Category Archives: Transport

Engineers to assess flood-damaged bridges on key WA route amid concerns some could take years to fix

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Fitzroy River Bridge among those apparently collapsed after record flooding in state’s north destroys roads and isolates communities

Engineers will assess the destruction of major bridges on the trucking route connecting Western Australia and the Northern Territory on Wednesday amid concerns key infrastructure could could take months, or even years, to fix.

Main Roads WA and structural engineers will assess the Fitzroy River Bridge on the Great Northern Highway, as photos and videos emerge showing that the bridge has collapsed after being hit with record floods.

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Only one in five British trains to run on final day of planned strikes

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Industrial action over pay and working conditions has caused almost four weeks of disruption

The last day in the latest stretch of railway strikes has begun, ending a run of almost four weeks of continuous disruption caused by industrial action over pay and working conditions.

Only about one in five trains across Great Britain will run on Saturday as a 48-hour walkout by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union concludes, with no early morning or evening services and a pared-back schedule on main intercity and urban lines.

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‘Almost beyond comprehension’: police investigate crash that killed four people in central Victoria

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Two drivers in hospital after alleged ‘high-speed accident’ at four-way intersection near Shepparton

Police are investigating whether some passengers of a car were wearing seatbelts at the time of an alleged high-speed crash between two vehicles that resulted in the deaths of four people in central Victoria.

Those killed were passengers in a Peugeot that collided with a Toyota Hilux ute at an intersection at Pine Lodge, near Shepparton, on Wednesday afternoon.

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Aviation expert says quick-turnaround helicopter rides may be reconsidered after Gold Coast crash

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Neil Hansford says operators around Australia face pressures after a fall in patronage during pandemic

Investigators will likely examine the number of helicopter joyrides operating at Sea World after a mid-air collision killed four people, an expert says.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the cause of the crash which occurred when one helicopter was landing and the other had taken off at the Gold Coast theme park on Monday afternoon.

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Disaster response charity enlisted to aid drivers stuck in UK queues for Channel

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Exclusive: military veterans’ group RE:ACT gets £200,000 yearly contract to ensure welfare of lorry drivers gridlocked in Kent

The government has signed a £200,000-a-year contract with a disaster response charity established by the former head of Britain’s armed forces to help drivers stuck in lorry queues in Kent.

The Department for Transport has enlisted RE:ACT, which uses military veterans to distribute humanitarian aid in war zones and following natural disasters, amid concerns over driver welfare.

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Only one in five UK train services to run on second consecutive day of strikes

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Passengers advised to travel only if necessary on Wednesday, although No 10 and Network Rail optimistic about reaching deal

• UK strike calendar: service stoppages in January

More disruption awaits commuters returning to work after the Christmas break on Wednesday, the second of five consecutive days of rail strikes.

Once again, much of Britain’s rail network will not be operating, with only about a fifth of trains expected to run, leaving only a skeleton service for commuters on some urban and intercity lines.

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UK weather: Scotland and Wales told to brace for floods and travel disruption

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Met Office issues yellow alerts for heavy rain on Tuesday and Wednesday with localised flooding predicted

Forecasters have warned that heavy rain could lead to flooding and travel disruption this week.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of rain for southern Scotland and parts of central Scotland, the Highlands, and Argyll and Bute, valid from 2pm on Tuesday until 6am on Wednesday. It states that occasionally heavy rain, and a thaw of snow lying on the hills, is expected to lead to localised flooding and transport disruption.

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Deal to stop UK train strikes ‘in touching distance’, says Network Rail

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Chief negotiator says better communications could sway union members, as first of five days of rail strikes begins

A deal to stop strikes is “in touching distance”, the chief negotiator for Network Rail has claimed, as drivers and staff began the first of five consecutive days of national rail strikes.

Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s chief negotiator, suggested the pay offer would not be improved but claimed that better communication of the deal would begin to win over union members.

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New cars charging into Australia’s electric vehicle market in 2023

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From high-end luxury sedans, to modest hatchbacks – we take a look at 10 of the new models set for release in 2023

Australia can’t brag about having the world’s most developed or diverse electric vehicle market, but that may be about to change in 2023 with a range of new battery-electric cars expected for release down under.

If 2022 showed the huge demand among Australian drivers for brands like the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5, dealers next year are expected to start taking orders on 21 new models.

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Week of rail strikes to cause more travel disruption in UK

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RMT staging two 48-hour strikes from Tuesday and Friday and Aslef has called strike for Thursday

Rail passengers will face fresh travel disruption this week because of strikes by tens of thousands of workers in bitter disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail and 14 train operators will stage two 48-hour strikes from Tuesday and Friday, while drivers in the Aslef union will strike on Thursday.

