Burnham undecided on bus franchising
Mayor of Greater Manchester blames deregulation for decline in bus use, but says that he is ‘open minded’ about how to improve service provision Andy Burnham (right) was speaking at the launch of an electric bus The 2017 Bus Services Act was conceived in response to a pledge to give the mayor of...
Siemens/Alstom deal to ‘boost competitiveness’
Train manufacturing giants plan to merge their rail and mobility services operations in a bid to drive away competition from Far East newcomers Siemens president Joe Kaeser (left) and Alstom’s chairman and CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge revealed the merger plans Siemens and Alstom, Europe’s largest train manufacturers, have agreed a merger of their rail...
Merseyside partners celebrate Bus Alliance
Patronage is rising, but franchising remains an option Partners marked the Alliance at an event in September The number of bus journeys young people are making in the Liverpool City Region has risen by 142% in the last three years. The figure was revealed on September 22 at an event to mark 12...
Rail risks ‘disastrous’ loss of five-year deals
Office of Rail & Road’s Stephen Glaister warns UK Rail Summit that continuation of current ‘HLOS/SoFA’ process cannot be taken for granted Stephen Glaister: ‘a real risk’ The chair of the railway’s regulator has warned that there is “a real risk” that the government will ditch the current process of five-year funding settlements...
Bus use drops across Great Britain
Fall continues in Spring quarter, with 2.4% decline in England outside of London Bus journeys: April-June 2017 versus April-June 2016 Source: Department for Transport The number of people travelling by bus continues to decline across Great Britain, according to the latest statistics from the Department for Transport. Figures for April-June 2017 show year-on-year decreases in England...
Hendy: ‘Metroisation’ is the future for the railway
‘Big railway’ must become more like the Underground Hendy: ‘Obviously a good thing to do’ Sir Peter Hendy says that the ‘Digital Railway’ is the only way that the railway will be able to cope with the growing demands for capacity. Addressing the UK Rail Summit in London last week, the Network Rail...
TOCs seek to counter escalating RMT strikes
Abellio Greater Anglia has trained 160 managers to cover for conductors, while South Western Railway is said to be well equipped to face action South Western Railway faces a ballot on industrial action Abellio Greater Anglia has told conductors and the RMT union that striking over its plans to introduce driver controlled operation...
Tributes paid to father of minibus revolution
Harry Blundred OBE was the owner of Transit Holdings and he was credited with spearheading the minibus revolution of the 1980s Harry Blundred with one of the original Devon General minibuses at a bus rally in 2013 The family of bus industry entrepreneur Harry Blundred OBE has announced that he passed away in...
Virgin claims ‘historic shift’ from air to rail
London-Edinburgh market share was 37% in June A Virgin Trains East Coast train at Edinburgh Waverley Virgin has achieved its highest air/rail market share on its Scottish routes, with the company’s East and West Coast services carrying a third of London-Scotland passengers in June. The company said it was indicative of a “historic...
Street launches traffic congestion action plan
West Midlands mayor says modal shift from cars to public transport is the long-term answer, but in the short-term he promises better co-ordination Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street and newly appointed director of network resilience, Anne Shaw West Midlands mayor Andy Street has launched an action plan aimed at combatting congestion....
Huge change in travel plans during upgrade
Commuters are heeding warnings to avoid Waterloo Upgrade work at Waterloo station this month Effective year-long campaigns to publicise disruption that will be caused by the Waterloo station upgrade throughout August has seen nearly half of South West Trains’ regular passengers make alternative travel and working arrangements. A survey by Transport Focus, published...
Air quality plan avoids main issue – congestion
Greener Journeys says government plan won’t address public health crisis because it fails to back the introduction of charges for polluting vehicles The plan will see sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans banned by 2040 The government’s Air Quality Plan will fail to address public health concerns because it fails...
