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

Friday, 21 May 2021

BBC News

• Mayflower: Ship to sail across Atlantic without a crewThe autonomous craft will travel 3,500 miles (5,630km) from Plymouth, UK to Massachusetts in the US.
• 'Levelling up' must be more targeted, say peersLords warn Boris Johnson's pledge will leave deprived areas
• Better rail services promised in huge shake-upTransport Secretary says there is no
• Croydon tram crash inquest: Driver 'had perfect record'Alfred Dorris's employers
• Qantas accelerates cost cuts as $1.5bn loss loomsThe Australian flag carrier also said its debts had peaked as domestic travel returns to near-normal.
• Trainline shares plunge after government rail plans revealedShares in the ticketing firm plunge by as much as a third after the government's announcement.
• Amber list travel is legal, says EasyJet bossGovernment guidance on travel to amber list countries is
• Rail reform: What does the shake-up mean for you?How will a government promise to simplify the UK's
• 'I pay more than £9,000 a year for my season ticket'As rail reforms loom, commuters tell the BBC about the problems they face with UK train services.

ITV News

• Passengers optimistic while unions concerned over Government railway shake-up
The biggest shake-up of train travel in 25 years has been met with the threat of industrial action over fears jobs will be lost.

Financial Times

• Qantas makes plea for border reopening as it warns of $1.5bn lossAirline cautions Australia will be left behind with mid-2022 border reopening target
• UK rail looks to private sector in biggest shake-up since 1990sReforms mark the end of problematic franchise system brought in under privatisation
• EasyJet criticises UK government over ‘confusing’ travel messagesCarrier cuts flight plans for start of summer season and blames ministers for lack of clarity
• A rational new model for Britain's railwaysRecentralisation, rather than renationalisation, is the right approach
• UK's new model railway is likely to serve the public poorlyLatest revamp of network offers simpler system but contains questionable forecasts
• UK rail passengers warned of higher fares in network overhaul Transport secretary denies ‘hidden agenda’ but points to sector’s £12bn pandemic bailout

The Guardian

• Concern about potential fare rises as government unveils rail changesA Great British Railways will mean a simpler, more efficient system for the industry and passengers, the government has pledged – but job cuts and fair rises have not been ruled out as ministers said they would bear down on costs.
• This is not rail renationalisation, Shapps protests – even though it isMethinks he doth protest too much. “This is not renationalisation,” the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, had said in his statement to the Commons on the overhaul of the rail network.
• 6.5m households in UK plan to buy an electric car by 2030Ofgem data points to consumer shift as ban on sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles approachesOne in four UK households intend to buy an electric car in the next five years, as a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030 approaches, according to research.More than 6.5m households plan to buy an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid, research by the energy watchdog Ofgem has found. This equates to 24%, or nearly one in four, of all energy households.
• Japan bullet train driver disciplined for leaving controls to go to toiletA conductor, who was not qualified to drive the train, sat in the driver's seat during his three-minute absence, in breach of the rulesA driver on one of Japan's shinkansen bullet trains is facing disciplinary measures after he abandoned his cab to go to the toilet while the train was carrying passengers and travelling at 150km/h.The 36-year-old driver, who has not been named, reportedly had a stomachache and asked a conductor to take his place while he went to the toilet.
• Expansion of English airports could threaten climate commitments“ reportImpact on climate of expansion plans at regional airports has been underestimated, report findsThe climate impact of expansion plans at regional airports in England has been dramatically underestimated and would threaten the UK's legally binding commitments, according to a report published ahead of a key summit later this year.The study from the New Economics Foundation (NEF) calculated that proposals to expand four airports in England will lead to an increase in emissions up to eight times higher than previously claimed.

The Scotsman

• New cross-Border rail row will do nothing to cool support for independence – Alastair DaltonBy the time he got back to his desk after being reappointed as Transport Secretary on Wednesday, Michael Matheson will no doubt have sighed – at the very least – to hear of the latest pronouncement from the UK government that he would have found sitting at the top of his in-tray.

Times Online

• Comfier train seats promised to save the Great British rear [subscription]Thousands of “ironing board” seats will be removed from trains after travellers complained of aching backsides.

The Mirror

• 'Trains shake-up is end of the line for private rail chaos, but it's not enough'EXCLUSIVE: Trains expert Christian Wolmar, who writes a column for Rail magazine, on the reckless privatisation of railways and how the shake-up announced this week is only three quarters to the way of full nationalisation

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham Clean Air Zone - clubbers urged to check or face big finesClubbers and others coming into the city late at night are urged to consider the times and transport options for their visit or they could find themselves facing a double charge, or even worse, a big fine for not being aware of CAZ charges

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Cycle training sessions aim to help people travel by bike ADULTS across West Yorkshire can benefit from free cycle training sessions aimed at helping more people to choose to travel by bike.

