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

Wednesday, 01 September 2021

BBC News

• Naked Attraction London bus ads to be removed"Creepy" advertising on the sides of some London buses will be removed, Transport for London (TfL) has said.
• Ryanair predicts rapid rebound in airline travelThe budget carrier will launch 14 new routes from London airports this winter, creating 500 new jobs.
• Cowes Floating Bridge: Ferry out of action during tourist influxA troubled chain ferry remains suspended after a fault prevented it running over the bank holiday weekend

Department for Transport

• Green light given for Wigan to Bolton electrificationMajor upgrade, including electrification and longer electric trains, to railway line between Wigan and Bolton announced.

Financial Times

• Shell in push to fit 50,000 UK electric vehicle charging points Potential boost for low-emission transport could give energy group one-third of Britain’s on-street sites
• Activist calls for Canadian National CEO to quit after rail deal hits hurdleChris Hohn says group misjudged US regulator’s review of $34bn bid for Kansas City Southern
• Norwegian Air expects rise in bookings as travel restrictions easeFinancial position improves but airline provides no profit guidance for this year due to uncertainty
• Ryanair predicts return to pre-pandemic passenger numbers this winterChief Michael O’Leary upbeat as airline launches new routes after rebound, while Jet2 buys aircraft

The Guardian

• We can’t build our way out of the environmental crisisNew infrastructure projects are all the rage, post-pandemic. But who benefits from a rising tide of concrete?
• Air pollution is slashing years off the lives of billions, report findsDirty air is a far greater killer than smoking, car crashes or HIV/Aids, with coal burning the leading causeAir pollution is cutting short the lives of billions of people by up to six years, according to a new report, making it a far greater killer than smoking, car crashes or HIV/Aids.Coal burning is the principal culprit, the researchers said, and India is worst affected, with the average citizen dying six years early. China has slashed air pollution in the last seven years, but dirty air is still cutting 2.6 years from its people’s lifespan. Continue reading...

The Herald

• SNP and Greens warned over lack of transport and farming net zero plansSNP and Green ministers have been told to urgency explain how transport and farming emissions will be cut at a faster rate than the rest of the UK.

Times Online

• Who can use the new greener E10 petrol? [subscription]New greener petrol will be introduced to service stations across Britain from today despite fears that hundreds of thousands of drivers still do not know whether their car can use it without being damaged.

City AM

• London Underground halfway back to pre-pandemic levels as Tube passenger returnThe number of passengers using the London Underground has hit about 50 per cent of pre-pandemic levels on weekdays for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Daily Record

• CalMac cancels Arran ferry sailings as Covid hits crew againCalMac have axed dozens of sailings after a member of their crew tested positive for Covid.

Network Rail

• Network Rail transforms Northamptonshire work compound into first habitat to protect wildlife following major railway upgradesNetwork Rail has transformed a site in Finedon – which was a temporary work compound whilst vital railway upgrades took place – into a specific area to protect wildlife for years to come.
• Key Manchester rail route gets 21st century signalling upgradeA once in a generation overhaul of Manchester’s railway signalling system is complete to improve future journeys for passengers and freight.

Sky News

• Nine cyber attacks on UK's transport sector missed by mandatory reporting lawsThe thresholds set for the mandatory reporting of cyber incidents across the energy, transport, health, water, and digital infrastructure sectors are so high that few if any incidents are actually being reported to government.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Jet2 orders fleet of new Airbus planes as it eyes future growthYEADON-based Jet2 has announced it has ordered new Airbus planes in a bid to meet the anticipated growth of its leisure travel business.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Summer holiday with Jet2 could be on new planes with bigger baggage bins as Airbus deal signedThe airline has placed an initial order for 36 A321neos, its first with the European planemaker

Edinburgh Evening News

• Scotrail branded a 'joke' by passengers after confirming new Edinburgh to Glasgow fareScotrail has announced they will be launching a new flexible ticket for customers travelling from Edinburgh to Glasgow but once they revealed the cost, many hit back saying it was too expensive.

