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

Thursday, 14 October 2021

BBC News

• Groudle Glen Railway line revamp given £16k lottery cash boostA miniature railway in the east of the Isle of Man has been awarded more than £16,000 to make track improvements.
• Stagecoach bus drivers set for strike over pay disputeStrikes will take place at three depots in south Wales in October and November.
• COP26: Cruise ship arrives on River Clyde to accommodate summit goersAbout 2,000 people will stay on two vessels berthed in the River Clyde during the climate change summit.
• LA port to open round the clock to tackle shipping queuesThe White House has warned supply bottlenecks could cause goods shortages this Christmas.
• Asda reports no petrol supply issues for a weekSupermarket chain says increase in demand was temporary as petrol shortages in London ease.

Financial Times

• UK port disruption spreads, casting shadow over ChristmasProblems accessing Felixstowe now reportedly being felt at facilities like London Gateway and Southampton
• UK bus industry warns labour shortages are causing service cutsSome operators rescinding on school contracts, says trade association
• Airlines voice anger over Heathrow’s plan to ramp up landing feesUK airport’s proposal to increase charges by 90% over next five years prompts furious backlash
• Universal Hydrogen to start testing fuel cells in passenger jet Los Angeles start-up quintuples valuation with investors including Tencent and GE Aviation joining

The Guardian

• UK rail firms move to shed thousands of jobs amid Covid cost cutsRail firms have started moves to shed thousands of staff as the industry seeks to cut costs by £2bn after losing millions of passengers due to coronavirus.
• William Shatner in tears after historic space flight: ‘I’m so filled with emotion’Star Trek actor, 90, says ‘I hope I never recover from this’ after becoming oldest human in space on Jeff Bezos rocket New ShepardThe Star Trek actor William Shatner declared himself “overwhelmedâ€� at becoming the oldest human in space, at the age of 90, during a brief but successful second crewed flight on Wednesday of Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket ship from the west Texas desert.The Canadian, who for four decades played Captain James Kirk, the fearless commander of the USS Enterprise, broke down in tears at the landing site as he described to the private space company’s founder, the Amazon...

The Independent

• Rail freight operators forced to dump electric trains for diesel due to Britain’s energy crisisSurge in electricity prices reverses climate action ahead of Cop26 summit

The Telegraph

• Passengers stranded as Covid passport crash hits NHS app

Bolton News

• Drivers face £100 motorway fine amid new camera chargeAutomatic motorway cameras will now be able to catch drivers using closed lanes, Highways England has said.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• New motorway cameras could see drivers fined £100 for breaking 'red X' ruleMotorists also face having three points added to their licence

London Evening Standard

• Electric freight trains mothballed due to soaring energy pricesOperators cannot absorb the three-fold increase in the cost of electricity, according to trade body Rail Freight Group.

Manchester Evening News

• Demolition work to finally begin on Stockport's old bus station to make way for multi-million pound interchangeIt was first announced in 2014 but seven years on and with a whole new plan in place, demolition work on Stockport's old bus station is to finally begin next week to make way for a new multi-million pound interchange.

The York Press

• Meet the new arrivals joining rail firmA TOTAL of 17 new members have staff have joined a train company that operates through York.
• £48m bus improvement plan could be 'game-changer' for YorkA £48 million bus improvement plan could be a “real game-changer” for York, councillors have been told.
• York-based rail firm LNER launches programme to help young peopleA YORK- based train operator has launched a programme to help young people and inspire the next generation of rail employees.

Cambridge News

• Stagecoach: Cambs bus services being scaled back due to driver shortageThere will be reductions on many routes, including Park and Ride

Other Regional Press

• Civil Aviation Authority objects to Coventry Airport gigafactory planCoventry Airport would close for good if the gigafactory plan comes to fruition
• North Wales' direct link to Manchester Airport continued - win for residents and tourismNORTH Wales will retain its direct rail links with Manchester Airport under new rail route proposals praised by business leaders amid fears over their economic impact.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• TfL signs new contract for FORSTransport for London (TfL) has signed a new contract with Sopra Steria to run the fleet recognition scheme FORS, which works to make vehicle fleets across the UK safer and greener.    The new contract will begin in January 2022 and will last for five years, with Sopra Steria taking over from the current administrators AECOM.     FORS, which was created by TfL in 2008, is an accreditation scheme recognising freight and fleet safety and environmental standards.    The voluntary scheme audits fleet operators and awards bronze, silver and gold accreditations by asking...

Railnews

• Railway industry prepares to shed jobs Plans for a voluntary severance scheme within the railway industry have been unveiled by the Rail Delivery Group. The RDG says it is the industry's response to 'post-pandemic challenges', but the RMT has reacted angrily, saying that it has not agreed. The industry says it is responding to 'different passenger needs' since the pandemic, and also aims to support future growth. It is now generally accepted that the traditionally intense peak hours are unlikely to return, but while the peaks may be 'flatter' leisure travel is showing signs of increasing, including the demand at weekends.

Other News Sources

• Short-haul flights under 300 miles dominate Europe’s aviation emissions, study findsShort-haul flights that could be replaced with less carbon-intensive transport options make up the majority of Europe’s aviation emissions, a new study has found.
• Aviation industry can’t ‘pin’ Net Zero on governmentsThe aviation industry cannot “pin” the move to Net Zero on governments, but can ask them to help “stoke the fire”, says a vice president of Star Alliance.