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

Wednesday, 23 February 2022

BBC News

• Could Port Talbot become a centre for space technology in Wales?Black Arrow Space Technologies wants to change industrial Port Talbot into “Space Port Talbot”.
• Third of Manchester bus routes could be cut without fundingIf government transport grants stop
• Sniffer dogs help track down railway metal thievesThe dogs are being used to sniff out criminals who target the metal causing regular train delays.

Financial Times

• Airbus to test hydrogen-powered engine on A380 superjumboEuropean plane maker has teamed up with Safran and GE in push to bring zero emissions aircraft into service by 2035

STV

• Parking levy is 'not a tax on workers per se' says transport ministerThe workplace parking levy is “not a tax on workers per se”, according to Scotland’s new transport minister.

The Guardian

• Until airlines tackle the scourge of ghost flights, Britain will never reach net zero | John VidalTime to face the truth: UK aviation, as it exists today, and tackling the climate crisis are incompatibleI was once the only passenger on a four-hour ghost flight across Europe.

Times Online

• Why is Holyrood still sitting on report for restructuring ferries?egular readers of my attempts to get to the bottom of Scotland’s ferries fiasco frequently urge me to keep digging. Well, my most recent spadework has resulted in some telling finds. I now have in my possession a single page from EY’s unpublished Project Neptune report into what changes the Scottish government should make to its tripartite structure for procuring vessels and running vital links to island communities in the Clyde estuary and across the Hebrides. A structure MSPs of all parties unanimously condemned as a “catastrophic failure” requiring “root and branch overhaul”.
• Green light for parking levies at work angers business leaders [subscription}Edinburgh and Glasgow have both expressed interest in the scheme, which is presently only used in Nottingham where firms have to pay almost £500 for every space they have in their car parks. Many pass at least some of the costs on to employees.

Birmingham Post

• New 'Levelling Up' report outlines major plans to improve A50/A500 corridor in Staffordshire and DerbyshireMidlands Connect says the plans will help reduce congestion, support businesses and promote greener transport use along the 90km stretch

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bus patrols used to clamp down on anti-social behaviourSPECIAL Trojan Horse bus patrols carrying police officers have hit the road in a part of West Yorkshire to ensure those seeking to cause disorder really face paying a penalty.

Wales Online

• The Welsh road that has been re-surfaced using dirty nappiesThe A487 between Cardigan to Aberystwyth now constitutes more than 107,000 used nappies

Other Regional Press

• New ’transport hubs’ to be trialled at sites across BristolNew ’mobility hubs’ could also incorporate facilities such as toilets, exercise equipment, hot desk spaces and community gardens when they are introduced at certain sites.
• Greens pile pressure on Shropshire Council to do more to promote walking, cycling and public transportGreen party members in Shropshire are proposing to release the brakes on promoting greener travel.
• New roadside verges planned to protect heathNEW roadside verges are to be installed along heathland roads in the Corfe Castle and Wareham area to protect the environment - with others closed off.

Construction News

• Graham to deliver busway bridge for £200m Belfast transport hubContractor Graham has been picked to deliver a new busway bridge as part of the £200m Belfast Transport hub. The overall project, being delivered by a joint venture between the Northern Irish firm Farrans and Madrid-based Sacyr, will see up to 26 new bus stands…

New Civil Engineer

• Network Rail ramps up Transpennine Route Upgrade workNetwork Rail and its contractors will ramp up work around Manchester in the coming weeks as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU).
• Network Rail hit with record roadworks fine after three-year bridge sagaNetwork Rail was the recipient of the biggest fine from a local council for their extended roadworks in the last two years, a freedom of information request from heycar has revealed.

Rail Business Daily

• MP meets Pre Metro to help progress the Dudley Dasher schemePre Metro, the operators of the Stourbridge Shuttle, have met with Dudley South MP, Mike Wood, to discuss the next steps for financing the Dudley Dasher.
• Multi-billion pound Transpennine Route Upgrade continues“Vital” work continues on multi-billion Transpennine Route Upgrade Work to deliver improvements to infrastructure between Manchester and Stalybridge will continue this month as the Transpennine Route Upgrade continues.

Railnews

• Rail Delivery Group calls for railfreight volumes to treble TUESDAY BRIEFING: Rail Delivery Group calls for railfreight volumes to treble ++ Storm clear-up continues ++ 'Hong Kong style' financing should be considered, says TfN chair ++

Other News Sources

• Stagecoach Electrics Have Travelled a Total of 106,321 Miles and Saved 74 tonnes of C02Since the launch in February 2020 of the BYD ADL Enviro400EV electric buses which were launched in Cambridge two years ago by Stagecoach East, the two zero-emission vehicles have collectively travelled a total of 106,321 miles and saved 74 tonnes of C02.
• Clean Transport Accelerator launched to help SMEs fast-track their innovationsWith transport being the largest carbon emitting sector in the UK, a partnership between NatWest and WMG at the University of Warwick has led to the launch of the Clean Transport Accelerator.
• Study: Diverting aviation subsidies into green transport could unlock hundreds of thousands of green jobsAviation bailouts in wake of pandemic hurt the climate and did not prevent tens of thousands of job losses, campaigners warn
• Rapid Growth for Biomethane in TransportA significant and quick growth was seen in the use of biomethane as a transport fuel in Europe in 2020, according to a recent data report from NVGA (The Natural & Bio Gas Vehicle Association).
• Lord Burns to Lead North Wales Transport ReviewA new transport commission that will develop a pipeline of transport schemes for north Wales has been announced by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters.