Public Transport news

• Toon Tour wins inaugural UK Open Top Bus Cup

  07-09-2023 23:27 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Initially set up to procure the Wales and Borders rail franchise, Transport for Wales will be tasked with nurturing a ‘multi-modal culture in Wales’
   
   Toon Tour, the sightseeing bus service across Newcastle and Gateshead has become the winner of the inaugural UK Open Top Bus Cup, sponsored by Ticketer. This follows its victory in the Final against New Forest Tours.
  The competition is the brainchild of Great Scenic Journeys, the new organisation that promotes a collection o
  
  Read more

• TfL records highest ridership since Covid

  07-09-2023 22:57 via passengertransport.co.uk
  August Bank Holiday Weekend saw a near 10% increase in bus travel on the equivalent weekend last year, with Tube journeys seeing a near 6% rise
   TfL is now hoping to maintain upward momentum as autumn approaches
   New ridership figures from Transport for London have revealed a record number ofpublic transport journeys since the Covid-19 pandemic.
  The August Bank Holiday weekend saw the highest number of bus and Tube journeys since the pandemic in comparison to the same long weekend in p
  
  Read more

• 20mph limit sees Welsh operator ditch Euro 6

  07-09-2023 22:53 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Vehicles sold because of concerns over particulate traps A Phil Anslow bus in Cwmbran
   A bus operator is selling two of its Euro 6 buses because of concerns over the vehicles’ particulate traps when 20mph becomes the default speed limit on restricted roads in Wales. However, an experienced bus engineer told Passenger Transport there was no need for Welsh operators to sell Euro 6 buses because there were other ways to manage the issue.
  From September 17 all roads with street light
  
  Read more

• PM is weaponising transport policy

  07-09-2023 21:25 via passengertransport.co.uk
   
  Rishi Sunak seems to have concluded that adopting macho anti-environment policies across the board could be a vote winner
   Last week the PM took a helicopter to Norwich to meet housebuilders Taylor Wimpey and announce that water protection measures need to be swept away
   Opportunist. Unprincipled. Shameful. Shameless. Desperate.
  Choose your adjective to describe the full frontal attack on environmental policies now coming from the prime inister and his cabal of fanatical advise
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• It’s not bad, but it’s far from polished

  07-09-2023 21:24 via passengertransport.co.uk
   
  Sometimes we hear that transport is in a dire state, other times the sector is hailed as heroes.The truth is somewhere in between
   I’ve had a right royal shindig of a past month or so, on and off trains and buses, in all parts of the UK. I’ve clocked up more miles than Phileas Fogg and if the railway is not on strike, I’ll be on it. Amidst all this doomsday scenario moaning about the state of the transport industry I’ve been well blessed with some good experi
  
  Read more

• Don’t be fooled by rail ticket office promises | Letters

  07-09-2023 18:46
  
  The plan to cut staffing hours will make train travel a less attractive option, writes Sheila Cross. Plus letters from Lin Friend and Matthew PenningtonThe train operators’ claim that freeing station staff by closing ticket offices will improve customer service overall may sound sensible but is fallacious (Unions urge ‘final push’ to save England’s rail ticket offices, 1 September).What they don’t say is that they are cutting the hours when staff will be available &
  
  Read more

• ‘It’s made people kinder’: Wales prepares for rollout of 20mph limit

  07-09-2023 17:19
  
  Residents of village that trialled limit say it has made roads quieter and safer, but elsewhere opinion is dividedChris Davies, the genial host of a B&B in the south Wales village of St Brides Major, was in no doubt. “I’ve lived here all my life and the speed limit was always 30mph. People would shoot through. Since it’s been 20mph it’s been brilliant. The roads are quieter and safer for everyone, including my six grandchildren. It takes an extra 40 seconds to travel
  
  Read more

• Network Rail admits health and safety failings over fatal Stonehaven crash

  07-09-2023 11:41
  
  Company admits failings over derailment in Aberdeenshire that killed the driver, a conductor and a passengerNetwork Rail has admitted health and safety failings over a rail crash that claimed three lives.The train driver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died in the derailment near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, on 12 August 2020. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• York bus company to maintain at-risk routes around the city

  07-09-2023 02:00 via yorkpress.co.uk
  
  The York Press - A City of York Council executive member says the authority's relationship with First York could stabilise the citys bus network in response to threatened timetable reductions.
  
  Read more

• World-first in environmental standards achieved by Hitachi Rail

  07-09-2023 02:00 via railadvent.co.uk
  
  Rail Advent - The global transport solution provider has attained the PAS 2080 carbon reduction standard for its fully electric HS2 fleet.
  
  Read more

• Whitley Bay Metro station's £5m renovation set to restart after buyout of collapsed firm's rail division

  07-09-2023 02:00 via chroniclelive.co.uk
  Newcastle Evening Chronicle - The project to refurbish the historic glass roof at the station was plunged into doubt when it emerged last month that the Buckingham Group was on the brink of administration.
  
