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

Monday, 07 December 2020

BBC News

• Heads of the Valleys road 'extortionate', says PlaidThe scheme to dual an 11-mile stretch will cost the taxpayer more than £1bn.

The Guardian

• UK's first all-electric car charging forecourt opens in EssexBritain’s first all-electric car charging forecourt is set to open for business in Braintree, Essex, to charge electric vehicles with 100% renewable energy.
• Builders run short of supplies as UK port holdups raise Brexit concernsTools and materials stuck in ports struggling to process surge in imports under Covid controls
• Six of the best new train journeys in Europe for 2021Europe’s railways are slumbering through these dark days of the pandemic. Rarely have services been cut so drastically. In late November, there was just one train a day running from Paris to each of Amsterdam, Barcelona, Zurich and London. But brighter days are on the horizon, and many European rail operators are already promising much-improved services and a wide range of new routes for 2021.

The Telegraph

• The electric car charging forecourt where you can generate your own power [subscription]The UK's first electric car charging only forecourt will see motorists help produce the energy on exercise bikes.

Times Online

• First-timers push bike prices up a gear [subscription]The average price of a bicycle rose by more than a quarter this year as demand during the first lockdown led to a “feeding frenzy” in shops.
• Plug-in car sales overtake diesels in race to 2030 ban [subscription]Sales of plug-in cars eclipsed diesels for the second time last month, underlining the soaring demand for the very cleanest vehicles.

Mail Online

• Electric car sales soar and diesels plummet in boost for Boris Johnson's green roads plan Sales of electric cars in Britain have risen from 37,850 last year to 86,291 in 2020. Diesel cars sales dropped 58 per cent. It comes as Boris Johnson plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

Birmingham Mail

• New bus gate blocks cars entering Birmingham city centre on key Bullring roadMotorists are being blocked from entering Birmingham city centre through a well-used route after new bus gate traffic restrictions were put in place.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford's Big Red Bridge battling for votes in Twitter poll PEOPLE from Bradford have been urged to vote for the city’s Big Red Bridge in a national competition for cyclists on social media.

Wales Online

• How Wales' biggest port town is preparing for BrexitHolyhead voted to leave the EU in 2016 but four years on, final preparations are on a knife edge

Other Regional Press

• Yobs target buses with bricks as firm refuses to send buses on Sheffield estateA spokesperson for the bus operator confirmed bricks had been thrown at its buses

New Civil Engineer

• Proposed planning policy changes could impact Heathrow expansion and Cumbria coal mineNational planning policy statements (NPS) across industries should be updated to consider the UK’s commitments under the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement, a number of Lords have said.
• Skanska agrees £50M sale of infrastructure armInfrastructure firm M Group Services has taken another step towards acquiring Skanska UK’s infrastructure services operation, with contracts exchanged for the £50M deal.
• Work begins on twin bridges as part of trans-Pennine road upgradeConstruction of two bridges has begun along a key train-Pennine route connecting Newcastle and Carlisle.
• Rail industry issues warning after DfT shaves £1bn from enhancements potThe rail industry has hit back at the government’s decision to cut £1bn worth of work from its rail enhancements pipeline.
• Watch: London City Airport boss on why £500M expansion will grind to a halt In this session, London City Airport chief development officer Peter Adams explains what work has already been carried out on the airport’s £500M expansion and what is left to do.

Rail Advent

• Avanti West Coast works with Network Rail in Warrington for new pilot experience.Avanti West Coast and Network Rail are working together to give young people career opportunities and give them work experience.
• Construction of new trains for Transport for Wales continue – despite pandemicWork has progressed on the construction of the new trains for Transport for Wales for use on the Wales and Borders route and South Wales Metro, despite the challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Other News Sources

• What’s Trending in Aerospace Ryanair, one of the largest low cost airlines in Europe, has placed an order for 75 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The new order comes two weeks after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the grounded MAX fleet for return to service in U.S. airspace.