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

Monday, 23 August 2021

BBC News

• RMT threatens strike action over legionella on trainsA rail union has said it will consider strike action over the threat of "potentially lethal" legionella bacteria found on Thameslink trains.
• Boris Johnson's Irish Sea tunnel vision - roadworthy or pipe dream?A BBC documentary asks how serious is Boris Johnson about a link from Scotland to Northern Ireland?
• Dame Ellen MacArthur to advise ministers on environmentThe round-the-world yachtswoman is among the experts appointed to a new Scottish government committee.

Financial Times

• Executives warn of growing container ship shortages Orders for new vessels are surging but availability is still unlikely to keep pace with global logistics demand

The Guardian

• HS2 eastern leg to Leeds may be scrapped, new leak claimsTory MPs celebrate demise of a hugely expensive white elephant while other northern leaders dismayed. Northern leaders have reacted with dismay to further claims that HS2's eastern leg to Leeds may be scrapped, while some red wall Tory MPs celebrated the mooted demise of a hugely expensive white elephant. All summer, leaks from Whitehall have suggested the government is likely to ditch plans to extend the high-speed rail to Leeds.
• Rail workers threaten to strike over legionella toilet outbreakRMT union calls for urgent meeting after ‘potentially lethal’ bacteria found in Thameslink trainsA union has declared a dispute with a rail operator, claiming there has been a “potentially lethal” legionella outbreak on its trains.The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said it has prepared its members on Thameslink for strikes if urgent action is not taken to resolve the issue. Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• Shipping shortage storing up freight trouble [subscription]Orders for new vessels are near 20 year lows just as pollution rules are raising costs

Times Online

• SNP’s road-building pledges under threat in Green alliance [subscription]The new SNP-Greens alliance in Scotland has been accused of trying to force motorists to ditch their cars with its plan to suspend road-building across the country.
• Self-driving electric vans and buses arrive in UK [subscription]As business winds down at a delivery van depot in Bristol, vehicles head to cleaning bays and electric ones go to the recharging bay as the fleet parks up for the night.

Sky News

• 'Cowboy behaviour': Dozens of COVID testing providers to be removed from GOV.UK list after reviewMore than 50 companies will be removed from the government's list of approved COVID-19 testing providers.

Birmingham Post

• Online cycling platform Love to Ride secures cash to expandThe tech firm launched in 2015 and has already grown to have more than 550,000 users

Bolton News

• Diamond Bus forced to withdraw services after vandalismA SPATE of vandal attacks forced the cancellation of bus services to and from Bolton.

Bristol Live

• M32 flooded and blocked both ways after 10-hour Met Office rain warning - as it happenedThe motorway after forecastsers warned to expect disruption

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen)

• Concerns as rail improvement works ’no further forward’ 13 years onLess than a hundredth of a £200 million fund set aside to improve the north-east’s rail infrastructure has been spent – 13 years after it was first announced.

The York Press

• This popular half price bus ticket for families has been extendedTHE discounted 'All York Family' bus ticket offer will now continue until the end of the school holidays.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• New bus interchange gets green light as part of £30.9 transport schemeThe on-going regeneration of Perry Barr ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has taken another step forward – with the approval of plans for a new bus interchange.

Other Regional Press

• Academy launched by Grantham fuel distributor to train more tanker driversA fuel distributor based in Grantham have launched an academy to train a new generation of tanker drivers.
• Fears A38 faces 'year-long closures' for HS2 construction workStaffordshire residents are concerned there will be "year-long closures" on the A38 to accommodate HS2 construction work.
• Letters: Why cycling infrastructure must be built up across all North YorkshireI WAS delighted to read that North Yorkshire County Council intends to support the Bikeability training schemes for school pupils “Cash to boost cycling” (D&S Times, Aug 6).
• Central London Underground station with a piece of Essex insideThe London Underground is one of the most iconic transport networks across the globe and in Essex we're lucky enough to be connected with it.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Nick Harris appointed Chief Executive at new-look National HighwaysNick Harris has been confirmed as the new Chief Executive of the government company which builds and operates the country’s motorways and major A-roads.  This comes as Highways England and the Department for Transport announced that Highways England will change its name to ’National Highways’, heralding a new era for strategic roads.  This reflects the new focus the company has on delivering the government’s £27 billion strategic roads investment programme, while also continuing to set highways standards for the whole UK. Harris will lead the organisa...
• National Highways accelerates switch to lower carbon asphalts National Highways is accelerating the use of warm mix asphalts as standard across its supply chain, as part of a drive toward net zero carbon emissions. The Government-owned company, previously named Highways England, has been using the material since 2015, and a collaborative programme with the supply chain and extensive research now means it can be used freely across the Strategic Road Network.  Previously requiring an application for a departure from standard, National Highways is now asking all those involved in the construction and/or maintenance of the strategic road network, par...

New Civil Engineer

• A2 bridge beam installation to go ahead after Cleveland Bridge administration delayBridge beams for the Bean and Ebbsfleet bridge on the A2 in Kent will be installed this weekend following a delay caused by beam manufacturer Cleveland Bridge going into administration.
• Watch: The importance of transport for Greater ManchesterTransport for Greater Manchester head of rail programme Simon Elliott explains the wider strategy for delivering infrastructure development to enhance connectivity throughout the Greater Manchester area.
• Watch: East West Rail boss outlines coming milestones for projectEast West Rail Company head of operations Maria Cliff outlines the key milestones ahead for the project to connect Oxford and Cambridge.

Rail Advent

• Major 16-day railway overhaul completed in Manchester as part of the Transpennine Route UpgradeMonday the 16th of August 2021 saw the work completed on time for the project undertaken by Network Rail in central Manchester to reconstruct and strengthen railway bridges as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

road.cc

• Brighton Council reassures residents after naked bike riders spotted on rental bikesBrighton and Hove council has reassured locals that all rental bikes used by riders during the Naked Bike Ride were cleaned 'appropriately'. 

The Business Desk

• End of the line for HS2’s multibillion-pound Eastern legThe eastern leg of HS2, linking Birmingham with Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds, are set to be mothballed in a bid to save £40bn.

Other News Sources

• New Whitechapel station ticket hall opens — but Elizabeth line still under wrapsThe new ticket hall connecting the Elizabeth line at Whitechapel station to the London Underground opens for today's rush hour (August 23).
• Scotrail bids to axe train services in post-covid timetable - here's what you need to knowScotRail is proposing changes to its timetable for the whole of Scotland from next May
• Local heroes have names emblazoned on GWR trainTwo local heroes have had their names emblazoned on the side of a train which speeds through the South Devon countryside.
• STAGECOACH LAUNCHES NEW SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY WITH CALL FOR “RADICAL BEHAVIOUR CHANGE AND INCENTIVES TO REWARD THE RIGHT CHOICES” TO MAKE NET ZERO A REALITYStagecoach today (23 August 2021) launched a new long-term sustainability strategy with a call for “radical behaviour change and incentives to reward the right choices” to make national government net zero ambitions a reality.
• Legionella bacteria found in Thameslink train toiletsA UNION has declared a dispute with a rail operator, claiming there has been a “potentially lethal” Legionella outbreak on its trains.