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

Friday, 12 November 2021

BBC News

• Hopes for new Baschurch railway stationThere are calls for a new station to reconnect a village to the rail network, 60 years after it was closed.
• Night Tube: RMT announces strike for date of restartThe reopening of the Night Tube could be delayed after a union announced a strike on the date of its resumption.
• COP26: John Prescott goes from two Jags to zero JagsThe former deputy PM says he has given up his car as his
• Night Tube: RMT announces strike for date of restartA series of 24-hour walkouts are planned on five different lines over three weeks.
• Uber raises London fares by 10%The ride-hailing firm says peak time journeys to London airports will rise by 25%.
• COP26: Activists deflate tyres on 'luxury' cars in GlasgowA number of SUVs in the city's West End were left with flyers branding them a
• Johnson Matthey abandons electric car battery plansJohnson Matthey shares tumble as it says foreign rivals are too far ahead in the technological race.

Financial Times

• Uber CEO flies into London as driver shortages hit appDara Khosrowshahi holds talks with mayor Sadiq Khan over driver rights and pledges 10% pay rise

The Guardian

• Key Cop26 pledges could put world 9% closer to 1.5C pathwayClimate Action Tracker data shows world still heading for catastrophe – but outlook could improveNew Cop26 pledges announced on methane, coal, transport and deforestation could nudge the world 9% closer to a pathway that keeps heating to 1.5C, according to a study by the world’s most respected climate analysis coalition.Climate Action Tracker says the sectoral commitments announced in Glasgow represent potential cuts of 2.2 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to the emissions of Germany, Japan and the UK combined, or 20,000 fully loaded aircraft carriers. This is in addition to m...

Times Online

• City regions teamed with business will deliver net zeroWhen you attend a global conference on this scale, you expect to catch glimpses of the great and the good as they hurry along corridors mobbed by journalists and security guards.
• Aberdeen plugs into green revolution with port studyVessels in Aberdeen Harbour could be plugged into clean energy sources on shore as the port looks at ways of reducing its carbon emissions.
• Northern cities ranked worst for rail speeds [subscription]Motorists driving between Bradford and Leeds need only travel at 30mph to overtake trains, a study of Britain’s ageing rail infrastructure has found. Bradford was named as Britain’s worst connected city, blighted by a lack of direct trains and slow stopping services.

City AM

• Will the ‘Tesla of aviation’ convince critics net-zero flying is not just a fairytale?Firms like Aura aero have their doubters. UK environmental NGO the Aviation Environment Fund (AEF) thinks efforts to develop green aviation and zero-carbon technologies such as sustainable aviation fuels and hydrogen or electric aircraft will not help by themselves the industry reach its net-zero target. “Our politicians seem to be living in a fairytale world [...] The post Will the ‘Tesla of aviation’ convince critics net-zero flying is not just a fairytale? appeared first on CityAM.

Mail Online

• Britain's worst commuter cities by train: Bradford is bottom of list with six lowest-ranking locations ALL in the north or midlands - while London enjoys best rail connectionBradford has the worst rail connections of any British city - with the rest of the bottom six all in the North or Midlands, a new study has found. Researchers analysed more than 3,000 real-life train journeys between Britain's 20 largest urban centres, and found London was the best connected while four out of the remaining top six are all in the south or Scotland.

Birmingham Mail

• Segregated cycle route on A45 to Small Heath Park could become permanent fixtureMembers of the public can give their views on the proposals.
• Birmingham pupil 'hid on school bus' which returned to depotThe Birmingham school pupil was said to be hiding under seats on a National Express Accessible Transport minibus at its depot, which prompted a safeguarding reminder to all drivers

Birmingham Post

• West Midlands Combined Authority appoints chief executiveLaura Shoaf takes on the role in a permanent capacity having been interim CEO since June
• National taxi firm makes another big acquisition in its bid to take on the likes of UberLeicestershire-based Take Me has added Plymouth's TAXIFIRST to its portfolio, joining another local firm Tower Cabs

Bristol Live

• First Bus in Bristol responds to complaints about vanishing 'ghost buses'"There was a crowd of people at the bus stop and they all just eventually walked off"

C.N.N.

