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

Monday, 21 March 2022

BBC News

• Severn Valley Railway service changes to save coal amid conflictA heritage railway said it is changing some of its operations in a bid to conserve coal amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The Severn Valley Railway said, like others across the country, it was struggling to source new coal supplies

Financial Times

• Will LA pez Obradors new Mexico City airport take off?Air hub prepares to welcome first passengers but economists warn scale will hold back economic benefits

The Guardian

• Petrol prices are driving us to electric cars, and surging utility bills are no deterrent | Torsten BellEV sales are rising way beyond forecasts, indicating that most of us are more than ready to make the switchThe net zero transition is really a big invest-to-save plan. Saving the planet is obviously the main goal, but there are purely financial savings too if you take the long view: we pay upfront in the next few decades for the infrastructure for lower carbon travel, heating and production, which saves us money over time because it’s cheaper to run.Electric vehicles (EVs) are where the big savings come from. A year’s petrol or diesel typically costs well over £1,000, but if you can charge an ...

The Telegraph

• Baggage and flight chaos for British Airways passengers at Heathrow

Times Online

• Parking tax ’would cut electric car use’ [subscription]Edinburgh and Glasgow have expressed interest in the scheme, which is 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 staff.
• P&O ’hired agency workers on £1.82 an hour’ [subscription]The Dubai-owned company has sacked 800 workers, replacing them with agency staff who, according to the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union, are earning less than the £8.91 minimum wage. Billy Jones, branch secretary for Humber shipping for the RMT union, claimed that eastern Europeans had been hired on hourly wages of between £2.60 and £2.80 to crew P&O’s Pride of Hull ship.
• Insurers join outcry over P&O firings [subscription]Cheaper crew ’could raise underwriting risk’ Neil Roberts, of Lloyd’s Market Association, whose members write about £36 billion of premiums every year, said that “UK plc must look at safeguarding itself” after 800 staff were sacked last week without notice or consultation, to be replaced with cheaper agency workers believed to be from overseas.

City AM

• P&O Ferries’ move to sack 800 staff was ’awful’, says SunakP&O Ferries’ move to sack 800 staff this week was “apalling” and “wrong”, Rishi Sunak has said today. The chancellor said he would now be investigating whether the actions of P&O were legal. The shipping and logistics firm, which is owned by Dubai-based DP World, told 800 workers over Zoom that they had been made [...] The post P&O Ferries’ move to sack 800 staff was ’awful’, says Sunak appeared first on CityAM.

Mail Online

• Rishi Sunak is set to CUT tax on fuel over cost of living fears in Spring StatementMr Sunak is considering a temporary fuel cut in fuel duty of up to 5p per litre to help ease the burden of skyrocketing fuel costs caused by the invasion of Ukraine and boycott of Russian oil.

The National [Wales]

• Congestion charge for Cardiff debated by councillorsA POTENTIAL congestion charge in Cardiff has been raised as an issue ahead of voters going to the polls in May but - as yet - there are no firm proposoals for one.

Belfast Telegraph

• Sadiq Khan’s fears as future TfL contracts supporting factory jobs ‘at risk’Future contracts for London transport schemes which support jobs across the country are at risk without long-term funding from the Government, the capital’s mayor is warning.

Birmingham Post

• Liverpool City Region borough enters Great British Railways headquarters raceThe move comes after Crewe submitted a "strong and ambitious" bid earlier this week.
• Railway engineering firms creating 200 Derby jobsAlstom and Motherson working with Shorterm to fill the positions and meet their manufacturing demands for the year ahead

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Question over town's pedestrian subwaysTHE future of pedestrian subways in Brighouse have something of a question mark over them amid a number of highway improvements.
• Bradford MP urges chancellor to slash fuel prices in mini-BudgetAS PETROL prices reach an all-time high in the UK tied in with the cost-of-living crisis, an MP from the district is urging the chancellor to slash prices in next weeks mini-Budget.

Manchester Evening News

• LIVE: The state of our buses - we find out how bad Greater Manchester's public transport system really isA new dawn is on the horizon for Greater Manchester's buses. After years of confusing, expensive fares and unreliable services, Andy Burnham has promised a major overhaul of public transport in the region. Following an historic legal ruling, the mayor announced plans for a 'London-style transport revolution', including a new charging system which would cap adult fares for a single journey at £2 and children at £1.

The York Press

• New bus services announced to replace routes being axed in East RidingNEW bus services have been announced to make sure residents still have access to public transport on two East Riding routes, after some were axed.

Wolverhampton Express and Star

• Trams cracked again as West Midlands Metro cancels services 'until further notice'Cracks have once again been found in the trams that operate between Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

Doncaster Free Press

• Cuts to train services used by South Yorkshire commuters slammedA series of cuts to rail services in South Yorkshire, largely affecting commuter routes between Sheffield, Leeds and Nottingham, have been slammed.

Plymouth Herald

• Plymouth to remove more than 200 bus sheltersPlymouth City Council says decision to reduce number of city's shelters from 626 to 415 "has not been made lightly" - but has been slammed by Luke Pollard

Other Regional Press

• Bus travel discount aims to tempt drivers into trying public transportDRIVERS can switch to travelling by bus for half the cost of regular weekly tickets.
• Kent bus company offers free travel for UkrainiansA Kent bus company is helping Ukrainian refugees who reach the UK by offering free travel for the next three months.
• 'People were glaring as if I was some sort of scooter hooligan'As Kent's police chief calls for an end to e scooter trials, we look back at when a reporter took one of the controversial two-wheelers for a spin...
• Government minister lambasts builder over unfinished roads on Dewsbury estateFour MPs have raised concerns about Harron Homes
• Batley people 'ignored' over plan to close level crossingCouncillors heard concerns about consultation with local people on the Lady Anne crossing
• New laws for using a mobile phone in the carTougher limits are coming in for drivers when using mobile phones at the wheel.
• Taxi fares in Dorset could rise again as fuel price soarsTAXI drivers in Dorset could see the maximum tariffs they can charge customers going up again later in the year – if fuel costs continue to soar.

New Civil Engineer

• London Olympics advisers drafted in to spearhead Old Oak Common developmentLondon Mayor Sadiq Khan has drafted in two regeneration and development experts to help deliver the transformation of Old Oak Common.
• ’Milestone moment’ on restoration of abandoned Scots rail linkNew footage released by Network Rail has revealed the "milestone moment" when the first new rails were laid for the £116M Levenmouth Rail Link.

Rail Advent

• 42 towns and cities bid to host Great British Railways HQIn response to the Government’s request for communities across the country to bid to become the new home for Great British Railways (GBR), expressions of interest have been received from 42 towns and cities spread across the nation.

Other News Sources

• Transport hub plans revealed for Hull park-and-rideDetails have been revealed on plans to transform Hull's park-and-ride into a transport hub. As part of its efforts to reduce traffic in the city centre and encourage alternative forms of transport, Hull City Council wants to turn the existing Priory Park & Ride, off the A63 Clive Sullivan Way in west Hull, into an environmentally friendly transport hub, providing integrated multi-modal travel options.
• Anger as Northern plans to axe raft of West Yorkshire train servicesGovernment-run operator plans to reduce services in Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield and Wakefield leaving large gaps – or no service, post says
• Transport for the North trumpets importance of active travel and multimodal hubs in policy updatesTransport for the North (TfN) has revised its 2019 Strategic Transport Plan for the North of England to reflect the growing importance of active travel and multimodal hubs.
• Tricky tunnelling finished at Paddington tube stationExcavation works have finished on the Paddington Bakerloo line station upgrade, which forms part of Shard developer Sellar’s Paddington Square project.