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

Friday, 26 November 2021

Cogitamus

• The Chris Stokes Column - West Yorkshire and North East the real flashpoints from DfT’s Integrated Rail PlanThe Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) was met with a chorus of disapproval – an extraordinary result in response to a £96 billion package of investment in rail infrastructure, including electrification of the Midland Main Line, and upgrade and throughout electrification of the main Trans-Pennine route between Manchester and Leeds.

BBC News

• Transport: Better links between Wales and England recommendedTransport improvements between north Wales and north west England feature in a UK government review.
• Improve cross-border rail and roads, review saysA review of UK transport links recommends improving the A1, A75, A77, and upgrading the east and west coast mainlines.

Department for Transport

• UK government publishes Union Connectivity Review: proposed transport investments for stronger and better-connected United KingdomBetter connections on local and national transport networks to bring all UK communities within closer reach of social and economic opportunities.
• Union connectivity review: final reportMakes recommendations to improve transport connectivity and enhance quality of life and economic opportunities across the UK.

Financial Times

• Southern African countries put on UK travel red list over Covid variantGlobal health officials alarmed over B.1.1.529 strain’s ability to evade vaccines as Hong Kong reports two cases and markets fall
• Deutsche Bahn whistleblowers alleged fraud at Germany’s biggest infrastructure projectOne of the employees was fired during internal investigation that cleared managers of wrongdoing
• Bus operators say £5bn funding gap threatens England’s transport planInvestment shortfall could undermine government’s ‘levelling up’ ambitions, trade group argues
• Airlines brace for threat from Europe’s surge of Covid infectionsInvestors have ditched airline shares in recent weeks as bookings slow
• London Tube drivers to begin strike action on Friday First walkout in almost five years comes as TfL’s finances take hit from pandemic

Times Online

• England-Scotland journey times cut in upgrade plans [subscription]In a new report given to UK ministers, Hendy also calls for the UK and Scottish governments to work together on developing an assessment of the east coast road and rail transport corridor from northeast England to southeast Scotland, including improvements on the East Coast Main Line and the A1.

City AM

• Entire Tube line could close as TfL financial crisis deepensTransport for London (TfL) is currently considering closing down an entire Tube line as a result of its difficult financial situation.
• Mayor of London slams planned tube strikes for putting women’s safety in the lurch Sadiq Khan has attacked tube workers’ plans for strike action tomorrow as he said services help London women “get home safely at night.â€� The Victoria, Central, Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines will be affected as RMT drivers are urged not to clock in for work tomorrow from 4.30am. Transport for London has said the action [...] The post Mayor of London slams planned tube strikes for putting women’s safety in the lurch  appeared first on CityAM.
• Tube strike TODAY: Victoria, Central, Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines are currently all downCommuter chaos is expected in central London this morning as a tube strike for five lines started at 4.30am today. The Victoria, Central, Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly line are all affected as RMT drivers are urged not to clock in for work today. TfL said the strike would result in “little or no service in [...] The post Tube strike TODAY: Victoria, Central, Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines are currently all down appeared first on CityAM.

The Mirror

• Boris Johnson's Northern Ireland bridge dumped - to improve road to ferry port insteadThe Prime Minister wanted a bridge across or tunnel under the Irish Sea - but instead a Scottish A-road will be improved

The National

• Union connectivity review: Boris Johnson pledges new transport linksBORIS Johnson has pledged to create a strategic transport network across the UK following the findings of a major review, despite transport being a devolved matter.

Birmingham Post

• Passenger numbers at Cardiff Central railway station at lowest levels since the 1870sLike stations across the UK the pandemic the busiest station in Wales has seen a sharp fall in passenger numbers

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• MP urges Government rethink about transport in BradfordAN MP has urged Government to re-think its plans for transport in the north and deliver for the residents of the Shipley constituency after last week’s “huge disappointmentâ€�.

London Evening Standard

• TfL crisis latest: entire Tube line may have to close and bankruptcy notice issuedTfL commissioner says problems are even more challenging than Crossrail as bumper fares hike looms

Yorkshire Post

• Sadiq Khan says HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail downgrades will hurt whole countrySadiq Khan says HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail downgrades will hurt whole country

South Wales Argus

• Welsh rail services rated the worst in the UK in YouGov pollPEOPLE in Wales have rated their train services lower than any other area in the UK.

Other Regional Press

• Cardiff Central station remains top of the stops in WalesCardiff Central railway station remained the most used station across Wales during a year that saw Britain’s passenger usage drop 78% compared to the previous year. This was the lowest level of journeys seen since at least before 1872
• Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern to face £73million lawsuit over 'hiding cheaper fares'It comes after a group of passengers were given permission to sue SWR and Southeastern for £93million
• Major boost for plan to reopen Burton-to-Leicester train lineA project to reopen a passenger railway line between Staffordshire and Leicestershire was given a boost following an announcement from the Government.
• M62 junction 26 will exceed 'absolute capacity' in 15 years with major improvementsIt will need extra slip roads to cope with traffic from a massive warehouse that could be built nearby, a report says
• 'Do we sell, don't we?' Desperate homeowners left in limbo over future of homes they love on HS2 estatePeople living on the Shimmer estate in Mexborough have endured years of worry over HS2
• Union Connectivity Review proposes major overhaul to Welsh transport connections including A55The review was launched in October 2020, led by Sir Peter Hendy CBE, to undertake how a detailed review of the quality and availability of transport infrastructure across the UK can support economic growth and quality of life.