Manchester Evening News

• Covid variants more driven by rule-flouters than travel, says easyJet boss“We can’t carry this debt forever, it has to be repaid at some point.â€�

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Great British Railway plan ‘could change a lot’ for plans to re-open rail linesA train driver campaigning to reopen disused railway lines says the newly announced Great British Railways (GBR) plan “could change a lot” for his group’s ambitious proposals.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• 'Unattractive' railway station building torn down as redevelopment beginsAn "unattractive and outdated" railway station in Birmingham has been demolished to pave the way for a £30 million redevelopment.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• North 'will still have to fight' for trains funding despite Great British Railways announcementThe north will still have to fight for much-needed investment to its railways under a proposed new public sector body for Britain's rail system, according to a University of Leeds academic.

Other Regional Press

• Plans to revive disused platform at town train station 'back on track'The group want to make the derelict platform 'a credit to the town'
• MP Richard Drax probes transport bosses on Weymouth-London rail link SOUTH Dorset's MP has raised concerns to transport bosses on the rail link from Weymouth to London and whether it is a 'large blip on the Government's radar'.

Bus and Coach Buyer

• Shadow Minister welcomes National Holidays’ returnAs group coach tours resumed in England on Monday with Covid restrictions easing, Alex Sobel, Shadow Minister for Tourism and Heritage, welcomed National Holidays’ first customers back to Scarborough.
• UK set to have Europe’s largest electric bus fleetThe UK is set to have the largest electric bus fleet in Europe by 2024, according to forecasts by Accuracy, the global independent advisory firm.

Bus and Coach.com

• Irizar artics for Bayonne e-BRTIn late April, Keolis started operating the second 100% electric Bus Rapid Transit (e-BRT) line as part of the Chronoplus transport network, linking Tarnos to Bayonne, in the south-west of France

Coach and Bus Week

• Scania launches new Fencer single-deckThe first new complete Scania single-decker bus offering in a decade has been unveiled in the UK ahead of a worldwide roll-out
• MCI unveils battery-electric commuter coachNFI Group subsidiary Motor Coach Industries (MCI) has unveiled its new zero-emission commuter coach, the D45 CRT LE Charge, and launched its new D series of coaches.
• Figures show 28% drop in PSVs registered in 2020Figures for 2020 from the DfT show a significant decline in new bus and coach registrations for the year compared to 2019, against a background of rising EV ownership and falling petrol and diesel car sales
• TfL launches first hydrogen-powered buses in the capitalTfL’s first hydrogen-powered double-decker buses have entered service with Comfort Delgro-owned Metroline
• Stagecoach Manchester celebrates 25 years with special liveryStagecoach Manchester is celebrating 25 years  of serving Greater Manchester with a specially-liveried bus featuring 30 of its longest serving members of staff to mark the occasion.
• Capacity increase as lockdown restrictions easeOperators across England have been able to increase capacity aboard their buses from Monday 17 May, following revised guidance from the Department for Transport which permits all forward-facing seats to be used

New Civil Engineer

• Great British Railways | What does it mean for infrastructure investment?Transport secretary Grant Shapps has said that the formation of Great British Railways to bring together passenger services and rail infrastructure is aimed at “growing the network, not shrinking it”.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• 500th BYD ADL battery-electric bus delivered to Go-Ahead LondonPartners Alexander Dennis (ADL) and BYD have handed over their 500th battery-electric bus to Go-Ahead London at its Waterloo depot.
• Metroline maintains driver engagement via digital platformTrapeze Group Software Consultant Pete Adney looks at how the supplier worked with London operator Metroline to keep drivers engaged with its digital platform
• All change for vehicle technicians as complete bus systems set for major transformationAs internal combustion engines are gradually being replaced by battery-powered electric motors, vehicle technicians will need to be trained to keep them maintained.
• Cardiff Bus and Newport Bus unite to bring seamless ticketing to usersCardiff Bus and Newport Bus have collaborated to upgrade their mobile ticketing systems and provide seamless ticketing to passengers using the jointly-operated route 30 between Cardiff and Newport, without the need for multiple tickets or mobile apps.
• Building ‘the UK’s largest coach network’: FlixBus to double UK routesOne month after its relaunch on British roads on April 15, FlixBus has committed itself to further UK expansion after it promised to double the number of domestic routes across the country from May 20.
• Bus Service Improvement Plan guidance document publishedBus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) content prepared by local transport authorities (LTAs) in England and submitted the Department for Transport (DfT) will be expected to represent an outline of positive changes that are planned, guidance published on 17 May states.

Other News Sources

• Rail reforms include 'simpler procurement' to help save £1.5bnA new public body for British railways will “drive significant efficiencies” and save up to £1.5bn a year, the UK government has said. 
• New Elephant & Castle tube station in danger as TfL funding deadline approachesThe work on the station is meant to be joint-funded by TfL, Lendlease and Delancey but Tfl's finances have taken a major hit from the pandemic