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

Tuesday, 05 July 2022

BBC News

• Southampton underground line proposed by transport plannersA new underground train system has been proposed to cut travel times between two cities in the south of England. The rail link would connect Southampton Central station with Netley, allowing for a more direct and quicker route to neighbouring Portsmouth.
• Fuel prices: Why is petrol so expensive in the UK?Why are UK pump prices at record highs, and when might they fall?
• Fuel protests cause traffic queues in ScotlandProtests in Aberdeen and Inverness are among several across the UK as fuel prices hit record highs.
• Ulster Canal to benefit from cross-border fundThe Irish government approves more than €70m funding for the Shared Island Fund.
• No trains home from Lewis Capaldi at TRNSMT festivalScotRail said no trains would run out of Glasgow after the music festival ends on Sunday night.
• EasyJet executive quits after major flight disruptionThe move comes after the airline has been criticised for flight cancellations and disruption.
• Great Central Railway: Thieves steal 1946 steam train parts worth £50k Burglars have stolen thousands of pounds of specialised components for a 76-year-old steam train which is undergoing a major restoration.

Department for Transport

• Public vote and official shortlist announced to choose home of Great British RailwaysBirmingham, Crewe, Derby, Doncaster, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and York will compete to be crowned the home of Britain’s railways.

Financial Times

• British Rail: A New History a timely reminder of how to run a railway Christian Wolmar's examination of nationalisation reveals that in the 1980s and 1990s the system was making progress
• EasyJet executive quits over flight chaosChief operating officer Peter Bellew resigns after disruption led to thousands of cancellations
• UK faces first national train drivers strike in 25 yearsProspect of massive travel disruption intensifies as more unions ballot members and fuel protests clog main roads

The Guardian

• Why are UK fuel prices at a record high when cost of oil has fallen?Explainer: Motorists are paying more than ever at the pump despite a dip in wholesale price. As fuel price protests block motorways in England and Wales, petrol prices have again hit a record high. That is despite a slight easing in sky-high wholesale costs for retailers, which had been blamed for the pain at the pumps.

Times Online

• Ditching private vehicle for car sharing ’saves thousands’ [subscription]Households can save more than £2,000 a year by switching from a private vehicle to car club membership, according to new UK-wide research funded by the Scottish government.

Daily Express

• 'Last thing we want to see!' Police urged take zero tolerance approach to fuel protestersPOLICE have been urged to take a zero-tolerance approach to fuel protesters to avoid the protests spreading causing further disruption.

Mail Online

• Huge airport queues spark fears of holiday meltdown as ministers are told to 'get a grip'Fears of a lengthy summer meltdown at British airports surged with passengers pictured queueing in car parks and outside terminal buildings. Stansted, Manchester and Heathrow were worst hit

Belfast Telegraph

• Car industry suffers worst June since 1996The UK automotive industry suffered its worst June for new car sales since 1996.

Birmingham Post

• easyJet's chief operating officer quits as flight cancellations scupper holidaymakers' plansThe aviation industry has come under fire in recent weeks as airlines around the UK have been forced to cancel flights
• Proposals to spend millions on Bristol city centre unveiled The plans have been drawn up by the city centre's business improvement district (BID)

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• easyJet COO resigns amidst pressure to reduce flight disruptioneasyJet has been one of the worst hit- airlines for cancellations in recent months.

Bristol Live

• Extra £25.5m needed to finish Portishead railway line The council has previously blamed the government for delaying the scheme

Manchester Evening News

• EasyJet chief operating officer quits amid growing anger over flight chaosThe airline has been one of the worst hit for cancellations in recent months.

Wales Online

• Fuel protesters arrested on the M4 and vehicles seized by policeThe Prince of Wales bridge was closed twice on Monday because of the protests

Yorkshire Post

• Bradford is ambitious, Rishi Sunak, but needs a new city centre rail hub - Prof Zahir IraniBradford is a friendly, vibrant, creative place. There is an abundance of art, music, theatre and, wonderful public spaces, all of which are nestled amongst some of the most stunning and dramatic scenery in the UK.
• Doncaster rail crash: Two freight trains collide on line in South Yorkshire as investigation launchedThe Rail Accident Investigation Branch have launched an investigation after the collision on a slow freight line that approaches Doncaster Station and the Railport.

