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

Tuesday, 21 December 2021

BBC News

• Midland Mainline: Work due to start on electrificationUpgrade work on the line between Kettering and Market Harborough is due to begin on Christmas Eve.
• Union criticises top Scottish railways appointmentAslef says the person chosen for a top role in the public body due to take over ScotRail lacks experience.
• Manchester Airport queues 'a shambles' as flights missedManchester Airport says it faced
• Covid in Scotland: ScotRail cancels 118 services as virus spikesPositive cases and self-isolation are having an increasing impact on trains and other public services.

Department for Transport

• Spades in ground as government delivers on rail investment promise for North and MidlandsThe next stage of electrification on the Midland Mainline starts, ultimately bringing quieter trains, greater decarbonisation and better connectivity in the region.

The Guardian

• UK train services hit ahead of Christmas as Covid causes staff shortagesStaff shortages caused by a jump in Covid cases have started to impact UK train services ahead of the annual festive getaway, with rail operators across the country announcing cancellations for the rest of the week until Christmas.

The Herald

• Scots ministers under fire over appointment of new ScotRail chief with no railways experienceSCOTTISH ministers have come under fire after appointing a new chief operating officer for the new state-controlled ScotRail with no experience in railways.

The Telegraph

• Plug-in car grant and eligibility slashed [Subscription]The Government’s electric car grant has been cut from £2,500 to £1,500, with only those EVs costing under £32,000 now eligible

Times Online

• Train firms blame Covid for widespread cancellationsRail passengers travelling over the Christmas period face being crammed on to trains as staff shortages cause widespread cancellations.

Daily Record

• Improvement work at Motherwell train station to start early next yearThe project on Muir Street will improve access to the station and create more space for buses and taxis

The National

• Covid Scotland: 118 ScotRail trains cancelled in a day amid surging Omicron casesMORE than 100 Scotrail services have been cancelled in a single day amid a rise in Covid cases.

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail passengers among 'most satisfied' customers in UKMerseyrail came out on top for punctuality, frequency and value for money

London Evening Standard

• Heidi Alexander: Blow for Sadiq Khan as main transport aide quits City Halladiq Khan suffered a blow on Monday when his main transport aide announced she was quitting City Hall.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Duke of Northumberland branded 'Scrooge McDuke' over £600,000-a-year demands that could scupper railway planOne of the richest men in the North East has been branded 'Scrooge McDuke' after he demanded an eye-watering rent that could derail plans to reopen the Northumberland Line railway service.

Nottingham Evening Post

• MP Grant Shapps talks of 'massive improvements' for Nottingham as HS2 and rail plans take shapeThe Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, expects that the HS2 will bring 'massive improvements' in Nottinghamshire.

Yorkshire Post

• Former Hull to Barnsley line could become 'Coal to Coast Greenway' after plans to open heritage railway scuppered by coal availabilityAmbitious plans to open a heritage railway on part of the former Hull to Barnsley line in Wakefield have been amended due to concerns over coal availability.

Other Regional Press

• New tunnel may lead to more freight congestion in SpaldingRail bigwigs tested out a new tunnel by coming to Spalding - but the new facility might only lead to more freight trains and congestion in the town.

New Civil Engineer

• Your View | Irish Sea crossing, chartered infrastructure engineer, sustainable wind farmsThe £335bn or £209bn cost for a bridge or tunnel crossing between Scotland and Northern Ireland is remarkable but also puzzling.
• East West Rail | Platform construction underway for new Buckinghamshire stationPlatform construction is now underway for a new railway station in Winslow in Buckinghamshire as part of the East West Rail project.
• Nottingham tram extensions paused ‘indefinitely’ due to Covid and IRPVarious proposals to extend Nottingham’s tram network remain on pause “indefinitely”, due to the impact of the pandemic as well as the publication of the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP).
• Alternative rail connections for Bradford after IRP snubOf all the losers from the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), Bradford is arguably the biggest. A study by Be The Best Communications, published a week before the IRP, found that it is Britain’s worst connected city. It was hoped that the IRP would detail multiple upgrades that would rectify this situation, but instead the promises were revoked.

Rail Business Daily

• East West Rail work going ahead at WinslowWork is underway on a new station in Winslow, Buckinghamshire, as part of the East West Rail project.
• Angel Trains achieves major employer accreditationTrain asset management company Angel Trains has earned Platinum Employer status against the Investors in People (IiP) standards, an award received by only 2% of global companies.
• Main works on next stage of Midland Main Line electrification due to beginJust a month after announcing £96bn of rail investment for the North and Midlands, work is already starting on the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) with the launch of the next stage of Midland Main Line electrification.
• ScotRail announces new Chief Operating OfficerScotRail has appointed a new COO, set to take up the role on 1 April 2022, the day the train operator becomes a public body.

Other News Sources

• E.P.A. Announces Tightest-Ever Auto Pollution RulesUnder the new plan, designed to reduce planet-warming tailpipe emissions, new vehicles would be required to average 55 miles per gallon starting in 2026.
• 2021: A year in the life of the rail industry2021 has been another unusual year – in this piece we take a look back at 2021 and how we in the Stephenson Harwood rail team have been leading the rail industry conversation. Grab a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine and enjoy our tour of a year in the life of the GB rail industry.
• Cycle lanes to become key part of Hull’s transport networkAs a result, Freetown Way will return to two lanes of traffic whilst retaining a segregated cycle lane – delivering a space that is fit for everyone.
• North East public transport could 'fall off a cliff', say councillorsChiefs are calling for a radical shift in how the services are paid for
• True intention of National Infrastructure Commission’s move to Leeds questionedThe National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) will move around 40% of its staff to a Leeds office, the government has announced.