  Read more

• West Wales railway stations remain stuck at bottom league

  07-09-2023 02:00 via pembrokeshire-herald.com
  
  Other Regional Press - RAIL disruption continues to be a real problem across the UK, with Wales trailing behind. Recent data shows that Wales has the highest cancellation rate for trains in the UK, with 20 out of 25 worst performing stations.
  
  Read more

• UK rail operators should make ticket notifications clearer says ORR

  07-09-2023 02:00 via railway-technology.com
  
  Railway Technology - The organisation said that almost 2 million notifications had been sent this year but they were not always clear enough on passenger rights.
  
  Read more

• Transpennine Success? Tory minister defends nationalising rail operator

  07-09-2023 02:00 via cityam.com
  
  City AM - Rail Minister Huw Merriman has said that nationalising Transpennine Express was the right decision after cancellation rates fell dramatically at the troubled rail service.
  
  Read more

• TransPennine Express to axe Novas 3s

  07-09-2023 02:00 via railmagazine.com
  
  Rail Magazine - After months of speculation, TransPennine Express has confirmed that its troubled Nova 3 diesel-powered trains will be withdrawn at the December timetable change.
  
  Read more

• Ticket office closures row: London train firms reveal they have stopped hiring new counter staff

  07-09-2023 02:00 via standard.co.uk
  
  London Evening Standard - Watchdog receives 180,000 responses to plans to close booking offices in capital
  
  Read more

• Successful tests show MagRail can operate on existing rail infrastructure

  07-09-2023 02:00 via railtechnologymagazine.com
  
  Railway Technology -Nevomo has successfully tested its MagRail technology on existing railway infrastructure for the first time. The tests, which were conducted on a more than 720-metre-long section of test track in Poland, demonstrated that railway vehicles can operate on existing railway infrastructure without any friction.
  
  Read more

• Stonehaven crash: Network Rail accused of failing to warn driver

  07-09-2023 02:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News - Network Rail has been accused of failing to warn a train driver that the track was unsafe before a fatal derailment near Stonehaven in 2020.
  
  Read more

• Siemens To Invest $30 Million To Train U.S. EV Charger Technicians

  07-09-2023 02:00 via pmtoday.co.uk
  
  Other News Sources - The Siemens Foundation said on Wednesday it will make a $30-million, 10-year investment in workforce development in the United States focused on the fast-growing electric vehicle charging sector where tens of thousands of workers will be needed this decade.
  
  Read more

• Shipping needs to pull out all the stops in critical decade, DNV says

  07-09-2023 02:00 via tradewindsnews.com
  
  Other News Sources - Classification society suggests onboard carbon capture and storage and nuclear propulsion as potential solutions as emissions regulations tighten
  
  Read more

• Shipping needs 40 of global zero carbon fuels to meet 2030 target

  07-09-2023 02:00 via seatrade-maritime.com
  
  Other News Sources - As much as two-fifths of all carbon neutral fuels produced in 2030 will be needed to meet the needs of the shipping sector according to DNVs latest Maritime Forecast 2050 published today.
  
  Read more

• Ryanair boss calls air traffic chaos report rubbish

  07-09-2023 02:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News - The UK's air traffic control system shut itself down after software confusion over an unusual flight path.
  
  Read more

• Railway sinners get on the right track. subscription

  07-09-2023 02:00 via thetimes.co.uk
  
  Times Online - An Operator of Last Resort sounds a bit desperate. Like the England rugby team picking Marcus Smith at full back, a position he has never played. Or Rishi Sunak running the country with no mandate from the electorate, let alone his own party.
  
  Read more

• Petition to save Spalding Railway Station ticket office on the right tracks?

  07-09-2023 02:00 via spaldingtoday.co.uk
  
  Other Regional Press - A councillor is urging people there is still time to get on board with a petition to save Spalding train stations ticket office.
  
  Read more

• Passenger Experience and Decarbonisation The Same Thing?

  07-09-2023 02:00 via railway-news.com
  
  Rail-News.com - There were two main topics of conversation at Rolling Stock Networking (RSN), which took place in Derby, UK in July this year.
  
  Read more

• Northern City Line proved ready for digitally signalled passenger service

  07-09-2023 02:00 via networkrailmediacentre.co.uk
  
  Network Rail - Network Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have successfully demonstrated that the recently installed digital signalling system on the Northern City Line, between Finsbury Park and Moorgate, is ready for passenger service. This is a significant milestone for the first phase of the East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP).
  
  Read more

• Night train between Berlin and Paris to return after nine years

  07-09-2023 02:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian - Austrian rail operator BB says service will resume partly in December and daily from October 2024A night train linking Berlin and Paris will return in December, nine years after the service was cancelled, the Austrian rail operator BB has announced.BB has been a pioneer in bringing back night trains as Europeans look for low-carbon travel options. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• New Herefordshire and marches railway plan discussed by MPs

  07-09-2023 02:00 via herefordtimes.com
  
  Other Regional Press - RADICAL improvements to local railways in Herefordshire have been discussed in Westminster.
  MPs, local businesses, councils, the Welsh Government, Midlands Connect and Network Rail were among those who met together in Westminster this week as part of a campaign to improve road and rail links in Herefordshire and the surrounding area.
  
