Public Transport news

• Metrolink has stopped running trams to Rochdale town centre after cracks appeared in a building

  18-03-2017 01:00 via manchestereveningnews.co.uk
  
  Manchester Evening News -The road and the tram line will be shut over the weekend until an inspection can take place
  
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• ‘Blazing a trail for the future of bus services’

  10-01-2025 14:26 via passengertransport.co.uk
  As the snow fell on January 5, the third and final tranche of Greater Manchester’s buses joined the publicly-controlled Bee Network. A landmark moment for buses in the region, and beyond
   
   Following a phased approach, all bus services in Greater Manchester – totalling 577 routes, 1,600 buses and accounting for more than 160 million trips per year – are now under the locally controlled Bee Network.
  This edition of Passenger Transport contains a special 17-page section
  
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• Concerns raised over impact of open access

  10-01-2025 14:23 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Heidi Alexander suggests operators are not paying their way
   Alexander: ‘Open access can create pressure on the network’
   Rail Partners has responded to a letter from transport secretary Heidi Alexander urging the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to adopt stricter criteria for approving new open access rail applications.Alexander’s letter to ORR chair Declan Collier outlined concerns about the financial and operational impacts of the growing number of open access service
  
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• West Midlands lifts the lid on franchising plans

  10-01-2025 14:19 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Consultation is the first step that could see the first bus services in the West Midlands under public control by 2027. Andrew Garnett reports
   Richard Parker launched the consultation in Coventry
   West Midlands mayor Richard Parker has launched a consultation on plans to franchise the region’s bus network.
  The consultation will remain open until the end of March and a final decision about whether to proceed with franchising is epxected later this year. That could see the first f
  
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• Transport’s three malign influences

  10-01-2025 14:10 via passengertransport.co.uk
   
  I have identified three negative influences that have held transport back, or led it in the wrong direction, through the decades
   HS2’s River Tame West Viaduct. The entire HS2 project has been subject to regular chopping and changing
   The turn of the year is a good time for reflection, to step away from the day to day issues to look at the wider picture.I have been involved in transport one way or another since 1984 when I worked for British Rail, then through my time as
  
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• My hopes and fears for the New Year

  10-01-2025 14:02 via passengertransport.co.uk
   
  Will rail price itself out of existence? Will England’s bus users bulk at £3 fares? Will small businesses be squeezed out? We will see
   Commemorative rail coin 1825-2025 (credit: The Royal Mint)
   UK Rail, 1825-2025
  2025 is the 200th anniversary of the railway in the UK, but could this be the year that a threshold is breached in terms of rail fares, and is the industry pricing itself out of existence? A lot of grandiose press statements are made about a future railwa
  
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• ‘We’re blazing a trail for buses’

  10-01-2025 13:51 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham hails a landmark moment for buses in his city region
  Bringing all buses in Greater Manchester under local control is a huge milestone – but it’s not a case of ‘job done’
   Last week Greater Manchester became the first place in the country to take its bus network fully back under local control – a landmark moment that is one of my proudest moments as mayor of this wonderful city region.
  The third and final phase of bus franc
  
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• The road to the Bee Network

  10-01-2025 13:51 via passengertransport.co.uk
  The journey to bus franchising in Greater Manchester. Andrew Garnett reports
  Franchising allowed Transport for Greater Manchester to ensure better coordination with other transport modes
  The decision to franchise buses in Greater Manchester was not isolated but developed over decades of policy debate and legislative change. It emerged as a powerful tool for addressing long-standing issues in the region’s public transport system, which was shaped by the deregulation of the 1980s and percei
  
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• ‘The benefits are starting to flow’

  10-01-2025 13:51 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Vernon Everett, Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester, answers our questions about the city’s Bee Network
  With over 40 years’ experience, Vernon advises the Mayor of Greater Manchester on developing an integrated public transport network alongside more active travel facilities
  What enticed you to take on this role?
  Greater Manchester is an exciting and growing region and the Mayor and 10 district Leaders have a very clear vision for how better transport can improve life
  
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• A partnership in innovation

  10-01-2025 13:51 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Ticketer has been small but critical cog in a complex change process, and is ready to help others
  Jason Mann, Ticketer director of product, and Tom Wilsher, Ticketer head of product management, overseeing the tranche one rollout
  Establishing a successful bus franchising solution involves multiple components, but the cornerstone of its success undoubtedly lies in developing close working partnerships and a robust technological foundation. This foundation must facilitate close collaboration betwe
  
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• Budgeting for Britain’s buses

  10-01-2025 13:50 via passengertransport.co.uk
   
  Public transport is back on the political agenda – but the financial ammunition to make bus services better remains in short supply
   Transport secretary Heidi Alexander visited Greater Manchester’s Bee Network this week. Those who take back control of buses will face the same pressure to balance the books as commercial operators
   Despite holding the post for less than half a year, Louise Haigh made a lively impression as secretary of state for transport. She was (is
  
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• A vision for a greener future

  10-01-2025 13:50 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Wrightbus is helping places like Greater Manchester on their transition to sustainable transport
  Wrightbus delivered an average of 22 buses a week to operators throughout 2024
   With more than 160 new Wrightbus vehicles going into service across the Bee Network at the start of this year, we understand the importance of keeping Greater Manchester moving.
  With the impressive feat of regaining local control of all buses in the Greater Manchester area for the first time in 40 years, Transport f
  
