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

Wednesday, 04 August 2021

BBC News

• East Coast Darlington train cuts 'absolutely ludicrous'Plans to cut the number of trains from Darlington to London and Edinburgh are "ludicrous", council leaders have said.
• Home car charger owners urged to install updatesSecurity vulnerabilities in two domestic electric car chargers were discovered by researchers.
• CalMac-chartered ship back in service after repairThe MV Arrow broke down just a week after it was brought in to help on the Stornoway-Ullapool route.
• The downfall of Nissan's Carlos Ghosn: An insider's viewFormer Nissan lawyer Ravinder Passi had a ringside seat of the downfall of chairman Carlos Ghosn.

The Guardian

• Controversial Barcelona airport expansion plan agreedBarcelona city council opposes €1.7bn plan under which passenger numbers would reach 70 million a year
• Ship that blocked the Suez canal docks in UK – four months lateOnlookers bring deckchairs and binoculars to see the 400m-long Ever Given arrive at FelixstoweThe container ship that caused global disruption after blocking the Suez canal earlier this year has finally docked in the UK – four months later than planned.The Ever Given finally arrived at the Port of Felixstowe on Tuesday after gaining notoriety for becoming stuck against a bank of the major shipping lane in Egypt for six days from 23 March. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Fiasco leaves Scotland’s ferries trailing in race for greener transport [subscription]f you were thinking Scotland’s ferry fiasco was a uniquely Caledonian catastrophe, think again. Last year the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft shipyard on Germany’s Baltic coast, which built the Loch Seaforth for CalMac’s Stornaway-Ullapool service nearly a decade ago, bade farewell to a much larger ferry that it had been building for Brittany Ferries’ Portsmouth-to-Caen service.

City AM

• Number of holidaymakers on Ryanair flights doubles in July to 9.3mBudget carrier Ryanair reported flight traffic statistics on Wednesday that showed UK holidaymakers seized the opportunity to fly abroad in the last month as travel restrictions eased.
• HS2 will deliver no environmental benefits, says former rail watchdog chiefThe volume of carbon emissions produced by the construction of the controversial HS2 railway line will be greater than the reduction in removing vehicles from the road, a new report published today revealed.

Mail Online

• Transport Secretary at centre of vicious briefing war over collapse of new holiday alert list plan Grant Shapps was at the centre of a vicious Whitehall briefing war tonight following the collapse of plans to create a new travel alert list.

Birmingham Post

• Newcastle Airport launches bid to source power from solar farmThe airport has opened a consultation on plans to set up a solar farm on the edge of its site
• Landmark eco aeroplane project involving Rolls-Royce takes offProject Eilean will see a consortium including Bristol's Centre for Modelling & Simulation working to design the aircraft

Bolton News

• Virgin Atlantic cabin crew reflect on Royal Bolton Hospital experienceEIGHT members of Virgin Atlantic cabin crew have shared their experiences of supporting hospital patients.

London Evening Standard

• Court of Appeal justices criticise judge over ’seriously flawed’ low-traffic scheme rulingjudge was wrong to describe a scheme that created extra space for cyclists and pedestrians at the start of the pandemic as “extreme” and declare it illegal, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
• Ever Given docks in Felixstowe after blocking Suez CanalThe ship caused disruption to global shipping after getting stuck in the Suez Canal in April.

Manchester Evening News

• Flooding hits key railway line - leading to rush hour trouble for commutersA key railway line in Rochdale has flooded overnight — causing disruption to commuters at rush hour.

New Civil Engineer

• Crossrail hit by rise in self isolationsCrossrail has seen an “increase” in the number of workers needing to self-isolate in recent weeks.
• Harnessing smart tech to rebuild trust in public transport post-pandemicWith the pandemic’s days finally beginning to look numbered and a return to normality imminent, government and public sector bodies must now dedicate serious attention to rebuilding following more than a year of lockdowns and social distancing.
• Khan calls for devolved powers to reduce London flood riskMayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for the government to devolve more funding and powers to local leaders to enable them to better tackle flooding across the capital.

Rail Advent

• Free STEM event for children at London King’s Cross Station this AugustNetwork Rail is working in conjunction with partners to host free STEM activities which are science, technology, engineering and maths.

Rail Business Daily

• The Go-Ahead Group strengthens senior management teamDavid Statham, who has been Managing Director of Southeastern since 2014, will be moving to a new role in the group’s executive team as Go-Ahead’s Strategy Director. At a pivotal time for the transport industry, he will play a key role in overseeing business strategy across rail, bus and public transport, including Go-Ahead’s response to the climate crisis.

Railway Technology

• University researchers develop algorithms to reduce rail delaysResearchers at the University of Portsmouth have developed a new intelligent tool which can automatically detect delays on the tracks.
• Inside the British public’s perception of railway transportAs the last lockdown restrictions are lifted, British people are preparing for a “return to normalcy” but many of them still have reservations when it comes to using public transport, especially the railway system. We find out the reasons behind these doubts and what the industry can do to ease their worries.

Other News Sources

• Network Rail awards contract to hyperTunnelNetwork Rail has awarded a contract to tunnelling and underground construction technology start-up hyperTunnel to work on non-disruptive tunnel construction, enlargement and repair work.
• Grant Shapps ’was architect’ of amber watchlist he later opposed [subscription]Grant Shapps is facing a backlash from other ministers after the government abandoned plans for a new international travel watchlist.