Train Operators

• Electric scooters injure 130 pedestrians in a year [subscription]The statistics represent the first full year since e-scooter trials started in July 2020. More than 40 towns and cities across the UK, including Manchester, and London, have started them in the last year. These will run until November 30 next year, at which point ministers will assess any nationwide rollout.

Bus and Coach.com

• Stagecoach East Mids clinches award for Hull Connect initiativeStagecoach East Midlands’ Stagecoach Connect initiative, which supports NHS and key workers in Hull, has picked up the Outstanding Partnership Award at this year’s UK Bus and Coach Awards.

Coach and Bus Week

• TfL dealing with unprecedented financial crisis, says Mayor of LondonTransport for London’s Extraordinary Funding and Financing Agreement is due to come to an end on 11 December. Commenting on the impending date, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “Transport for London is dealing with an unprecedented financial crisis caused by the pandemic. We are now less than a month away from TfL’s emergency funding deal expiring on 11 December.
• Pearlescent livery marks step forward for UK’s first full-sized autonomous bus serviceThe autonomous bus service trial is due to go live in Scotland in early summer 2022 as a partnership between Fusion Processing, Stagecoach, Alexander Dennis and Transport Scotland
• National Express and Stagecoach deadline extended to 14 DecemberOn 21 September 2021, National Express Group and Stagecoach Group announced that they were in discussions in relation to a possible all-share combination. The companies report that reciprocal due diligence is now at an ‘advanced stage’ and that constructive discussions between the two parties are ongoing. The Boards of the two companies continue to believe that the potential combination would be a strategically compelling proposition delivering strong value creation for both sets of shareholders.
• Van Hool launches first new electric double-deck coachFollowing the news of the launch by Lightning eMotors of its electric drive conversion of a double-deck coach in the USA, independent Belgian bus, coach and industrial vehicle manufacturer Van Hool has become the first manufacturer in the world to develop a production battery electric double-deck coach, the TDX25E

Railnews

• New figures reveal effect of lockdowns on rail travel New figures from the Office of Rail and Road reveal that passenger travel by train dropped by 78 per cent during 2020-21. This was the first full year of lockdowns caused by Covid-19, when travel by train was officially discouraged for months at a time. The ORR has published its estimates of station usage during the year, and these show that the busier stations in London included major hubs in the suburbs for the first time. Britain's busiest station was Stratford in east London, with 13,985,162 entries and exits. Stratford displaced Waterloo, which had occupied the top spot for 17 years, but...
• 'Disruptive' Night Tube strikes set to start today Strikes by the RMT are set to start in a dispute over rosters on London's Night Tube, and Transport for London is warning that Underground services will be disrupted on up to five lines. London Underground's director of customer operations Nick Dent said: 'The RMT’s planned strike action is needless and it will threaten London’s recovery from the pandemic,' but RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: 'This strike is about the ripping apart of popular and family friendly agreements that helped make the original Night Tube such a success. Instead the company want to cut costs.'

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Medium-term PSVAR exemptions work still ongoing: DfTThere remains no indication of when the Department for Transport (DfT) will provide clarity on the medium-term exemptions to PSVAR that will be introduced after the expiry of those that are currently in force for in-scope home-to-school and rail replacement services.
• 21st Century completes passenger tech rollout across East Midlands21st Century, part of Journeo, has completed the roll-out of bus passenger infrastructure to four local authorities in the East Midlands as part of a multi-million pound contract through the Transforming Cities Fund.
• Hydrogen coach development accelerates with HyFleet projectDevelopment of hydrogen fuel cell-electric coaches has received a major boost after FlixBus, Freudenberg Fuel Cell e-Power Systems and ZF opened the three-year HyFleet research project. It will see FlixBus place such vehicles into scheduled service in Europe, with an unnamed European coach OEM to join HyFleet in the future.

Other News Sources

• The six UK train stations which didn't have a single passenger last yearWith the UK under strict lockdown for much of 2020, train services were understandably less busy.
• Improvements to Highland mainline and Far North Line called for by Highlands MSP Emma RoddickVital improvements to the Highland mainline and Far North Line would bring huge benefits to residents in the region while also boosting business and the environment, a local MSP has argued.
• Southern Rail faces claims of up to £73m after millions allegedly overchargedA RAIL giant is facing a multi-million pound legal case amid claims passengers were routinely overcharged for train fares.
• ‘Boris Bridge’ study may not come to pass, but it placed renewed focus on NI’s links with GB, says DUPThe feasibility study into the so-called ‘Boris Bridge’ was very useful in highlighting NI’s connections to GB, despite reports that the £20bn project will not go ahead, it is claimed.
• England-Wales road and rail links to be discussed in ‘Union connectivity review’ after bridge to Ireland scrappedRoad and rail links between England and Wales and from England into Scotland will be the focus of a ‘Union connectivity review’ published this week – after earlier plans for a bridge to Ireland were scrapped.