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• A legacy that helped to shape the city

  10-01-2025 13:50 via passengertransport.co.uk
  Rob Jones, managing director of Stagecoach Manchester, reflects on a 25-year record of connecting communities
  Stagecoach hosted a special lineup of heritage livery buses ahead of the changeover to the Bee Network
   For over 25 years, Stagecoach Manchester has been at the heart of the city’s transport network, playing an essential role in shaping the region’s landscape. Millions of passengers have relied on Stagecoach to get them where they need to be, whether it’s for work
  
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• Welsh first minister expecting more money for railways from PM as she slams 'unfair' HS2 funding

  10-01-2025 01:00 via news.sky.com
  
  Sky News - The first minister of Wales has revealed she is expecting more money from the prime minister for rail infrastructure in the country.
  
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• Using mobile phone at the wheel could become legal again - but it depends on the car

  10-01-2025 01:00 via mirror.co.uk
  
  The Mirror - Department for Transport commissioned Loughborough University and University College London to investigate road safety, which it says remains mp;amp;quot;our absolute prioritymp;amp;quot; despite the development
  
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• US dock strike deal wipes $5bn off three biggest listed shipping groups

  10-01-2025 01:00 via ft.com
  
  Financial Times - Industrial action was due to start next week at three dozen ports from Maine to Texas
  
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• Travel agents demand probe into airport road flood

  10-01-2025 01:00 via bbc.com
  
  BBC News - The A555 was completed in 2018 and has repeatedly flooded during heavy rainfall.
  
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• State-run railways have been a 'fiasco' in Scotland - but we'll STILL do it in England, says Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander

  10-01-2025 01:00 via dailymail.co.uk
  
  Mail Online - The Transport Secretary yesterday admitted that rail nationalisation in Scotland has been a 'fiasco' - but vowed to press ahead with ending privatisation in England.
  
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• Runways reopen after fresh snow grounds planes

  10-01-2025 01:00 via bbc.com
  
  BBC News - It is the latest in a series of runway closures at Manchester Airport as 2025 begins with a big freeze.
  
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• Road users fed up with poor conditions - survey

  10-01-2025 01:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  BBC News - The majority of people were dissatisfied with the condition of the roads where they live, a study analysing transport habits found.
  Almost 4,000 residents across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex were surveyed by Transport East in spring 2024 about how they travel.
  
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• RMT union boss Mick Lynch to step down

  10-01-2025 01:00 via cityam.com
  
  City AM - Mick Lynch, the RMT general secretary who gained national notoriety during a series of train strikes in recent years, is to retire. Lynch, 63, was elected general secretary in 2021 after previously serving two terms as assistant general secretary and another two on the unionmp;#146;s national executive committee executive. The union boss has become a ...
  
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• RMT union boss Mick Lynch announces retirement

  10-01-2025 01:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The Guardian - Firebrand leader says he is proud union stood up to mp;#39;wholesale attacksmp;#39; on rail industry by Conservative party
  
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• RMT leader Mick Lynch announces retirement

  10-01-2025 01:00 via railnews.co.uk
  Railnews -RMT general secretary Mick Lynch is to retire in the spring. Mr Lynch, who is 63, will step down in May when his successor has been chosen.
  
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• Rise in jobs and homes near Elizabeth line - TfL

  10-01-2025 01:00 via bbc.com
  
  BBC News - TfL says there is an increase in housing growth and employment within one kilometre of stations.
  
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• Parents fume as ‘packed’ school bus service cancelled

  10-01-2025 01:00 via kentonline.co.uk
  
  Other Regional Press - Angry parents have branded a bus company mp;#147;irresponsiblemp;#148; after it axed a service used by mp;#147;herds of childrenmp;#148;.
  
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• National Speed Management Review consultation

  10-01-2025 01:00 via transport.gov.scot
  Transport Scotland - A series of in person engagement events has been announced as part of the consultation on proposed changes to speed limits in Scotland.
  
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• Moving Pune forward: ‘Projects like ring roads, flyovers, bridges, new metro underway to improve public transport; pain caused is temporary’

  10-01-2025 01:00 via eupolitics.einnews.com
  
  EIN News Subscription - mp;amp;amp;#8230;problem. Vehicle ownership actually in Europe is much higher than in mp;amp;amp;#8230; :mp;nbsp;In 2006, the National Urban Transport Policy came out. Itmp;#146;s a mp;amp;amp;#8230;
  
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• Mick Lynch to retire as RMT general secretary

  10-01-2025 01:00 via independent.co.uk
  
  The Independent - The firebrand leader said he was proud to have served the Rail, Maritime and Transport union
  
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• Mick Lynch: RMT chief with a cult following announces retirement subscription

  10-01-2025 01:00 via thetimes.com
  
  Times Online - Union boss who oversaw two years of industrial action and commuter misery on the railways steps down saying mp;quot;it is time for a changemp;quot;
  
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• Mick Lynch retires as RMT union boss subscription

  10-01-2025 01:00 via telegraph.co.uk
  The Telegraph - General secretary, who was elected in 2021, says: mp;quot;It has been a privilege to serve this union for over 30 years in all capacitiesmp;quot;
  
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