• SpaceX capsule, carrying four astronauts, docks with the International Space StationA SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying four astronauts approached the International Space Station, which orbits more than 200 miles above Earth, and made a gentle in-orbit meet-up, kicking off the astronauts' six-month stay at the space station.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• UK confirms pledge for zero-emission HGVs by 2040All new heavy goods vehicles in the UK will be zero-emission by 2040, the UK government has confirmed.    This, combined with the UK’s 2030 phase out for petrol and diesel cars and vans, represents a pledge to end the sale of all polluting road vehicles within the next 2 decades.   The UK will become the first country in the world to commit to phasing out new, non-zero emission heavy goods vehicles weighing 26 tonnes and under by 2035, with all new HGVs sold in the UK to be zero emission by 2040.   This comes as new research from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, commissi...
• Government unveils new EV chargepoint designThe UK government has unveiled a new design for electric vehicle chargepoints.    Showcased in the UK Pavilion at COP26 and designed together with the Royal College of Art and PA Consulting, the concept prioritises inclusivity and ease of use, designed with consumers, local government, accessibility groups and industry.   The design concept will provide greater choice to industry and local government, as well as raise awareness and generate excitement around electric vehicles.   This builds on government’s goal to make sure everyone benefits from the transition to zer...

Coach and Bus Week

• Go-Ahead Group buys its first hydrogen busesAs part of Go-Ahead’s commitment to decarbonise its bus fleet by 2035, it has ordered the Group’s first hydrogen buses for deployment from June 2022 in the Crawley, Redhill and Gatwick Airport area
• Shropshire Council launches bid for £98 million to transform bus travelA £98 million bid to transform bus transport across the whole of the county has been made by Shropshire Council. The council has submitted a bid to the Government as part of the Bus Back Better programme, including green buses, Sunday services, real time passenger information and more affordable fares.
• Mellor to launch all-new electric bus rangeRochdale-based bus producer to develop an extensive range of single-deck battery electric buses of multiple lengths, widths and ranges for UK and European markets in 2022

New Civil Engineer

• Lower Thames Crossing plans adjusted to allow for future expansion of Tilbury docksNational Highways has agreed to readjust its Lower Thames Crossing planning application at the behest of Thurrock Council, in order to maintain land for future growth of the Port of Tilbury.
• Regional disparity for rollout of electric vehicle chargepoints revealedThere is an uneven geographical distribution of electric vehicle (EV) charging devices in the UK, according to Department for Transport (DfT) figures. Figures released by the DfT show that Scotland and London are best-served for EV charging options.
• Collapsed contractor will not be replaced on Network Rail’s £4bn construction frameworkNetwork Rail will not seek a replacement contractor for its £4bn construction works framework for Wales and the West of England, despite one of its suppliers entering into administration earlier this week.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• First of new Cardiff Bus battery-electric Yutong fleet deliveredThe first of 36 battery-electric Yutong E12 buses due to Cardiff Bus and Cardiff Council before the end of 2021 have been delivered.
• Pelican launches ‘Team Zero’ network for UK zero-emission PSV operatorsPelican Engineering, the dealer for Yutong battery-electric coaches and buses in the UK, has launched ‘Team Zero’, a network for zero-emission coach and bus
• Go-Ahead London to trial battery-electric Equipmake Jewel EGo-Ahead London (GAL) will begin in-service trials of the first Equipmake Jewel E battery-electric double-decker in February 2022, with the operator saying that it “welcomes the competition” that the manufacturer will bring to the segment.
• Coach driver shortage: No consistency, UKCOA survey showsThe general difficulty in attracting and retaining PSV drivers shows little sign of abating. But recent work carried out by the UK Coach Operators Association (UKCOA) has demonstrated how in that sector, there is actually no universal, industry-wide driver shortage. Indeed, UKCOA’s overarching finding is that there is no common thread to bring together operators’ collective current experiences.
• Higer Azure battery-electric bus set for UK marketHarris Group is to bring the Higer Azure battery-electric single-deck bus to the UK and Irish markets. The first has arrived at the dealership in Dublin and Harris claims that its 355kW/h of rapid-charging battery capacity will deliver a range of up to 467km.
• Stagecoach makes modal shift case on COP26 transport dayStagecoach has urged leaders at the COP26 transport day on 10 November to incentivise the use of public transport to help the UK to meet its net zero ambitions.
• CPT sets dates for 2022 UK Bus and Coach ConferenceThe Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) has announced the dates for its second virtual UK Bus and Coach Conference. The members-only event will take place on 25 and 26 January 2022 with a wide variety of speakers, including Under-Secretary of State for Transport Baroness Vere (pictured).

Other News Sources

• Infilling concerns 'ignored' for Church Road bridge in BarcombeCAMPAIGNERS have claimed that National Highways are “wilfullyâ€� ignoring their concerns about the infilling of a historic bridge.
• East Sussex council approves almost £9m for climate change and highwaysALMOST £9m of one-off investments in East Sussex have been given the go ahead by council leaders.
• Brighton parking zone split rejected from Preston Circus to FivewaysNEIGHBOURS have overwhelmingly rejected proposals to split a city parking zone.