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Sunday, 14 November 2021

Cogitamus

• Chris Stokes - Perhaps now is the time for North Wales and Chester to join the HS2 network?Chris Stokes' latest Keeping Track column was published earlier this week by Cogitamus Limited. Essential reading for rail sector professionals and stakeholders, the column can be viewed here. Connect with us on Linkedin or Twitter to be sure to receive notification of future columns as well as other features and articles.

BBC News

• Middlesbrough: Victorian signal boxes demolished in upgradeTwo Victorian signal boxes are being demolished as part of a railway upgrade in Middlesbrough.
• Electric cars: No NI bid for charging point funding schemeThe £20m scheme helps residents with no access to off-street parking to charge their vehicles.
• Delta boss says climate change means flying will cost moreThe world's second largest airline says climate change is the biggest challenge facing aviation.

ITV News

• Calls for better public transport links for the regionLeeds and Sheffield's council leaders have appealed to Ministers to build the eastern leg of HS2 in full to connect our region's major cities.

Financial Times

• Bicycle supply disruption is getting worse, high-end manufacturer warnsThe maker of bike parts used by professional riders expects strains to last another 18 months
• COP26 agrees new climate rules but China and India weaken coal pledgeCountries strengthen commitments to lower emissions but remain divided on phasing out fossil fuels

The Guardian

• ‘It opens up our town’: Dartmoor line hopes to lead to rail renaissanceCampaigners in Devon celebrate return of passenger trains after 50 years, a first step to reversing the Beeching closures
• The pressure for change is building: reactions to the Glasgow climate pactDelegates and campaigners weigh the promise and the shortfalls of the Cop26 conference dealCop26 ends in climate agreement despite India watering down coal resolutionThe Glasgow climate package, aimed at ensuring the world limits global heating to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, was acknowledged even by the UK hosts as 'imperfect' and leaves much of the hard work on cutting greenhouse gas emissions for next year.
• HS2 protesters Swampy and Satchel leave Wendover tunnel after 35 daysPair were last of five protesters who built and occupied tunnel on site of Hs2 work in BuckinghamshireDan Hooper, the environmental activist known as Swampy, and his fellow tunneller Satchel emerged from an underground protest against the controversial HS2 project on Saturday morning after resisting eviction for 35 days.Hooper, 48, and Satchel were the last two of five environmental protesters who built and occupied a tunnel on the site of HS2 work in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. Continue reading...

Times Online

• Red wall commuters to get rail revolution [subscription]High-speed lines and upgrades will cut journey times between cities in the Midlands and the north in ‘levelling up’ Nearly £100 billion will be spent on England’s railways outside London, including the construction of three new high-speed lines that will cut journey times in half.
• A rail plan for the country — the first stop on a long journey [subscription]It has become a mantra for this government that it intends to “build back better”. Armed with an infrastructure fighting fund of hundreds of billions of pounds, Boris Johnson plans to spend more on rebuilding Britain than any of his recent predecessors.
• Despair of smart motorway architect Sir Mike Penning [subscription]A former transport minister accuses National Highways of wantonly skimping on safety measures
• Readers’ poll: should smart motorways be scrapped? [subscription]The former transport minister who signed off the UK’s smart motorways programme has called them “disastrous”. Writing in The Sunday Times, Sir Mike Penning said poor implementation of the scheme had cost lives and accused Highways England of a “seemingly wanton lack of care”.

City AM

• Exclusive: Isle of Man home to more private jets than France, Italy or SpainThere are around 2,444 private jets registered in Western Europe, compared to 2,414 in 2020 and 2,344 in 2019, according to new research from private jet broker Colibri Aircraft, shared exclusively with City A.M. this weekend. Germany has the largest fleet of registered private jets with 485, and this is followed by the UK, including [...] The post Exclusive: Isle of Man home to more private jets than France, Italy or Spain appeared first on CityAM.

Mail Online

• Boris Johnson will unveil £100BILLION investment in Northern rail networks which will see journey times slashed and routes lost to Beeching cuts restored in massive levelling-up driveBoris Johnson will this week unveil a £100 billion package of investment in Northern rail networks in an attempt to accelerate his flagship ‘levelling up’ agenda.

Birmingham Mail

• £50 million Sutton Coldfield transport transformation could be just 14 months awayWork could start on the Sutton Coldfield HS2 Gateway bus and train interchange in 2023 the town council's regeneration chief has said
• Train derailment hits services in Wolverhampton areaRail network advises travellers to check developments as disruption continues

Bucks Free Press

• Final HS2 protesters evicted from Wendover 'resistance camp' after a MONTHThe final two protesters have been evicted from a camp set up by environmental activists opposed to HS2 in Wendover.

Cambridge News

• 'I just won't drive in' - Cambridge residents react to congestion charge plansThe proposals are currently under consultation

Other Regional Press

• Plans for Greater London boundary charge still on the tableTransport for London is very much still considering introducing a scheme that would see Hertfordshire motorists pay to drive into the capital.
• Start date revealed for £1m transformation work on Weymouth railway stationWORK on a £1m transformation of Weymouth rail station will kick off on Monday, November 22, it has been announced - with commuters told of alternative parking arrangements as the project progresses.

C.N.N.

• US opens probe into Tesla's Autopilot over emergency vehicle crashesWASHINGTON, Nov 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it is looking into a consumer report that a Tesla Model Y was involved in an accident while using the company's Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta software.

British Trams Online

• More financial support for Scottish light railAn additional £2.2 million of emergency funding for light rail in Scotland – covering both Edinburgh Trams and the Glasgow Subway – has been confirmed bringing the total funding they have received since the start of the pandemic to £36 million. This now covers the period up until March 2022 (the same period as English light rail systems have confirmed emergency funding for) and comes after ongoing discussions between Transport Scotland and Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Edinburgh Trams.

Rail Advent

• TfW launches online community to help build a world-class transport network in WalesTransport for Wales (TfW) is transforming travel in Wales and have created an online community to enable the public to have their say.
• Dates announced for next stage of footbridge improvements at Welwyn Garden City stationNetwork Rail teams will start work on the footbridge at Welwyn Garden City from Saturday the 20th of November and will see temporary closures put in place on the stairs to and from Hydeway.

Other News Sources

• M65: 26 'crazy' drivers caught driving against flow of traffic on motorwayMORE than 25 people were caught making a U-turn and driving against the flow of traffic on the M65 last weekend (November 6).