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

Friday, 04 September 2020

BBC News

• Snaefell railway closure will cause 'incalculable harm'A heritage railway group has accused the government of causing "incalculable harm" after it rejected financial help to run a 125th anniversary Snaefell Mountain Railway service.
• Coronavirus: Eurostar trains will not stop in Kent until 2022Eurostar says cross-Channel rail passengers in Kent will have to start their journeys in London.
• HS2 rail project work begins with pledge of 22,000 jobsConstruction work on HS2 officially begins on Friday, with companies behind the controversial high-speed rail project expecting to create 22,000 jobs in the next few years. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said HS2 would "fire up economic growth and help to rebalance opportunity".

ITV News

• More reliable services promised as works confirmed for £1.2bn East Coast Main Line upgradeRail passengers are being warned about planned temporary changes to rail services as key works on the East Coast Upgrade are carried out.

Financial Times

• Industry warns of Brexit border chaosUK logistics groups call for meeting with Gove and Sunak as concerns rise over preparations
• Coronavirus drives UK authorities to embrace electric scootersAfter years as a closed market, thousands of e-scooters will hit British streets in the coming weeks

The Guardian

• Road closed or open? The signs revamping low-traffic neighbourhoodsFearing red signs sent the wrong message, one resident created an alternative – and councils are taking noteAn alternative road sign is being adopted by communities around England to promote the benefits of low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTN).Finding that the official signs on the temporary barriers installed in her own LTN in Brixton, London, conveyed the wrong message, Sarah Berry and other local residentsdesigned a green sign reading “road open toâ€� with icons showing pedestrians, a scooter user, a wheelchair user and a bicycle. Continue reading...
• HS2: construction of £106bn high-speed rail line officially startsBoris Johnson claims London to Birmingham rail link will bring 22,000 building jobs and ‘fire up economic growth’HS2 has announced the formal start of construction of the high-speed rail line between London and the West Midlands, which it claims will create 22,000 jobs.The prime minister, Boris Johnson, was expected to attend a ceremonial launch of the first shovels in the ground on Friday for the main civil engineering contracts. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Senior MPs back Telegraph Test4Travel campaign as they force debate on aviation crisis [subscription]Former transport and health secretaries have joined the Telegraph’s Test4Travel campaign as senior MPs forced a debate on the crisis in the tourism and aviation industries.
• Senior MPs back Telegraph Test4Travel campaign as they force debate on aviation crisis [subscription]Former transport and health secretaries have joined the Telegraph’s Test4Travel campaign as senior MPs forced a debate on the crisis in the tourism and aviation industries.

Times Online

• Airlines criticised over failure to enforce facemask rule [subscription]Airlines faced fresh criticism today over the failure to enforce the use of facemasks on aircraft after dozens of new coronavirus cases were imported into the UK on holiday flights.
• Demands grow for introduction of airport coronavirus tests [subscription]Pressure was mounting on the government last night to introduce coronavirus tests at airports amid further warnings that the existing quarantine system was crippling the travel industry.
• No turning back now as HS2 building work begins [subscription]HS2 was passing the “point of no return” today with Boris Johnson signalling the formal start of construction work, ending a decade of debate over the multibillion-pound line.

Sky News

• HS2 construction formally begins with 'shovels in the ground' momentConstruction on HS2, the controversial high-speed railway, will get under way today, with a "shovels in the ground" moment.

Belfast Telegraph

• Demand for new cars falls by around 5% in AugustDemand for new cars fell by around 5% last month, industry data shows.

Birmingham Mail

• HS2 construction officially begins in 'shovel in the ground' momentThe rail scheme, which will go through Birmingham and the West Midlands, has formally begun today (Friday September 4)

Birmingham Post

• Nissan hails breakthrough in carbon fibre materials for mass car productionThe use of carbon fibre reinforced plastics can make cars that are safer and more fuel efficient
• Construction work on HS2 startsHigh-speed rail project has moved from the enabling works, scheme design and preparatory work stage to full construction

Bolton News

• Work on HS2 starts today with Boris Johnson set to launch projectConstruction of HS2 will formally start today with a “shovels in the groundâ€� moment – but calls have been made for work on the northern parts of the project to start sooner.

Bristol Live

• First apology over bus disruption at 'non-authorised bus depot'Up to three buses are reportedly seen parked on a dead-end road

Daily Post (North Wales)

• How lottery players helped save popular North Wales heritage railway linesThe railway missed out on what would have been peak season due to lockdown
• Parents feel 'kids are being penalised for where they live' over bus servicesParents feel they have been 'kept in the dark' over bus arrangements to secondary schools across the island

Sheffield Star

• Tram-train'Tram-train expansion will help rail capacity problems in South Yorkshire'Ambitions to extend tram-train across South Yorkshire will alleviate rail capacity issues in the region along with the arrival of HS2, transport bosses have said.

