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

Wednesday, 22 November 2023

BBC News

• Belfast Transport Hub: New images show progress of central stationBelfast Grand Central Station, the new £200m bus and rail centre, is due to open late next year.
• Stockport calls for 'action, not words' on long-awaited tram linkResidents in Stockport say they are
• Tube strikes: London Underground staff balloted over industrial actionThe latest ballot by the RMT union is over pay as Transport for London tries to make savings.
• Military flights boost revenue for airportTrans-Atlantic military flights that use Prestwick airport have boosted its revenue.
• First Bus driver strike talks set to continueAbout 1,200 drivers in the Unite union are due to strike over pay at First Glasgow for seven days from Friday.

Financial Times

• Open skies model for aviation is colliding with climate changeDutch plans to reduce growth of Schiphol airport are a proxy for the debate over the future of the airline industry

The Guardian

• Superyachts and private jets: the carbon impact of the 'polluter elite' - podcastA new report from Oxfam has found that the extravagant carbon footprint of the 0.1% - from superyachts, private jets and mansions to space flights and doomsday bunkers - is 77 times higher than the upper level needed for global warming to peak at 1.5C. Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian's Europe environment correspondent Ajit Niranjan, and from wealth correspondent Rupert Neate, about the highly polluting transport habits of the ultra-wealthy Continue reading...
• The jet set: 200 celebrities' aircraft have flown for combined total of 11 years since 2022Jets belonging to entertainers, CEOs, oligarchs and billionaires produce equivalent to emissions of almost 40,000 BritonsPrivate jets belonging to 200 celebrities, CEOs, oligarchs and billionaires have spent a combined total of 11 years in the air since the start of 2022.The carbon footprint of all those flights - a jaw-dropping 44,739 journeys - would be the equivalent of the total emissions of almost 40,000 Britons. Continue reading...

Times Online

• More flights from IAG get short shrift from investors [subscription]If senior bosses at International Consolidated Airlines Group had hoped to impress by flagging a capacity increase of up to 8 per cent in 2024 and a target for the “medium term” to resume dividend payments, they will have been disappointed yesterday.
• Backlash over airline-style luggage restrictions on trains [subscription]Signs at LNER stations warned travellers to take only three bags

Daily Express

• David Cameron under investigation by HMRC over private jet use during failed lobbying jobLord Cameron has been placed under investigation by tax inspectors over his use of private jets while working as a lobbyist for the collapsed firm Greensill.

Mail Online

• Wales's war on motorists continues: Drivers face double blow as new report calls for Ulez-style congestion charge in Cardiff and for buses to be exempt from 20mph limitsMark Drakeford's Welsh Labour Government has been accused of waging a 'war on motorists' with its plans for drivers to ditch their cars and take up public transport.

Birmingham Post

• Unions warn of Royal Navy submarines delays as over 400 Cammell Laird workers vote to strike in pay disputeDates for the industrial action have not yet been announced
• MD appointed to lead Midland MetroSophie Allison has been installed in the top job following a period running the tram operator on an interim basis

Newcastle Evening Chronicle

• Drivers warned of QR code scam in Newcastle car parks as motorists tricked into £60 paymentsFake QR code signs have fooled drivers parking in Dean Street, Morden Street and Blandford Square
• Talks to end Go North East bus strike fall short again despite deal being 'incredibly close'Negotiations on Monday ended without an agreement between the bus operator and Unite, with the union now planning a second ballot of members to keep their indefinite walkout going

Northern Echo

• Scam warning over unofficial signs in Newcastle car parksThe signs, which contain a digital link and have been seen in car parks across Newcastle, are believed to be a scam.

Wales Online

• Empty £3 million pound bus station in Barry finally gets a bus service months after openingPhase one of Barry Transport Interchange was completed in summer 2023
• Bristol Airport passengers urged to leave more time for journeys as roadworks cause major delaysSome passengers have reported hour-long delays trying to get to the terminal
• Powers to make drivers pay pollution charge on M4 and major A roads are approved in Welsh ParliamentLabour insisted it did not have any plans to use the powers

Other Regional Press

• Grove station reopening petition banks over 2,000 signaturesA petition run by MP David Johnston to re-open Grove Station has amassed over 2,000 signatures locally and will now be presented to Parliament.
• Witney MP welcomes £2.6m boost for road repair projectsOxfordshire is to get £2.6million for road improvement projects from the Government's redirected HS2 funding.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• DHL to transition to HVO fuel by the end of 2023DHL Supply Chain are saying goodbye to diesel as they announce the acceleration of their UK decarbonisation strategy. Around 15,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions are expected to be saved as six million litres of Hydrated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is to be rolled out by the end of 2023. HVO fuel will deliver 80-90% carbon savings compared to diesel and is now actively being rolled out to the majority of DHL’s on-site fuelling sites. Saul Resnick, CEO, DHL Supply Chain UK & Ireland said: “The installation of HVO fuel across our bunkered sites represents a critical moment in our multi-fuel...
• Government launches new competition helping decarbonise local transportA new £2 million competition has been announced by the Department for Transport (DfT) where businesses can apply for up to £500,000. The Transport Decarbonisation Demonstrators programme funded by DfT will allow businesses to run innovative trails tackling local transport challenges. DfT have said they will also help to grow local economies by supporting businesses to bring new solutions closer to market. Any UK business can apply for this funding with half of the £2 million being reserved for rural arears unlocking new technological benefits tackling challenges such as ac...
• Road repairs get £8 billion boostSmoother, safer and faster road journeys are on the horizon as millions are to benefit from £8.3 billion funding redirected from HS2. The allocations set out by Transport Secretary Mark Harper will see the billion-pound long-term plan resurface over 5,000 miles of road across the country over 11 years. Across England, local highway authorities will receive £150 million this financial year, followed by a further £150 million for 2024/2025, with the rest of the funding allocated through to 2034. Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said: “Well-maintained road surfaces could sa...

New Civil Engineer

• Network Rail mulls plans to reopen Cambridgeshire rail lineNetwork Rail is considering plans to reopen a rail line in Cambridgeshire that will reconnect the towns of Wisbech and March
• Network Rail mulls plans to reopen Cambridgeshire rail lineNetwork Rail is considering plans to reopen a rail line in Cambridgeshire that will reconnect the towns of Wisbech and March
• ’Site challenges’ were biggest obstacles to overcome in Gatwick Airport station £249M redevelopmentNetwork Rail’s £249M redevelopment of Gatwick Airport station has opened today after Costain completed its construction.

Railnews

• New larger Gatwick Airport station opens The modernised and enlarged station at Gatwick Airport opened to passengers this morning. The first train to call was the 05.48 Thameslink service from Bedford to Brighton. The new reconstruction has added a second concourse, eight new escalators, five new lifts, four new stairways and additional ticket gates. The platforms have been widened and track has been upgraded. The station is within the South Terminal, but the linkspan to the North Terminal has also been improved.

Other News Sources

• Bankrupt Woking Council giving away £148k a year on free EV charging as it can't work out how to make people payThe money could pay for the Bustler community transport service

EIN News Subscription

• A driverless 'magnetic levitation train' is coming to Berlin … has teamed up with Italian railway infrastructure manager Rete Ferroviaria Italiana … top speeds of a French TGV train to 550 km/h … have maglev trains. Is this Berlin's first magnetic rail? The … new maglev train is not Berlin …
• Poland's dream of massive air hub hits political crosswinds … is the shortage of European airport capacity. For LOT [ … these are high, causing airline resistance, Strickland added. … emissions from transport. Starting in 2027, EU airlines will have … with courier companies favoring airports in Germany. Sebastian Mikosz …