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

Monday, 07 June 2021

BBC News

• Graffiti hotspots cleaned to encourage train useGraffiti hotspots along railway lines across the south west have undergone a major clean in order to encourage more people to travel by train.
• Monkey found at Cambuslang railway station reunited with familyScotRail put out an appeal after the small primate was discovered at Cambuslang station near Glasgow.

Financial Times

• Chip shortage to last until at least mid-2022, warns manufacturer Forecast from Singapore-based Flex comes as scarcity forces carmakers to scale back production
• Trainline boss pledges to outcompete state-backed rivalBooking group’s chief brushes aside worries over share slump after UK announces plans for new ticketing hub

The Telegraph

• Electric vehicle charging points should be 'as iconic as red telephone boxes' [subscription]Electric vehicle charge points are to receive a makeover in the hope they will become as "iconic" as red phone boxes under plans drawn up by the Department for Transport (DfT).
• Uber’s driver shortage exposes the holes in its business model [subscription]A lack of drivers and stiffer competition has led to longer wait times and higher fares, spelling a dip in fortunes
• Transport Secretary backs Civil Aviation Authority's decision to revoke operating licence for the failed airlineGrant Shapps has intervened to prevent a Mayfair hedge fund manager from cashing in on take off and landing slots at Heathrow owned by Flybe worth tens of millions of pounds.

Times Online

• Electric vehicle charge points to be redesigned in bid to give them status of red pillar boxes [subscription]Electric vehicle charge points are to be redesigned in an attempt to make them an “iconic” sight on the UK’s streets like red pillar boxes.

City AM

• Waterloo & City line part re-opens ahead of schedule as tube use goes upThe Waterloo & City line has part-reopened from today, operating only during peak times in order to boost the tube The post Waterloo & City line part re-opens ahead of schedule as tube use goes up appeared first on CityAM.

Birmingham Post

• Welsh Government receives interest from firms to develop a tidal lagoonNo energy-generating lagoons have been built in Wales or the UK, but there are proposals to build ones in Swansea Bay and the Dee Estuary

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• £5.5 million bridge to link villages to move to next stage - although funding source has yet to be identified A LONG awaited scheme to allow people to safely cross a busy trunk road could finally be moving forward - although funding for the £5m plan

London Evening Standard

• Weekday road traffic exceeds pre-pandemic levels for first timeThe rise in vehicle use could present ‘a big challenge for highway bosses’, a motoring research charity warned.
• Electric scooters launch in London - but hit an early bump in the roadThe launch of the e-scooter rental trials in London hit an early bump in the road on Monday when one of the main areas postponed its involvement.

The York Press

• If e-scooters are 'death traps' why aren't police enforcing the law? [subscription]Using private e-scooters in public places is illegal, yet one wouldn't know it from a glance at London's roads and pavements

Wales Online

• 'We were crammed onto a packed train and unable to socially distance'Sharon Staton said hundreds of people were packed in two carriages on Friday

Yorkshire Post

• Why railways will enjoy bright future after pandemic, says Network Rail boss – Yorkshire Post Letters [Sir Peter Hendy]DAVID Behrens’ pessimistic view of the future of rail (The Yorkshire Post, May 29) must be challenged. Of course commuter station car parks are not often full right now – those of us who could stayed at home as instructed and continue to do so until restrictions are lifted, hopefully towards the end of this month.

Doncaster Free Press

• £50 million to be spent on public transport in South Yorkshire to improve bus stops, payment and roadsSouth Yorkshire leaders are set to sign off a £50 million public transport investment plan for passengers the county.

Other Regional Press

• Network Rail plans for high voltage units in ChristchurchDEVELOPERS want to change the use of land near Network Rail’s substation site in Christchurch into an operational railway and install high voltage and auxiliary transformer modular units.
• Northern ready to welcome commuters back to the railwayNorthern is preparing for the return of commuters as a survey suggests 78 percent of rail users in the North say they will be turning to trains when pandemic restrictions are fully lifted.
• Rising sea levels threaten A55 and North Wales rail links according to leading ocean scientistsRising sea levels could cut North Wales main A55 road link, wash away railways, swamp holiday resorts and threaten major industrial areas of Deeside by the end of this century, two experts have warned.

British Trams Online

• UKTram call for investment in light railUKTram – the industry body with representatives from across the UK tram and light rail sector – have called for fresh investment to be made to light rail post-pandemic to help boost economic recovery as Covid-19 restrictions continue to be eased.

New Civil Engineer

• Irish Sea Link | Proposal for bridge and tunnel crossing via two man-made islandsA proposal for a combined bridge and tunnel crossing between Dublin and Holyhead, including two new Irish Sea islands, has been suggested as an alternative to plans for a Scotland to Northern Ireland link.

Rail Advent

• Tyne and Wear Metro celebrate 40th anniversary with new filmNexus, who operate the Tyne and Wear Metro, has released a recently created film showcasing public art on the network after 40 years of operating passenger trains.

Rail Magazine

• £1.1m to repair Stechford viaductsThe repair of two ailing viaducts at Stechford, on the Coventry-Birmingham route, is expected to cost £1.1 million. 

Other News Sources

• Phone firm pledges better coverage for Brighton and Hove commutersPhone firm EE has promised better phone coverage as commuters return to the railways with six new 4g sites on the route between Brighton and London Victoria.
• Lord Redesdale and Andrew Griffith MP launch the Carbon Battle Bus - UK’s first fully electric coach delivering the net zero carbon messageLord Redesdale and Andrew Griffith MP, UK Net Zero Business Champion will inaugurate the UK’s first fully electric Carbon Battle Bus at Old Palace Yard in Westminster, London on Wednesday 9 June at 1pm.
• Merthyr Tydfil’s new £12 million bus station set to open as first in Wales to allow for charging of electric vehiclesMerthyr Tydfil’s new £12 million bus station will open in just over a week as the first in Wales to allow for the charging of electric vehicles
• New cycle route connects Surrey cathedral with 41 others across UKIt's a 2,000-mile trail from Newcastle to Cornwall with local routes available