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

Wednesday, 28 July 2021

BBC News

• What happens to British ships when satellites don't work?The Royal Navy and merchant fleet have no back-up if navigation systems are disrupted, experts warn.
• Air traffic controllers strike to shut six Hial airportsInverness, Sumburgh and Dundee are among the airports affected by a dispute over changes to air traffic control.
• Fully-jabbed from EU and US could avoid quarantineSenior cabinet ministers are due to discuss the move for arrivals to England in a meeting on Wednesday.
• Electric car charging prices 'must be fair' say MPsConsumers should not have to pay excessive prices to use public car charging, MPs say.

Financial Times

• First's new boss will face challenges closer to homeActivist investor Coast had called for change of CEO as bus and train company focuses on UK
• Wizz Air shareholders back £100m pay plan for CEO VaradiOnly small proportion of investors could vote as London-based investors excluded after Brexit diluted their rights
• Superjumbos may have a role to play in low-emission aviationPassenger preference for direct flights could be a convenience the planet can no longer afford

The Guardian

• UK government backs scheme for motorway cables to power lorriesThe government will fund the design of a scheme to install overhead electric cables to power electric lorries on a motorway near Scunthorpe, as part of a series of studies on how to decarbonise road freight.
• UK poised to end amber list quarantine for people vaccinated in US and EUMinisters to discuss plans, with talks also to determine if they will apply to England only or all UK nationsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePlans to significantly open up international travel are expected to be announced on Wednesday, with UK ministers poised to let people who have been fully vaccinated in the US and EU avoid quarantine if arriving from amber list countries.The move would benefit millions of people by finally letting them be reunited with family and friends based in the UK, as well as businesses in the aviation and tourism sectors that have been hi...

The Telegraph

• FirstGroup boss quits in wake of activist investor pressure [subscription]Matthew Gregory departs after Coast Capital Management issues new call for his departure following sale of US school bus operations

Times Online

• Drivers who don’t wear a seatbelt may face penalty points and ban [subscription]Drivers face having penalty points added to their licence for failing to wear a seatbelt amid growing concern over the number of people who go without.

City AM

• MPs join call to end electric vehicle charging 'postcode lottery'MPs have added their voice to calls for the government to lay out a clear plan for how it will The post MPs join call to end electric vehicle charging 'postcode lottery' appeared first on CityAM.

Birmingham Post

• One million e-scooter rides taken in West Country during trialNew data suggests the scheme has saved hundreds of thousands of car trips in the region
• Jaguar Land Rover makes £110m loss as computer chip shortage bitesFirm encouraged by recovery - but a major challenge remains
• Testing starts on new Wales and Borders trainsAs part of orders of £800m from Transport for Wales Stadler is testing new FLIRTs

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Plans to revamp Bradford's transport network are 'once in a generation' opportunitySENIOR figures at Bradford Council have described early plans to revamp the city’s transport network as a “once in a generationâ€� opportunity.

Bristol Live

• Public to have their say on £4bn Bristol underground plansThe mayor's office has shared the latest development on the proposal

London Evening Standard

• TfL still faces £500 million funding gap for the year despite progressTfL still faces a £500 million funding gap for the year despite showing “progress” towards financial sustainability, according to its revised budget.
• MPs: Charge electric car batteries ‘little but often’ to avoid blackoutsA report by the Commons’ Transport Select Committee called for pricing to be used to change drivers’ charging habits.
• Bus firms to be forced to make audio-visual announcements to help disabled usersLatest figures from March 2020 show three out of five buses in England were not fitted with the technology.

Yorkshire Post

• Leeds rail sotware firm Tracsis cheers major contract winTransport software provider Tracsis has been awarded a significant new multi-year contract in the UK for its RailHub software product suite.
• Work on £7.8m Skipton Gateway project to improve railway station and boost cycling and walking could start next JuneDetailed designs for the project, which includes revised proposals for a cycle lane on Broughton Road, are currently being drawn up after a public consultation showed good public support.