Other Regional Press

• Transport official lifts lid on delays to introduction of new trains on North Wales rail lineA Transport for Wales (TfW) Executive has lifted the lid on the so-called “thermal” incidents that have further delayed the introduction of the new Class 230 hybrid trains on the Wrexham to Bidston line.
• "We need full electrification of the Calder Valley line, not half measures" say rail campaigners in CalderdaleRail campaigners in Calderdale have welcomed the news that Network Rail has been given the go-ahead to progress with plans to deliver railway improvements in West Yorkshire, but say more needs to be done.
• Professor calls for radical action on Shropshire transport issuesA professor's radical ideas to cut carbon emissions from Shropshire's transport network were aired at a meeting in Clun.
• Crossrail: Elizabeth Line should have £3.2bn extension into Kent with Eurostar connection, say transport officialsTransport planners are investigating options to extend the Elizabeth line that would see the Transport for London-run network go all the way to Gravesend in Kent. Transport for the South East (TfSE) - a council-backed quango - set out the plans in its new Strategic Investment Plan, with calls to extend the new Elizabeth line deep into Kent.
• Elizabeth line trains skip West London station for four days dues to 'wall safety concerns'Elizabeth line trains skip West London station for four days dues to 'wall safety concerns'
• Is Jaguar Land Rover at a tipping point in the seismic shift from internal combustion to electric power?The future could be very bright for Britain’s biggest car maker but it faces a few challenges along the way

C.N.N.

• US flights returning to normal after another holiday weekend packed with cancellationsFlights at US airports appeared to be returning to normal on Monday after another difficult holiday weekend for passengers.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• £1 billion railway technology investmentOver £1 billion of government funding will be used to replace Victorian infrastructure with digital signalling technology.  One-third of the nation’s population live within 20 minutes of a station on the East Coast Main Line and, together, produce more than 40% of the UK’s GDP, making it one of the UK’s busiest rail routes while also playing a vital role in the prosperity of the nation’s economy. The technology, which will be rolled out across the entire southern section of the line – from London’s King’s Cross to Stoke Tunnels, just ...
• RSSB appoints Mike Brown FCILT as RSSB chairMike Brown CBE MVO FCILT has been appointed by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) as the new Chair of the Board.  Mike Brown, the former Commissioner of Transport for London (TfL), and Fellow of the Institute, led the capital’s transport network to dramatic improvements in safety, service reliability, and financial efficiency. While at TfL, Mike was responsible for the successful delivery of Underground and mainline rail for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. He delivered a multi-billion-pound investment programme on London’s roads, rail, Underground and cycl...

New Civil Engineer

• Severn Tunnel railway upgrade beginsNetwork Rail engineers have begun upgrading the railway which runs through the Severn Tunnel.
• Airport design and construction must be driver towards net zero targetWholesale aviation decarbonisation rests on new technologies some years away from scaled up implementation, so the built environment sector must do what it can to accelerate the decarbonisation of airports now.
• How HS2’s Euston plans went from ’world class’ to ’functional’Euston. It was one of the first names jotted down on the HS2 wishlist back when Labour was in government and fresh from the financial crisis it looked for an inspiring infrastructure project to bring Britain back from a recession. Four elections, a pandemic and a Brexit vote later and the designs for Euston are still to be finalised.
• Scottish railways to get £120M electrification boostNetwork Rail has announced that it will invest £120M of Scottish Government funding to boost the electricity power supply across Scotland’s railway network over the next three years.

Railnews

• Siemens expands Goole factory MONDAY BRIEFING: Siemens expands Goole factory ++ Problems have delayed Welsh Vivarail plans ++

Other News Sources

• Solar-powered Tesla trailer could help allay “range anxiety”Tesla has shown off a new prototype trailer that is apparently designed to extend the range of an EV using in-built solar panels.
• Special livery unveiled for London North Eastern Railway train commemorating Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, serving East Coast Mainline through NewarkPassengers travelling from Newark Northgate will soon be able to board a train dedicated to the nation's second world war flying heroes.
• Network Rail installs chargers for electric van fleetNetwork Rail has installed its first dedicated EV charging facilities to be used with a trial of electric vans. The chargers at Network Rail’s Swindon and Bristol depots will support the trial of 25 small electric vans, with both the vehicles and chargers managed by leasing company Novuna Vehicle Solutions.
• Fascinating history behind Northampton Network Rail Depot ravaged by fireThere is a fascinating history behind Northampton Network Rail Depot which was recently damaged by fire. Eight fire engines were called out to tackle a blaze at the site last Tuesday (June 28).