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

Wednesday, 08 June 2022

Cogitamus

• London will soon be unimaginable without the Elizabeth LineAfter a long and difficult gestation, Crossrail has finally blossomed into the Elizabeth Line – a superb, world class regional rapid transit railway which will not only provide excellent connectivity along its direct route but will also transform public transport across large parts of London and the South East.

BBC News

• Four-day rail closure to prepare for Birmingham Commonwealth GamesNetwork Rail said the work was necessary to get ready for the Commonwealth Games.
• West Midlands Metro: Date announced for tram services to resumeJourneys have been disrupted over the past year after cracks were found in vehicles.
• HS2: Plans for wetland network near Birmingham lineHS2 plans to create natural habitats along its route near the Birmingham and Fazeley canal viaduct.
• Airport that 'took a hammering' due to pandemic hoping to rebuildThe travel industry was hit hard by the pandemic as all but essential air travel was effectively stopped. At Southend Airport they have "taken a hammering" as passenger numbers have dropped more than 90% from pre-pandemic levels, so can it rebuild?
• HS2: Government scraps plans for £3bn West Coast Main Line linkRail bosses react angrily to the scrapping of plans for the line in Cheshire and Greater Manchester.
• ScotRail advises fans to leave Scotland game earlyFans travelling by train will have to leave the Armenia game before the final whistle if they want to get home.
• Cost to fuel a lorry is up £20,000 a year, says haulage bossCustomers are having to pay more for goods as truck firms pass on higher fuel prices, a freight boss says.
• Rail strikes: Fresh talks urged to avoid disruptionThe RMT union and the rail industry both say they want to try and get a deal to avoid June strikes.

Financial Times

• Summer of misery ahead for UK rail and air travellersHeathrow boss says 18 months needed to clear pandemic disruption as train workers announce three days of strikes
• Summer of misery ahead for UK rail and air travellers Heathrow boss says 18 months needed to clear pandemic disruption as train workers announce three days of strikes

The Guardian

• Rail workers to bring British network to a halt with three-day strike in JuneWorkers to strike on 21, 23 and 25 June over possible job cuts at Transport for London and national rail networkRail workers are to strike for three days in late June, in a move that is likely to halt much of the national rail network across Britain for a week.The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has told members to prepare to “shut down the rail systemâ€� with strikes on 21, 23 and 25 June, after a ballot of 40,000 members last month resulted in staff at Network Rail and 13 train operating companies voting overwhelmingly for full-scale industrial action. Continue reading...

The Scotsman

• Drop in car use over Covid helps meet greenhouse gas goals - but where to now?It has taken a global pandemic to help Scotland hit its target in lowering the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.

Times Online

• Airport lets fly at Wizz over closure [subscription]Wizz Air has been accused of being disingenuous in deciding to all but close its operations at Doncaster Sheffield airport amid a deepening aviation industry blame game over staff shortages and stranded passengers.
• Biggest rail strike for 30 years will cause week of disruption [subscription]Britain’s railways will grind to a halt for three days this month when workers stage the biggest strike in a generation.
• Sleeper trains are on track for a revival across Europe [subscription]A new network of sleek trains connecting capital cities is changing the way Europeans travel — and leaving a smaller carbon footprint along the way, writes Michael Binyon
• How the Paris Olympics can help flying taxis finally take-off [subscription]The concept might sound like something from a sci-fi film, but once the technology becomes mainstream the price will be comparable to a black cab, Poppy Koronka writes
• Elon Musk’s underground transport plan is anything but boring [subscripton]In the final part of our series, we look at the Tesla tycoon’s answer to our crowded roads

Mail Online

• Heathrow boss warns passengers could be in for 18 MONTHS of misery as ministers face further pressure to punish airlines for overbooking flightsMinisters were facing growing calls last night to bring in tougher penalties for airlines which overbook flights, as the boss of Heathrow warned of 18 months of air disruption.

The Mirror

• 'Grant Shapps should do something to sort travel chaos - holidaymakers deserve better'Transport Secretary Grant Shapps should focus on his day job of keeping Britain moving, not forever wasting time trying to save a Boris Johnson who doesn’t deserve it
• Damning report says Tories squandered billions on unfair 'levelling-up' fundMPs have highlighted how the first round of the £1.7bn Levelling-Up Fund was only awarded after the ministry knew the identities of shortlisted bidders.

Network Rail

• First train runs using the new digital signalling on Northern City LineThe testing of the new digital signalling on the Northern City Line has commenced with the running of the first Great Northern train between Finsbury Park and Moorgate under the new system.

Birmingham Post

• Voi e-scooter trial in Bristol expanded to cover whole cityThe Swedish tech firm said the scheme had so far replaced nearly 1.6 million short car journeys in Bristol, and saved almost 900 tonnes of CO2
• Go North East boss lands new role in charge of Lumo & Hull TrainsMartijn Gilbert will leave Go North East and become managing director of the operator later this year

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• JCT600 say charging points need to match electric car demandA CAR dealership has bemoaned the lack of charging points in Bradford as the number of electric vehicles in the city doubled in the last year.

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Airport travel chaos to hit summer holidays and could last for 18 monthsThe disruptions are expected to get worse as thousands of British Airways workers were balloted for industrial action after it was claimed that a 10% pay cut imposed during the pandemic has still not been reinstated

Other Regional Press

• Brechin railway fears £20m levelling up fund Angus bid will be left in the sidingsAngus Council chiefs have been urged to get on board a Brechin heritage railway bid to bring a potential £20 million tourism and transport cash windfall to the district.

New Civil Engineer

• Concerns raised over winning Levelling Up Fund bidsShovel-ready projects may have been wrongly prioritised over other more "realistic bids" to the government's Levelling Up Fund, according to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
• Hangers to be replaced on Menai Suspension BridgeThe hangers on the historic Menai Suspension Bridge will be replaced, the Welsh government has announced.
• Arcadis, Atkins and Motts win work on £200M rail excellence centreA team of contractors, consultants and architects have been brought in to work up plans for a £200M Global Centre of Rail Excellence in Wales.
• Liverpool mayor calls for sustainable alternatives to Port of Liverpool access roadLiverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram has written to transport secretary Grant Shapps asking him to reconsider the controversial £250M Port of Liverpool Access Road proposal in favour of sustainable alternatives.
• HS2 testing artificial and remote sensing technologies for station designHS2 is testing an innovation featuring artificial intelligence and laser-based LiDAR remote sensing technology which could change the way its future stations will be designed.

Trafnidiaeth Cymru [Transport for Wales]

• What’s occurring? Trains due to arrive at new Barry yardTrains will begin to arrive at Transport for Wales’ new stabling yard in Barry from Wednesday 8 June.