Reform run the council.....

New stations will be built at Portishead and Pill, with trains initially running hourly along the line to and from Bristol Temple Meads in 2028.

Definitely Bruges.  I happily sent several days there just strolling round the old streets with their canals.  And if you happen to be there when the carillon in the belfry tower is played that's a bonus.

Londonderry to Portadown rail restoration 'could take 20 years'


The Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy was published this week

Plans to restore the Londonderry to Portadown railway line as part of improving train travel across the island of Ireland, could take 20 years to complete, a report says.

The Rail Project Prioritisation Strategy was published this week by Stormont's Department for Infrastructure (DfI) and the Dublin government's Department of Transport.

The restoration of the line between Derry and Portadown, and onto Letterkenny in County Donegal, has previously been identified as key to improving cross-border rail connections.

The DfI said the 15-20 year timeframe for the restoration "recognises the significant preparatory work needed for a project of this scale". That work includes "further feasibility study, approval, design, planning, tendering, procurement, significant land vesting, as well as construction," a DfI spokesperson said.

DfI Minister Liz Kimmins said the publication of the rail strategy "provides a way forward for connecting communities who have been without rail". Currently, Northern Ireland's railways are mostly concentrated to the east of the River Bann. Kimmins said the strategy was particularly significant for communities in the north west and in addressing regional imbalance.

But Steve Bradley, of the Into the West rail lobby group, is sceptical that will be the case. He told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme that the strategy risked compounding the issue.

"There are 54 railway stations in Northern Ireland – 51 of those are east, only three are west of the Bann," he said. "This plan would see over 60 railway stations in the east of Northern Ireland before a single new one gets opened anywhere in the west. No one could claim this is addressing regional imbalance because it is actually making it worse - our real concern is this could turn into the next A5."

The A5 road project between Londonderry and Aughnacloy and on to Dublin was first announced back in 2007, but has been beset by a number of delays and legal challenges.

(BBC article continues)

And now the not so good news.

Parking charges going up Again.


https://www.cotswoldjournal.co.uk/news/25698794.anger-worcestershire-parkway-parking-charge-increase/

Probably closer to net nothing,  than a complete stopgap.

If you exclude the 3x4coach =12 Castle HSTs that were replaced,
the extra Newquay service (3-4 coach in summer),
a Portishead train 3 cars,
Extra 2 carriages for increased capacity for Oakhampton Interchange,
restoring short 3car to 4car on Cardiff-Portsmouth (8 vehicles),
Transfer of two 5car IETs from SW to Bristol-Oxford (10 vehicles),

Leaves less than 30 carriages extra, and based on some of the recent growth figures in South West in the ORR station usage (many are 5+% per year, with few nearer 8%), so could be 25-40% growth in 5 years.  Is the 175 fleet more a token effort than a real solution for at least 5 years.

I realise getting the 175s was a struggle, but when trying to secure them started (back in 2023 ?) DfT was still in post Covid mode.  Could argue it still is thinking like that rather than regional growth away from London.  But as we have such a start-stop train ordering policy I don't really know where any trains could actually come from if needed in 2-3 years time.

Learner drivers face 24-week wait as backlog continues for two more years

Learner drivers face months of delays booking practical tests because a backlog will not be cleared until November 2027, a watchdog has warned.

The National Audit Office (NAO) said there was a backlog of 1.1 million tests that were not carried out in the 2020/21 financial year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and around 360,000 of these had still not been booked. The average waiting time was 22 weeks in September, but at 70% of test centres the wait has hit 24 weeks – the maximum allowed.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said it was "taking decisive action to address the backlog", including employing military driving examiners.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) had planned to cut waiting times to seven weeks by the end of 2025.

The NAO's inquiry found delays have led to people paying third parties to secure tests, some of whom were "paying significantly inflated prices of up to £500" - nearly eight times the official DVSA fee of £62 for a weekday slot.

It said the DVSA struggled to "understand the real demand for tests" because third party websites quickly book available slots using automated programs known as bots. "These delays can have a serious impact on learner drivers' income and the economy, with 30% of respondents to a DVSA survey saying they need to be able to drive for their jobs," the watchdog said.

The NAO also reported a lack of examiners and found many were leaving "due to uncompetitive pay and safety concerns". Despite running 19 recruitment campaigns since 2021, DVSA has only hired 83 extra examiners, far short of its 400 target. In the 2023/24 financial year, DVSA had a total of 220 staff at its 240 test centres who were qualified examiners.

(BBC article continues)

The planned new Weaver Network buses only feature a single door for both entry and exit

Plans for a publicly-owned fleet of electric buses in West Yorkshire have been criticised by campaigners for not including more doors on the vehicles for people with mobility issues or pushchairs.

A new franchised bus network is due to be rolled out from 2028, with bus fares, routes and timetables set by West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Last month, a consultation was launched over buses to be used on the Weaver Network, with views sought on features such as ramps and wi-fi.

But Gareth Forest, chair of Better Buses for West Yorkshire, said campaigners planned to carry out a mass bus-boarding at Leeds Bus Station on Wednesday to highlight the problems of getting on and off single-door vehicles.

"The campaign supporters will be boarding buses at the station with wheelchairs, prams, suitcases, heavy pieces of luggage - whatever people are going to bring - to make our point about how inaccessible West Yorkshire's buses are," Mr Forest said. "We'll be boarding as many buses as is needed to fit in all the wheelchair users and parents with children."

He added that the group was calling on West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin to "double the doors" on the new fleet of buses.

Mr Forest said: "In London and in the rest of Europe, buses have two or three sets of doors and this speeds up boarding and makes it safer and easier for everyone. Public control of our buses is our opportunity to change that, but the mayor is squandering that opportunity by ordering a fleet of 500 single-door buses."

Easier boarding would also mean "quicker journeys for everyone" as there would be more space and it would be quicker to get people on and off buses, Mr Forest said.

He also suggested bringing back conductors so drivers did not have to do everything. "Drivers are expected to drive the bus, take the fares, make sure everyone's getting on board and make sure there's safety on the bus. That's just not fair," he said.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Combined Authority said taking buses back under public control "takes time, and that includes upgrading the existing infrastructure in West Yorkshire on a repair-and-replace basis as part of our new integrated Weaver Network".

"We understand the benefits that double doors bring, but path widths, existing bus station design and bus stops can make it difficult for customers exiting from a second centre door," the spokesperson said. "We will consider feedback as we work towards a better-connected region that works for all."