Public Transport news

• E-gates: evening of chaos at Heathrow and other UK airports

  08-05-2024 03:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Travellers at Edinburgh and Manchester among those who faced delays, while Heathrow expects normal operations to resume on Wednesday morningPassengers experienced delays at a number of UK airports on Tuesday due to a nationwide “technical outage” affecting UK Border Force e-gates.Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol airports all confirmed problems with passengers being processed through the border on Tuesday evening. Continue reading...
  
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• Virgin plots rail return with proposal to run West Coast routes

  19-05-2024 17:15 via theguardian.com
  
  Company says it can offer ‘much-needed choice’ in bid to create direct competition for Avanti West CoastRichard Branson’s Virgin Group hopes to make a comeback on Britain’s railways – with plans for up to four new services on the West Coast main line it used to run.Virgin has submitted proposals to operate separate train services between London Euston and Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Glasgow Central respectively, on an open access basis. Continue reading...
  
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• Aslef leader left proposed deal to end rail strikes unread

  19-05-2024 16:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Mick Whelan says unacceptable offer was briefed to the media 10 minutes after it was sent to himMick Whelan, the head of the Aslef train drivers’ union, has never even opened an email setting out a proposed deal to end strike action 17 months ago because he realised the offer was so bad it would be rejected, he has said.In an interview with parliamentary magazine The House, Whelan said he had not met Mark Harper, the transport secretary, since December 2022, or Huw Merriman, the transport
  
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• UK rail faces fight to stay on track as climate crisis erodes routes

  19-05-2024 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Britain’s railways are spending billions on bolstering the tracks against geological movements caused by extreme weather. But technology and new infrastructure will not save every serviceUnder the chalk cliffs east of Folkestone sits the Warren, a coastal wilderness largely owned by the railway, hosting a nature trail for walkers, as well as the Victorian rail line that runs on to Dover.It is also, problematically for Network Rail, an active landslide. “Our monitoring here,” sa
  
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• Eurostar reverses wheelchair policy that left user stranded, after Observer campaign

  19-05-2024 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Passengers were left abandoned and humiliated after operator banned staff from providing assistanceEurostar has reversed a new accessibility policy that left a wheelchair user stranded and has retrained its London staff following pressure from the Observer.Travellers with disabilities claimed that they would be barred from Eurostar services after the company banned its London staff from pushing passenger wheelchairs. Those who require assistance were told they must travel with a companion or can
  
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• Train operator Lumo plans new direct service from Greater Manchester to London

  17-05-2024 16:25 via theguardian.com
  
  FirstGroup submits application for alternative route between capital and RochdalePlans for an alternative direct train service between Greater Manchester and London have been launched, promising competitive fares, by the transport group that already runs the main Avanti service linking the cities.Trains straight from London Euston to Rochdale will run from 2027, if approved, under FirstGroup’s Lumo brand, calling first at Warrington and going via Manchester Victoria. Continue reading...
  
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• Out now: Issue 313 of Passenger Transport

  16-05-2024 16:13 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Issue 312 of Passenger Transport is published on May 3.Contents include:
   
   LEAD STORY
  Taking controlSix metro mayors in England – representing 11.6 million people – were elected last week having pledged to take back control of local bus networks
   NEWS EXTRA: Metro mayors
  Metro mayors plan bus franchising revolutionIf metro mayors deliver on their manifesto pledges, almost three-quarters of bus journeys in England will be on publicly-controlled bus networks
   NEWS
  
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• Metro mayors plan bus franchising revolution

  16-05-2024 15:55 via passengertransport.co.uk
  If metro mayors deliver on their manifesto pledges, almost three-quarters of bus journeys in England will be on publicly-controlled bus networks
   From left: Pete Bond, TfWM director of integrated transport services, West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker and Cllr Stephen Simpkins, leader of City of Wolverhampton Council and WMCA Board member
   This autumn it will have been 10 years since George Osborne agreed that Greater Manchester could have bus franchising in return for signing up for a
  
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• Go-Ahead swoops as Arriva announces cuts

  16-05-2024 15:49 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Group plots return to High Wycombe 24 years after sale
   Go-Ahead’s Carousel Buses operation will step in on most of the routes Arriva is proposing to withdraw
   Go-Ahead looks set to benefit from a rival operator’s retrenchment following the news that Arriva is consulting on proposals to close its depots in Aylesbury and High Wycombe.
  Arriva said the decision had been made as “despite extensive efforts to turn the situation around, including making network changes to b
  