  Read more

• New 20mph speed limit will save lives - Mark Drakeford

  07-09-2023 02:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News - First minister insists road deaths will fall, 10 days before Wales' lower limit comes into force.
  
  Read more

• Network Rail to carry out essential track renewals in 170-year-old Dinmore Tunnel to improve reliability between Hereford and Shrewsbury

  07-09-2023 02:00 via networkrailmediacentre.co.uk
  
  Network Rail - Buses will replace trains between Hereford and Shrewsbury during a nine-day closure on the Marches Line between Tuesday 12 September to Thursday 21 September as teams work around the clock to renew the track and ballast inside the historic tunnel.
  
  Read more

• Network Rail brings in two new regional MDs

  07-09-2023 02:00 via transportxtra.com
  Transportxtra - Network Rail has appointed two regional managing directors to lead the Southern and North West mp; Central regions. Ellie Burrows is the new permanent regional managing director for Network Rails Southern region while Eastern region managing director Rob McIntosh has been appointed as the new regional managing director for the North West mp; Central region.
  
  Read more

• Isle of Wight bus firm Southern Vectis using London buses

  07-09-2023 02:00 via countypress.co.uk
  
  Other Regional Press - Delays mean Southern Vectis' new Isle of Wight buses will not arrive until the end of next month (October).
  
  Read more

• How much Bradford's Clean Air Zone has made in fines and charges

  07-09-2023 02:00 via thetelegraphandargus.co.uk
  
  Bradford Telegraph & Argus - Bradford Council has sent out almost 129,000 penalty fines to drivers using non-compliant vehicles in the Clean Air Zone (CAZ).
  
  Read more

• Hitachi Rail announces new tram service in Turin

  07-09-2023 02:00 via railway-technology.com
  
  Railway Technology - Under the terms of the deal, Turin will receive and initial 30 trams, with an overall delivery of 70 locomotives by 2024.
  
  Read more

• Heathrow runway maintenance sparks nighttime noise concerns among West London residents

  07-09-2023 02:00 via teddington.nub.news
  
  Other Regional Press - Runway maintenance at Heathrow lasting three years will cause "unacceptable levels of noise at nighttime" for West London residents, say campaigners. The UK's busiest airport is making routine repairs to its runways which take place every 10 years causing changes to flight patterns, especially at night.
  
  Read more

• Heathrow could be getting a brand-new rail link to south-west London

  07-09-2023 02:00 via timeout.com
  
  Other News Sources - Getting to Heathrow can be a real slog. While access to the airport was improved for people across central, east and west of the capital when the Lizzie line opened last May (meaning wed no longer have to drag our suitcases up and down all those stairs on the Piccadilly Line), it could still be made easier especially for south-west Londoners.
  
  Read more

• Hapag-Lloyd chief warns of rougher seas ahead for container shipping

  07-09-2023 02:00 via cityam.com
  City AM - Hapag-Lloyds chief executive warned of rough seas ahead, as a combination of tumbling freight rates and a slump in demand pummels major container shipping groups bottom lines.
  
  Read more

• Eurostar: We want to stop in Kent again - but can't afford it yet!

  07-09-2023 02:00 via kentonline.co.uk
  
  Other Regional Press - Eurostar says it wants to bring its services back to Kent but is hampered by hundreds of millions of pounds of Covid debt and the impact of Brexit.
  
  Read more

• E-bikes threaten Amsterdams standing as cycling capital of the world. subscription

  07-09-2023 02:00 via thetimes.co.uk
  
  Times Online - Amsterdam is considered the cycling capital of the world but its cyclists are becoming increasingly fearful of faster and heavier electric bicycles.
  
  Read more

• Delay to decision to dual A1 disappointing and surprising, Northumberland County Council leader says

  07-09-2023 02:00 via northumberlandgazette.co.uk
  Other Regional Press - The Conservative leader of Northumberland County Council has slammed the government over the latest delay in the long-running saga around plans to dual the A1, and claimed the current state of the road belongs in the 1950s.
  
  Read more

• Cambridgeshire: Planned rail ticket office closures challenged

  07-09-2023 02:00 via elystandard.co.uk
  
  Other News Sources - Cambridgeshire andPeterborough Combined Authority have voiced their "deep concerns"on behalf of station users, especially vulnerable travellers, over the proposed scrapping of railway ticket offices.
  
  Read more

• Cairngorm railway shut for safety reasons to be sidelined for weeks

  07-09-2023 02:00 via heraldscotland.com
  
  The Herald - Highlands and Islands Enterprise took the decision to withdraw the Cairngorm funicular railway from service on August 25 while a series of 'snagging' works were carried out.
  
  Read more

Follow @PublicTrnsprtUK on Twitter!