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

Wednesday, 26 May 2021

BBC News

• Government announce £401m boost for rail servicesNew stations, faster journeys and more reliable services have been promised as part of a £401m government investment in rail travel. Most of the money will be used to upgrade the TransPennine route between York, Leeds and Manchester.
• Plans for £100m Coventry to Nottingham rail link announcedA £100m scheme to reconnect three Midlands cities by rail could be running by 2025, subject to funding, according to a regional transport group.
• Cardiff Airport: Flight to Edinburgh to startThe service between Cardiff and Edinburgh begins in August, with tickets on sale from Tuesday.
• Tesla fined in Norway over battery issuesA court has ruled that the car giant must pay £11,500 to each complainant.

ITV News

• £401m rail funding boost announced for train services in north EnglandA £401 million funding boost will help rail services in the North of England and the Midlands become “faster, greener and more reliable”, the government has said.

Financial Times

• Oil producers face costly transition as world looks to net-zero future Many fossil fuel-dependent economies will struggle to diversify despite intense pressure to hit 2050 targets
• Trade is set to remain big business for airlinesDemand for air freight has been silver lining for industry hit hard by pandemic
• Moscow says claims it helped Belarus in Ryanair plot are RussophobiaKremlin argues aviation restrictions and EU sanctions imposed on Belarus are too hasty
• Cruises face a choppy voyage back to profitabilityPassenger trips restart in big markets but nearly a year of shutdown has cost the industry dear

The Guardian

• Really smart motorways would have a lower speed limit | LettersDaniel Scharf on the case for a 50mph maximum, Neill Fozard on the dangers during motorway upgrading, and Chris Hughes on a scary near-missThe case for reducing the national speed limit from 70mph to 50mph was made by Stephen Plowden and Mayer Hillman in 1996 and reinforced many times, including by the environmental audit committee in 2006. The prime reason has been reducing carbon emissions from petrol and diesel, but your article (If there'd been a hard shoulder, I'd still have my mum: are smart motorways safe?, 22 May) sets out the safety case: reducing speeds on conventional motorways is...
• End mowing of road verges to create huge wildlife habitat, says UK studyManaging verges for nature would create combined area the size of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh for wildflowersRoad verges cover 1.2% of Great Britain, an area the size of Dorset, and could be used to grow wildflower meadows and create habitat for wildlife, a new study says.In a report outlining the scale of road verges in England, Scotland and Wales, researchers from the University of Exeter used Google Earth and Google Street View to estimate that verges account for about 1,000 sq miles (2,579 sq km) of the UK's land.
• Airships for city hops could cut flying's CO2 emissions by 90%Bedford-based blimp maker unveils short-haul routes such as Liverpool-Belfast that it hopes to serve by 202. 5For those fancying a trip from Liverpool to Belfast or Barcelona to the Balearic Islands but concerned about the carbon footprint of aeroplane travel, a small Bedford-based company is promising a surprising solution: commercial airships .Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV), which has developed a new environmentally friendly airship 84 years after the Hindenburg disaster, on Wednesday named a string of routes it hoped to serve from 2025.

The Telegraph

• Shapps to be grilled over ‘pitiful’ flexible season ticket discounts [subscription]Grant Shapps will be grilled over the “pitiful” discounts on offer for commuters using new flexible rail season tickets in an appearance before MPs.

Times Online

• Unfinished ferries cast adrift in blizzard of new jobs and responsibilities [subscription]Last week’s Scottish government reshuffle leaves critical questions unanswered about how the SNP’s political dominance at Holyrood is going to deliver a post-Covid economic recovery that touches every corner of Scotland.
• Paris Metro phases out carnet of paper tickets for plastic cards [subscription]The paper Metro ticket, born 120 years ago with the Paris underground, is on its way out as the city prepares for paperless transit before the 2024 summer Olympics.
• Used electric car saves you £5,600 on petrol equivalent [subscription]Used electric cars are up to £5,600 cheaper to buy and run than petrol and diesel equivalents, with the price difference growing each time they are sold on, according to research.

Birmingham Post

• Port giant secures interest rate discount on debts if it honours green pledgesAviva Investors and BNP Paribas on board with innovative approach to net zero incentive

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford Council Leader given transport portfolio by West Yorkshire MayorTHE Leader of Bradford Council will chair a new committee dedicated to improving the transport infrastructure of West Yorkshire.

Holyrood

• Associate feature: LNER is ready to play an important part in rail recoveryIn the past 15 months, COVID-19 has created severe challenges for businesses and the rail industry has been no different. 

London Evening Standard

• £401m rail funding boost announced for train services in north EnglandThe Department for Transport said £317 million would be invested in the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Western Isles MSP: Ferry discussions with new transport secretary ‘useful and productive’Discussions with Transport Secretary Graeme Day about disruption to Scotland’s island ferries were “useful and productive”, the MSP for the Western Isles has said.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• Transport cash must be first step on road to improvement in Leeds - YEP CommentThe Government has today confirmed funding for major transport projects in the region.
• Trains on Transpennine route between Leeds, York and Manchester to be faster and more reliable with £317m of new funding, says Transport Secretary Grant ShappsMore than £300m of investment to make train journeys between Leeds, York and Manchester more punctual and reliable has been announced by the Government in a bid to create a transport network that is “fit for the future”.

