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

Tuesday, 28 September 2021

BBC News

• Southeastern: Government takes over services after 'serious breach'The government has stripped rail operator Southeastern of its franchise after "a serious breach of good faith". Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said more than £25m of historical payments due to the Department for Transport were not paid.
• Fuel supply: Sadiq Khan calls for key worker petrol stationsLondon's mayor wants the government to act to make sure certain workers have access to fuel.
• Ford announces $11.4bn investment in electric vehicle plantsThe US carmaker vows to
• Petrol supply: Army put on standby to ease fuel crisisMilitary drivers will be trained up as a precaution, after days of long queues and pump closures.

Department for Transport

• Government takes over running of LSER services in response to over £25 million breach of franchise agreementDecision will have no impact on passengers or the frontline staff of LSER.

Financial Times

• Ford plans $11bn electric pick-up truck investment with battery maker SKPlants in Kentucky and Tennessee would employ almost 11,000 as carmaker pursues emissions goal
• Jony Ive teams up with Ferrari to develop electric carFormer Apple designer's firm LoveFrom signs deal with the Agnelli family's company
• Johnson prepares to call in army as panic buying drains UK petrol pumpsCompetition rules eased with half of garages outside motorway network estimated to have no fuel
• UK fuel crisis threatens to hit health services and industryEssential workers and transport companies seek priority for supplies as military put on standby

The Guardian

• Government to take over Southeastern after ‘serious’ breach of franchiseThe government is taking over the running of the railway operator Southeastern, owned by Go-Ahead, from mid-October after discovering a “serious” breach of the franchise agreement.
• Slow moving turtle delays five planes at Japan airportAirport workers occasionally remove stray cats and racoon dogs from the runway but turtle sightings are rare. Turtles on a Runway probably will never rival Snakes on a Plane for dramatic effect, but one reptile has made headlines after an innocent amble along the tarmac at Japan's second-busiest airport, delaying five planes.
• Boris Johnson puts army on standby amid fuel supply crisisKeir Starmer and industry leaders call on PM to do more as ministers decide against immediate deployment of troops. Boris Johnson has ordered the army to remain on standby to help fuel reach petrol stations hit by panic buying, as Keir Starmer and businesses called on him to get a grip on the shortages rippling across the economy. No 10 said army drivers would be ready to help deliver petrol and diesel on a short-term basis, but stopped short of an immediate deployment, even though some essential workers have not been able to carry out their jobs without fuel.

The Independent

• Huge Heathrow queues blamed on ‘nightmare’ new Border Force rotaPassengers at the London airport have reported hours-long queues on several occasions since May

The Telegraph

• Only one in 20 rail commuters back in office full time [subscription]More than half now expect to work from home as a rule and only head into offices ‘when required’

Times Online

• Of course there’s chaos, Whitehall is working from home [subscription]The chaos at Britain’s petrol pumps can be traced back to the absence of most civil servants from Whitehall. Less than 15 per cent of officials at the transport department’s headquarters in Horseferry Road turn up every day for work. The hapless transport secretary Grant Shapps must be frustrated he couldn’t pack a conference room with officials last week to brainstorm for solutions and avert catastrophe. Until Saturday, ministers were denying there was a crisis.
• Fuel crisis: Panic buying pushes prices to highest level for eight yearsAs queues of drivers waited hours at forecourts across the country and businesses were urged to let employees work from home, the RAC revealed that the average price of a litre of petrol across the UK increased from 135.87p on Friday to 136.59p on Sunday.

City AM

• UCL: Train commutes could make Londoners feel less stressedTrain commutes can reduce stress and anxiety for Londoners, if used to mentally prepare for the day or decompress on The post UCL: Train commutes could make Londoners feel less stressed appeared first on CityAM.

Mail Online

• Crossrail faces MORE delays: Opening of £20bn Elizabeth Line is pushed back from vague 'early 2022' launch to May - making it more than 1,000 days LATEThe beleaguered £20billion Crossrail line has been delayed yet again to next May with critics urging project bosses to have 'some real honesty' about its progress.

