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

Tuesday, 09 March 2021

BBC News

• Bike hire scheme launched in Wolverhampton and Sutton ColdfieldThe venture will expand to places including Birmingham, Coventry and Walsall in the next few months.
• Lothian driver attacked by teenager 'tampering' with busLothian Buses cancelled a number of weekend services in Edinburgh's Clermiston area following the incident
• Climate change: Kerry urges top polluters to cut emissions nowUS climate envoy praises UK and urges action from China and India following talks with Boris Johnson.

The Telegraph

• Sadiq Khan picks Parisian trio for London electric scooter rental trial [subscription]Only a third of London's 33 boroughs participating in rental scheme, with scooters at risk of 'spontaneously dying' outside designated areas

Times Online

• Air quality soars in school streets that banished cars [subscription]Closing roads around schools to traffic at pick-up and drop-off times has cut toxic nitrogen dioxide levels by up to 23 per cent, research has found.

Birmingham Mail

• Railway station plan could see trains return to Castle Bromwich for first time in 50 yearsCould trains return to Castle Bromwich for the first time in more than 50 years? West Midlands Mayor Andy Street is talking up hopes of once again having a railway station to serve the area.

Birmingham Post

• Swansea Station is getting a new platformWork is under way on a £7.1m new and longer platform four
• Second phase of Plymouth's free port Oceansgate development completedMarine Enterprise Zone buildings will be part of the 'freezone' area created in Chancellor's free port Budget announcement
• Phillips 66 joins forces with tech specialist to explore new battery materialsRefinery giant links up with Sheffield pioneer Faradion to develop sodium-ion for electric vehicles

Bristol Live

• Parents warned of ban on children riding e-scooters to school'We cannot take responsibility for them or condone their illegal use'

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• £7bn North East transport wishlist unveiled – and council leader says it's not 'outrageous demand'Final proposals for a complete transformation of road, rail, bus, walking, and cycling infrastructure across the area by 2035 have been published
• Fears raised over cost of Sunderland Station revampSunderland leaders have admitted to concerns over multi million pound plans to overhaul Sunderland Railway Station.

Yorkshire Post

• Railway tunnels between Whitby and Staithes that have been closed since the 1950s could be re-opened for cyclists on the Cleveland WayThe charity Sustrans and the North York Moors National Park Authority are looking into the possibility of re-opening two old railway tunnels for cyclists using the Cleveland Way.

Other Regional Press

• MP welcomes ’major progress’ by UK Government over step-free disability access at Ruabon railway stationClwyd South MP Simon Baynes has welcomed ’major progress’ by the UK Government on the future development of step-free disability access at Ruabon Railway Station.
• We have enough trains, says Greater AngliaGreater Anglia has so far received 14 of its new Aventra suburban trains - but has sent 90 of its old electric commuter units back to their owners for re-use or scrapping.
• This is how a new ’badly needed’ east to west rail network across the North could lookPlans for a huge east to west rail network across the North of England have been submitted to government.

British Trams Online

• Full sized replica of new Metro trains cab builtDrivers on the Tyne and Wear Metro are to get a chance to “try out” the cab areas of the new trains being built by Stadler with a full size and fully fitted out replica having been made. It will help with workforce familiarisation in preparation for the delivery of the new trains which are due to enter service from 2023.

New Civil Engineer

• ’Reckless’ budget cut could delay essential repairs to London’s ageing bridges and tunnelsThe government has order Transport for London (TfL) officials to find a way to reduce its planned capital expenditure by up to 30%, it has been revealed.
• HS2 seeks engineering management system to monitor assets in real timeHS2 Ltd has kicked off its search for contractors to deliver the high-tech monitoring systems that will enable remote supervisory control of railway assets and systems in real time.
• Revised Old Oak Common redevelopment plan focuses on land around HS2 stationThe Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) has submitted a revised plan for the area’s redevelopment.
• Railway in Wales reopens after freight derailment and fireThe railway through Llangennech in Wales has reopened for the first time in six months, following a freight train derailment and fire in August last year.

Railway Gazette

• DB to launch Lufthansa SuperSprintersGERMANY: Non-stop inter-city trains linking Kцln with Mьnchen and Berlin in less than 4 h are to be introduced from the December 2021 timetable change, as part of an expansion of air-rail links announced by DB Fernverkehr and Lufthansa on March 8.

Aviation Industry

• AEF launches map showing people’s experiences of living with aircraft noiseAircraft noise is a key environmental concern for communities impacted by aircraft operations. For some this can be as a result of sudden changes in flight paths, for others as …

Other News Sources

• World’s first 5G tram launched in West MidlandsThe very first 5G tram has been trialled in the West Midlands, where the technology has been used to provide crucial information to those with accessibility needs.
• Joined up thinking boosts Wisbech and Ely rail projectsNetwork Rail has agreed to link improvements to Ely North with the growing demand to re-open the Wisbech to March line.  
• Could Trains Replace Planes On Lufthansa’s Domestic Routes?Lufthansa today revealed that it is to operate new “sprinter” trains to select major cities from Frankfurt as part of a rail and fly partnership with German train operator Deutsche Bahn. The high-speed trains will reduce journey times to major cities from the airline’s Frankfurt Airport.
• Cyclists need to keep off the pavementsI AGREE with Chris Williams' words in The Argus about how unsafe cycling is.