London Evening Standard

• Heathrow arrivals face another day of delaysOne traveller wrote on Twitter that he was stuck in a three-hour queue for families with children on Tuesday.
• Network Rail urges lorries to be more careful after crash delays thousandsA Tesco delivery vehicle caused heavy damage to a railway bridge on Monday, forcing the railway line that connects Cornwall and Plymouth to close.

The York Press

• New look Malton train station unveiled after revampA STATION revamp to improve facilities for rail customers is now complete.

Yorkshire Post

• Northern Oyster Card idea faces major challenges - despite 'outdated' current system, report warnsHopes of introducing an Oyster Card-style system for public transport across the North face multiple hurdles, transport bosses have warned.

Other Regional Press

• Wester Ross ferry operator CalMac flags fears over poor passenger face covering compliance amid surge in Covid casesA ferry operator running a lifeline route between Wester Ross and Stornoway has issued an appeal to passengers to continue wearing masks amid concerns about staff testing positive for Covid.
• John Lamont to meet with ScotRail over proposed service cutsA BORDERS MP has promised to meet with train operator ScotRail after the company announced cuts to the Borders Railway timetable.
• Bus routes in BCP could be changingCHANGES could be on the way next year for bus routes – with a stakeholder consultation likely to take place this autumn.
• Weymouth rail station gateway facing budget shortfallCUTS may need to be made to the redesign of the Weymouth rail station ‘gateway’ – unless extra funding can be guaranteed by October when work is due to start.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Transport for Wales launches transport planning public surveyTransport for Wales (TfW) is asking the public to take part in a survey that will help future transport planning following the covid-19 pandemic.

New Civil Engineer

• Newcastle station work continues this monthThe next phase of Newcastle Central Station’s multimillion pound transformation project will begin this month, following the appointment of construction company Tolent to lead the works.
• Cambridge metro delivery company yet to be wound up after new mayor pulls the project’s plugThree directors remain in post at Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM) delivery firm One Cam four months after new Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority's (CPCA) mayor Nik Johnson suspended work on the project.
• Gatwick expansion opponents slam airport’s ‘deceitful’ delivery planProposals to expand Gatwick to a dual-runway airport are “deceitful” and fail to adequately consider the impact expansion will have on the surrounding area, according to one campaign group.

Rail Advent

• Eversholt signs £10m Class 375 modifications contract with LSEREversholt Rail has announced today (31st August 2021) that it has placed a contract with LSER (Southeastern) worth up to Ј10m to carry out modifications to its 112 Class 375 trains.

Aviation Industry

• Edinburgh Airport’s solar sustainability solutionFlying is known to be one of the highest polluting modes of transport. Edinburgh Airport is playing its part in reducing the airline industry’s carbon footprint with a plan to develop a solar farm to provide 26% of its energy needs and assist it on its journey to becoming carbon neutral. We profile the project and detail the airport’s new sustainability strategy.

Other News Sources

• France’s Colas buys Finnish rail and road builderFrench contractor Colas is to acquire 1,600-strong Finnish rail and road builder Destia from family-run Ahlström Capital Group for an undisclosed amount.
• Ministers Urged To ‘Put An End’ To HS2 DoubtsMinisters have been urged by a business organisation to “put an end to any lingering uncertainty” over HS2.
• HS2 expected to require 26,500 construction workers at peakA University of Dundee spinout has published a report which forecasts the labour and skills requirements for the HS2 project.
• TransPennine Express agrees to scrap overnight train storage in Scarborough after residents win noise battleA rail operator has said it will no longer keep trains overnight at a new £7 million depot in Scarborough after local residents complained that the noise was making their lives a misery.
• Stagecoach buses cancelled in Eastbourne due to driver shortageDRIVER shortages are leading to the cancellation of buses.