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

Wednesday, 17 March 2021

BBC News

• Uber to pay drivers a minimum wage, holiday pay and pensionsUber says it will give its 70,000 UK drivers a guaranteed minimum wage, holiday pay and pensions.
• Eighteen people charged over Edinburgh bus incidentsLothian Buses was forced to suspend services after rocks were thrown at moving buses in Edinburgh in the latest attacks.
• A5 road project faces further delay after critical reportThe A5 would connect Londonderry to the border at Aughnacloy and improve access to Dublin.
• Judicial review bid over Greater Manchester bus network plansStagecoach is mounting a legal challenge over a proposal to bring buses back under public control.

Department for Transport

• Neil Sachdev appointed as Permanent Chair of EWR CoTransport Secretary appoints Neil Sachdev as Chair of the East West Railway Company, overseeing delivery of a new direct rail link between Oxford and Cambridge.
• UK’s first ever hydrogen transport hub kick-started by £3 million government investmentHydrogen transport hub is one step closer to becoming a reality in Tees Valley.

Financial Times

• Uber agrees to classify UK drivers as workers entitled to benefitsRide-hailing group agrees to changes but sets up potential clash on meaning of ‘working time’
• Global airlines must toughen climate change targets, warns industry bossWorld’s leading carriers consider ambitious pledge for net zero carbon emissions by 2050
• Vehicle chargers follow Wall Street buzz to plug into Spacs US president aims to dramatically increase number of public charging stations as part of green push

The Telegraph

• Seven things no one tells you before you ride an electric scooter [subscription]They’re seemingly everywhere, and with rental trials in place, we’re going to see many more soon, but what are e-scooters actually like?

Senedd Cymru

• Welsh Government starts conversation on south west Wales MetroPeople living in south west Wales will have a chance to make their voices heard about transport options in their area.

City AM

• Uber drivers to get holiday pay and pensions after taxi app loses Supreme Court caseUber has agreed to give its UK drivers holiday pay and pensions following a landmark ruling in the Supreme Court. The post Uber drivers to get holiday pay and pensions after taxi app loses Supreme Court case appeared first on CityAM.

Bolton News

• Bus and tram pass extension move for Bolton pensionersCONCESSIONARY pass holders do not need to travel to renew their tram and train add-on until late June at the earliest after the deadline for renewal was extended by nearly three months.
• Virgin Atlantic cabin crew fly into Royal Bolton Hospital VIRGIN Atlantic cabin crew have landed in Bolton to offer their help in supporting patients during the pandemic.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• A55 Britannia Bridge short closures announced as two months of repairs begin Support beams are being installed at the top of three towers

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• £7bn North East transport revolution approved as councils plead to Government – 'Give us the money'Gigantic plans to overhaul the North East's transport infrastructure include the reopening of the Leamside rail line, extending the Metro, and boosting motorway capacity

Sheffield Star

• Plans revealed to re-open South Yorkshire railway line closed since 1968Barnsley Central MP and South Yorkshire Mayor Dan Jarvis has resubmitted a bit to reopen the railway line between Barnsley and Wakefield via Royston, after it was turned down for funding last June.

Bucks Free Press

• Private e-scooters STILL illegal on the roads, police and council warnPrivately owned e-scooters are still illegal on public roads, cycle lanes and pavements, residents are being reminded.
• The A4010 'stressed' by thousands of vehicles every day could get major overhaul A major road that has become “stressedâ€� by thousands of vehicles every day could be overhauled to help it cope with a huge increase in traffic.

Other Regional Press

• Creepy 'ghost' railway tunnels near Whitby could reopen to the publicThe North York Moors National Park Authority has launched a study to determine if such a project would be viable
• New 'BOD' on the scene - Bromsgrove On Demand community shuttle bus set to launchTHE NEW BOD (Bromsgrove On Demand) bus will launch next month – operating between the railway station, town centre and surrounding areas.
• HS2 appeal council's decision to block lorries using Wendover route, now dispute must be settled by Secretary of State for TransportHS2 lorries cannot travel across these routes following the council's decision.
• Cradley Heath artist redraws Andy Street’s tube mapA Cradley Heath artist has produced a new version of West Midlands Mayor Andy Street’s Tube-style transport plan for the region.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Maritime Transport announces latest rail service at East Midlands GatewayFollowing the recent launch of its Felixstowe to Wakefield service, Maritime Transport Ltd. (Maritime), the UK’s fastest-growing intermodal operator, is delighted to announce another new addition to its expanding intermodal offering, a rail freight service operated by DB Cargo UK connecting the Port of Felixstowe to East Midlands Gateway (EMG).  The new service, Maritime’s fifth to operate from the Port of Felixstowe, will commence on Monday 15th March and run five days a week from Tuesday to Saturday, bringing the company’s total TEU availability per week to 8,000. ...
• THE OPINION: Motorways of the SeaThe EU is likely to step up promotion of its Motorways of the Sea concept on which my University of South Wales team and I worked in its early stages. Its objective is to move traffic away from major land routes such as northern France, south-east England and the central region in France. Road freight traffic from Spain would then go directly by sea from Santander or Bilbao to Wales, Ireland, The Netherlands, Germany (via Rotterdam) or Scandinavia. Direct shipping between the Republic of Ireland and France already exists through Dublin/Rosslare and Cherbourg/Roscoff, though this market is curr...

New Civil Engineer

• Queensbury Tunnel | Cost of infilling disused Yorkshire rail tunnel now exceeds repair estimateMore money has been committed to the project to infill the Queensbury Tunnel than the estimated cost of a full repair, campaigners against its abandonment claim.
• Integrated Rail Plan delayed by local elections rules The publication of the government’s eagerly-awaited Integrated Rail Plan will be delayed until after the local elections due to purdah rules.
• HS2 contractors begin work on UK’s longest rail viaductHS2 Ltd’s main works contractor Align JV – made up of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick – has begun work on the UK’s longest rail viaduct.
• Irish Sea link ‘unworkable in isolation’An Irish Sea link connecting Northern Ireland with Great Britain “is unworkable in isolation”, according to transport thinktank Greengauge21.

Railway Gazette

• ‘Bold, pioneering’ design concepts for Cambridgeshire metro unveiledUK: ‘Thought-provoking’ design concepts have been published to show the ‘radical, innovative thinking’ behind Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority’s ambitious Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro proposal for a network of automated services connecting housing and employment across the region.

Railway Technology

• Adeline Ginn MBE - Women in Rail, International Women’s Day and a post-pandemic industryIn light of last week’s annual celebration of International Women’s day, a day which recognizes the everyday contributions women make and have made in every facet of society and across the globe, we had the honor and pleasure to connect with Adeline Ginn MBE, founder and Chair of Women in Rail and Legal and Marketing Director at CPMS – Egis.

Other News Sources

• HS2 begins work on UK’s longest rail viaductA team of ground engineers working for HS2 consortium Align have begun work on the foundations of the landmark Colne Valley Viaduct.
• Transport for London chief strikes upbeat recovery note as bus and Tube use risesTransport for London chief Andy Byford has expressed his determination to contribute to London’s recovery from the pandemic as negotiations continue with the government over a future funding arrangement and figures show a continuing gradual increase in public transport use.