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

Monday, 06 December 2021

BBC News

• Covid: Trains fundamentally safe, says TfW bossDespite complaints of overcrowding during the pandemic, trains are "fundamentally safe", Transport for Wales has said.
• HGV driver shortage: Signs pressures are easing, trade group saysFewer drivers are leaving the profession, Logistics UK says, but more action is needed to attract recruits.

Financial Times

• European auto suppliers warn shift to electric would put 500,000 jobs at riskEU plan to ban combustion-engine cars by 2035 could cause mass unemployment, say companies
• EasyJet head shakes off cautious label and takes the fight to his rivalsUK carrier aims to restore battered share price as it steps up the battle for passengers in Europe’s low-cost airline market
• Electric and hybrid trains power ahead to cut emissionsBi-mode capability and other advances reduce fossil fuel use in rail transport

The Guardian

• Back to the bad old days: swingeing rail cuts set alarm bells ringingRail operators surprised by immediacy and scale of cuts demanded by Department for Transport. Train operators have been told to find ways to cut hundreds of millions of pounds from the railway's operating costs next year, in a move that is likely to result in fewer services and worse stations for passengers.The Department for Transport seeks to cut spending by 10% after the chancellor Rishi Sunak's autumn budget.It's back to the old days of British Rail when they squeezed services and then said no one is using trains because the service is rubbish .

Times Online

• Bosses beg Rishi Sunak to bail out TfL after threat to axe Tube linesEighty business and charity leaders have urged Rishi Sunak to extend his Covid-19 bailout to Transport for London this week to avoid derailing the government’s levelling up agenda.

City AM

• Exclusive: London MPs warn of DLR decline without new TfL funding dealThe capital’s Docklands Light Railway (DLR) will be under serious threat of long-term decline without a sustainable funding deal for Transport for London (TfL), a group of London MPs have warned.

Bolton News

• Christmas elves spotted on TransPennine Express trainsCHRISTMAS elves have been spotted on TransPennine Express trains across the North of England, much to the delight of younger passengers.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Campaign to get rail line electrified will continue, despite 'missed opportunity' over Northern Powerhouse RailA CAMPAIGN to have a cross-Pennine rail line electrified will continue after a senior councillor dubbed recent Government transport announcements “a wasted opportunity.â€�

Other Regional Press

• Project to give Daventry a railway station takes new shape as project moves forwardA campaign to reconnect Daventry to rail links is set to be rebranded while presenting four separate concepts for the huge project.
• Huddersfield Town fan slams Northern Rail for 'dangerously overcrowded' trainThe man and his daughter decided to not return by train, claiming passengers were 'crammed on like sardines'
• Sheffield's transport crisis: Businesses warn bus strikes and end of free parking 'will kill us'And are major worries Sheffield's 'Clean Air Zone' congestion charge will see footfall plummet

British Trams Online

• Free bus travel to be funded for under 22s in Scotland from January – Edinburgh Trams to be excludedThere are concerns in Scotland that the introduction of free bus travel for those under 22 from January 2022 will have adverse implications on passenger numbers on both Edinburgh Trams and the Glasgow Subway. In a similar funding package to the concessionary travel scheme, the Scottish Government have confirmed that it covers only buses with it the responsibility of local authorities if they wish to extend to other transport modes.

Business Live

• Government and Midlands Connect sign landmark 'Collaboration Agreement'Transport champion Midlands Connect has signed a first-of-a-kind Collaboration Agreement with the Government.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• TfW invests £800M in new trainsTransport for Wales (TfW) is investing £800 million in new trains for the Wales and borders network – with the first two brand new trains from manufacturer Stadler being delivered to the TfW depot at Canton, in Cardiff, for testing.   The new Class 231 FLIRT trains arrived in Wales from Switzerland and are the first of 35 to be delivered over the next 24 months from Stadler.   The FLIRTs will be a key part of the South Wales Metro, the three quarters of billion-pound transformational project being delivered by TfW, providing more capacity and more frequent services that w...

New Civil Engineer

• Remote working negatively impacted rail innovationThe move to virtual meeting in place of face to face meeting had a negative impact on the delivery of innovative ideas on the UK railway network, according to a new survey by the Rail Industry Association (RIA).
• HS2 uses blockchain technology to increase trust and efficiency in the supply chainHS2 Ltd has successfully implemented blockchain in a section of its procurement pipeline to increase trust, efficiency and value. It hopes to expand its use of the technology to wider processes on the supply chain.

Rail Advent

• Applications invited for Lab by Transport for Wales innovation programmeTransport for Wales (TfW) is offering business innovators the opportunity to develop ideas to improve rail users’ experiences through its “Lab by Transport for Wales” scheme.
• FLIRTs have been delivered to Transport for WalesTwo brand-new trains that will provide more capacity and improved services, and will transform train travel in Wales, have been delivered to Transport for Wales (TfW).