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Rail strikes ‘cost UK hospitality sector £1.5bn in December alone’

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Figure worse than predicted and head of industry body expects ‘more business failures’ in early 2023

The rail strikes have had a worse impact on the UK’s hospitality industry than expected – costing bars, pubs, restaurants and hotels £1.5bn in December alone – according to the head of the body representing the sector.

Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of UKHospitality, said this had contributed to a “perfect storm” for businesses battling high energy bills and a cost of living crisis, adding this meant “undoubtedly we will see more business failures” in the next three months.

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Inflation, waiting lists, strikes, rail chaos, climate emergency: the 2022 polycrisis

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Almost every facet of life in the UK – courts to cost of living, transport to healthcare, environment to asylum system – is at breaking point

In mid-November Rishi Sunak was asked in a Channel 4 interview to name one public service that “was working, adequately, working properly”.

The prime minister didn’t give a direct answer. But the exchange feeds into an ever-more-common discourse: that the UK is facing “polycrisis” in almost every facet of life in Britain. From courts to the cost of living, transport to healthcare, environment to the asylum system – everywhere appears to be affected.

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Victoria’s myki public transport card could be scrapped by end of 2023

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Victorian treasurer says plagued myki payment system will be reviewed with current contract due to expire late next year

Victoria’s myki tap and pay system could be scrapped by the end of next year, with the state treasurer acknowledging the public transport cards are not up to global standards.

Myki was first rolled out more than a decade ago and has since been plagued with million-dollar cost blowouts and system issues.

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UK rail passengers warned of severe disruption into new year

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Network Rail advises users of some routes to avoid travel unless necessary until at least 9 January

Rail passengers have been told to avoid some services for two weeks and that trains will be “significantly disrupted” across most of the country into the new year.

The warning from Network Rail came as some services juddered back to life on Tuesday after the Christmas shutdown and several days of strikes by RMT union members.

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UK rail system described as ‘broken’ as 2022 data reveals extent of disruption

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Delays and cancellations linked to 20 years of privatisation, rising costs and labour shortages worsened by pandemic, say experts

Rail passengers have been delayed or disrupted on more than half of all train services departing from 15 of Great Britain’s busiest stations in the last year, Guardian analysis shows, exposing what has been described as a “broken” railway system that cannot easily be fixed.

Experts said the figures – which show rail services in the north and Midlands as the hardest hit – demonstrated the impact of two decades of privatisation, which had increased costs and public subsidies, combined with labour shortages exacerbated by the pandemic.

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Delays hit rail passengers rushing to beat Christmas Eve strike

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Sympathy and irritation from public as thousands of RMT union members at Network Rail prepare to strike

Rail passengers were facing delays as they rushed to get the last trains before Christmas Eve services came to a halt, while Britain’s roads were braced for extra traffic as a result of the strikes on the railways.

People embarking on festive getaways or heading home for the holidays gathered on the concourses of major stations including London Euston and Birmingham New Street.

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Secret report urges high-speed rail between Sydney and Newcastle but NSW government refuses to release it

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Report, which also recommends linking Sydney to Wollongong and ranks Canberra route as a lower priority, cost taxpayers $390,000

A secret review of high-speed rail options for New South Wales is understood to prioritise lines to Newcastle and Wollongong at speeds of up to 250km/h, but ranks the much-vaunted Sydney to Canberra route as a lower priority.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on the findings today but said it had not seen the report.

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Army of stand-in workers quashes fears of Heathrow chaos

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Passengers report shorter queues than usual despite Border Force strike as military brought in to help

Passengers entered Heathrow braced for the sight of queues snaking their way around the airport and departure boards coldly telling them that their festive season was ruined.

With concerns that travel problems could run into the new year as 1,000 Border Force staff began the first of eight days of strikes, those travelling through Europe’s busiest airport on the Friday before Christmas were apprehensive.

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Train drivers to stage fresh 24-hour UK strike on 5 January

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Aslef action falls between two 48-hour strikes by RMT, knocking out most trains for five days

Train drivers have called a fresh 24-hour strike on 5 January in the long-running dispute over pay and conditions on UK railways.

The action at 15 train operators by members of the Aslef union falls between two 48-hour strikes by the RMT union on 3-4 and 6-7 January, meaning most trains will be wiped out for five consecutive days.

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Sydney-Melbourne rail upgrades could be ‘transformative’, Coalition says

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Bridget McKenzie backs immediate improvements to interstate track as an alternative to long-term high-speed plans

Upgrades to the Sydney-Melbourne railway that slash the journey from 11 hours to six within a few years could be “transformative” for regional Australia, says the federal opposition. It is urging the Albanese government not to let ambitions for a decades-long high-speed rail project get in the way of more immediate upgrades.

The Coalition’s transport spokesperson, Bridget McKenzie, told Guardian Australia she believed sections of the existing track “have significant but eminently fixable impediments to a faster route” – including a key stretch between Goulburn and Junee in New South Wales – and heralded the economic and emissions benefits an upgraded track could bring.

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