Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Friday, 28 May 2021

BBC News

• Greater Manchester bus network plans 'agreed after irrational consultation'Two bus operators are challenging the franchising proposal in a judicial review at the High Court.
• Airbus ramps up production as it eyes post-Covid recoveryThe world's largest planemaker says demand from the crisis-hit airline sector will reach pre-Covid levels by 2025.

Financial Times

• Shell's climate defeat: an omen for all corporate polluters?Dutch court's ruling that oil major must speed up decarbonisation could spur further lawsuits
• Why commuters won't easily be lured back to the officeThink bigger: train cars that offer all-you-can-eat sushi on conveyor belts, or are fitted with Peloton bikes
• FirstGroup survives rebellion as investors back US bus saleLargest shareholders said £3.3bn disposal to private equity undervalued business
• Two airlines cancel Moscow flights over Belarus disputeRussian aviation authorities fail to approve Air France and Austrian Airlines’ routes avoiding Belarus airspace

The Scotsman

• British Transport Police’s new female leadership should be the catalyst for accelerating gender balance at the top – Alastair DaltonTransport remains a very male-dominated industry in Scotland so the appointment of more female leaders should be celebrated and highlighted.

The Telegraph

• Drivers to see red as mayor sets London traffic lights against them

Times Online

• HS2 will go to Leeds and may even arrive early, says Grant Shapps [subscription]The HS2 rail project will go all the way to Leeds and could arrive sooner than forecast, the government has said, scotching speculation that mounting costs would prevent from the full scheme proceeding.

Birmingham Mail

• Almost half of Birmingham motorists admit they agree with Clean Air Zone chargesAlthough many were unclear on the details of Birmingham's new CAZ, 49 per cent of those surveyed agreed that petrol and diesel vehicles coming into highly populated areas should be charged because of the effect on air quality and health

Birmingham Post

• Humber freeport set to be anchored in North East LincolnshireLocal authority taking in Grimsby and Immingham has been asked to be the accountable body
• New Nissan Qashqai to be made from aluminiumInvestment of more than £50m has gone into the company's Sunderland plant in readiness for the new production processes

Bolton News

• Taxi drivers in Bolton striking again in bid for 'fare' shareTaxi drivers are set to go on strike for the second time this month demanding a ‘nominal’ fare increase to meet rising costs.

London Evening Standard

• Full speed ahead! Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirms HS2 rail project will go all the way to LeedsThe spiralling cost of the high-speed project had caused speculation over the eastern leg.
• FirstGroup offloads US businesses despite shareholder rebellionJust 61.3% of investors voted in favour of the deal with 38.7% – thought to be FirstGroup’s two biggest shareholders – voting against.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announces eastern leg of HS2 high speed line will go aheadThe Government has rejected calls to scrap HS2 services due to run into Yorkshire and the North East

The York Press

• Transport in the North on future of railways in Yorkshire THE North’s leaders have called on the Government to publish a long-term plan for transport amid promises for investment in the region's railways.

Cambridge News

• Driverless shuttle buses take to Cambridge’s roads in 'ground-breaking' trialThe first autonomous shuttles will take to the roads from today (May 27), as part of ground-breaking trials in Cambridge.
• Airlines share affordable Covid testing deals for overseas travellersSome travel firms are already offering customers special testing deals - but travellers can still expect to pay from £45 to £200

Carlisle News & Star

• Avanti West Coast introduce new Standard Premium class on Pendolino servicesAVANTI West Coast has become the first UK train operator to offer an extra travel class.

Leeds Live

• Jet2 updates as airline launches own traffic light system at Leeds Bradford AirportThe airline has made no secret of the annoyance over the holiday uncertainty and so are attempting to provide more clarity for their customers.
• West Yorkshire still waiting for delayed crucial rail improvement planThe rail minister has insisted it will be confirmed 'soon' - but would not say when
• HS2 will go to Leeds, promises transport secretary Grant ShappsTransport Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed the HS2 rail project will go all the way to Leeds after fears over mounting costs had prompted speculation over the full scheme going ahead.

Other Regional Press

• ScotRail hit with backlash after 'awful' comment over train cancellations this SundayScotRail has received a backlash from customers after a tweet was published over the RMT strike.
• Oxford railway station inside looks almost the same as it did in 1990Oxford railway station is to get a major revamp after the Government pledged £69m towards the scheme.
• Great British Railways plan a ‘political ploy’ to save union, warn rail expertsRail passengers in Scotland could suffer under the UK Government’s Great British Railways plan, experts fear.
• Tory Batley candidate welcomes Yorkshire rail investment - with a photo of BristolThe Conservative party candidate for Batley and Spen showed his support for the TransPennine upgrade today - by tweeting a picture of a train in Bristol.
• Yorkshire mayors tell Government to 'urgently' publish rail plan'We've been waiting now for six months, wasting time and holding up our efforts'

Train Operators

• Chiltern Railways puts Britain’s first hybrid-powered train to the testBritain’s first hybrid-powered train was put through its paces during a test run with senior members of Chiltern Railways in Derbyshire earlier this week. The Class 168 Chiltern train has been fitted with a Rolls Royce MTU hybrid drive which will cut noise emissions in stations and deliver zero emissions when operating under battery power.

C.N.N.

