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

Thursday, 06 January 2022

BBC News

• Electric buses should be made in Wales not imported, says ministerAs some companies replace fleets with buses from China a minister says they must be made in Wales.
• Electric car sales soar, but chip shortage hits marketElectric cars sales surged last year, but the SMMT warns that charging infrastructure needs investment.

Financial Times

• Airline shares boosted by Omicron optimismPlus, four-week delay for Playtech investors, and Poundland boss steps down
• Electric vehicles: Lime’s scoot to markets follows tough pandemicElectric scooter provider’s planned listing may come too late for the micromobility wave

The Guardian

• Reduced timetables to come in on all of Great Britain’s rail networkSchedules will be implemented by 16 January amid Covid staff shortages and falling passenger numbers
• BMW unveils car that changes colour at touch of a buttonElectronic ink wrap around electric model changes between black and white and even light and dark stripesBMW has unveiled a chameleon car that changes colour, in the latest attempt by automotive firms to combine their vehicles with cutting-edge technology.The German car firm said it was “bringing the car body to lifeâ€� with the specially developed body wrap for its all-electric iX SUV model, which uses the same technology as Amazon’s Kindle e-reader. Continue reading...

The Independent

• Aviation industry pleads for end to international travel tests‘Travel testing requirements can be removed in full without impacting overall case rates and hospitalisations in the UK,’ say aviation CEOs

Times Online

• Ghost town: London’s tube has been extremely empty latelyUsage yesterday was just 20 percent compared to the same period in 2020
• Station shops in ‘impossible situation’ as Covid hits travel [subscription]The rapid spread of the Omicron variant, new restrictions and the subsequent hit to consumer confidence have ruined a key trading period for hundreds of small businesses set inside Tube stations and other London transport hubs. Many had closed branches, fired staff or restructured to survive the first lockdown in March 2020.
• Boost for holidays as Covid travel tests scrappedBritons planning winter breaks were given a boost yesterday as it was announced that strict rules designed to curb the spread of Omicron will be scrapped tomorrow.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Blyth Bebside railway station approved for Northumberland Line link to NewcastlePlanning chiefs have approved the latest stop on the planned Northumberland Line rail link between Ashington and Newcastle, which is set to reopen to passengers for the first time since the 1960s in 2024

Other Regional Press

• Replacement for West Yorkshire's 'worst train station' will be 'windswept platform'Councillor says proposed replacement for 'primitive' 1970s station isn't much of an improvement

New Civil Engineer

• Crumbling ‘curly wurly’ bridge to finally be replaced after six month setbackWork to replace a concrete footbridge over the A5 in Atherstone, North Warwickshire will begin this weekend, six months later than planned.
• Network Rail engineers begin upgrade at Greater Manchester stationNetwork Rail engineers have begun work to upgrade Romiley station in Greater Manchester.
• Crossrail | Push to open by March risks delaying full Elizabeth line serviceA push to get the Elizabeth line open by March poses a longer-term risk to the start of a full service on the line, project bosses have been warned.

Rail Advent

• Network Rail West completes £22m upgrades during festive breakDuring the Christmas and New Year break, Network Rail engineers completed £22m worth of essential upgrades across its Western region.
• The “East Midlands Commuter Programme” initiative is set to modify the areas rail and tram network similar to S-BahnThe innovative campaigning group Sustainable Transport Midlands (STM) released their plans in a bid to create systems like those across mainland Europe and around the world.

Railway Gazette

• Lumo Managing Director steps downUK: Helen Wylde stepped down as Managing Director of recently launched London – Edinburgh open access operator Lumo on January 4, in order to take up a position outside the rail industry.
• TikTok star Francis Bourgeois appointed as GB Railfreight brand ambassadorUK: GB Railfreight has appointed TikTok star Francis Bourgeois as a brand ambassador, who will showcase the role of rail freight and go behind the scenes at the operator during 2022.
• Suppliers call for Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline updateUK: The Railway Industry Association has expressed concern that it is now more than 800 days since the government last updated the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline. The government had said an updated list of planned network improvements would be published annually.

Other News Sources

• Track and signal work completed as part of TransPennine Route UpgradeNetwork Rail has completed a major track and signalling upgrade in Manchester to provide passengers with a more modern, reliable railway and allow more trains to run in the future.
• Brighton councillor calls for ban on flights despite COP26 blunderA GREEN councillor has called on all domestic flights to be banned just months after the council leader was caught flying to a climate convention.