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

Tuesday, 17 August 2021

Government

• Competition winners to deliver UK's first hydrogen transport trials in Tees ValleyNew technology trials will lead to emergency services, supermarkets and delivery companies using cleaner, greener hydrogen-powered vehicles.

BBC News

• Reading West railway station's £3.3m revamp works startWork has started on a £3.3m revamp of Reading West railway station. The first phase of the project aims to widen and realign the pavement on Oxford Road in the town to make space for a new station building.
• Tesla Autopilot: US opens official investigation into self-driving techThe investigation covers all Tesla cars since 2014, focusing on crashes with emergency vehicles.
• Aberdeen bypass compensation claims could be worth millionsThe £1bn Aberdeen road fully opened in 2019, with compulsory purchase orders used for land on the route.
• Nearly every London school in high air pollution area, report saysSome 98% of London schools are in areas with high air pollution, City Hall analysis suggests.
• Glasgow transport boss suspended amid cloned car claimsGordon Maclennan, chief executive of SPT, denies owning two cars with identical registration numbers.

ITV News

• Rail commuters warned of disruption during work to improve 43 miles of trackRail passengers in Sussex are being warned of disruption to journeys this week due to improvement works.

Financial Times

• Airline industry adjusts to future of weather extremesStorms, wildfire smoke and heat that reduces aircraft lift have disrupted flights this summer

The Telegraph

• Branson risks losing control over Virgin Galactic board [subscription]The billionaire’s recent $300m share sale leaves him barely above a threshold at which he can appoint three of directors

Times Online

• Push for hydrogen energy will increase household bills [subscription]Household gas bills are expected to rise under plans to switch more than a third of Britain’s energy use to low-carbon hydrogen gas within 30 years.
• Inquiry into ’cloned car’ of transport boss [subscription]An investigation is under way into Scotland’s highest-paid public transport boss over allegations he used a “cloned car”.

Network Rail

• Major 16-day railway overhaul completed in Manchester as part of the Transpennine Route UpgradeRailway passengers in Greater Manchester move one step closer to faster, more frequent, more reliable trains after major railway upgrades were completed on time between Manchester Victoria, Rochdale and Stalybridge.
• Passengers thanked after major Trent Valley Line railway upgradePassengers are being thanked for their patience after work to improve future journeys between Rugby and Stafford.

Sky News

• Government hydrogen power plans will result in missed climate targets, says environmental groupNew government plans to make hydrogen from natural gas could result in the UK missing its target for cutting carbon emissions to net zero, climate change campaigners have warned.

Belfast Telegraph

• Taxi crisis: Not just Belfast that has driver shortage, it is whole of Northern IrelandConor McGinley, a taxi driver for more than 18 years, said the industry is increasingly struggling to attract and retain workers: “It isn’t just Belfast that has a shortage of drivers, it's the whole of the north.

Bristol Live

• Bristol Mayor calls for law to wear masks on buses and trains"It's not about you and your health so much. It's about reducing the likelihood of you being someone who transmits the virus to someone else"
• Jet2 announce expansion to its Bristol Airport winter sun destinationsThe flights will be running from the winter of 2022

London Evening Standard

• London Ulez: 530,000 drivers warned they face £12.50 daily fee as ultra-low emission zone expandsHalf a million drivers of vehicles that would incur the ultra-low emission zone charge when it is expanded have been sent personalised warning letters from Transport for London.

Northern Echo

• East Coast Mainline: Former transport chief criticises planned rail cutsONE of northern England’s outgoing transport chiefs has criticised plans for a major overhaul of rail timetables on the East Coast Mainline.

Carlisle News & Star

• Avanti West Coast invests £45 million to upgrade Wi-Fi coverage on West Coast Main LineMobile and Wi-Fi infrastructure on the West Coast Main Line is set for a £45 million boost, giving travellers - and people who live near the line - better internet connectivity.

Kent Online

• Rail-line re-opens as landslip work at Bearsted is completedDisruption on the rail-line between Maidstone East and Ashford International is over. After a nine-day line closure, the line re-opened this morning.

Other Regional Press

• How to cut half a million car journeys and 32k tonnes of carbon in a year? A new regional railway is the answerPlans to revive forgotten railway stations around the north-east won’t just benefit rural residents, but could actually help save the planet.
• West Midlands Train backs nationally campaign and vows trains are Covid safeWEST Midlands Railway (WMR) says it is currently carrying half of its pre pandemic levels of passengers as the firm gets behind a national campaign to get people back on trains. 
• £22m upgrade which has closed West Sussex railway for 9 days will ’massively improve reliability’A £22m upgrade to the West Sussex railway network is underway – and the work is set to offer improved reliability for passengers.

Bikebiz

• Views sought on new crossings proposed in WiganResidents in Wigan can now give their views on several proposed new crossings that will enable more people to make short journeys on foot or by bike in the borough.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Better Value Rail Toolkit launchesA new toolkit has launched to bring together the best ideas for rail projects and make the delivery of transport infrastructure projects faster and cheaper.   The Department for Transport, Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road officially launched the Better Value Rail Toolkit last week.    Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: “This is a brilliant new website that brings together the best thinking and ideas from across the rail industry and allows everyone to access it.   “We have created a toolkit for early-stage thinking that will make the delivery of...

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 sets out key milestones for delivery in 2022HS2 Ltd has outlined key dates for project milestones for the next three years in its Corporate Plan 2021-24 adding a clear focus on the challenges for the coming 12 months.

Rail Advent

• TransPennine Express opens new £48,000 cycle facility at Manchester AirportThe partnership involved in the initiative includes TransPennine Express, Transport for Greater Manchester and the Department for Transport via Sustrans.

Railnews

• Rail industry hits back at Covid risk claims A claim in a newspaper report that 'hundreds of commuters could die from catching Covid on trains over the next four months' has been rejected by the Rail Delivery Group as 'highly misleading'. It is launching a new campaign to promote rail today.

Other News Sources

• Harlow Council lobbying for a London Underground extensionAn extension of the London Underground’s Central line to reach the town of Harlow is being proposed by the local council, as part of a range of ideas to improve transport links to London as the town is planning to add some 19,000 new homes over the next decade.
• BT partners with Avanti West Coast in £45m dealPartnership will boost connectivity on Avanti West Coast network
• Network Rail seeks ideas to unlock passenger demand detail from mobile network dataDeveloping new solutions and capabilities to understand passenger demand, journey times, crowding and performance on the railway is the main focus of a periodic indicative notice issued by Network Rail.
• Gatwick Airport announces £244m loss in first six months of 2021Chief executive Stewart Wingate has called on the Government not to allow UK travel to "lag behind the US and Europe"