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• The look and feel of public transport

  16-05-2024 15:39 via passengertransport.co.uk
   
  It’s time for bold and fresh thinking about how we design public transport to best serve a changed market in changing times
   There is nothing ‘off the shelf’ about the interiors of the new Danish IC5 trains
   A draining Covid epidemic and the ungainly pirouettes of government policy on public transport from one extreme (‘we want all day bus lanes’) to the other (‘we hate all day bus lanes’), has not been conducive to big and optimistic t
  
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• Revenue raising ruses to rescue rail

  16-05-2024 15:33 via passengertransport.co.uk
   
  We keep hearing that the railway is short of money, but have we made the most of the commercial opportunities in front of us?
   Are we making the most of our amazing station infrastructure?
   I’m getting a little tired of hearing that the UK rail industry has big financial issues, particularly post pandemic. Whilst I understand that cost pressures continue to bite, I do think that the sector has lost some of its commercial nous in the past decade. There seems to be a lack o
  
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• UK to introduce new offence of causing death or injury by dangerous cycling

  15-05-2024 21:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Law change not ‘anti-cycling’ says Iain Duncan Smith, who brought the amendment to the criminal justice billA new offence of causing death or serious injury by dangerous, careless or inconsiderate cycling is to be introduced.The law will be changed after a deal was reached between the government and the former Conservative leader, Iain Duncan Smith, whose amendment to the criminal justice bill was backed by 37 fellow Tory backbenchers. Continue reading...
  
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• Commercial Manager – Stagecoach South

  15-05-2024 18:15 via passengertransport.co.uk
   
  Commercial Manager – Stagecoach South
  We’ve got a great commercial team at Stagecoach South, ensuring our bus services deliver for our customer, colleague and community partners.
  All they need is someone to lead them forward – and that’s where you come in.
  Our business is growing quickly and we’re looking for a Commercial Manager to help steer the team.It’s a new role and a fantastic opportunity for the right person to take a career step and help shape
  
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• My fellow citizens – we share confined spaces, but do I have to overhear your chat, your music, your TikTok? | Zoe Williams

  15-05-2024 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  With telephone signal now more available on the London underground, it’s time for a new etiquette about how we co-exist Phone signal went live this week across a quarter of the underground system in the capital, mainly in central London, with further coverage planned by the end of summer. This is great news for people who can’t go five minutes without talking, and bad news for everyone else. The previous lack of network coverage was just about the only thing keeping us civil.Across a
  
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• UK armed forces being trained to cover possible Border Force summer strikes

  14-05-2024 17:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Soldiers spotted at Home Office facilities in England as results of PCS union’s national ballot expectedMembers of the armed forces are being trained once again to cover for striking Border Force staff at ports and airports, the Guardian has learned.Dozens of uniformed soldiers have been seen at Home Office facilities in south-east England amid concerns that the UK could be about to enter another summer of travel chaos. Continue reading...
  
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• British armed forces personnel trained up in case of Border Force strikes over summer

  14-05-2024 16:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Soldiers spotted at Home Office facilities in England as results of PCS union’s national ballot expectedMembers of the armed forces are being trained once again to cover for striking Border Force staff at ports and airports, the Guardian has learned.Dozens of uniformed soldiers have been seen at Home Office facilities in south-east England amid concerns that the UK could be about to enter another summer of travel chaos. Continue reading...
  
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• Transport secretary considers ban on floating bus stops in UK cycle lanes

  10-05-2024 15:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Cycling campaign groups warn such a move could preclude building of segregated bike routesUK politics live – latest updatesMinisters are considering banning a standard design feature for cycle lanes, the Guardian has learned, in a move campaign groups warn could make building separated bike routes on many main roads effectively impossible, and put riders at risk.Mark Harper, the transport secretary, is examining whether there should be a halt in the use of what are known as floa
  
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• M25 weekend closure: drivers told to follow signs or stay away