East Anglian Daily Times

• Transport museum gets ready to reopen with anti-Covid measuresMore than six months after its “season opener” Ipswich Transport Museum is finally preparing to reopen to the public as lockdown restrictions ease further.

Other Regional Press

• Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes welcomes funding for Llangollen RailwayCLWYD South MP Simon Baynes has welcomed £161,000 worth of National Lottery support to help address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic at Llangollen Railway.
• Eurostar trains won't stop in Kent until 2022Passengers are to face continued disruption after Eurostar revealed its trains will not stop in Kent until 2022.
• Coundon cycleway edges closer as revised plans drawn upSome slight alterations have been made to improve safety

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Greater voice for rail passengers in new collaboration between government and East Midlands transport leadersLocal leaders in the East Midlands will have a more influential role in deciding how rail services can support improvements across the region thanks to a new collaboration agreement with the government, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has set out. The Department for Transport has signed a multi-year agreement with TfEM that provides local leaders with a formal voice in the management of the East Midlands franchise which has been run by East Midlands Railway (EMR) since August 2019. This builds on the close collaborative work which has been taking place between TfEM and EMR since the start of...

Christian Wolmar

• Rail 910: the campaign that the rail industry must run to save the railwaysIt is impossible to exaggerate the extent of the crisis that the railways are facing. Glib optimism that people will come back because they did in the past, such as after  9/11 and the attacks on the Tube, is utterly and completely wrong. There are two components to this crisis which is why the future is so bleak.

Coach and Bus Week

• Stagecoach launches new rewards scheme to support ‘staycations’Stagecoach has announced the launch of a new customer rewards scheme to help support ‘staycations,’ with special offers right across the country in the leisure sector including visitor attractions, places to eat out and hotels.
• National Express Coventry launches first electric busesNational Express Coventry has officially launched its first electric buses in partnership with battery storage operator Zenobe Energy.

Rail Technology Magazine

• New collaboration between DfT and East Midlands transport leaders Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, has today (3 Sept) set out a new collaboration agreement between local leaders in the East Midlands in order to provide them more power in deciding how rail services can support improvements across the region. The Department for Transport has signed a...
• Major £1.2bn East Coast Main Line works confirmed With improving journeys for passengers as soon as possible a priority, Network Rail have today (3 Sept) confirmed dates for key works on the East Coast Upgrade. The completed works will bring improved dependability and punctuality for passengers and will guarantee the route has the capacity to...
• Aldrington station refurbished ahead of schedule Passengers at Aldrington station, in East Sussex, are to set benefit from newly improved platforms following a £500k investment. Engineers have carried out remedial works to restore and strengthen platforms 1 and 2. The platform redevelopments were planned to delivered in a 52-hour...

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Sean Dickinson appointed as Unicard CEOSean Dickinson has been appointed as the new CEO of transport management solutions and smart ticketing provider, Unicard. Sean will oversee the expansion of the business as Unicard establishes itself in new markets.
• Express route between Middlesbrough and Newcastle set for upgradeGo North East says it is introducing a major upgrade to its express X9 and X10 routes between Middlesbrough and Newcastle via the A19. From 5 September, luxury coaches will service the route to improve reliability.
• NI heads back to school safely with Translink videoTranslink is helping young people prepare for the new school journey with a short film, empowering them to stay safe on their journeys.
• First 70 plate bus hits the road with Go North EastGo North East (GNE) claims to be the first operator to have put a new registration 70 plate bus on the road on Tuesday (1 September).
• Simon Wright OBE to help drive Cambridgeshire Autonomous MetroCivil engineer Simon Wright OBE has been appointed to support the development of the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM).
• UK bus fleets switch to Allison xFE transmissions, mid-lifecycleSeveral UK bus fleets have placed Allison Transmission xFE upgrade orders this year. They include Go Ahead London, Metroline, Tower Transit, Go North East and East Yorkshire among many others. This follows a compelling trial by Go Ahead London last year alongside Optare’s release of xFE in 2016.
• Is this the world’s most advanced ticketing app?Trentbarton has launched its new mango app for smart phones. It is believed to be the first account-based ticketing app that records the start and end point of each bus journey.
• £14bn at risk if coach industry goes this winter, CPT warnsThe Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has issued a stark warning to government that, should the coach industry collapse this winter, it could wipe almost 10% (around £14bn) off the value of UK tourism, plus tens of thousands of jobs.
• Transdev Flyer airport venture takes to the roads in YorkshireTransdev has launched a new Yorkshire bus network connecting Leeds, Bradford and Harrogate with Leeds Bradford Airport.
• Nat Ex Boss: ‘We must protect buses from congestion post-lockdown’The Managing Director of National Express UK has brought attention to the benefits the lockdown has brought to the nation, and has called for measures to be put in place to protect buses from congestion as the nation returns to work.