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

Monday, 15 March 2021

BBC News

• Miles of new bus lanes and more services promisedMinisters say a £3bn plan to upgrade England's bus networks will improve access and air quality.

Department for Transport

• Prime Minister launches £3 billion bus revolutionBus strategy to see passengers across England benefiting from more frequent, reliable, easier to use and cheaper bus services.

Financial Times

• Hydrogen-powered planes: pie in the sky?Many challenges still to be overcome if technology is to contribute to 2050 goals on emissions
• Boris Johnson to announce £3bn shake-up of England’s bus network PM will reform the privatised bus market that has existed since 1986
• Virgin Atlantic circles further £160m Covid support packageDeal includes £100m loan to carrier from Virgin Group and is close to being finalised

The Guardian

• Boris Johnson to unveil £3bn bus sector shake-up to drive 'levelling up'Critics say strategy ‘lacks ambition’ in addressing challenge of getting people back on to public transportA new £3bn transport strategy will lead to the creation of hundreds of miles of new bus lanes, fares with daily price caps and more evening and weekend services, according to the government.The prime minister is unveiling a shake-up of the bus sector and planning lower, simpler flat fares in towns and cities, turn-up-and-go services on main routes, and new flexible services to reconnect communities. Continue reading...
• Car industry lobbied UK government to delay ban on petrol and diesel carsCarmakers argued strongly against a ban earlier than 2040, in written submissions seen by the Guardian Britain’s biggest car manufacturers lobbied the government to delay a ban on petrol and diesel cars by warning that sales would plunge and jobs would be at risk from accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, the Guardian can reveal.The government announced in November that it would move forward a ban on the sale of pure internal combustion engine cars from 2040 to 2030, but said that it would allow the sale of hybrid vehicles until 2035, in a significant victory for the car industry. ...

The Telegraph

• Shipping industry charts course for profit after Covid container crisisMaritime freight is in high demand but the industry is trying to avoid a return to boom and bust as it shifts to cleaner fuels
• New daily price cap for buses to be announced by Boris Johnson in bid to make journeys cheaper [subscription]Strategy will begin wider reform of bus infrastructure in Britain, with new 'enhanced partnerships' between councils and operators

Times Online

• Buses will be cheaper and greener, says Boris Johnson [subscription]Millions of people are being promised frequent, cheaper and greener bus services as part of a £3 billion plan that the prime minister has said will be one of the first acts of “levelling up”.

Mail Online

• Bus lanes bedlam: After cycling chaos, now Boris Johnson finds £3bn to keep motorists off the roads A £3billion investment will help fund 4,000 UK-built electric or hydrogen vehicles to provide clean, quiet and zero-emission travel.

The Mirror

• Boris Johnson's £3bn bus plan branded 'sticking plaster' for ailing networkBus companies will have to enter "enhanced partnerships" with councils or new "franchising agreements" in order to access the cash - but campaigners fear greedy bus firms will still be "in the driving seat"

Birmingham Mail

• Department for Transport to open new headquarters in BirminghamThe new Birmingham office means more decisions about rail, roads and buses will be made in the Midlands rather than London

Birmingham Post

• What future holds for Rolls-Royce post-pandemicFifty years since going bankrupt, Rolls-Royce is once again attempting to navigate a route to recovery

Liverpool Echo

• Railway safety regulator studying Kirkby train derailmentKirkby station remains closed after Saturday evening's smash

London Evening Standard

• Boris Johnson unveils £3bn bus revolution in ‘act of levelling up’It is hoped passengers will not have to wait more than a few minutes for the next bus to come along.

Wales Online

• Fresh plea for cash to help deliver 16-mile cycle pathCllr Hazel Evans sets out her hopes and expectations for the Towy Valley Path
• New ‘pop-up’ bike lane across Cardiff city centre will open on March 15The lane runs from Cathedral Road, along Castle Street, to Dumfries Place

Kent Online

• Department for Transport rules out new contract with Manston ownersThe Department for Transport (DfT) says it will not be maintaining Manston airport as an emergency lorry park after its six-month contract with the owners ends.

Lancashire Telegraph

• Reforms to bus services, costing whopping £3bn, will 'level-up' public transport across the countryBuses will be more frequent, cheaper, greener and easier to use thanks to a £3billion revolution, the Government has said.

Other Regional Press

• Major changes at Coventry railway station as latest transformation phase gets underwayMajor traffic changes affecting drop-off and short stay parking came into force at Coventry Railway Station over the weekend.

New Civil Engineer

• Green light for world’s first ship tunnel in NorwayThe Norwegian Coastal Association (NCA) has been given the go ahead for the world’s first full-scale tunnel for ships.
• Lessons learnt three years since Florida tragedyThree years ago today, the under construction Florida International University (FIU) pedestrian bridge collapsed onto a Florida highway, crushing cars and killing six people and injuring 10 others.
• £137M cash boost for Hope Valley rail lineThe government has committed to investing £137M in the delayed Hope Valley railway upgrade between Manchester and Sheffield.
• More than 85 abandoned railways put forward for restorationThe third and final round of the Restoring Your Railway ideas fund has now closed, with more than 85 bids received to restore old railway lines to their former glory.

Rail Advent

• Start Date for new SWR Managing Director Confirmed South Western Railway (SWR) has announced that their new Managing Director will take up office later this month.

Other News Sources

• Cycle route and average speed cameras planned on major Coventry routeAction to cut congestion on the busy Foleshill Road in Coventry could see new average speed cameras and a segregated cycle route built.
• Dominic McGregor among backers in £2.3m transport app investmentAn app designed to better serve rail passengers with reduced mobility has secured £2.3m in a funding round led by Blackfinch and Praetura Ventures.
• Reforms to bus services, costing whopping £3bn, will 'level-up' public transport across the country Buses will be more frequent, cheaper, greener and easier to use thanks to a £3billion revolution, the Government has said.
• 'Cycle lanes: you can't please all the people all the time'IT IS with disappointment and dismay that I read Peter Kyle's article on the cycle lanes in Brighton and Hove.