  10-05-2024 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  London’s orbital motorway to be shut along a busy stretch while gantry replaced and new bridge builtHighways authorities have urged motorists to steer clear of a southwestern section of the M25 from Friday night, when the second planned weekend closure of the London orbital motorway takes place.Tens of thousands of vehicles will be diverted on to local roads when one of the most used stretches of the UK’s busiest motorway is closed in both directions between junctions 9 and 10 to all
  
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• Struggling train maker Alstom plans to cut debt with €1bn rights issue

  08-05-2024 12:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Delayed orders from clients hit French manufacturer, including at Derby site where 1,300 jobs at riskAlstom plans to raise €1bn (£0.87bn) to help cut its debt as the world’s second largest train maker struggles with delayed orders amid concerns about the future of its Derby factory.The Paris-listed company will tap investors with the aim of raising the funds by September. It also plans a €750m bond issue as part of a €2bn new finance plan. Continue reading...
  
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• E-gates: evening of chaos at Heathrow and five other UK airports

  08-05-2024 03:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Travellers at Edinburgh and Manchester among those facing long delays, while Heathrow expects normal operations to resume on Wednesday morningPassengers experienced delays at a number of UK airports on Tuesday due to a nationwide “technical outage” affecting UK Border Force e-gates.Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol airports all confirmed problems with passengers being processed through the border on Tuesday evening. Continue reading...
  
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• E-gates ‘back online’ after chaos at Heathrow and other UK airports

  08-05-2024 03:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Travellers at Edinburgh and Manchester among those who faced delays; Home Office and Heathrow announce system back online for WednesdayPassengers experienced delays at a number of UK airports on Tuesday due to a nationwide technical outage affecting UK Border Force e-gates.Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol airports all confirmed problems with passengers being processed through the border on Tuesday evening. Continue reading...
  
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• E-gate technical problems cause chaos at Heathrow and five other UK airports

  08-05-2024 00:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Travellers at Edinburgh and Manchester among those facing long delays in being processedPassengers have been experiencing delays at a number of UK airports due to a nationwide “technical outage” affecting UK Border Force e-gates.Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester airports all confirmed problems with passengers being processed through the border on Tuesday evening. Continue reading...
  
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• Chaos at London and other UK airports due to e-gate technical problems

  07-05-2024 22:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Travellers at Edinburgh and Manchester among those facing long delays in being processedPassengers are experiencing delays at a number of UK airports due to a nationwide “technical outage” with UK Border Force e-gates.Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh and Manchester airports all confirmed issues with passengers being processed through the border on Tuesday evening. Continue reading...
  
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• Train strikes to halt most trains in south-east England on Tuesday

  07-05-2024 06:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Commuter routes in and out of London hit as train drivers begin three days of rolling strikes amid six-day overtime banMost trains will not run in south-east England on Tuesday – including on key commuter routes in and out of London – after train drivers embarked on three days of rolling strikes at national rail operators.Drivers in the Aslef union are striking for 24 hours at each English operator between Tuesday and Thursday, while continuing a week-long nationwide overtime ban tha
  
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• Travel expert at WizzAir shares the best time of day to fly

  07-05-2024 02:00
  
  Other Regional Press - This is the best time of day to fly if you're looking for a smoother airport journey, according to Head of Communications at WizzAir.
  
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• The Welsh Government spends £160m on a rail line it's not responsible for

  07-05-2024 02:00
  Wales Online - The investment the Welsh Government has made in upgrading the Ebbw Vale Line since 2008 highlights the raw deal Wales gets on rail funding from the Westminster government
  
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• Protect pedestrians from these deadly cyclists. subscription

  07-05-2024 02:00
  
  Times Online - Cities have turned themselves inside out to cater for bikes yet some riders are dangerous and abusive
  
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• New report highlights importance of walking for public transport success

  07-05-2024 02:00
  
  Other News Sources - Walk21s policy brief emphasises that integrating walking and public transport is essential for reducing car traffic and improving urban liveability, aligning with its mission to advocate for the right to walk globally.
  
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• Midlands rail passengers set for week of disruption

  07-05-2024 02:00
  
  BBC News - Several operators are expected to be affected by strikes, including West Midlands Trains and CrossCountry.
  
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• M6 Toll fee increases explained drivers left £1,056 out of pocket

  07-05-2024 02:00
  
  Other Regional Press - Prices have increased over the past four years and a single Class 2 entry (car) on the M6 Toll, from north to south, now costs £8.90 - an increase of £2.20
  
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