Other Regional Press

• TransPennine Express to add extra services on West Coast MainlineExtra train services are set to be introduced by TransPennine Express on the West Coast Mainline.
• London Underground Bakerloo line to get new trains in official TfL budget plansThe current almost half-a-century-old trains are finally on their way out!
• Rail minister tells North to agree 'substandard' timetable - or be stuck with even worse Covid services until 2023Rail minister Chris Heaton-Harris has told Northern leaders they should agree a new timetable or the Covid-affected service will remain in place

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Battery powered freight receives £20 million funding boostThe Government is encouraging fleet operators to convert to battery-electric vehicles in the transition to zero emission road freight.   Pioneering £20 million zero emission road freight trials, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered by Innovate UK, will help to develop innovative solutions to support the uptake of zero emission trucks.   Using learning from field testing battery-electric vehicles in a real-world environment, and from undertaking feasibility studies, these activities will help to design and develop cost-effective, zero emission heavy goods vehicle...
• Guidance released on proposed self-isolation exceptions for transport workersThe Department for Transport has issued new guidelines on the proposed process for transport workers receiving exceptions to leave self-isolation to perform critical work.    The Prime Minister recently announced that a limited number of fully vaccinated workers in critical roles, who have been identified as contacts of a positive case, may be permitted to continue to attend work as long as they are double vaccinated (with the final dose 14 days prior), do not have symptoms, and have tested negative via both a PCR, and daily lateral flow tests.    This is a short-term measu...
• DfT survey to assess driver shortage impactsThe Department for Transport has released a survey to assess the impact driver shortages are having on the road haulage industry.    To access the survey click here.    The survey closes 6 August. All responses should be sent to RSSSFOLRCOVID19@dft.gov.uk with the subject line: Response to DfT Haulier Survey.   

New Civil Engineer

• Track work begins to restore abandoned Scots rail linkThe Levenmouth rail link project has taken another huge step forward with the start of work to remove the old disused track and redundant infrastructure from the former branch line.
• Lords call for ‘accelerated’ rail electrificationThe House of Lords Science & Technology Committee has called for the government to accelerate the railway electrification programme in a report following an inquiry on batteries and fuel cells.
• Crossrail | Proposals to extend Elizabeth line to Ebbsfleet whittled down to three viable optionsBexley Council has whittled down its proposed options to extend Crossrail beyond Abbey Wood towards Kent and on to Ebbsfleet.

road.cc

• Liverpool’s climate emergency chief decides to rip out pop-up cycle laneLiverpool City Council’s cabinet member for climate emergency, transport and environment has said that a protected cycle lane installed on the city’s West Derby Road will be removed, saying it was installed with no consultation and has caused motor traffic congestion, resulting in a leading cycling campaign group questioning the council’s commitment to tackling climate change.

Transportxtra

• TDP ‘not about stopping people doing things’, says ShappsThere is little mention in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TPD) of actively curbing traffic. In the foreword, transport secretary Grant Shapps says: “It’s not about stopping people doing things: it’s about doing the same things differently... we will still drive on improved roads, but increasingly in zero-emission cars”. 
• Rail fully net zero by 2050The removal of all diesel-only trains from the railway network by 2040 and a fully net zero network by 2050 are among the ambitions stated in the Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TPD).

Other News Sources

• Climate impact of UK's £27.4bn roads plan 'not a matter for the courts', judge rulesThe High Court has ruled that the Government did not need to assess the climate impact of its second Road Investment Strategy (RIS2), after green campaigners argued that the £27.4bn package is not aligned with the 2050 net-zero commitment.
• Grant Shapps backs Hatfield charity’s learn to cycle programmeA children’s charity has seen their ‘Learn to Ride’ cycling programme backed by Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps after he visited them ahead of COVID-19 restrictions lifting last week. 
• Council backs plan for world-leading £150m rail centre of excellenceCouncillors have backed the Welsh Government’s plan to build a world-leading railway testing facility in the south.