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

Wednesday, 02 June 2021

BBC News

• Call to electrify rail line between Shropshire and Black CountryMidlands Connect says the plans would deliver faster rail services and reduce overcrowding.
• Birmingham Clean Air Zone: No payments for first two weeksSome motorists in Birmingham reported problems as they attempted to pay in advance for journeys.
• Cycling: Councils under pressure to change bike shed planning lawsThere are calls to change planning rules to make it easier to have cycle sheds in front gardens.
• Why electric cars will take over sooner than you thinkThe BBC's Justin Rowlatt explains why we are accelerating towards an electric car future.

Financial Times

• Oil prices rally as Opec+ producers agree slow supply increaseCartel and its allies stick to plan to gradually lift production as demand improves
• A Scottish company's battle to seize planes of India's national airlineCairn Energy's case tests British government's willingness to stand up for UK companies
• Driverless London tube trains under consideration in £1bn bailout dealUnions warn of industrial action while mayor labels government plan a ˜gross misuse of money

The Guardian

• Criticism of Countryfile on HS2 is unfairThe BBC programme’s executive editor, Bill Lyons, defends its coverage of the rail project’s environmental impact
• G7 nations committing billions more to fossil fuel than green energyIn spite of green rhetoric, money has piled into aviation and car industries since start of pandemic, report findsThe nations that make up the G7 have pumped billions of dollars more into fossil fuels than they have into clean energy since the Covid-19 pandemic, despite their promises of a green recovery.
• TfL gets £1bn bailout in return for making case for driverless trainsLondon mayor says funds are a sticking plaster and he will fight introduction of driverless tubes. Work to introduce driverless tube trains has been demanded by ministers as part of an emergency funding agreement for Transport for London, with the government injecting just over £1bn to help the capital recover from the pandemic.TfL will be obliged to produce business cases for driverless trains on the Piccadilly and Waterloo and City lines in return for the latest funding, which also comes with a requirement to make £300m of annual cuts and slash pensions.

Times Online

• Transport for London receives £1.1bn Covid bailout [subscription]Transport for London (TfL) will be granted a third government bailout worth £1.08 billion to make up for a shortfall in finances caused by the collapse in demand for travel during the pandemic.
• Birmingham clean air zone charges delayed because public unaware of them [subscription]Plans to charge drivers £8 to enter a clean air zone in Birmingham city centre have been put back by two weeks because too few knew about it.

Network Rail

• Major clients rally against suppliers using zero hours contractsNetwork Rail, Highways England and Transport Scotland have implemented measures to eradicate supplier use of zero hours contracts or to ensure that, if deemed necessary, they are appropriately used.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• EasyJet cancels flights at last minute - causing chaos and frustration for customersSome customers have now been left in holiday limbo, unsure if they will be able to go on holiday at all

London Evening Standard

• Fares rise with TfL £1bn bailout as driverless Tubes on the way£3.50 boundary fee for drivers axed, deal to reopen Hammersmith Bridge,˜driverless' Tube trains on the way
• Talking Point: Is the new TfL deal "fair and reasonable" for Londoners?Increased Tube fares and potential limitations on a London boundary charge� were announced today as part of a new £1 billion bailout for Transport for London.
• Man caught drink-driving on e-scooter is handed banE-scooters are treated as motor vehicles by the Department for Transport and are subject to the same legal requirement as other vehicles.
• Government urged to avoid stigma around buses and trainsCurrently, double decker buses can only operate at around 60-80% of their full capacity.

Manchester Evening News

• Two bus stations ditch paper timetables in new eco-friendly pilotPassengers at two bus stations across the region will no longer be able to grab printed versions of the schedule

Yorkshire Post

• Why 'poor value for money' projects like improving Leeds Bus Station are more likely to be backed by government after reform of Green Book funding rulesChanges to the Government's much-criticised Green Book means a number of vital regeneration schemes in Yorkshire will be more likely to be approved despite apparently offering relatively poor value for money.

Cambridge News

• Major airlines issue updates as more flights cancelledMany airlines have updated their policies

East Anglian Daily Times

• Network Rail completes weekend maintenance in East AngliaNetwork Rail has completed its scheduled Bank Holiday weekend work on the main line between Ipswich and Norwich.

Other Regional Press

• New 775m-long freight trains begin operating on UK’s rail networkDP World have announced that its two deep-water ports at Southampton and London Gateway have become the first in the UK capable of handling Freightliner’s new 775m-long intermodal container trains.
• The multi-million pound transformation of Teesside Airport in 16 pictures The airport has unveiled revamped check-in areas, shops, and departure lounges as part of its redevelopment
• Dorset residents invited to discuss rail concerns at South Western Railway eventSOUTH Western Railway (SWR) is inviting customers to question its senior team at a virtual 'Meet the Manager' event on Tuesday, July 6.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Three months on from the launch of TfL's world-first Direct Vision Standard lorries across London are becoming saferTransport for London (TfL), working with the London boroughs, the freight industry and campaign groups, delivered a radical improvement to road safety in the UK in March with the introduction of the pioneering Direct Vision Standard (DVS). Three months on data shows that the vital lorry safety scheme, which reduces lethal blind spots, is already helping to save lives and prevent life-changing injuries. TfL's Direct Vision Standard scheme requires owners of Heavy Good Vehicles (HGVs) weighing more than 12 tonnes to apply for a free permit that assigns vehicles a star rating based on how much th...
• DP World's UK port and logistics hub customers are first to benefit from Freightliner's new 775-metre long trainsDP World in the UK has announced that its two deep-water ports at Southampton and London Gateway have become the first in the country capable of handling Freightliner’s new 775 metre intermodal container trains – further cementing the critical role of the smart logistics hubs in Britain’s international supply chain. The longest in use on the national rail network, the new 775 metre trains are 250 metres longer than a typical freight train and carry between 12 and 14 additional containers on each service, generating significant cost and environmental benefits for customers tra...

New Civil Engineer

• Construction plans and timeline set for £250M A303 dualling schemeHighways England (HE) has mapped out the construction timeline for the £250M dualling of the A303 between Sparkford and Ilchester
• Highways England vows to create ‘new woodland’ alongside Lower Thames Crossing routeHighways England has announced plans to create a 100ha woodland alongside the Lower Thames Crossing route in Essex.
• Works order submitted to reopen Northumberland railway lineNorthumberland County Council has submitted a Transport Works Act Order (TWAO) to gain official powers to reopen the defunct Northumberland Line.

road.cc

• Dunwich Dynamo cyclists told not to take train home – because new rolling stock has limited bike spacesCyclists taking part in next month’s Dunwich Dynamo have been told by Greater Anglia not to take the train home – because its new rolling stock has limited space for bicycles.

Other News Sources

• Wishaw commuters left without bus service because of inconsiderate car parkingPather residents were left without the 242 First Bus service, which runs through the scheme, as the bus was unable to get past vehicles parked on both sides of the road.
• Rail bosses urged to think again on controversial plans involving closure of station in Milton KeynesCouncillors not happy about some of East West Rail proposals
• Northern to blow whistle on ticketless travelNORTHERN is blowing the whistle on ticketless travel and reminding all customers to buy a ticket before they board the company’s trains.
• The London Underground lines that could soon have driverless trains as the Government forces TfL to consider themTransport for London has had to commit to looking at the merits of driverless trains on the London Underground, in return for a £1 billion cash injection from the Government that stops it from going bust.
• Brighton Station staff member criticises cigarette fines A STAFF member at Brighton Station has claimed environmental enforcement officers are targeting smokers and has called for an audit.