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

Monday, 01 November 2021

BBC News

• Salisbury train crash: Major incident as two trains collideA major incident has been declared after two trains collided in Salisbury, leaving several people injured.
• COP26: How are road closures affecting Glasgow?Major travel restrictions are already in place ahead of the climate summit which starts on Sunday.

The Guardian

• Emergency services on scene after trains collide near SalisburyEmergency services have scrambled to respond to a collision of two trains near Salisbury on Sunday night, in a critical incident that left one train carriage derailed.
• Bad weather causes delays on train routes to Glasgow Cop26 talksEnvironment minister among those affected, with suspected tornadoes reported in some areas
• Industry lobbies against 2040 UK ban on new diesel trucksThe UK automotive industry is privately lobbying against the proposed 2040 introduction of a ban on sales of new diesel trucks, amid a split between manufacturers over when heavy goods vehicles should abandon fossil fuels.
• Cop26 summit at serious risk of failure, says Boris JohnsonThe Cop26 climate summit is at serious risk of failure because countries are still not promising enough to restrict global temperature rises to below 1.5C, Boris Johnson has warned.

The Herald

• Alba MP calls for Eurostar extension to Scotland

The Independent

• Support rail travel by charging fair price for carbon emissions: Eurostar bossBy encouraging travellers to take the train instead of flying, ‘it could cut global emissions’.

Times Online

• High-speed rail planning ‘put on hold 2 years ago’ [subscription]A senior civil servant has accused ministers of abandoning work on a high-speed rail network that would link Scotland and England and attract more passengers on to long distance public transport.
• Learner drivers waiting up to 24 weeks for their test [subscription]“The backlog on car testing at the moment is double what we would normally expect,” Peter Hearn, operations director at the agency, said. “We have had significant periods in which we have not been able to test drivers so we are now in a period in which we are trying to recover those services.”
• Trains are key to getting net zero on track [subscription]Instead of cutting flight taxes, ministers should reduce rail fares, reopen old stations and restore pride in the network
• Salisbury crash: ‘12 injured’ after train derails and is struck by another [subscription]Máté Szeverenyi, a passenger, said people remained “relatively calm” after “the initial screams, shock and impact”. He fell during the crash and injured one arm. “One train employee was running up and down to ask everyone if they were OK and he was trying to find out what happened to the other carriages,” Szeverenyi told The Salisbury Journal.

City AM

• More the merrier: Eurostar boss shrugs off Spanish rail operator eyeing Channel TunnelEurostar boss Jacques Damas has shrugged off Spain running services through the Channel Tunnel, saying that red tape will hold back rival rail operators from emerging.
• Tesco and Morrisons lead the charge as UK supermarkets ramp up EV supportThe UK’s supermarkets have ramped up their efforts to support the electric vehicle (EV) push by installing nearly 1,000 new EV charge points at their stores in the past 21 months.

i News

• Air passenger duty cut in Budget ‘will create the same CO2 emissions as 2.3m extra train journeys’Slashing tax on domestic flights will create carbon emissions equivalent to 2.3 million train journeys, Rishi Sunak has been warned as he attempts to boost the UK’s airline industry.

Mail Online

• Railway logo is on track to fly the flag: Iconic 'double arrow' symbol on train network is set for a patriotic makeoverThe iconic ‘double arrow’ logo which has symbolised Britain’s rail network for decades is set for a patriotic makeover.

The Mirror

• Euston delays: Train passengers forced to sleep on station floor amid travel chaosPassengers travelling on South Western, Avanti and London Northwestern trains are still facing delays after a fallen tree caused damage to some 25,000-volt electric lines earlier

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail station with secret hidden behind the wallsIt's a station that many thousands use or travel through every day. But Birkenhead's underground Hamilton Square station has an amazing secret which many might not know about.

Nottingham Evening Post

• Call for East Midlands Railway services to be restored over 'broken promise'East Midlands Railways have responded to calls to restore full services on the line from Nottingham through to Derbyshire beauty spots after the company was threatened with being reported to the rail watchdog.

South Wales Argus

• 'Bus drivers have a responsible job' - Nick Thomas-Symonds, MP for TorfaenI’d like to start my column by thanking South Wales Argus readers and other residents for the concern and support they’ve shown me and other MPs since the tragic death of Sir David Amess MP.

Other Regional Press

• Bus transport changes planned for East Sussex‘AMBITIOUS’ plans to improve bus services around East Sussex have been endorsed by a senior county councillor.
• 'Worcester's bus service is incomprehensibly bad' - Letter“Dear Councillor Amos, I am writing to you in your capacity as Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways and Transport to enquire as to the council’s post-lockdown plan to enhance and improve the woeful public transport network in Worcester which is not fit for purpose.

New Civil Engineer

• UK’s oldest road suspension bridge to be restored to former gloryDurham County Council received £20M from the Levelling Up Fund announced in the Autumn Budget, and a significant portion of it will go towards the restoration of the historic Whorlton Bridge.
• Bakerloo Line Extension | TfL instructs consultants to work up tunnel designsTransport for London (TfL) has asked its suite of consultants to begin working up detailed tunnel designs for the extension to London Underground’s Bakerloo line, NCE can reveal.

Other News Sources

• New £90m bus plan could mean new roads, more services and cheaper faresStoke-on-Trent City Council has worked with operators to draw up the bus service improvement plan, aimed at reversing years of decline in public transport use in the Potteries
• Support rail travel by charging fair price for carbon emissions: Eurostar bossA true price for carbon would remove a big reason for travellers to fly from London to Amsterdam – or other routes with good alternatives, the boss of Eurostar has said.