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

Sunday, 04 October 2020

BBC News

• Scotland-NI bridge considered in UK transport studyThe feasibility of building a bridge or tunnel between Scotland and Northern Ireland will be examined as part of a national review of transport connections across the UK.

ITV News

• Transport review to examine practicality of Irish Sea bridgeThe feasibility of building a bridge or tunnel between Northern Ireland and Scotland is to be examined as part of a national review of transport connections across the UK.

Financial Times

• Lockdown measures drive used car prices to record growthAdvice to avoid using public transport during pandemic boosts sales

The Telegraph

• Businessman seeks judicial review after council removes parking bay and builds cycle lane [subscription]As Low Traffic Neighbourhoods continue to divide communities, more residents are resorting to law to challenge local councils' plans. Emergency “green transport” laws used by councils to close roads and force through cycle lanes are to be challenged in the courts as a businessman claims the schemes are legally flawed.
• Airport testing announcement to be made 'in coming days', says Treasury minister [subscription]Chief Secretary to the Treasury says coronavirus testing is a 'key priority' for ministers
• Rail Museum feared attack on Winston Churchill's funeral train [Subscription]Emails reveal fears the locomotive could become the focus of "protest activity" as a result of Churchill's links to "colonialism and empire"
• A clear infrastructure policy is more vital than ever - Sir John Armitt [subscription]The Government's National Infrastructure Strategy is a golden opportunity to set out a road map for delivering net zero by 2050
• Rail fares need an overhaul to help ‘level up’ the North [subscription]Britain's “complicated and restrictive” rail fare structure is a threat to Boris Johnson’s pledge to “level up” the North, rail leaders have warned.
• Eco-friendly dog walking business cannot use electric van due to green transport revolutionAs Grant Shapps continues to roll out his controversial green transport revolution, businesses warn it is thwarting attempt to go electric

Times Online

• Residents on Isle of Wight fear coronavirus on ferry [subscription]Separated from the British mainland, people on the Isle of Wight might have felt confident about avoiding a second wave of Covid-19.
• Scotland-Northern Ireland bridge on transport agenda [subscription]The feasibility of building a bridge or tunnel between Scotland and Northern Ireland is to be investigated as part of a transport connectivity review announced yesterday.

City AM

• Oil prices slump as Trump contracts coronavirus and global output increasesOil prices fell more than four per cent on Friday after US President Donald Trump tested positive for Covid-19. The The post Oil prices slump as Trump contracts coronavirus and global output increases appeared first on CityAM.

Daily Record

• ScotRail shut down train services early tonight as heavy rain to batter ScotlandThe Met office issued an amber weather warning as experts predict a heavy downpour today and tomorrow.

Birmingham Post

• Nissan staff recognised in Autocar’s Top 100 Great British WomenAutocar publishes the top 100 each year to raise the profile of women shaping the UK car industry

Northern Echo

• Transport review welcomed by Northern PowerhouseTHE prospect of faster road and rail links to the North-East was welcomed after news of a new independent review of UK transport connections was announced.

The York Press

• Vote for new bus shelter in York village LOCAL residents have voted overwhelmingly for a new bus shelter to be built in a local village.

Cambridge News

• Proposals revealed for two new Cambridgeshire public transport routes similar to buswaysThe options for both routes include proposals for a purpose-built off-road transport route akin to a busway, which could form part of the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro

Get Surrey

• Hersham Bypass and Esher Road changes: Residents say pedestrian safety has not been securedA section of the Esher Road dual carriageway has been reduced to one lane in both directions and three pedestrian crossing points have been proposed

Other Regional Press

• Network Rail trains blast autumn leaves from linesNETWORK Rail’s ‘leaf-busting’ trains have started blasting leaves off the line to help keep passengers and freight moving.
• 1970 Spalding rail closures were doomed to happenExactly half a century later, he returns to explain why it happened, and how local politicians successfully turned the tables on British Rail.
• On Yer Bike with Cyclox: How maps can transform a simply journeyCyclist Andy Chivers explains how maps can be surprisingly fun and transport us both figuratively and literally.
• Train passengers to get free WiFi boostRail passengers are set for an increase to free WiFi allowances - with it doubling on some routes.
• 'Lorry parking here is worst in the world'A former international haulage boss says the county's HGV parking provision is the worst in the world - and will continue to go downhill.

Train Operators

• Community rail partnership creates wildflower area to help wildlife at Suffolk stationA partnership between local people and the railway has seen a large area of land at Derby Road rail station transformed into a ‘pollinator patch’ to support wildlife.

British Trams Online

• Supertram rail replacement works come to an endThe latest stage of Stagecoach Supertram’s rail replacement works will come to an end at the start of October with a normal Blue route service able to resume from Monday 5th October.

Transportxtra

• New road for Liverpool AirportThe Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is developing a plan for a new road in the vicinity of Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Shane Fitzpatrick, the CA’s interim director of integrated transport, said the ‘Eastern Access Corridor’ would provide quicker access to the airport and surrounding areas and relieve the A561 Speke Boulevard. Consultant WSP is preparing the project’s outline business case, which should be completed next October. ...

Other News Sources

• Transport for Wales celebrates National Inclusion WeekThe theme this year, is Each One, Reach One. It’s about the opportunity that we all have to connect with someone else, or another organisation with a focus on inspiring each other to make inclusion an everyday reality.
• Hendy – we must all be proud of our responseAs we return to print after a pause of six months, we join Sir Peter Hendy in paying tribute to the dedication of passenger transport professionals   Facing up to the challenge: Govia Thameslink Railway’s St Albans station manger   It has been six long months since Passenger Transport was last published. We took the difficult decision back in March to pause our publication as the scale of the Covid-19 pandemic emerged. It was the right decision for the sustainability of this publication, but it was frustrating to sit on the sidelines as passive observers while the passenger transport...
• How can the railway overcome fear factor?Government's strong avoid public transport message has created the impression that it was fundamentally unsafe and will be hard to reverse   Fundamentally unsafe?   Strong warnings to avoid public transport in the UK have created a culture of fear that will be difficult to reverse. This issue was discussed by speakers at last month's UK Rail Summit, with a number of them drawing on international comparisons. Andy Byford, Transport for London's commissioner, noted that metro services in the Far East were not so hard line in terms of social distancing, although he acknowledged that...
• Listen to ‘After Press’ – our new podcast! Having just completed Issue 230 of Passenger Transport – the “comeback issue” after a six-month Covid pause – Robert Jack and Andrew Garnett get together for a post-press debrief. The pair chat about some of the stories from the latest issue, including the thoughts of Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy on how the passenger transport industries have performed and their future prospects. They also discuss last month’s UK Rail Summit. Enjoy!   The podcast can be acce...