses.
• Stagecoach to cut bus services in north ScotlandThe operator says it has been unable to cover the cost of running its local network.
• Wales should get £4bn HS2 compensation - Plaid CymruPlaid Cymru's manifesto calls for a shake-up to how Wales is funded and for policing to be devolved.
• Airport bosses criticise sudden liquids U-turnAirport bosses have criticised the lack of notice they were given for re-introducing 100ml liquids limits.
• Wizz Air ranked worst airline for delays for third yearThe low-cost carrier says it has made
• JLR invests £1m to help police stop car theftsJaguar Land Rover says it plans to invest more than £1m to help the police fight vehicle crime in the UK.

STV

• Stagecoach cuts services amid 'falling passenger numbers and rising costs'The transport company said some of its services were 'no longer sustainable' and would be scrapped.

The Scotsman

• New rail links would bring 'huge' benefits to BuchanA new rail link connecting Aberdeen to Fraserburgh via Peterhead would deliver a north east economic boom and reduce fatal accidents on one of Scotland’s deadliest roads, a key study has found.

City AM

• Bring in duty free on arrival for post-Brexit boost, says Gatwick boss Introducing duty-free arrivals would boost the UK's competitiveness and stimulate jobs in the retail sector, Gatwick says.

Mail Online

• Airlines tell holidaymakers to turn up THREE hours early for flights from Birmingham Airport: Travel chaos continues amid fury over 100ml liquid rule U-turn with long queues at securityEasyJet passengers have been advised to arrive an extra hour than if they were travelling from another British airport after the disruption that began a week ago.

Birmingham Post

• Company linked to Britishvolt buyout is shut down by High CourtRecharge Production UK is owned by businessman David Collard whose company Scale Facilitation agreed a deal to acquire parts of the Britishvolt business last year

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Improved and refurbished Spen Valley Greenway is reopenedThe newly refurbished Spen Valley Greenway has been reopened with better access for people using wheelchairs and buggies.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Newcastle Airport install big screens in new departures bar so holidaymakers can watch EurosHolidaymakers flying from Newcastle Airport will be able to watch live coverage of Euro 2024 matches
• Wizz Air ranked worst airline for delays despite soaring fares - with flights on average 30 minutes behindTurkish Airlines and Tui were also high up on the list, averaging over 28 minutes behind

Wales Online

• Joint council committee set up to oversee Celtic freeport plansIt will be made up of members from two local authorities in Wales

Other Regional Press

• New Devon railway station will have its own car parkOkehampton's new £15 million railway station will have a car park after plans to buy land for it were approved. Okehampton Interchange, as the station looks set to be called, needs to use an area of Okehampton Business Park for both the parking area and a bridge.
• National Express Coventry diverts buses due to 'totally unacceptable anti-social behaviour'Police have spoken to a 13-year-old boy after buses were targeted in Jardine Crescent

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Off-road bus gets updated versionOff-road bus manufacturer TORSUS is unveiling the next generation of its flagship bus, PRAETORIAN. Named after the elite Roman guard unit, the vehicle is in its third generation. The latest version of the 35-passenger capacity PCV has more than 50 technical updates and options. It features an 8.7m polymer body and a six-cylinder MAN diesel engine coupled to a 12-speed Tipmatic ZF AS-Tronic transmission and heavy-duty 4×4 off-road drivetrain.
• The Coach Travel Group merges seven coach operatorsA consortium of seven coach operators led by former National Express UK CEO, Tom Stables, has been formed.
• BSIP support continues to boost Lincolnshire busesAs part of the improvements, P.C. Coaches is now operating the Boston to Lincoln Saturday service. The £2 fare cap is in use across the route. Along with the enhanced Monday to Friday service operated by Brylaine Travel, bus users now have more regular links to both Lincoln and Boston and tourist attractions along the route.

Calling All Stations - The Transport Podcast

• Transport manifestos for General Election and how to boost UK merchant shippingChristian and Mark Walker look at the main UK parties' General Election manifesto pledges on transport with Labour's hot off the press [1:35]. Nautilus International General Secretary Mark Dickinson speaks to Christian about his union's manifesto for a thriving merchant shipping industry in the UK [15:17]. Christian recounts his cycling tour of the Normandy liberation sites raising funds for veterans' charity SSAFA [48:29].

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Rail labour supplier hopes to tackle industry shortage with £3M funding boostLabour supplier for the rail and construction industries, Civil Rail Solutions Limited (CRS), has announced they have secured a £3 million confidential invoice discounting funding line with independent SME funder Bibby Financial Services (BFS).  With Network Rail having commenced its £45.4 billion five-year investment plan in April 2024 (known as Control Period 7), CRS has said this funding line will enable them to meet increased industry demand for labour.   It is estimated that 50,000 people are expected to retire from the rail sector by 2030. Following an introducti...

Rail Business Daily

• Labour Party vows to “overhaul railways” in 2024 manifestoIn its 2024 manifesto, the Labour Party has vowed to “overhaul Britain’s railways”, putting an end to what it calls “14 years of Conservative neglect”.

Railnews

• Labour warns Avanti West Coast is early nationalisation candidate The Labour Party is planning to begin its rolling programme of nationalising private sector passenger operators with Avanti West Coast, if it wins the election. Owned by FirstGroup and Trenitalia, the former franchise was only given a National Rail Contract in September last year. This began on 15 October and was to run for at least three years, with extensions possible until October 2032. Transport for the North has already urged the government to end the Avanti operation, because of its performance problems.
• Labour promises to "forge ahead" with new railways The Labour manifesto has been published today, and it promises that if the party is elected the new government will set up a National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority. It says this authority will combine existing bodies, set strategic infrastructure priorities and oversee project designs, scope and completion.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Gas-fuelled Scania Touring coach would be sold in UK if requiredScania would offer the Touring coach with a liquid biogas/liquid natural gas (LBG/LNG) powertrain in right-hand drive format for the UK market if that new variant was sought by a customer here, it has confirmed.
• Louise Cheeseman appointed to Go-Ahead BoardThe Go-Ahead Group has announced the appointment of former Director of Buses at Transport for London (TfL) Louise Cheeseman as a Non-Executive Director.
• The Coach Travel Group backer named; ex-Go-Ahead man aboardPrivate equity firm H2 Equity Partners is an investor in The Coach Travel Group, which has been formed to bring together an initial seven coach operators. Its stake sits alongside shareholdings held by “many” of the managers of those formerly independent businesses.
• Labour manifesto thin on detailed transport policy and promisesThe keenly anticipated Labour manifesto for the 2024 general election, published on 13 June, has generated a mixed response to its pledges on transport matters.

Transport Network

• Labour manifesto: One million potholes filled and multi-year fundingLabour has promised to give councils multi-year funding settlements for local roads as part of plans to fill an extra 'one million potholes across England' announced in its election manifesto.

Other News Sources

• Elizabeth line success challenges Heathrow Express; UK train operators report increased passenger journeysAll but one of the UK’s train companies saw an increase in passenger numbers in the latest annual report from the rail regulator, although some of the reported increases are inflated due to poorer performance in 2023.
• Labour pledges to restore 2030 ICE ban for carsLabour has vowed to reintroduce the ban on the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) cars from 2030, but makes no mention of whether that will also apply to vans.