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

Friday, 30 September 2022

BBC News

• Liz Truss backs the next phase of East-West Rail projectThe prime minister has given her backing to a £5bn rail project linking Oxford and Cambridge.
• Ballymena bus firm Nu-Track closes with 65 jobs lostNu-Track, which posted a £600,000 loss in 2021, says it was in an
• Dover summer queue warning under new EU border systemHolidaymakers and lorries could face long queues under the changes, the Port of Dover's boss warns.

Financial Times

• China's EV star and Tesla rival BYD unveils Europe expansionCarmaker's global push has been overshadowed by speculation over Warren Buffett's exit
• Strong dollar hits airlines as costs surgePassengers could bear the brunt of rises through higher ticket prices

The Guardian

• Shock therapy: turmoil engulfs Britishvolt's £3.8bn battery factoryFuture of company hailed by Boris Johnson as key to green industrial revolution hangs in the balance, as the first in our Electric Dreams series on Britain's fledgling battery industry reveals. Champagne flowed freely as Orral Nadjari courted bankers and potential business partners in a private box, against a soundtrack of V12 supercar engines, at the Goodwood festival of Speed.Nadjari had hit the big time: his Britishvolt battery startup was gatecrashing the annual petrolheads' gathering at the historic West Sussex circuit

Times Online

• Blanket 20mph speed limit in Edinburgh slashes deaths and improves ’liveability’ [subscription]Road deaths fell by nearly a quarter and serious injuries by a third when Edinburgh cut its speed limit to 20mph, research has revealed.

City AM

• Car firms push back against greenwashing allegations Car manufacturers have pushed back against allegations they are underreporting the indirect lifetime emissions of their vehicles.  A report by European environmental NGO Transport & Environment (T&E) has accused nine of the world’s largest car makers – including Volkswagen, Toyota and BMW – of downplaying the indirect lifetime emissions of their vehicles by, on average, [...] The post Car firms push back against greenwashing allegations appeared first on CityAM.

The Mirror

• World's first all-electric passenger airplane takes to the sky and flies for 8 minutesThe zero-emission aircraft successfully launched from Washington's Grant County International Airport on Tuesday morning and traveled at an altitude of 3,500 feet

Birmingham Post

• Nearly 600 Liverpool port workers to strike for seven days next monthSenior control room operators and control room operators have now voted to join the strike action

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Bradford business owner questions council Clean Air Zone signageALTHOUGH Bradford Council has called the launch day for the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) on Monday a successful one, questions still abound for some residents who have expressed concerns about signage and other issues.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Should Denbighshire Council focus more on roads than beaches? Have your sayThe council's purchase of a new rake machine caused uproar as people wondered why they didn't spend the money on potholes

Wales Online

• Welsh Government loses more than half a million pounds on homes it bought up for the scrapped M4 relief roadThe road was scrapped in 2019 after massive spending, but the issue has rumbled on

Yorkshire Post

• Northern Powerhouse Rail: Government vows to 'accelerate' project and deliver it 'in full'Northern leaders are urging Prime Minister Liz Truss to deliver on her promise to build Northern Powerhouse Rail in full.

Bucks Free Press

• Carousel Buses PickMeUp bus service goes liveCarousel hopes to reduce cars on the roads.

Cambridge News

• Cambridge congestion charge: Leader admits people don't believe bus improvements will happenPeople need to have confidence that authorities will actually deliver plans to “double” the bus network in Cambridge and the wider area, councillors have said. Councillor Elisa Meschini said the way to repair damaged trust was to ’do what is promised’.

Hull Daily Mail

• Train firm Northern slammed for failing to lay on buses during Hull to Doncaster line closureHull city council leader Mike Ross says a failure by train operator Northern to provide replacement buses during engineering works was "not good enough".

Other Regional Press

• Sharon Dowey MSP attacks SNP over ScotRail delaysAN Ayrshire MSP is branding the SNP’s ownership of ScotRail a ’shambles’ after it data revealed that over half of trains do not arrive at Girvan Station on time, and over a quarter of trains do not arrive at Ayr Train Station on time.
• First Bus resubmit plans to install acoustic fencing around King Street depotPlans were originally withdrawn for electric charging facilities after concerns from residents, but new plans could see the depot upgrade come to fruition with acoustic fencing
• Mystery of disappearing bus shelters resolved!THE mystery of disappearing bus shelters across Warrington has been resolved.
• East West Rail excavations in Bucks reveal lost Roman settlements ahead of construction of new railwayDigs ahead of the new railway line have revealed a number of settlements from thousands of years ago

Coach and Bus Week

• First announces £35m investment in electric buses for ScotlandFirst Bus orders 74 new electric vehicles for Glasgow and Aberdeen from Alexander Dennis and Pelican Bus & Coach
• Reading Buses supports car-free messageReading Buses encouraged motorists in West Berkshire to travel for free on national Car Free Day on 22 September. The operator teamed up with West Berkshire Council to provide free travel in the county, with a ’take the bus’ message and the offer of a free return ticket for passengers boarding in West Berkshire.
• Keolis, Iveco and Forsee Power join forces to optimise performance of e-bus batteriesOn 21 September, Keolis, Iveco Bus and Forsee Power signed a partnership agreement to improve knowledge of how electric bus batteries function by pooling their own specific expertise, with a goal of gaining tighter control over the ageing of batteries and optimising their use, which they say will constitute a central technical and economic challenge in electric bus systems.

