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

Saturday, 16 March 2024

BBC News

• Drone footage reveals scale of Oakengates rail line landslideDrone footage captured by Network Rail has captured the scale of a landslip on the Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton rail line.
• Translink: Bus and rail unions to re-enter pay talksTrade unions representing public transport workers in Northern Ireland have said they will re-enter discussions with Translink over pay.
• Buses in west of Scotland set to be brought under local controlBus services in the west of Scotland are set to be brought back under local control under radical plans.
• HS2 station means 'decade of disruption' - MPDevelopment of a huge station for high speed rail links between London and the Midlands will lead to a "decade of disruption" for rail passengers in south-west England, a Plymouth MP has said.
• Fines for tram passengers blamed on human error Transport for Greater Manchester apologises over the mix up which led to paying customers getting fined.
• Boeing tells pilots to check seats after plane dropsIt comes during an ongoing investigation into how a Latam flight suddenly dropped injuring 50 people.

ITV News

• Rapid-charging battery train trial launched using former district line tube at West Ealing stationA rapid-charging battery train trial, which could help end diesel operations on branch lines, has been launched.

Financial Times

• Honda and Nissan to join forces to survive EV raceJapan's two biggest carmakers forge partnership in face of competition from China's low-cost manufacturers

The Herald

• Strathclyde Passenger Transport to franchise busesScotland’s largest public transportation partnership is to push ahead with a plan to franchise buses it says will revolutionise the way services are delivered.

The Scotsman

• Exclusive:A9 dualling: Transport secretary Fiona Hyslop refuses to confirm Perth to Inverness road will definitely be dualled by 2035Scotland’s newly-appointed transport secretary has refused to guarantee the A9 will definitely be dualled by 2035, in an admission critics said would leave affected communities “utterly dismayed”.

The Telegraph

• Scrapping the hated 100ml airport liquids rule could make things worse before they get better. [subscription]Much maligned in-flight liquid restrictions are on the way out, but it will be years before we feel the full benefits

Times Online

• Check cockpits, Boeing urges airlines after mid-air drama [subscription]Manufacturer is under scrutiny after a series of incidents
• Bus franchise plan gets the green light [subscription]The Strathclyde Passenger Transport partnership votes to use new powers to take services under public control

Local Government

• More bus services, safety officers and better passenger information in £16.6m boost for busesIncreased frequency bus services, more safety officers and better live arrival information are among improvements being planned as part of a £16.5m funding package.
• New Director of Transport for Liverpool City Region appointed to lead on delivery of Mayor’s visionThe Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (CA) has today announced the appointment of Jamie Ross to the newly created post of Director of Transport.

Birmingham Post

• £100m West Yorkshire train maintenance facility to create jobsThe centre in Shipley will provide around 100 new jobs and boost reliability for Northern Trains, the Government has said

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Compulsory purchase powers for £12m road are approvedCouncillors have approved in principle. sing compulsory purchase powers to secure land which would become a £12.2 million link road for a proposed new business park at Brighouse.
• What will happen if Interchange repairs stretch into 2025?A temporary bus station could be set up in Bradford city centre should the work needed to repair Bradford Interchange stretch into 2025.

Nation. Cymru

• More could have been done to ‘prepare the ground’ for 20mph speed limitsMark Drakeford - More could have been done to “prepare the ground” for Wales’ 20mph speed limits, the First Minister has admitted, as he stood by the policy.

The York Press

• All UK airports that won't scrap 100ml liquid rule yetSee the full list of UK airports that won't be scrapping the 100ml liquid rule for hand luggage just yet, according to travel experts.

Wales Online

• The railway lines and station in the middle of nowhere no real passengers will probably ever travel onA £400m Global Centre of Rail Excellence facility is being built on an old opencast site, and it's pretty unique

Yorkshire Post

• TransPennine responds to accessibility concerns at planned Haxby stationA train operator has issued a response to concerns raised about the accessibility of the planned new station in a village in the north of York.

Bucks Free Press

• Marlow Film Studios: Residents divided over new transport plansResidents in Marlow remain divided over plans to build a multi-million-pound film studio complex in their neighbourhood, with new transport proposals sparking fresh conviction on each side of the debate.

Plymouth Herald

• 'Plymouth needs transport links that won't hold back its ambition'Johnny Mercer, MP for Plymouth Moor View, celebrates upgrade of Plymouth’s rail links at Dawlish ten years on from devastating storm
• Fears new HS2 station will cause massive trains delays to South WestPlymouth Sutton and Devonport MP Luke Pollard has questioned the Minister for Transport over building of new station which risks leaving South West commuters and travellers facing long waits for journeys to and from London

Other Regional Press

• AI cameras brought back to banish boy racersCameras erected to deter unauthorised race meets on a busy dual carriageway have been forced to make a speedy return after the issue resurfaced.
• Weymouth Railway Station luggage lads protest in DorchesterAt Weymouth Railway Station on Summer Saturdays hordes of young lads descended to meet arriving passengers with the offer to carry their luggage for tips

Train Operators

• Happy Birthday to choo: Train named ‘Marylebone 125’ as London station celebrates landmark 125th anniversaryToday (Friday 15 March 2024), train operator Chiltern Railways has celebrated London Marylebone’s 125th anniversary with local residents and industry stakeholders.  

Rail Technology Magazine

• Porterbrook to bring UK’s Class 379 Electrostars back online for GTRThe leasing and asset management company’s acquisition of the fleet comes after it was placed into storage by Greater Anglia in 2022.

Railway Gazette

• GB Railfreight orders wagons to increase capacityUK: Leasing company Porterbrook is to supply GB Railfreight with 50 JNA-X box wagons for transporting bulk construction materials including ballast and stone.

road.cc

• Is Labour’s shadow transport secretary cycling’s latest convert? Louise Haigh says e-bikes “make all the difference”, months after backlash over controversial cycling commentsJust over three months since cyclists, campaigners, and road safety figures roundly criticised her controversial comments on active travel, Labour’s shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh has finally got round to travelling through her Sheffield constituency by e-bike, which she says has the potential to “make all the difference” in encouraging even those wary of the city’s hills to cycle more.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• CPT publishes report into alternatives to £2 bus fare capEight options to the BFCG are considered, with benefit-cost analysis included

Other News Sources

• £72.8m to be given to Durham public transport as cancelled HS2 funding is reallocated£72.8m of funding has been announced for Durham County Council to upgrade public transport in the region.
• Porterbrook and GB Railfreight order 50 Greenbrier box wagonsPorterbrook and GB Railfreight are committed to their expansion of UK freight capacity, ordering 50 new box wagons, made by Greenbrier.
• Hydrogen, a solution to accelerate the decarbonization of freight transportRoad freight transport accounts for a quarter of all mobility-related CO2 emissions. Faced with this challenge,
• Bin lorries, minibuses and road sweepers to be powered by waste cooking oil in first for SurreyRunnymede Borough Council said it will stop about 650 tonnes of C02 from being released into the air each year
• M25 photos show behind-the-barrier work ahead of motorway closure for bridge demolitionNational Highways has mapped a diversion route through Byfleet and West Byfleet to avoid the M25 closure this weekend