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

Tuesday, 04 January 2022

BBC News

• Covid: CrossCountry Trains says services hit by crew shortagesA train company has warned that crew shortages as a result of Covid infections is leading to reduced services and cancellations.
• Milton Keynes to hold large-scale driverless car trialThe council believes driverless vehicles could be commonplace in the town within two years.
• ScotRail to introduce temporary timetable for JanuaryCovid staff shortages mean the rail operator is making changes to services in the central belt.
• Top US phone firms agree delay of 5G rolloutThe two-week delay requested by transportation and aviation authorities was initially rejected.
• Elon Musk: Tesla criticised after opening Xinjiang showroomThe world's most valuable car maker opened the new showroom in the city of Urumqi on New Year's Eve.

ITV News

• Travel: Staff absences over Omicron means further reduced rail services for passengers across Wales
Passengers will see further reduced rail services across Wales after an increase in staff absences due to Omicron.

Financial Times

• Hong Kong leader lambasts Cathay Pacific over Omicron cases Airline blamed for first local transmission of variant as carrier stops cargo flights for a week
• Aviation: sustainable lift-off for low carbon flightsSAFs could bridge a gap by reducing use of petroleum jet fuels
• Blue sky ideas: green sea thinking will lift sales of sailsSwitching to sustainable fuels is the first stop for most operators
• AT&T and Verizon delay 5G rollout over aviation concernsTelecoms reverse course a day after rejecting US regulators’ request over possible aircraft interference
• Regional ports fear unfair Brexit advantage for Channel rivalsGovernment-built customs parks threaten to distort the market, warns Major Ports Group

The Guardian

• Tesla criticised for opening showroom in Xinjiang despite human rights abusesElon Musk and Tesla must consider human rights in the Chinese region or risk being complicit, says Human Rights WatchTesla has opened a new showroom in the capital of Xinjiang, a region at the heart of years-long campaign by Chinese authorities of repression and assimilation against the Uyghur people.Tesla announced the opening in Urumqi with a Weibo post on 31 December saying: “On the last day of 2021, we meet in Xinjiang. In 2022 let us together launch Xinjiang on its electric journey!â€� Continue reading...

The Telegraph

• The Electric Job: Man converts family's vintage Mini into an eco-friendly car for the future

Reuters News

• Talks continue near deadline over U.S. 5G aviation safety disputeIntensive talks were continuing Monday aimed at heading off a impasse between U.S. wireless firms and the aviation sector that could significantly disrupt flights starting Wednesday.

Mail Online

• Rail tickets cost up to SEVEN TIMES as much as similar journeys in EuropeBritish rail passengers pay up to seven times more for rail fares than other Europeans. According to fare analysis, an off-peak single between Prague and Ostrava is just £9.36.

This is Money

• Tesla surges as electric car maker delivers record number of vehiclesTesla's stock gained more than 11% after it delivered 308,600 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2021, up from 180,570 in the same period the year before.

Birmingham Post

• West Midlands business review of 2021 - part four: NEC losses, Dandara's resi project and HS2 downgradedThe fourth and concluding part of our West Midlands Review of the Year in business has news of NEC's massive losses, a huge residential scheme planned in Digbeth and the change many HS2 supporters feared

Liverpool Echo

• Merseyrail timetable changed 'until further notice' due to staff shortagesMerseyrail has been forced to change its timetable and cancel some trains 'until further notice' due to staff

Sheffield Star

• Transport minister Chris Heaton-Harris ready to meet MPs to discuss Sheffield to Chesterfield tram-trainGovernment transport minister Chris Heaton-Harris is ready to meet MPs to discuss a possible tram-train link between Sheffield and Chesterfield.

Wales Online

• Disused Valleys rail tunnel could become Europe’s longest underground cycle laneThe two-mile long tunnel links the Rhondda and Afan valleys and was shut down in the 1960s
• Transport for Wales to pilot 'pay as you go' bus and train journeysThe scheme will allow passengers to tap in and out of journeys using bank cards even when they are using different services or operators
• Pictures show progress of huge new Newport train station bridgeEngineers spent Christmas Day installing a 500-tonne bridge at Newport train station.

Leeds Live

• Leeds 'worst rated' and most 'disliked' train station as passengers give scathing reviewsBasic, poorly located and not very accessible are some of the words you could use to describe Leeds' most 'disliked' train station.

Other Regional Press

• Transport East's £6bn plan for East of England criticisedA CAMPAIGNER has said a new forum dedicated to improving transport infrastructure in the east of England has the wrong focus.
• Denbighshire road matter to be raised with transport ministerCLWYD West MS Darren Millar has hit out at the Welsh Government for once again delaying essential road improvements in Denbighshire, despite repeated warnings that they are dangerous.

C.N.N.

• Tesla just opened a new showroom in China's Xinjiang regionTesla has opened a new showroom in Xinjiang, a region in western China that is purported to be the site of abuse and brutal repression of the country's Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority.

Aviation Industry

• Denmark wants to end fossil fuels in domestic aviationDenmark’s government wants to drop fossil fuels in domestic air travel by 2030 in its most recent push to meet its climate targets.
• Wizz Air UK Details Growth In UK, UAEWizz Air UK, the UK-registered arm of the Hungary-based ULCC, has revealed details of the new routes it will operate from London Gatwick airport. It has also given indications of a rapid pick-up in traffic in the UAE through its local joint venture (JV) airline, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (WAAD)

Other News Sources

• Stagecoach cuts bus services in Guildford and Woking and suspends Spectrum service after driver absenceA reduced timetable has been announced for the start of the new year
• Over 900 bicycles stolen in Brighton and Hove during 2021LESS than one percent of bicycle thieves were caught in Brighton and Hove during 2021, figures have revealed.