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

Sunday, 29 August 2021

BBC News

• Hire UK workers to drive lorries, minister tells firmsThe business secretary rejects calls to relax immigration rules as companies struggle to fill vacancies.
• 'I want to cycle without the fear of being hurt'A new safety campaign hopes to remind drivers there is a real person behind every cyclist.

The Guardian

• Offices and schools about to reopen - but will commuters return?Service levels and jobs as risk as ministers, rail firms and health officials fret over passenger numbers on the railways
• A bridge too far: can Sydney overcome nimbyism to become a cycling city?One of the world’s most feted pieces of transport infrastructure currently lets down an increasingly popular mode of transport: the bicycle.

The Scotsman

• New doubts over planned sale of Scottish Government-owned Prestwick AirportNew doubts about the sale of Scottish Government-owned Prestwick Airport have been raised amid speculation its preferred bidder has lowered its offer.
• ScotRail's facing new crisis just as passenger numbers recover - Alastair DaltonI write about ScotRail more often than pretty much any other transport topic – and not without good reason.

The Telegraph

• Smart motorways systems dubbed ‘Die Now’ crashed three times in just four days [subscription]In an exclusive investigation, The Telegraph reveals how bugs in the UK’s road signalling systems are putting motorists’ lives in danger. ... Signals across hundreds of miles of the M1, M4, M5 and M62 could not be changed prompting a “horrified” whistleblower at National Highways, the rebranded Highways England, to warn “someone is going to get killed”.

Times Online

• Electric car push puts front gardens in peril, warns Alan Titchmarsh [subscription]Sacrificing grass and flowers to build chargepoints is ‘paving the way to disaster’

City AM

• August sees highest numbers of commuters into the City this yearAugust has seen the highest number of commuters travelling into the City since the pandemic began, new data from Transport for London (TfL) today shows.
• Cazoo shares rise on New York debut in fast start to firm's 'next chapter'Used car platform Cazoo ended its first day of trading as a public firm up 7.6 per cent after the firm made its long-awaited stock market debut yesterday.

Daily Record

• Shamed public transport boss handed £1million of taxpayers' cash to train firm in secret deal over botched Subway contractGordon Maclennan – who quit as ­chief ­executive of Strathclyde ­Partnership for ­Transport (SPT) after we exposed him for ­driving an illegal cloned car – ­personally ­negotiated the ­payment to ­Spanish firm CAF.

Birmingham Mail

• Midland motorway services 'worst in UK' - and those named the bestWe can also see which are the best and worst motorways for service stops

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Lifeline for Anglesey parents who feared bus revamp would leave kids strandedThere were fears that children who paid for the daily transport to schools outside of their catchment area would be left behind

Other Regional Press

• Old railway bridge at Warrington Central station is removedA MASSIVE old railway bridge has been removed in Warrington. Throughout the bank holiday weekend, engineers are replacing two railway bridges close to Central Station as part of £5million works.

Train Operators

• Ely rail station ‘turf wars’ as Greater Anglia staff battle to create the best floral displayGreater Anglia staff at Ely station are on a mission to delight passengers with flowers, holding a competition to see who can create the best display.

British Trams Online

• Shadow Transport Secretary visits West Midlands Metro extension construction worksJim McMahon, the Labour Shadow Transport Secretary, has recently visited Birmingham where he has seen first-hand the work underway to construct extensions of the West Midlands Metro network. During his visit he praised the work which has happened already and also called for work on the heavy rail network in the region – the Midlands Rail Hub – to be given the full go-ahead.

New Civil Engineer

• Watch: Why adapting existing infrastructure is key to achieving net zero targetsIn this session, Transport for London’s walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman discusses repurposing roads for active travel and understanding the impact of Covid-19 on our urban areas.
• Watch: How hyperloop and traditional rail can collaborateVirgin Hyperloop senior director of global business development Diana Zhou joins NCE features editor Nadine Buddoo to explore how hyperloop and the traditional rail industry can collaborate to drive economic competitiveness, reduce emissions and increase passenger and cargo volumes.

Rail Advent

• Transport for Wales moves forward with plans to transform South Wales MetroThe project by Transport for Wales (TfW) will be underway on the Core Valley Lines for the Metro during late summer and will bring the Ј750,000 transformation which has been partially funded via the European Regional Development Fund through Welsh Government. The scheme will mean faster and more frequent services running between Cardiff and the Head of the Valleys which includes Aberdare.

Other News Sources

• New phone charging service takes off at Bristol AirportBristol Airport has become only the second UK airport to install a new power bank rental service, so passengers can charge their phones before they fly.