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

Wednesday, 25 August 2021

BBC News

• Ryanair to end flights at Belfast airportsIt will cease flights from Belfast City Airport in September and from Belfast International Airport in October.
• Virgin Hyperloop unveils new pod concept videoThe high-speed evacuated-tube transportation company reveals its plans for passenger pods

ITV News

• South Western Railway considers cuts to services post-Covid putting jobs at riskThere are fears that hundreds of train services and thousands of jobs are at risk across the South East because of new ways of working following Covid.

Financial Times

• Maersk: green fuel for the great freight rate debateDecarbonisation is one reason why inflation in shipping overheads will take a long time to unwind
• Maersk points the way to a lower-carbon futureGlobal shipping industry risks being a laggard in cutting emissions

The Guardian

• Ryanair to stop all flights from Northern IrelandThe airline is pulling out of both Belfast City and Belfast international airports, having already left DerryRyanair is to stop all flights from both Belfast international airport and Belfast City airport, in a further blow to connectivity between Northern Ireland and the rest of Europe.The airline blamed government passenger duty and the absence of any Covid recovery incentives for the two airports. Continue reading...
• UK plunges towards supply chain crisis due to staff and transport disruptionShortage of workers and disruption caused by Covid and Brexit push retail stock to 38-year low. Britain's economy has been plunged into a supply chain crisis, with major retailers stock levels at their the lowest since 1983 as a result of worker shortages and transport disruption caused by Covid and Brexit.In a development that suggests recovery from the pandemic could be at risk, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said stock levels in relation to expected sales fell to their lowest level in August since it began tracking retail industry trends almost four decades ago.

The Herald

• UK minister blasts Holyrood over transport review and threatens to contact Scots councilsTHE UK Government may appeal directly to Scottish councils about transport improvements if Holyrood ministers do not engage with a Westminster review.

The Telegraph

• £1.2bn East Coast rail upgrade delayed until 2023 [subscription]Cracks on Hitachi trains and power supply problems blamed for delays to improvements that could add 40 more daily servivces on the route
• Maersk goes green with methanol-powered container ships [subscription]Order for eight zero-carbon container ships by world's largest container line highlights demand for environmentally friendly sea freight
• Hybrid passenger plane makes landmark test flight from Exeter to Newquay [subscription]Ampaire's hybrid electric aircraft completes first UK flight to show environmentally friendly air travel is viable on new regional routes
• Longer, ‘greener’ lorries could be rolled out on Britain’s roads next year [subscription]Longer-semi trailers could save up to one in eight journeys by fitting more freight in, according to Department for Transport

Times Online

• Tesla sales speed to £1bn in Britain [subscription]Sales of Tesla electric cars topped £1 billion in Britain last year.
• Maersk will push boat out for green cargo shipsThe world’s biggest freight shipping group is to invest $1.4 billion in eight giant new vessels that are able to run on
• East coast rail upgrade faces delay of over a year [subscription]A big transformation of the railways between London, Yorkshire and the northeast and Edinburgh looks set to be delayed by more than a year with a re-timetabling of a premier intercity route probably scrapped.

Sky News

• Ryanair blames UK government and Belfast airports as it pulls out of Northern IrelandThe carrier said it was stopping routes from Belfast airports, blaming the "refusal" of ministers to suspend or cut air passenger duty and a lack of "COVID recovery incentives" from the two hubs.

Hull Daily Mail

• Council transport boss promises things will get better at the 'end of the road'Councillor Dean Kirk said he understands people's frustration and thanked motorists for their patience

Leeds Live

• Leeds hands £1.5m of clean air grants back to GovernmentIt's money that was earmarked for the now abandoned clean air zone plans
• How the wasted opportunity of a 'Supertram' scheme could have transformed LeedsThe scheme was widely discussed in the 2000s, but was eventually ditched - condemning the city to congestion and car fumes

Other Regional Press

• London Underground Elizabeth line: Old Oak residents furious as they slam creation of 'West London's Canary Wharf'A "thriving new area" is being created at Old Oak Common and Park Royal in West London - at the only point where HS2 will meet the Elizabeth line.
• Heathrow residents demand end to night flights as they're extended to 2025A couple who've lived in a nearby village since 1978 are fuming over the flights
• Fuel and car taxes may have to go up to fund better transport, North transport chief saysAn "honest conversation" is needed on potentially increasing fuel and car taxes to fund transport, the new chief executive of Transport for the North (TfN) has told YorkshireLive .
• HS2 Minister responds to reports of eastern leg of scheme being scrappedThere were reports that the phase linking Birmingham to Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds would be cancelled in a bid to save £40 billion

New Civil Engineer

• Why HS2’s eastern leg is important to Northern Powerhouse RailHigh Speed 2 (HS2) and Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) are “interdependent” and both need to be delivered in full, according to NPR director Tim Wood.
• Gatwick to launch fresh consultation on airport expansionGatwick Airport is set to unveil a fresh consultation on its plans to put its northern runway into passenger use.

Railway Gazette

• Composite mast aims to make electrification cheaper, greener and smarter UK: A prototype composite Innovative Mast for Green Electrification is being developed with the aim of reducing the energy required to install overhead electrification, reduce costs and provide smart data to support maintenance planning.

The Business Desk

• Transport software and data firm opens second Scottish office focused on EV techLancaster-based Miralis Data, a transport-focused software and data science company, has expanded to open a second location in Scotland, while securing funding to tackle EV bay hogging and support charge point accessibility.

Other News Sources

• Major road upgrades between the M5 and Bristol Airport proposedA Somerset council has committed £1.5million towards its share of major road upgrades to ensure faster journey times between Bristol Airport and the M5.
• Transport for Wales presses ahead with South Wales Metro upgradesThe new improvements will see electric tram-trains running on the South Wales Metro, in what Transport for Wales hopes will a revolutionary improvement for the region’s transport network.