Construction Enquirer

• Network Rail chief takes finance reins at SkanskaSkanska UK has confirmed Meliha Duymaz as its new Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President.

Intelligent Transport

• Bolt’s scooter ridership more than doubled in summer 2022With more people keen to adopt sustainable modes of transport for shorter journeys, Bolt has introduced a series of features to enhance rider safety, including a sound for e-scooters and a cognitive reaction test, amongst others.
• Arriva Group reaches agreement for purchase of its businesses in Denmark, Serbia and PolandAs part of its 2021 strategy to operate a tighter portfolio and remain competitive for the long-term, Arriva Group’s latest sale will provide future growth opportunities for its businesses in Denmark, Serbia and Poland.
• Transport’s journey to net zero: Electrification will drive our transition to a carbon-free future, says TransLinkIn the latest installment of Intelligent Transport’s exclusive sustainable transport Q&A series, Ralf Nielsen, Director – Enterprise Sustainability at TransLink.

New Civil Engineer

• Future of Roads | Industry turns to technology to enhance road worker safetyInnovative solutions are keeping road workers safe as the push to maintain and improve the network continues.
• Project Speed on steroids: what do the infrastructure planning reforms mean?In early September, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced that the examination period for infrastructure projects could be shortened from six months to four months, that there would be a forthcoming infrastructure action plan and that there would be fixed timescales for non-material amendments to Development Consent Orders (DCOs).

Rail Advent

• Transport for Wales partners up with Cardiff UniversityCardiff University’s School of Geography and Planning are now working with Transport for Wales to provide a new module.
• Government urged to work with the private sector by rail businessesRail Partners represent both independent passenger and freight operating companies and have released a new report titled which provides steps that the Government can take in order to increase growth both now and in the future.

Railnews

• Southeastern timetable changes criticised by watchdog Southeastern is abolishing First Class when its new timetable comes into force in December. The operator has revealed that compared to 2019, before the Covid pandemic, it is now carrying 56 per cent of its former weekday peak passenger totals, 77 per cent of weekday off-peak and 90 per cent of weekend traffic, confirming a trend which has already been reported elsewhere. However, London TravelWatch is unhappy that the new service pattern means more passengers will have to change at London Bridge.

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• Baroness Vere retains ministerial role for coach and busBaroness Vere has retained ministerial responsibility for both coach and bus following her reappointment as Under-Secretary of State for Transport despite some reorganisation of portfolios, the Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed. 
• Rotheram underlines Liverpool CR bus reregulation aimMayor of Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram has further underlined his desire to deliver reregulation of bus services in the conurbation after it became the latest in England to launch a £2 adult fare cap.
• McGill’s plots more electrification as Zenobe work growsMcGill’s Buses and Zenobe have begun early work to design solutions for the introduction of zero-emission buses to the former First Scotland East operation, the two parties have said.
• RHA attacks Clean Air Zone work as Bradford goes liveThe Clean Air Zone (CAZ) mechanism in England is “outdated” and it targets “the wrong vehicles,” RHA Managing Director Richard Smith claimed as the delayed Bradford CAZ went live on 26 September. It brings with it a £50 daily charge for most non-Euro VI coaches and buses. 

Transport Infrastructure News

• Clean air zone proves divisive in BradfordBradford became the latest city to launch a clean air zone this week, promising to reduce emissions by charging the most polluting commercial vehicles to drive in central areas. However the scheme has proven controversial for some due to expected impacts on businesses.
• Road pricing support gathers pace according to new surveyHalf of motorists support the introduction of a distance based road charge and less than a fifth are opposed to the idea, according to a report. But a third of drivers have seemingly yet to make up their mind.

Other News Sources

• Stagecoach hits back over Gloucestershire bus cuts which may affect up to half a million tripsStagecoach chiefs say claims made by Gloucestershire County Council leaders about the planned cuts in November are inaccurate and misleading
• SNP conference to debate restoring rail services to Peterhead and FraserburghNorth-east rail links are set to be debated at the upcoming SNP conference in Aberdeen next month after a policy debate to reach an agreement on re-establishing former routes to Peterhead and Fraserburgh was secured.
• Britain has a new rail ministerThe UK government reshuffle may be a work in progress, but there is one more post holder on board. Kevin Foster may be a new name to the rail fraternity, but he is a well-known face along the corridors of power, soon to take up his appointment as the new rail minister at the Department for Transport.
• Southampton Port to receive £17.5m rail investmentThe Port of Southampton is to receive a £17.5 million joint investment from Associated British Ports (ABP) and Solent Stevedores.