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

Wednesday, 02 February 2022

BBC News

• 'Levelling-up' plan unveiled for UKThe government gives itself until 2030 to improve transport, business, housing and education.
• London's walking and cycling schemes to lose £500mCancelling Healthy Streets projects will be pitched as a way to meet TfL's £473m funding shortfall.
• Drones base proposed for Oban AirportThe developer, Skyports, was involved in a project last year carrying Covid kits to and from parts of Argyll.

Financial Times

• Air France-KLM hobbled by state aid while rivals pounce on deals Market opportunities put group under mounting pressure to repay pandemic bailouts quickly

The Guardian

• ’Levelling-up’ funding inequality exposed by Guardian researchExclusive: some of the richest areas in England receive 10 times more funding a head than many of the poorest
• Levelling up: Gove calls time on ’postcode lottery’ as strategy launchedBoris Johnson hopes long-awaited white paper to address regional inequality in UK will shift debate away from parties

The Independent

• Transport emissions are biggest threat to UK net zero as figures show huge drop in lockdownCoronavirus lockdowns left Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions 9.5 per cent lower in 2020 compared to the year before, new official figures show — but fears have been expressed that rising transport pollution could threaten net zero targets.

The Scotsman

• ’Complex’ under-22s free bus travel application process to be simplified – transport minister Jenny GilruthWays to make it easier for young people under 22 to apply for free bus travel are to be explored, transport minister Jenny Gilruth has pledged.

The Telegraph

• Nicola Sturgeon's transport officials don't want to travel to the office [subscription]Transport Scotland's civil servants demand to work from home for up to four days per week

Times Online

• Levelling up the country by using public land [subscription]King’s Cross used to be a dump. Literally — refuse collection was one of its main uses in the 19th century.

Transport Committee

• Stakeholders questioned on integrated rail planThe Integrated Rail Plan outlines the government’s proposals to transform the rail network in the North and Midlands. This Transport Committee inquiry will examine the potential effect of the plan on rail capacity and connectivity in the region, and on the Government’s levelling up agenda.

Daily Record

• ScotRail plans for Ayrshire ticket offices blasted as public urged to have sayLabour MSP Katy Clark says proposed cuts will have a damaging effect on public safety, accessibility, staffing recruitment and passenger growth.

Sky News

• Levelling Up: Government to publish 12 'missions' in blueprint for 'spreading opportunity' across the UKWolverhampton and Sheffield will be the first of 20 areas picked to benefit from a "radical new regeneration programme" launched by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) as part of the government's Levelling Up White Paper.

Bristol Live

• First Bus ticket price hike prompts calls for new zones in South GloucestershireFirst Bus says £7.50 for unlimited journeys across the West of England 'remains good value'

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Lorry numbers set to rise 'nearly 800 per cent' in residential area if new Rhos-on-Sea road gets green lightBut council claims revamp will be better for pedestrians and cyclists on wider prom
• Drone footage shows progress of Caernarfon bypass as £113m scheme nears completionThe road is on schedule to open early this year
• More than 1,000 drivers face prosecution for speeding on A494In total, more than 17,400 advice letters have been issued to drivers travelling on the road

Derby Telegraph

• Thousands want direct Peak District rail link to Nottingham reinstatedA petition to reinstate a popular rail service which allowed a direct route for visitors to and from Peak District beauty spots has attracted thousands of signatures.

London Evening Standard

• TfL funding crisis: Drivers to foot bill for £1.5bn black holeMotorists would be paying an additional £300 million a year to drive in London under Sadiq Khan’s plans to restore Transport for London’s finances, it has emerged.

Nation. Cymru

• Drakeford slams UK Government’s ’neglect’ of rail investment in Wales as ’pathetic’Mark Drakeford has slammed the UK Government’s “neglect” of rail infrastructure in Wales as “pathetic”.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• MP calls on businesses to support Blyth school's 'ingenious' project to make use of former Pacer trainThe Dales school in Blyth was visited by local MP Ian Levy to hear about its exciting plans for a Pacer train

Yorkshire Post

• Patrick McLoughlin and Andy Burnham to share Integrated Rail Plan criticisms with MPsThe Transport Select Committee has established an inquiry into the plan, which caused huge disappointment in Yorkshire when it was published in November.

Chester Standard

• Merseyrail to increase Chester line services as Covid issues easeHowever, the rail operator confirms Ellesmere Port services will continue to operate on 30-minute timetable

Other Regional Press

• Tax on haulage industry could pay for more lorry parksA minister has admitted considering the idea of introducing a tax on the haulage industry to meet the costs of creating more lorry parking facilities.

New Civil Engineer

• HS2 bosses search for more innovations to deliver projectHS2 Ltd has launched its fourth Innovation Accelerator programme as it seeks fresh thinking on three aspects of the project’s delivery.
• Long overdue Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline to be updated in coming weeksThe Department for Transport (DfT) is planning to release the long overdue update to the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline this month, according to Andrew Stephenson MP.

Rail Advent

• 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley: LNER steam locomotive completes boiler test in CreweThe Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust has confirmed to RailAdvent that yesterday, 31st January 2022, LNER A4 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley underwent a new hydraulic boiler test.

Rail Technology Magazine

• Transport for Wales launch public consultation on sustainability projectsTransport for Wales (TfW) is asking members of the public to share their views on projects to upgrade travel links.

Transport Network

• Scotland back to dangerous air pollution levelsAnalysis by Friends of the Earth Scotland found air pollution reached dangerous limits in 2021, with many streets seeing a pollution spike despite restrictions such as working from home.
• Council backs down in cycle lane caseWest Sussex County Council said it settled the court case brought by Cycling UK to avoid further cost to the public purse.

Other News Sources

• Chinese airports’ improved focus on sustainability will pay dividendsMore than half of Chinese airports plan to shift their data centres from dedicated infrastructure, to the Cloud, over the next three years.
• Willmott Dixon to deliver net zero transport hub with North Tyneside CouncilWillmott Dixon has partnered with North Tyneside Council to deliver a net zero transport hub and sustainable town square in North Shields
• Hydrogen technology is unlikely to play a major role in sustainable road transportTechnical and economic developments in battery and fast-charging technologies could soon make fuel cell electric vehicles, which run on hydrogen, superfluous in road transport.
• Council-led Feasibility Study Team Plays Key Role in Progression of Clyde MetroFollowing Clyde Metro's inclusion as a key transport priority in the Scottish Government's second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) - today's Environment, Sustainability and Carbon Reduction Committee have been hearing more about the work of the council-led Metro Feasibility Study project team and its support of STPR2.
• £43m of transport schemes to be discussedSustainable transport schemes worth almost £43m are among the items to be considered by members of a West Yorkshire Combined Authority committee next week.
• £43m of sustainable transport schemes to be decided by West Yorkshire CANearly £43m of sustainable transport schemes will go before a West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) committee next week.
• Beryl celebrates one year anniversary of e-scooter schemeBeryl has celebrated the first anniversary of its e-scooter scheme in Bournemouth and Poole after achieving a significant landmark, with over 250,000 journeys completed in its first year.
• Hampshire pot-hole numbers second highest in the UKRecent figures have shown that Hampshire has the second highest number of pot-hole reports in the country.