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

Tuesday, 14 December 2021

BBC News

• London Luton Airport: MP asks for expansion plan to be called inAn MP has called on the government to review plans to allow for a million more passengers through Luton Airport
• 737 Max: US Senate committee criticises oversight of BoeingThe whistleblower report came in response to two Boeing 737 Max crashes, which killed 346 people.
• Global supply chain: Toyota extends Japan production stoppagesThe carmaker said components plants in South East Asia had faced disruptions due to the pandemic.

ITV News

• E-scooters banned from Tyne & Wear Metro and Shields FerryE-scooters are now banned from the Tyne and Wear Metro and Shields Ferry as of today (13 December).

Financial Times

• Branson gives Virgin Atlantic cash injection as travel outlook darkensTycoon’s Virgin Group and Delta Air Lines pump in £400m

The Guardian

• National Express seals takeover of rival operator StagecoachProposed £1.9bn company will boast a 40,000-strong vehicle fleet and employ around 70,000 people

The Independent

• You can now travel all the way from Portugal to Singapore by trainRail enthusiasts believe it is the longest continuous rail journey on earth
• If the government is serious about net zero, it needs to fund Transport for London - Ed Miliband MPFailure to invest in transport in the capital and the north threatens our environment – time and again this government fails to deliver

The Telegraph

• HS2 route map: how the high-speed rail plans will affect you [subscription]Everything you need to know about the High Speed 2 project after Boris Johnson scrapped East Midlands to Leeds rail route
• HS2 at risk of being deemed ‘low value for money’ [subscription]Ministers could be forced to officially concede that HS2 is “low value for money” after the Government abandoned the eastern leg of the controversial rail link.
• Treasury blocks £30bn plan to electrify Britain’s railwaysThe Treasury has blocked a £30bn blueprint to electrify Britain’s railways, raising doubts over Boris Johnson's target for a net-zero train network by 2050.

Times Online

• Stations deserted as workers stay at home [subscription]In London rush-hour Tube travel fell by 18 per cent week on week. Figures showed that one million “taps” — entrances and exits — were registered on the Tube between 7am and 10am. This was about 46 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
• North fears transport power grab as Tories line up grandee [subscription]Lord McLoughlin expected to curb influence of Labour mayors at Transport for the North. Insiders fear that his appointment would represent a ministerial power grab and another case of cronyism as the government tries to sideline TfN. Last month Shapps, 53, the transport secretary, stopped paying the body — whose board includes all the northern mayors — to develop Northern Powerhouse Rail, a line across the Pennines.

Belfast Telegraph

• E-scooters banned from London transport over fire fearsE-scooters have been banned from all London transport amid fire concerns.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• New contactless ticketing begins on buses todayBUS users in West Yorkshire are able to use a new 'London style' contactless ticketing system from today.

Sheffield Star

• How Sheffield's Victoria Station went from central role to closureControversy over the decision to axe the HS2 line which would have served Sheffield has brought the city’s rail services into focus yet – and not for the first time.

New Civil Engineer

• Funding for walking and cycling schemes needs to be made easier, ICE saysThe ICE has called for the funding process to be simplified for local authorities wanting to create walking and cycling schemes.
• Why the Integrated Rail Plan claims are dubious at bestNo doubt the Integrated Rail Plan will please some people. Birmingham – Nottingham and London – Nottingham high speed services are new, and the journey times impressive. However, Peter in Leeds has clearly been robbed to pay Paul in Nottingham.

Rail Magazine

• Construction starts on Old Oak Common station’s concrete ‘box’The first stage is the main station ‘box’ - the 900-yard-long reinforced concrete frame that will be part underground, and which requires the removal of almost a million cubic yards of clay.

Railnews

• Reports claim rail decarbonisation plans are at riskIt is being reported that the Treasury has refused to fund Network Rail’s Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy.

Aviation Industry

• BA mainline to operate Gatwick network until new subsidiary takes overBritish Airways has unveiled the initial route network for its new London Gatwick short-haul operation, on which the carrier will commence services in March next year.

Other News Sources

• Locals brand first images of new Metro fleet ‘disgusting’ despite sleek lookThe unveiling of Tyne and Wear Metro's new fleet of trains has not gone down a storm with locals.
• North and Midlands pledge to build on broken rail promisesThe decision to scrap much of the eastern leg of HS2 and to scale back plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail has cast doubt on the whole levelling up agenda. But there is an appetite in the region to keep fighting for a fairer share of the government’s infrastructure cake
• Reports: Treasury shelves £30bn plan to electrify UK railways over cost concernsClean transport advocates point out £30bn price tag for railway electrification is in the same ball park as budget for road building