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

Monday, 20 December 2021

BBC News

• North Shields transport hub plans unveiled in town revampPlans have been unveiled for a new town square and transport hub as part of a major regeneration of North Shields.
• Greater Anglia train timetable reduced due to fewer passengersGreater Anglia is reducing its timetable from Monday due to a fall in passenger numbers.
• Trains: Half-hourly service from south Wales to London returnsAn extra 18 trains are being reintroduced between Cardiff and London Paddington from Monday.
• Scotland lost industry investments over freeports deal, says mayorConservative mayor claims businesses decided to relocate to his region as there were no freeports in Scotland.

Department for Transport

• New Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Wendy Morton MPWendy Morton was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Transport on 19 December 2021.

Financial Times

• Shipping industry needs to pull on every lever to go greenHead of marine engine maker says there is no silver bullet for one of the most polluting industries
• German industry berates Deutsche Bahn over rail freight problemsManufacturers say they are ditching trains for lorries because of unreliable services

The Herald

• Built by hand, Scotland’s newest steam train is finally rolling down the tracksIt’s a long time to wait for a train, but if you happen to have around 15 years on your hands, Scotland’s newest steam locomotive is definitely on its way.

The Scotsman

• Public transport is facing a Covid-fuelled crisis - Professor Iain DochertyAs Omicron restrictions cause another fall in rail passengers, Scotland’s leading transport expert Professor Iain Docherty, of the University of Stirling Management School, says Covid has already brought ScotRail to its knees, and new thinking will be needed to keep it on track.

The Telegraph

• Ola wins new London licence after TfL lifts banOla has reached a truce with Transport for London, overturning a ban on the taxi-booking app that is a rival to Uber.

Birmingham Post

• National Infrastructure Commission is heading to Leeds as part of Chancellor's levelling-up pledgeIt will join UK Infrastructure Bank in West Yorkshire

Edinburgh Evening News

• Ed South Sub: Petition to reopen Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway gains thousands of signaturesA petition to reopen a historic route on the Edinburgh Suburban and Southside Junction Railway, known as the Ed South Sub, has gained thousands of signatures as it aims to increase mobility and city centre links for Edinburgh residents.

Liverpool Echo

• Hundreds sign petition for new train line to LiverpoolMore than 500 people have signed a petition calling for a new train service to Liverpool.

Sheffield Star

• South Yorkshire mayor hits out at ‘inflation-busting’ rail fares rise of 3.8% next MarchSouth Yorkshire Mayor Dan Jarvis says the latest ‘inflation-busting’ rise in rail fares shows the Government’s ‘contempt for rail passengers’.

Other Regional Press

• ‘Consultation needed to address Peebles transport problems’TWEEDDALE councillors are being urged to ask for the installation of a puffin crossing at Peebles' Eastgate to be delayed – to allow for further consultation.

New Civil Engineer

• Transport Committee launches inquiry into the Integrated Rail Plan and calls for evidenceThe Transport Committee, a group of cross-party MPs, is launching an inquiry into how the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) will make good on the promises made by the Department for Transport, and is looking for written evidence.
• Contractors put on notice for £1bn Suffolk roads contractSuffolk County Council will be commencing procurement in early 2022 to appoint a service provider to deliver up to £1bn worth of highways maintenance services.
• HS2 | First of 56 piers complete for UK’s longest rail bridgeThe first of 56 piers needed to support HS2’s Colne Valley Viaduct has been built.

road.cc

• Department for Transport commissions report on Active Travel Fund schemes – but you’ll have to wait three years to read itIf a week is a long time in politics, how about three years? That’s how long we’ll have to wait to read the full report commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) into cycling and walking schemes paid for under the Active Travel Fund, introduced last year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Aviation Industry

• Rolls-Royce’s Mission To Achieve Net Zero AviationRolls-Royce has been making significant strides in the goal of operating in a more sustainable aviation ecosystem. Along with several breakthroughs in more efficient flight, the British aeronautical powerhouse has revealed ambitious environmental plans.

Other News Sources

• Kenny MacAskill MP column: Road and rail upgrades urgently neededTHE Union Connectivity Review (UCR) was always a grandiose title for what should, in reality, have been common sense. It was over-hyped by Boris Johnson with his bluster about a financially unaffordable bridge to Northern Ireland.