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

Thursday, 02 September 2021

BBC News

• Scotrail engineers vote for strike action after pay talks collapseAbout 250 workers who maintain and repair trains backed strike action in a dispute over pay and conditions.
• Bolton-Wigan £78m rail electrification project announcedThe line between Bolton and Wigan is to be upgraded in a move described as a
• Shipyard turnaround is 'most challenging in UK'The man tasked with sorting out the troubled Ferguson Marine says there is still a lot to do.

Financial Times

• US truck fleets seek out foreign drivers to solve labour shortageMexico, Canada and South Africa are among the countries in recruiters’ focus

The Guardian

• Without help for oil-producing countries, net zero by 2050 is a distant dream | Ali Allawi and Fatih BirolTo meet climate targets and avoid economic collapse, countries such as Iraq need international support in the transition to clean energy• Ali Allawi is deputy prime minister and finance minister of Iraq. Fatih Birol is executive director of the International Energy AgencyIn the Middle East and north Africa, global warming is not a distant threat, but an already painful reality. Rising temperatures are exacerbating water shortages. In Iraq, temperatures are estimated to be rising as much as seven times faster than the global average. Countries in this region are not only uniquely affected by gl...

The Telegraph

• Sunak’s freeports risk delays over lack of clarity [subscription]Accountants say ministers are dragging their heels on providing detail about the freeport tax regime
• Ryanair boss slams ‘monstrously stupid’ travel restrictions [subscription]Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has attacked the Government’s traffic light rules and called for a simplified system for foreign travel.

Times Online

• Greener E10 petrol bars older cars from one in five forecourts [subscription]About a fifth of petrol stations will be effectively out of bounds to drivers of older cars after the shift towards a new eco-friendly alternative fuel, The Times has learnt.
• Shell to spark growth with electric vehicle chargers [subscription]Royal Dutch Shell plans to install 50,000 on-street electric vehicle chargers in Britain by 2025 to cement its leading position in the market.

Mail Online

• Fury as passengers face huge queues during fourth day of chaos at HeathrowPictures at Heathrow from around midday showed long snaking lines of travellers packed closely together with no social distancing, as some aired themselves with leaflets in an attempt to stay cool.

The Mirror

• Fury as Heathrow passengers face hours of airport delays at 'because of Covid checks'Families have spoken out about the delays and one man even compared the queues to those that happened during the dying days of the Soviet Union. Queues occurred as travel lists were updated

Bolton News

• First Clean Air Zone enforcement camera installed in BoltonThe first roadside camera to enforce the Clean Air Zone policy across Greater Manchester has been installed in Bolton.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyside politicians slam 'shameful' treatment of 'heroic' Merseyrail workforce MPs, Mayor of Liverpool and cross-party councillors call on rail firm to sort out treatment of cleaning staff at stations and on trains

London Evening Standard

• Wizz Air will insist on staff having Covid vaccine from DecemberAn airline has said it will require its flight crews to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by December.
• Demand for rail travel back to two-thirds of pre-Covid levelsPublic transport groups have expressed concern that the pandemic has put millions of people off using the railway.

Other Regional Press

• Partnership to convert landfill waste into hydrogen for transportRENEWABLE fuels company Raven SR has entered into an agreement with a Republic Services sanitary landfill in Northern California to convert organic waste into hydrogen that can be sold at commercial fuel stations.
• Transport Secretary urged to stop council pushing "anti-motoring agenda" in BathThe Transport Secretary is being urged to stop council leaders installing a ring of steel around Bath to “further their anti-motoring agenda”.
• Plans for £1.2m cycle lane along coastline make progressProposals to build an enlarged cycle lane in east Kent which will pass through Ministry of Defence land are progressing "positively", it has emerged.

Business Live

• Number plate cameras installed as Greater Manchester rolls out one of Europe's biggest clean air zonesNumber plate recognition cameras are being put in place ahead of the launch of the Greater Manchester-wide Clean Air Zone, set to launch in the spring.
• Bolton to Wigan railway line to be electrified in major £78m upgradeIt's hoped to make journey times shorter - and lower operating costs and carbon savings for passengers

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 | Three bidders shortlisted to build Birmingham Interchange stationHS2 Ltd has announced the shortlist of bidders for the contract to build the eco-friendly Interchange Station at the heart of the UK’s newHigh Speed 2 (HS2) rail network in Solihull.
• Engineer backs plan to link Scottish islands with subsea tunnelsA leading Scottish engineer has backed proposals for undersea road tunnels which could improve the connectivity of Scotland's island communities.
• Smart motorway tech failures raise further safety concernsComputer systems controlling smart motorway signs crashed three times in four days in April this year, adding to fears for drivers’ safety.
• Crossrail prepares for ‘pivotal’ autumn with tunnel fit-out, software rollout and station work to doCrossrail and its contractors are entering a “pivotal” few months, according to the project’s chief executive Mark Wild.

Rail Business Daily

• Exporting overseas made easier with TfL, Network Rail and HS2 reference schemeThe Rail Supply Group (RSG), working in partnership with Government, is delighted to announce that Transport for London (TfL) is the latest significant project sponsor to provide a simplified project reference scheme for suppliers seeking to export their services or products overseas.

Other News Sources

• Councillors set to hand Dundee Museum of Transport cash boost over plans for new homeA plan to turn the old Maryfield Tram Depot into Dundee Museum of Transport’s new home is set to receive a £20,000 boost from councillors.
• Sheffield City Region bids for £11.5m transport fundingThe Sheffield City Region Mayoral Combined Authority has submitted a bid for £11.5m funding to support transport projects in the region.
• What impact will E10 have on transport and drivers?E10 has rolled out across Britain’s forecourts but how green it is and what will it cost drivers?
• National transport charity appoints new Scotland directorNational shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) has appointed Rachael Murphy as its new Scotland director.
• Portsmouth transport bosses are set to ditch double yellow lines plan on residential streetControversial plans to paint double yellow lines along with length of a residential street in Paulsgrove are set to be shelved.
• Over £1.8 billion spent across the south on improvements with passengers returning to the railway more than 18 months after the first lockdownNetwork Rail’s Southern region has invested over £1.8 billion in the railway to support the country in its mission to ‘build back better’ so passengers can feel confident and safe when they return to travelling by train.
• HS2 Ltd shortlists bidders to build Interchange Station in SolihullHS2 Ltd has announced the shortlist of bidders for the contract to build the eco-friendly Interchange Station at the heart of the UK’s new high speed rail network in Solihull.

News from Europe

• Transport operator partners to offer mobility-as-a-service in the NetherlandsArriva’s Glimble app is powered by Moovit’s technology and provides public transport information, travel planning and mobile payment for all forms of public and shared transport country-wide.