Yorkshire Post

• Rail campaigners urge Grant Shapps to visit Pennine stations – Yorkshire Post LettersGRANT Shapps (The Yorkshire Post, May 21) is saying many of the right things – about getting rid of the fragmentation of the railways into hundreds of different companies who then put more effort into trying to pin the blame on someone else rather than fixing problems; about clarity about who is in charge; about giving the English regions a stronger voice; about decarbonisation and accessibility – and all these things are necessary.

Leeds Live

• York to Leeds trains to be faster and on time thanks to £317m boostAs part of the scheme new stations will open in Leeds and the South West

Other Regional Press

• Railway group calls for major improvements at Welshpool stationA RAILWAY working group is calling for major changes to Welshpool Railway Station after it claimed results from a recent audit saw passengers label it the ‘worst on the Wales network’.
• Impassioned plea from Hawick councillor for Borders Railway extension not to be derailedA rallying call for an extension of Borders Railway to Hawick not to be forced off the track has been issued by the town’s concerned provost.
• Wellingborough MP to meet train company over changes to serviceMP for Wellingborough Peter Bone will meet with East Midlands Railway (EMR) next week to discuss ongoing issues with a new train service to London.
• Newport Transport congratulated for dementia awardNEWPORT City Council's leader Cllr Jane Mudd has applauded Newport Transport for becoming the first bus company in Wales to receive official Dementia Friendly accreditation.
• Island MSPs to meet new Transport Secretary Graeme Dey to discuss ferriesFerries to the island communities have been described as both “unreliable and unavailable,” and are now having serious effects on delivery of food, healthcare provisions and other essential services.
• Progress on £70m Levenmouth Rail Link with delivery of 16,000 sleepersSome 16,000 sleepers have arrived in Fife ahead of major work to create the new Levenmouth Rail Link.
• £69m pledged to new Oxford railway station entrance and upgrades MORE images of what a new western entrance to Oxford’s train station would look like when complete has been revealed, as the Government pledges £69m towards the project.
• MP questions Government's local lockdown over key Heathrow routeThe council has since confirmed that there are no new restrictions in force

Construction News

• New £401m funding pot for rail upgrades and electrification unveiledThe majority of funding will go into the Transpennine Route, with £317m earmarked for various upgrades on lines between Leeds, Manchester and York. It will also cover early works on the electrification between York and Church Fenton. Proposals for further electrification on the Transpennine Route are being considered.

New Civil Engineer

• Network Rail runs through 70% of CP6 risk funding in just two yearsNetwork Rail has already spent 70% of its allocated risk funding for Control Period 6 (CP6), which runs from 2019 to 2024.
• Dive-under beneath West Coast Main Line central to £100M Midlands rail proposalPoliticians across the Midlands have backed plans for £100M worth of rail upgrades to connect Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham with a direct link.
• Transpennine Route Upgrade receives £317M funding boostBackers of the Transpennine Route Upgrade have received a major boost, with the Department for Transport (DfT) committing a further £317M to the northern rail scheme.
• Future of Airports | How is climate change affecting infrastructure planning?Climate change considerations are impacting decisions about the planning of new airports and expansion schemes – but what about existing airport infrastructure?
• Wales to Ireland tunnel ‘more attractive’ than Scotland to Northern Ireland linkA Wales to Ireland tunnel could prove to be a "more attractive" prospect than the previously suggested Scotland to Northern Ireland link, according to tunnelling expert Bill Grose.
• Graphene concrete world first delivered on Wiltshire building schemeConstruction of the world’s first graphene concrete slab has been completed today at the Southern Quarter gym for military veterans in Amesbury, Wiltshire.

Rail Business Daily

• Rail Regulator finds Network Rail’s delivery plans are broadly on track but raises risk funding concernsThe Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR) annual review of Network Rail’s progress in delivering against the five-year plan for Control Period 6 (CP6, which runs from 2019 to 2024) finds that its plans are broadly on track. But the regulator raises concerns about the remaining levels of risk funding, particularly in Scotland, and that continued focus is also needed to deliver renewal work.
• £401 million investment into upgrades to deliver brighter rail futurePassengers and freight operators across the North and Midlands will see faster, greener and more reliable rail services, as the Government announces a significant funding boost into the railways today.

The Business Desk

• £317m investment confirmed for stations and key cross country rail routeA major railways funding package has been confirmed by the Government.

Other News Sources

• Greater Anglia up the ante to help the disabled on railwayGREATER Anglia have upped the ante on their commitment to make the railway more accessible to all customers, rolling out a series of measures to support the disabled during their travels.
• Port of Rotterdam Suspends Plan for Unmanned Transport of ContainersThe Port of Rotterdam announced that it is suspending the current tender process for the selection of unmanned transports to operate on a dedicated road connecting the container terminals and other operations in the Maasvlakte region of the port. The project had been billed as a major advancement and demonstration in improving port efficiency and automation.
• Transport for London sees busiest weekend in a year as restrictions easeTransport for London (TfL) saw its busiest weekend in over a year as England continued on the roadmap out of lockdown.
• Transport for Wales’ New Class 197 Trains Come Off the Production LineThe transformation of the Wales and Borders network has moved another step closer with the first of the brand-new Class 197 diesel multiple units coming off the production line.
• What happens when the COVID discounts for rail are gone?Much of the European rail network is currently free of charge. This is thanks to the regulation that allows for a waiver, or reduction of track access charges during the pandemic. However, this possibility is only temporary, which leaves us wondering to which extent the market is able to recover to a normal charging level.