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

Monday, 18 October 2021

BBC News

• Our love-hate affair with bypass roads to nowhereOne Welsh town marks a decade living with a bypass - but is out-of-town tarmac really what we need?
• Climate change: Welsh industry's 23 million tonne carbon problemWales'
• Stansted Airport: Flights missed amid baggage system 'chaos'Long queues and last-minute dashes put a
• Southeastern train services taken over by governmentThe rail operator was stripped of its franchise for failing to declare millions in taxpayer funding.

Financial Times

• BMW left to play electric car catch-up after a pioneering chargeThe carmaker led the market in 2013, but has no plans for an early end to production of combustion engine models
• Fuel price spike threatens airlines’ recovery from pandemicCarriers hit by twofold rise in cost of jet fuel over past year

The Guardian

• Southeastern is latest rail franchise taken over by UK governmentFew immediate benefits likely for commuters as DfT takes over day-to-day running of latest service stripped of franchiseSoutheastern railway services, one of Britain’s busiest commuter networks, has come back under direct public control, after the government stripped the private operator of its franchise agreement.Ministers announced last month that an investigation had found that Southeastern had failed to declare more than £25m of taxpayer funding that should have been returned, describing this as a serious breach of the franchise agreement’s “good faithâ€� obligation. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Southeastern trains: One of busiest rail networks is run by government after franchise rowGovia stripped of franchise after it failed to declare more than £25m of taxpayer funding

Times Online

• Space offers true spirit of enterprise that the critics should not dismissA few days ago, in a masterstroke of publicity as well as a stunning feat of technology, William Shatner, the 90-year-old actor, became the oldest human to journey into space. Captain Kirk has now boldly gone where no one, at least of his age, has gone before.
• Ford converting Halewood car plant to electricThe gearbox in an internal combustion engine built at Ford’s Halewood plant becomes redundant in a battery electric car. Instead, Halewood will make electric power units — also known as e-drives in the industry — which distribute power from the battery to the wheels. When it transitions to e-drive production in 2024, Halewood will become Ford’s first in-house electric vehicle component facility in Europe.

i News

• Government begins control of Southeastern train services after stripping franchise over ‘missing £25m’The takeover of Southeastern’s network means around a quarter of passenger journeys in Britain are now on trains under public sector control

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Northern takes over major rail depotRAIL firm Northern has confirmed it now has full control of Neville Hill depot in Leeds.

Bristol Live

• Newcastle transport firm Go-Ahead loses southeastern rail franchiseThe Operator of Last Resort has taken over running of the trains after previous operators Govia failed to declare £25m public funding
• 'Important step forwards' for dead-end M49 junction in BristolThe M49 junction near Avonmouth was built nearly two years ago but motorists still can't use it

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Reduced speed limits and more cameras on the A55 to help with roadworksMore speed limits have been introduced on a stretch of the A55 as work continues on the road.

London Evening Standard

• Major baggage system issue at Stansted described as ‘chaos’Queues are believed to have spread across the airport.
• Hundreds of jobs ‘saved’ after Ford chooses Halewood for electric carsThe firm is understood to be planning to spend £230 million converting its factory.

The York Press

• LNER raises more than £300k for charity with partnershipA YORK-BASED train firm reached a fundraising milestone as it marks the third anniversary of its partnership with a suicide prevention charity - with more than £300,000 raised so far.

Cambridge News

• Stansted passengers 'very angry' after 'four hour' baggage waitsThe airport has apologised for long queues which made people late

Carlisle News & Star

• 'Railing against Avanti's fare rises'I WRITE to draw readers’ attention to significant increases in rail fares on the West Coast Main Line and to Carlisle MP John Stevenson’s apparent lack of interest in this matter.

Wrexham.com

• New technology helping TfW and Network Rail prepare for autumn challengesTransport for Wales and Network Rail has announced the use of new technology and changes to rolling stock this autumn to prepare for a growing number of storms and bad weather.

Other Regional Press

• Barnstaple station gets a makeover thanks to volunteersBarnstaple station in North Devon recently had a makeover thanks to over 20 volunteers. The event was organised by staff from Network Rail, Tarka Rail Association and Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership (DCRP) they were joined by volunteers from Barclays Bank and the Veterans Charity joined.
• MP calls for rail service cuts plan to be reversedCHIPPENHAM MP Michelle Donelan has called on the Department for Transport and South Western Railway to reverse planned cuts to direct rail services from Bradford on Avon to London Waterloo.

Train Operators

• Northern takes control of Leeds’ Neville Hill engineering depotThe future of rail engineering in Leeds is in safe hands after Northern confirmed it now has full control of the city’s Neville Hill depot.

New Civil Engineer

• 7 abandoned railways set to follow Dartmoor line back into serviceLast week the Dartmoor line, connecting Okehampton to Exeter, became the first former line to open under the government’s Restoring Your Railway fund, launched in January 2020 to reinstate axed local services and restore closed stations.
• DfT refutes claims there was a ‘total failure’ to engage with the private sector on HS2The Department for Transport (DfT) has hit back against suggestions from former Arup director Mark Bostock that it has failed to work with the private sector to benefit delivery of High Speed 2 (HS2).
• Council leader accuses National Highways of ‘riding roughshod’ over bridge infilling pauseThe leader of Lewes District Council has accused National Highways of “riding roughshod” over the government-enforced pause on its programme of infilling historic railway assets.

Rail Advent

• New Class 777 Merseyrail train to visit Southport railway stationOne of the new Class 177 Merseyrail trains will be visiting Southport after it visited Birkenhead North station during September and proved to be incredibly popular with hundreds of people stepping on board to experience the train for themselves.
• Hartlepool oil rig site to become new HS2 factory – bringing 100 jobs to the areaAn old oil rig fabrication site on Hartlepool Dock is set to be a new HS2 Factory bringing more than 100 new jobs to the local area
• Farewell to semaphore signals at Bridlington as new signalling system arrivesNetwork Rail is carrying out major work to upgrade the signalling system at Bridlington.
• Manchester Piccadilly-based Northern rail engineer completes 50 years railway serviceNorthern rail engineer Craig Neild is celebrating 50 years of railway service.