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

Thursday, 29 July 2021

BBC News

• Inverness, Sumburgh and Dundee among airports shut by strikeInverness, Sumburgh, Kirkwall and Dundee are among those closed for 24 hours in a dispute over centralisation.
• London congestion charge rise to be made permanentThe charge will stay 30% higher and apply at weekends but evening hours will be cut under TfL plans.
• Car production hit by 'pingdemic' and global chip shortageThe UK industry says the demand is there but it is
• Uber slides over reports SoftBank selling 45 million sharesJapan's SoftBank is selling the shares to cover losses in other investments, according to one report.
• International cruises from England to restartPeople arriving at UK ports who have been fully vaccinated in the US and the EU will not have to isolate.

The Independent

• Someone’s got to do it: worst job in aviation up for grabsThe average stint of a UK transport secretary is under two years. Our man or woman in Pyongyang typically manages three years as British ambassador to North Korea. But Alejandra Ruiz has somehow borne the burden of the worst job in aviation for four full years.

The Telegraph

• Congestion charge stays at £15 after Sadiq Khan keeps 'temporary' rise [subscription]The charge to enter central London was increased 'temporarily' from £11.50 to £15 a day in June last year following pandemic lockdowns

Times Online

• Fears over Covid health risk from US and UK travellers [subscription]Ministers approved plans to reopen the border to foreign travellers yesterday in defiance of official warnings that the move posed a “clear public health risk”.

City AM

• Car production could drop by 100,000 models this yearUK car manufacturers could produce up to 100,000 cars fewer than predicted this year as a result of the global The post Car production could drop by 100,000 models this year appeared first on CityAM.

The Mirror

• Honda to close Swindon factory this week at a loss of over 3,000 jobsOn Friday July 30, the popular Japanese car maker will close its Swindon plant after 35 years of manufacturing, in a devastating move for thousands of employees, nearby businesses and the local economy

Network Rail

• Rail improvements for Manchester to Glossop line passengersMajor railway improvements are taking place this August to improve future journeys for passengers on the Manchester to Glossop line.

London Evening Standard

• Car makers face ‘very tough’ conditions as up to 30% of workers self-isolateA global microchip shortage is adding to the problems affecting the motor industry.
• Lack of quarantine at borders ‘risks importing new variants’, ministers warnedBoris Johnson risks allowing a new Covid variant to “run rampantâ€� through the country by further easing restrictions for EU and US travellers, Labour has claimed.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Campaigners claim 'spooked' LNER could scrap train timetable changesCampaigners fighting plans which could see 24 rail services a day cut from timetables in Northumberland believe transport chiefs may be preparing to U-turn on the proposals

Northern Echo

• Teesside MPs and Mayor ask Government to stop Darlington timetable changesTEESSIDE MPs and metro mayor have called on the Government to step in and prevent proposed timetable changes set to cut rail services in the region.
• Cleveland Bridge: Time running out for rescue deal to save hundreds of Darlington jobsTime is running out for a last-gasp deal to save hundreds of jobs at Cleveland Bridge.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Nottinghamshire County Council to 'proactively' pursue major transport upgrades including Midland MainlineNottinghamshire councillors have decided to expand the county council's transport team to help pursue major upgrades including the electrification of the Midland Mainline.

This Is Local London Network

• Opposition to flats on Cockfosters Tube station car parkResidents and commuters face being “seriously disadvantaged” by a development planned for a tube station’s car parks, campaigners have warned.
• TFL: £15 Congestion Charge set to be made permanentThe “temporary” £15 Congestion Charge is set to be made permanent and its hours of operation reduced following a public consultation, TfL announced on Wednesday.

Other Regional Press

• Peak District park authority sets out opposition to reinstated rail line on Monsal Trail routeThe Peak District National Park Authority has issued a new response to groups proposing the restoration of a railway line from Derby to Manchester along the hugely popular Monsal Trail.
• Latest pictures show new £16m Marsh Barton railway station taking shapeThe first trains should be stopping for passengers in 2022 on the route serving South Devon
• CrossCountry to name train 'Pride of Leicester' after £2.5 million investment in new city depotA CrossCountry train is set to be named 'Pride of Leicester' after the country invested £2.5 million in improving train services in the East Midlands.
• South Western Rail is 'failing' Dorchester and WeymouthRAIL services from London and Bristol to Dorchester and Weymouth are not serving local people well – according to Dorchester councillors.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• THE OPINION: The Net-Zero Business Barometer - Summer 2021edie’s bi-annual Net-Zero Business Barometer provides a regular temperature check and progress update regarding the decarbonisation of organisations across the UK.   The Barometer is based on an in-depth online survey, conducted between June and July 2021, which polled in-house energy and sustainability professionals at organisations of all sizes and sectors to analyse net-zero carbon progress to date and future decarbonisation plans.    The survey will be repeated bi-annually, allowing for year-on-year comparisons and the identification of key net-zero business trends, co...

New Civil Engineer

• Work begins ahead of South Wales Metro electrificationVan Elle and Keltbray have commenced piling works in preparation for the electrification of 170km of South Wales Metro track.
• Costain gets green light for £2M electric motorway trialA Costain-led consortium has won backing from the Department for Transport (DfT) to install overhead electric cables along a stretch of motorway.

Railnews

• Industry welcomes improved station accessibility plan The Rail Delivery Group has welcomed a Department for Transport plan to make stations easier to use for less able passengers. The DfT says a 'major audit' of all stations, which was outlined in the Williams-Shapps rail review, has now started.

Aviation Industry

• Lilium Announces New Partnership to Manufacture Batteries for its eVTOL AircraftThe German electric air taxi company Lilium announced a new partnership with battery manufacturer CUSTOMCELLS to provide batteries for Lilium’s 7-Seater Jet, the company said in a July 28 press release. 

Other News Sources

• West Yorkshire Combined Authority launches Leeds Core Bus NetworkWest Yorkshire Combined Authority has today launched the new Leeds Core Bus Network, a new colour-coded network which will help users navigate the Leeds bus network with ease.
• Buckinghamshire Council calls for Aylesbury-MK train line to be builtCouncillors at Buckinghamshire Council have announced they intend to press the government further to build an Aylesbury-Milton Keynes rail line.
• Delays to Britain’s Integrated Rail PlanTHE Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) is crucial for Britain’s railway infrastructure. Decisions surrounding the construction of Northern Powerhouse Rail, which is planned to be a mixture of upgraded and new lines, electrification of routes including the Leeds – Manchester trans-Pennine route and the construction of the eastern leg of HS2 from the west Midlands to Leeds via Nottinghamshire and Sheffield, are dependent upon what is recommended by the report.