The Mirror

• 'Horrific' Heathrow airport queues 'due to staff forced to work 12 hour-shifts'"Nightmare" changes to Border Force rotas which mean staff are now allegedly subjected to 12-hour shifts have been partially blamed for massive queues at Heathrow airport

Birmingham Post

• Transport for Wales confirms dates for additional train services as delays hit rolloutBecause of the impact of COVID-19 over the last 18 months, some original dates, set in 2018, have had to be revised
• City return ticket for former council chief as he takes helm of Hull TrainsDavid Gibson succeeds Louise Cheeseman at the First Group entity having previously been assistant chief executive of Hull City Council
• Rolls-Royce strikes 1.7bn euro deal to sell off its Spanish ITP Aero engines businessUK engines giant is offloading hundreds of millions of pounds of assets to boost its finances

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Driver shortage sees bus firm cut services on North Wales routeA bus firm is cutting some evening services on a North Wales route due to a lack of drivers.
• Hourly trains between Llandudno and Liverpool among raft of new services promised by TfWTransport for Wales' plans for the network have been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic but will be delivered in the next three years

London Evening Standard

• Southeastern rail taken over by Government after ‘serious breach’ of franchise agreementhe Government will take over the running of Southeastern rail services following a “serious breach” of its franchise agreement, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Tuesday.

Cambridge News

• Cambridge petrol: Up to 4,000 people will be trained as new HGV drivers amid fuel crisisFree intensive courses will train drivers in new skills boot camps

Other Regional Press

• German election 2021: Why there could soon be direct trains from London to Berlin and FrankfurtThe German Green party is set to enter government meaning its plans for night trains to London are closer to becoming reality
• Coventry’s Affordable Very Light Rail Track UnveiledCoventry Very Light Rail (VLR) took a major step forward on 24 September as Coventry City Council and WMG, University of Warwick showcased a breakthrough new track design which aims to drive down the costs associated with the installation of urban light rail.
• HS2 drivers could be redeployed to help with fuel crisis, says Buckingham MPMP for Buckingham Greg Smith says government could step in 'to move those contracts over to fill temporary gaps in food supply and fuel supply'

New Civil Engineer

• Spending Review | Engineers set out six key areas for investmentExactly one month before the government is due to deliver the Budget, including its spending review for the next three years, the industry has set out its priorities for investment.

Rail Advent

• Nexus visits Switzerland to see new Metro trains being builtNexus, the public body that owns and manages the Tyne and Wear Metro, sent a team over to Switzerland to see the impressive 8,500 square metre state-of-the-art train production work up close.

Rail Technology Magazine

• £8m embankment works bring stability to Dumfriesshire railway lineWork is underway to upgrade drainage systems and re-profile embankments to reduce the risk of flooding and landslips on the line between Sanquhar and Dumfries in south-west Scotland.

Other News Sources

• Work's been completed on a new footbridge over the railway in Hands off HS2 Eastern LegTSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, has warned the Government not to scrap the Eastern Leg of High Speed 2 (HS2). 
• Alstom’s Chinese JV receives contract for Shenzhen Airport APM systemAs agreed, Alstom will also be responsible for the preventive and corrective maintenance of vehicles.
• Southampton's alternative bus lane plans are announced as transport bosses ditch the original ideaPlans for a new bus lane in Southampton have been unveiled.
• Expanding the Fflecsi bus serviceTransport for Wales is expanding the fflecsi bus service even further, reaching yet another part of Wales.
• Government's 5,000 HGV visas won't scratch the surface of shortage, chairman of Transport Association saysThe fuel crisis began with a shortage of hauliers, caused in part by pandemic disruption, but Brexit also played a part. 
• 'Chaos' on A27 as 'panic at the pumps' continueTHERE are long delays on the A27 as hundreds queue for fuel amid a national shortage.