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

Friday, 07 May 2021

BBC News

• Road and rail building plans under review after CovidPost-pandemic shifts in travel habits could undermine the logic behind many infrastructure projects.

The Guardian

• Using hydrogen fuel risks locking in reliance on fossil fuels, researchers warnElectrification of cars and home boilers best choice to fight the climate crisis, say scientistsUsing hydrogen-based fuels for cars and home heating risks locking in a dependency on fossil fuels and failing to tackle the climate crisis, according to a new analysis.Fuels produced from hydrogen can be used as straight replacements for oil and gas and can be low-carbon, if renewable electricity is used to produce these “e-fuelsâ€�. However, the research found that using the electricity directly to power cars and warm houses was far more efficient. Continue reading...

The Scotsman

• 'Amtrak Joe' Biden taking a train to Cop26 climate change summit would highlight green credentials of railway travel – Alastair DaltonThere’s a scene in The Polar Express in which Tom Hanks’ train guard punches a multiplicity of holes in the kids’ tickets, leaving showers of tiny paper specks cascading to the floor.

Times Online

• Rush for Portugal flights hours before green list is announcedPortugal is likely to be added today to a green list of holiday destinations for quarantine-free travel but hopes were fading last night for the Maldives and the Caribbean.

Reuters News

• in order for her to keep abreast of her school work.In the desert just north of Las Vegas, a long white metal tube sits at the base of the mountains, promising to one day revolutionize travel.

Birmingham Mail

• Warning Voi e-scooter users who flout rules will be fined The Swedish company behind the city's green transport revolution on two-wheeled Voi e-scooters is determined to root out those who don't ride by the rules

Birmingham Post

• Port of Blyth hails second highest turnover in its historyThe port posted turnover of £21.9m driven by the main port operating business

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Train operator Northern installs 621 new ticket vending machines at stationsTRAIN operator Northern had pledged to install 600 new ticket vending machines across the network as part of wide-ranging modernisation plan – but has gone a step further and installed 621 new machines.

London Evening Standard

• Air fares to Portugal soar ahead of Friday’s green list announcementBritish Airways is charging £530 for a flight from Heathrow to the Algarve on May 17

Other Regional Press

• Body cameras for railway staffRAILWAYS staff will be kitted out with body cameras to capture evidence of incidents for the transport police.
• Jaguar Land Rover design chief to leave Coventry car makerJulian Thomson has been director of design at Jaguar for just two years

The Economist

• The Treasury may use ticket pricing to discourage working from homeCommuting by rail has rarely been so pleasant. The days of overcrowded, often late-running peak services seem long gone. With many people still working from home, commuters are now almost guaranteed a seat, and fewer passengers mean fewer delays. Last month half of Britain’s trains arrived ahead of schedule.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Bus Festival date confirmedA new date for the South East Bus Festival has been announced.
• CPT calls for coach-friendly policies at destinationsResponding to a Government review of Destination Management Organisations, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has highlighted that coach-friendly policies at tourist destinations and attractions are essential for kickstarting tourism in local areas across the UK.
• megabus teams up with Yellow BusesIntercity coach operator megabus has joined forces with Bournemouth-based Yellow Buses to offer a new service from Bournemouth to London, via Heathrow Airport.
• National Express gives ‘Tastes of Normal’They have been given a baffling range of flavours inspired by favourite dishes associated with British locations, including fish and chips, pork pie, Cornish pasty, Wensleydale cheese, Eccles cake and curry.

New Civil Engineer

• Network Rail overhauls procurement process following supplier’s legal challengeNetwork Rail is overhauling its procurement process following the fallout from a legal challenge mounted by one of its long-term infrastructure suppliers.
• Bentley makes software available for free to engineering studentsUniversities around the world have welcomed news that students and educational organisations can now gain free access to Bentley Systems’ infrastructure engineering applications through a new portal launched this week.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Phil Smith appointed as CPT Coaching ManagerExperienced industry hand Phil Smith has been appointed Coaching Manager by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT).
• Zenobe to work with McGill’s on electrification projectZenobe Energy will work with McGill’s Buses to project manage the installation of electrification infrastructure at three of the operator’s depots and to provide the power required by the 68 battery-electric buses that McGill’s has on order.
• Megabus and Yellow Buses in scheduled service tie-upBournemouth operator Yellow Buses is collaborating with Megabus to provide a new service between Poole, Bournemouth and London via Heathrow Airport. It will begin on 21 May and will see Megabus-owned coaches being driven by Yellow Buses staff.
• Coach friendly policies ‘essential’ to tourism restart, says CPTCoach friendly policies are essential for restarting domestic tourism, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has told a government-commissioned independent review of Destination Management Organisations (DMOs).
• Stagecoach Manchester celebrates 25 years with special liveryStagecoach Manchester is celebrating 25 years of service to the wider conurbation with a bus that has received a commemorative livery featuring 30 of the operator’s longest serving members of staff.

Transport Network

• Smart motorway CO2 rise even worse than forecastThe latest evaluation of an all lane running smart motorway scheme suggests that the increase in greenhouse gas emissions was nearly double what was anticipated.

Other News Sources

• East Midlands’ HS2 station should prioritise transport connections - property agentThe plans for East Midlands’ HS2 station should prioritise transport connections with nearby cities over creating housing schemes and businesses parks around it, a property agent has told Insider.