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

Tuesday, 31 August 2021

BBC News

• Porthmadog: Drivers told to stop ignoring level crossing lightsDrivers have been warned not to ignore railway crossing signs following concerns from people living in a coastal town
• Paramotor pilot shares pictures of John O'Groats-Land's End flightDaniel Jones snaps aerial images from John O'Groats to Land's End while on a very personal mission.

Financial Times

• UK launches £450m fund for energy network innovationProposals sought for heating, transport, digitalisation and system integration
• Truck drivers warn of burnout as global shortage bitesSurging demand for goods during the pandemic has increased volumes for hauliers to carry
• Mistreatment of transport workers adds to supply chain pressuresGovernments can act to help truck drivers, seafarers and pilots working in harsh conditions

The Telegraph

• Driverless cars on course for dedicated lanes to ease safety fears [subscription]The Department for Transport believes 40pc of cars sold in the UK could be driverless by 2035
• Four-hour Heathrow queues after Border Force staff sent to help Afghan refugees [subscription]Travellers claim only a quarter of passport control desks in Terminals two and five were open to handle hundreds of arrivals

Times Online

• Drivers face paying extra £70 for late parking tickets [subscription]Motorists face a “spurious” £70 charge for failing to pay parking tickets on time under government reforms.
• Charge by the mile to avoid traffic gridlock [subscription]A new system of road pricing should be introduced within five years to prevent traffic gridlock and a £30 billion black hole in the public finances, ministers have been told.
• Biggest investor calls for ‘fresh thinking’ on Rolls-Royce board [Subscription]The largest shareholder in Rolls-Royce has called for “fresh thinking” at the engine-maker.
• Staff shortage brings chaos and queues to Heathrow [Subscription]Passengers arriving at Heathrow faced queues of up to five hours over the bank holiday weekend, prompting fresh criticism of Britain’s border regime.

i News

• Bank Holiday travel chaos as passengers face ‘three hour’ queues at Heathrow AirportThe August Bank Holiday often sees travel chaos as people seize the opportunity for a final family getaway before schools return in England and Wales

Network Rail

• John Lamont MP visits Reston station siteAs work continues to create the £20m Reston station, John Lamont, Member of Parliament (MP) for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk visited site to see first-hand the progress that has been made.

London Evening Standard

• Travel mayhem on Bank Holiday as 18.4 million expected to hit roadsStaycationers have been warned of travel chaos on the roads in the UK on Monday.
• Heathrow Airport chaos as UK families face four hour queues Passengers at Heathrow Airport faced hours of queuing during the Bank Holiday weekend.

Sheffield Star

• Transport bosses prepare to close consultation on £6.65m scheme to improve links between Sheffield and RotherhamTransport bosses are preparing to close consultation on a £6.65m project scheme which aims to improve transport links between Sheffield and Rotherham

Other Regional Press

• Highways chiefs respond to Somerset cycling group criticismHIGHWAYS bosses have responded to criticism from a prominent Somerset cycling group.

New Civil Engineer

• £90M worth of Bank Holiday rail work includes HS2 prep and Brent Cross stationAround £90M of rail upgrades have been delivered over the bank holiday weekend. Major work included HS2 preparatory works at London Euston to help deliver the high-speed railway and boost capacity.
• Work begins on key chunk of South Wales Metro schemeWork started this weekend on key infrastructure works for the £738M South Wales Metro project.
• Irish Sea crossing proposals should be taken ‘with a pinch of salt’Proposals for an Irish Sea crossing should be taken “with a pinch of salt”, according to trade association Logistics UK policy manager Seamus Leheny.
• Revealed: The millions spent by DfT and National Highways fighting legal challengesA series of freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted to government departments and arm’s length government bodies has revealed that spending on legal fees has increased faster within the Department for Transport (DfT) and National Highways (Highways England) than any other organisation contacted.
• Building Whitechapel: Contractors explain challenges behind Crossrail’s complex stationContractors charged with delivering Crossrail's Whitechapel station have revealed the "complex" challenges which they had to overcome.

Rail Advent

• Virtual demonstration for Transport for Wales lab this SeptemberThe ‘Lab by Transport for Wales’ is an initiative which was created by Transport for Wales and Alt Labs and is a project which allows innovative businesses from the Wales and Borders area to bring on their ideas to improve safety, performance, and customer experience on the network.

Rail Business Daily

• Bringing nature into railway stations to improve passenger health and wellbeingThe demands for unique places, positive environments and sustainable design are becoming more and more important when it comes to transport hubs. Leading the way in creating positive experiences is placemaking furniture specialists Green Furniture Concept.
• Stadler hands over first of 53 trains over to Liverpool City RegionFollowing an intensive period of testing on the Merseyrail network and the recent authorisation from the UK rail regulator, the first of 53 trains being made by Stadler has been officially passed on to the client, Merseytravel, on behalf of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. This is a landmark achievement in a project that will seethe entire legacy fleet replaced by state-of-the-art, safe, reliable and comfortable electrical multiple units, designed to transform the passenger experience for local people.

Railway Gazette

• Battery powered rail handling machine developed for zero-emission operationUK: Unipart Rail and McCulloch Group have launched a prototype zero-emissions version of the Trac Rail Transposer rail handling machine, which can be used to remove and install bullhead, flat bottom and conductor rail in lengths from 6 m to 425 m, as well as switches and crossings.

Other News Sources

• Network Rail trains over 100,000 people with Moodle Workplace by TitusFounded in 2002, Network Rail manages much of the railway network in Britain. A state-owned private company limited by private guarantee, Network Rail handles over 20,000 miles of track for transport of people and freight and 20 of the largest stations in the UK, and supported around 1.7 billion passenger journeys in 2019 alone.
• Labour calls for retention of Pudsey bus station amid ‘town square’ ideaPudsey Labour Party have issued a ‘hands off our bus station’ warning over a Conservative initiative aiming to breathe new life into Pudsey town centre.
• Divers pour underwater concrete to protect Carlisle viaducts 11 minutes Specialist divers are pouring underwater concrete to protect two railway viaducts carrying the West Coast main line in Carlisle.
• Reopening of structurally defective Cairngorm funicular postponedThe £16M funicular reinstatement project, funded by the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), to strengthen the 1.9km viaduct that supports the railway at Cairngorm Mountain will not be completed on time or on budget.