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

Tuesday, 24 November 2020

BBC News

• Covid: Rail numbers plummeted by up to 90% last weekendThe volume of people using buses in Scotland also dramatically declined during the first weekend of tougher restrictions.
• Network Rail fined after allowing trains over damaged Lamington ViaductSeveral trains were allowed to use the West Coast Main Line crossing after it was badly damaged in a storm.

The Independent

• Millions face Christmas rail chaos during ‘lockdown lifting’The 19 million British people without access to a car could find their journey plans thwarted or extremely crowded

Birmingham Mail

• Candidate for West Midlands mayor who wants to scrap Metro tram and make bus and rail freeTim Weller is running against incumbent mayor Andy Street "to get publicity for the future of the really good railway infrastructure we have"
• Rare glimpse inside forgotten railway tunnel being brought backThe line, which is being laid along a disused rail track, will be two kilometres long when complete and be used as a test track for Very Light Rail

Birmingham Post

• Midlands firms invited to tender for £12bn worth of HS2 contractsAn event is taking place to give businesses an insight into how they can become part of HS2's supply chain

East Anglian Daily Times

• New trains to enter service but won't reach Suffolk until next yearGreater Anglia is set to introduce the first of its fleet of new suburban electric trains on routes in Essex within the next few weeks – but they are unlikely to be seen in the Ipswich or Colchester area until the New Year.

Business Live

• Chancellor urged to support three rail projects to transform services in North Wales, Cheshire and MerseysideChancellor Rishi Sunak has been urged to back three rail improvement schemes in North Wales and the North West of England.

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• UK rail industry faces critical skills shortage by 2025 – putting success of major new projects at riskNew research by City & Guilds and the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) paints a stark picture for the future of the rail workforce, with skills shortages set to escalate significantly in the sector over the next five years.    With major rail infrastructure projects due to be announced next week as part of the long anticipated National Infrastructure Strategy, the Back on Track report – which includes findings from research undertaken by YouGov[1] and data from NSAR on 242,000 workers in the rail industry – reveals that there is potential for these to create a ...

New Civil Engineer

• Crossrail station hits milestone with 120t of structural steelwork installed The first phase of work on the West London Crossrail station in Ealing Broadway has been completed.
• Warning against further construction delays to High Speed Rail instituteConstruction delays at the Institute for High-Speed Rail and System Integration will “reduce the effectiveness” of the institute, leading rail industry figures have warned.

Other News Sources

• Network Rail uses laser and drone technology in viaduct restoration projectAs part of Network Rail’s £2.1 million Great North Rail Project investment, North Yorkshire’s iconic Ribblehead viaduct was 3D scanned and turned into a computer model by surveyors.
• Ageing workforce and skills shortage ‘threaten future rail projects’Roughly 15,000 rail industry employees could be due to retire by 2025, threatening the future of major new projects.
• Calls made for over £2.4 billion underinvestment in Welsh rail to be addressedThe Welsh Minister for Transport has called on the UK government to “put right” its neglect and underinvestment in Welsh railways.
• Minster tells UK Government to ‘put right’ its £2.4bn ‘neglect’ of Welsh railwaysA minister has warned the UK Government that it needs to “put right” its £2.4bn “neglect” of Welsh railways.