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

Monday, 09 November 2020

BBC News

• Virgin Hyperloop pod transport tests first passenger journeysVirgin Hyperloop has trialled its first ever journey with passengers, in the desert of Nevada. The futuristic transport concept involves pods inside vacuum tubes carrying passengers at high speeds.

Financial Times

• Virgin claims hyperloop trial success with passengersTwo people ride short section of test tube in the Nevada desert

The Guardian

• Covid set back attitudes to public transport by two decades, says RACThe pandemic has put back attitudes to driving versus public transport by two decades, with almost two-thirds of UK car owners now considering their vehicle essential, research has found.

The Telegraph

• A tunnel to Belfast would be Boris Johnson's ultimate white elephant [subscription]One thing always bothered me about having Boris Johnson as Prime Minister: his weakness for vanity projects. From his Routemaster bus, to his cable car across the Thames and his aborted garden bridge, he has never been short of elaborate ways to waste our money.

Yorkshire Post

• Walking and cycling path along Stockton and Darlington Railway route could be 'major heritage attraction'A local authority developing plans to celebrate the bi-centenary of the world’s first passenger railway looks set to press ahead with a proposal to develop a walking and cycling route along 26 miles of the historic line.

Cambridge News

• 4 huge developments which will transform Peterborough in the next decadeFrom a new university to a redeveloped train station, there's a lot going on in Peterborough

Other Regional Press

• Historic Calderdale rail bridge built in 1860 restored in £3.7m projectPassengers are being thanked after a nine-day railway closure for the restoration of a historic railway viaduct in Calderdale designed by railway pioneer George Stephenson.
• Call for electrification of West Midlands rail linesUrgent investment is needed on West Midlands railway lines if the Government is to meet its own emissions targets, a campaign group has claimed.
• Cross-border trains warning as Welsh 'firebreak' endsPassengers are being reminded that cross-border restrictions between England and Wales still remain, despite the Wales firebreak lockdown ending today.
• New cameras keep an eye on Ryde transport comings and goingsTransport enthusiasts will have a new way of watching the comings and goings on Ryde Esplanade, thanks to two new eyes on the scene.

C.N.N.

• Virgin Hyperloop completes first test with actual passengersVirgin Hyperloop gave the first ride on its test track Sunday in Las Vegas, but it will be years before the public can potentially take a high-speed ride on a hyperloop.

New Civil Engineer

• 251km of electrified track added to UK railways in last yearThe Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has revealed that 251km of electrified track was added to the UK’s rail network during the past 12 months.
• Network Rail drainage systems can’t cope with increasing heavy rainfallNetwork Rail’s drainage systems are not used to “coping” with the amount of rain that fell prior to the Stonehaven derailment in Scotland earlier this year, according to chief executive Andrew Haines.
• Crossrail chief advises HS2 boss to keep designs simpleCrossrail chief executive Mark Wild has urged High Speed 2 bosses to keep the high-speed railway as simple as possible.

Rail Business Daily

• Midlands home to Britain’s three most bashed rail bridges as drivers urged to ‘wise up and size up’New figures show three railway bridges in the Midlands have topped the list for the most bashed in Britain in 2020.