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

Wednesday, 27 October 2021

Government

• HS2 Phase One planning forum: environmental health subgroup meeting minutesMeeting minutes of the environmental health subgroup, part of the planning forum.

BBC News

• Campaign to end sexual harassment on London transport launchedA campaign to try and stop sexual harassment on London's public transport network has been launched.
• COP26: Minister 'not optimistic' of avoiding rail strikeScotland's transport minister has said he is "not optimistic" a rail strike during COP26 will be avoided.
• COP26: Deadline day to avert crippling rail strikeScotRail and the Scottish government have given the RMT until 17:00 on Wednesday to accept their offer.
• Heathrow air traffic may not recover until 2026, says bossThe boss of Britain's busiest airport warns full recovery will take years despite pent up demand for travel.

Financial Times

• Spanish train operator looks to provide Channel Tunnel service Renfe’s plan would lead to Eurostar facing first substantial rival on routes from London to continent
• Airlines face long haul to reach sustainable fuel goalsTarget of almost 450bn litres by 2050 is more than 4,000 times current global output

The Herald

• SNP transport minister 'should resign if strikes cripple trains during COP26'THE SNP's transport minister should resign if Scotland's train services are crippled by strike action during COP26, the Scottish Liberal Democrats have said.

The Independent

• Buying an electric car is better for environment than using public transport, claims BBC climate change quizAs a new low-carbon train operator begins a link from London to Edinburgh, the BBC has urged travellers to forsake public transport in favour of electric cars.

Times Online

• Rail strikes on way after RMT union rejects ‘pitiful’ pay offer [subscription]Kate Forbes, the finance secretary, said that it was her “sincere hope” that strikes could be averted in the dispute over council workers’ pay, but added that the matter was between councils and unions. School cleaning, catering, refuse and recycling workers are among those who could strike.

City AM

• Spanish operator Renfe to operate Paris – London serviceSpanish rail operator Renfe is reportedly seeking to operate a new service between Paris and London, initiating talks with the Spanish ministry of Finance to be granted permission, el Pais reported.

Daily Record

• MSPs join forces to call for dual tracking of EK rail line to be reconsideredIn an open letter to the transport minister, they have demanded the dualling plans be reinstated
• Glasgow transport network 'going backwards' as Daytripper tickets axed before COP26The once-popular concession allowed passengers unlimited travel across Strathclyde with up to two children but will now be binned.

Birmingham Mail

• Birmingham Airport Police warn over anti-social behaviourOfficers respond to incident at Freeport Car Park

Birmingham Post

• West Midlands business leaders outline wishlist ahead of Autumn BudgetCapital gains tax, business rates and HS2 are all on the radars of the region's business community

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Arriva Wales bus drivers vote to go on strike over payUnite Wales said that its members were "hugely in favour" of industrial action

Edinburgh Evening News

• Edinburgh train passengers crammed in packed carriage with no social distancingA passenger has been left fuming after the train he was on destined for Edinburgh had no available seats or social distancing and was packed with standing passengers.

Liverpool Echo

• New rapid transport to airport and universities part of plans for city region'Transport revolution' hopes to unlock hard-to-reach locations around the city region

London Evening Standard

• TfL gets tough on sexual harassment with launch of new crackdownSexual harassment will not be tolerated on public transport or anywhere in London – that is the message from TfL as it launches a new campaign on Wednesday.

The York Press

• First look at Selby railway station area revamp designsTHE latest designs for a £23 million investment boost around a well-used railway station have been unveiled.

Yorkshire Evening Post

• £830m transport funding boost includes basic road maintenance money, claims council leaderAn £800m Government scheme for transport improvements in West Yorkshire includes road maintenance money that local authorities would have received anyway, according to the leader of Leeds City Council.

Other Regional Press

• 'Public must have a view on Spalding-area transport issues'Residents need to have their verdict on transport issues - and raise their concerns about South Holland’s over-burdened roads. Spalding and Peterborough Transport Forum chairman George Scott said it’s important for people to engage with the consultation on the new Lincolnshire Local Transport Plan.
• Nicola Sturgeon says 'work to be done' before Scotland gets transport Oyster cardThe First Minister was speaking after it was revealed that delegates attending the COP26 summit are to receive a free, integrated transport card to use for the duration of the event - something unavailable to Glaswegians.
• Stagecoach celebrates bus drivers dedicated serviceSTAGECOACH is celebrating four of its longest-serving Oxfordshire staff.
• Nine out of ten people do not support development of Oxford-Cambridge ArcCAMPAIGNERS are calling on the Government to urgently rethink plans for a multi-billion-pound rapid growth and development plan between Oxford and Cambridge.

Train Operators

• Is the Ferguson fiasco really not worth more ministerial attention? [subscription]ore than five months have passed since Nicola Sturgeon assigned all the ministerial portfolios in her latest government. But it appears that our new minister for transport, Graeme Dey, has yet to hold any meetings with Ferguson Marine or its turnaround director about its unfinished ferries.

British Trams Online

• First new train for Southend Pier arrivesThe Southend Pier Railway has received the first of the new trains set to enter service on the UK’s longest Pier, with work now underway on commissioning and training. Until that is completed the trains built in 1986 will continue to run the service.

New Civil Engineer

• Climate Change Committee hails ‘ambitious’ Net Zero Strategy but highlights gaps in aviation and rail strategiesThe Climate Change Committee (CCC) has released its assessment of the government’s Net Zero Strategy, saying it is overall “an ambitious and comprehensive strategy that marks a significant step forward for UK climate policy”.
• HS2 vows not to set ‘over optimistic’ cost estimates for northern phaseHS2 Ltd’s board has vowed to be “fully transparent” and not ‘“over-optimistic” when it comes to setting budget estimates and construction schedules for Phase 2b of the line between the Midlands and Manchester, latest minutes have revealed.

Other News Sources

• Reopen Aberystwyth to Carmarthen rail line to help tackle climate change says Senedd MemberReopening a railway between Aberystwyth and Carmarthen would help the Welsh Government reach their own climate change targets, a Senedd Member has said.
• Transport leaders approve £800m bid which could fund new Alnwick bus stationAn £804m plan which aims to dramatically transform bus services across the North East has moved to the next stage.
• ‘Biased’ York transport survey portrays cyclists as ‘problematic’, say campaignersTransport consultations in York “pit interest groups against one another” and end up making decisions “that are not in the public good”, cycle campaigners have claimed.