• Airship to offer low-carbon flights with floor-to-ceiling windowsHybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) has released fresh details about its airship, which it hopes will be making city-to-city passenger trips by 2023.

Coach and Bus Week

• Large electric bus order in Turin for BYDBYD has secured one of its largest orders for e-buses in Italy and the largest e-bus order in Turin with confirmation of a further 50 of its 12-metre low-floor eBuses for operator GTT (Gruppo Torinese Trasporti) in the northern Italian city.
• Transdev explores new hydrogen tech to reduce emissionsIn efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, Transdev, operator of Howick and Eastern Buses in Auckland and Mana Newlands Coach Services in Wellington, has committed to trial a new hydrogen fuel technology in its existing diesel bus fleet. Greg Pollock, Chief Officer and Managing Director of Transdev New Zealand, said trials would soon commence using the new HYDI Hydrogen fuel system which has been designed to fit a standard diesel bus, and works by adding hydrogen gas to a diesel engine.
• Oxford Bus Company helps provide mobile Covid-19 testing service in NorfolkA scheme supported by Oxford Bus Company called Project MOVE is helping to test Norfolk residents for Covid-19
• Payzone secures contract with National ExpressPayzone has signed a long-term contract with National Express to provide coach ticketing services to customers in Payzone’s stores across the UK.
• Cardiff Bus and Newport Bus collaborate to provide mobile app upgradeSouth Wales operators Cardiff Bus and Newport Bus have announced an upgrade of their mobile ticketing system from Monday 17 May. The upgrade will allow customers on route 30, which is run jointly by both operators between Cardiff and Newport, to use their mobile app ticket on both providers’ vehicles. Previously, valid tickets were not recorded electronically, and the operators say that this will help them to better understand what journeys that are being made and when they are being made, to ensure the service offers the best possible journey opportunities for customers.

New Civil Engineer

• Upgrading existing stations and funding new rail links is essential to success of Old Oak CommonUpgrading existing stations and funding new rail links is essential to the success of the Old Oak Common regeneration project, according to Transport for London (TfL) transport planning manager Chris Porter.

Rail Business Daily

• Greater Anglia publishes new promise to improve accessibility of rail serviceGreater Anglia has outlined its commitment to making the railway more accessible to all customers – the most recent in a series of measures the company has taken to improve disabled customers’ experience of rail travel.
• Government urged to publish multi billion-pound rail investment plan for the NorthThe North’s leaders have called on the Government to urgently publish a long-term plan for the region’s railways, to give essential certainty on investment and delivery of major projects.

Railnews

• RMT predicts ˜long summer™ of ScotRail strikes The RMT has announced new strike dates for ScotRail ticket examiners, who have joined their conductor colleagues by walking out every Sunday in disputes over pay for rest day working.
• HS2 Ltd accused of being ˜dishonest, misleading and inconsistent™ A new report published today accuses HS2 Ltd of being ˜dishonest, misleading and inconsistent™ in its dealings with people affected by construction of the high speed line. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman highlights the case of one family which suffered from HS2™s failure to ˜properly engage and communicate™ when the sale of their home triggered an entitlement to compensation. It adds that the case was ˜repeatedly mismanaged™. The company has responded by describing the case as ˜historic™, and saying that it has since changed its ways.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• DfT invites operators in England to National Bus Strategy Q&AThe Department for Transport (DfT) has invited operators of local bus services in England to attend an online question and answer (Q&A) session examining the National Bus Strategy, including Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs). It will be held on Wednesday 2 June at 1300hrs.
• Case for use of all forward-facing coach seats published by CPTThe Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has published a risk-based case for the use of every forward-facing seat on coaches in England.
• Go-Ahead Group CEO David Brown to retireGo-Ahead Group CEO David Brown intends to retire at the end of this year after 10 years in the role, the company has today announced.
• Yellow Coaches partners with Golden Tours in BournemouthYellow Coaches, part of Bournemouth-based Yellow Buses, has partnered with established London operator Golden Tours to operate a new open-top sightseeing tour in and around the south coast resort. It will launch on Saturday 29 May.
• Manchester bus franchising procurement process moves closerThe Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is expected later this week to agree to commence the procurement process for the introduction of bus franchising in the conurbation, with an eye to having the first such routes underway during January 2023.
• Driver Compliance Risk Score software launched by TruTacTruTac – part of the Microlise Group – has launched a new software feature for its TruControl package called Driver Compliance Risk Score. It simplifies how operators monitor and manage the potential risk that drivers may pose to compliance levels.
• Jennifer McGill appointed Volvo Bus Sales Manager North and ScotlandJennifer McGill has been appointed by Volvo Bus to the position of Regional Account Manager for the North of England and Scotland.

Other News Sources

• New £33m depot to be built in Cadder to service high speed trainsA new £33 million train depot and staff accommodation facilities are to be built within the existing Cadder railway yard, which sits between Bishopbriggs and Lenzie.
• Full speed ahead! Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirms HS2 rail project will go all the way to LeedsThe spiralling cost of the high-speed project had caused speculation over the eastern leg.
• MP says rail move could benefit cityTHE GOVERNMENT’S move to nationalise the railway with a new train operator could be ‘great news for Worcester’.
• Two new half-hourly bus services to launch in Hereford TWO new bus services will be launching in Hereford next week, with the hope of more people ditching cars.