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

Wednesday, 31 March 2021

BBC News

• Bristol Temple Meads railway station gets £10.2m upgradeBristol Temple Meads railway station is set to get a £10.2m upgrade. The station will be completely rewired, with new heating, cooling and ventilation systems also installed and an upgrade to the lighting.
• A few frequent flyers 'dominate air travel'A small minority of frequent flyers dominates air travel in countries with high aviation emissions.
• Ferries delayed again amid recruitment strugglesThe nationalised shipyard building two overdue CalMac ferries finds it hard to recruit extra skilled workers.
• The cost of the Suez Canal blockageThe blocking of the canal by the Ever Given led to major disruption for the global shipping industry.
• Volvo goes global with its Swedish family valuesThe Chinese-owned carmaker will offer its generous parental leave scheme to 40,000 employees globally.
• Xiaomi to invest $10bn in electric vehicle raceThe Chinese phone maker is entering a competitive market to build electric cars of the future.

ITV News

• 'First time we've really been listened to': The changes being introduced for disabled passengers
The South East's biggest train company has renewed its commitment to improving travel for disabled people by announcing a series of new measures.

Financial Times

• Does Suez Canal blockage spell time for the ever-larger vessel? Ever Given is finally unstuck but incident is likely to have repercussions for megaships
• How trucks became the next battleground for self-driving technologyTie-up between Aurora and Volvo is latest in flurry of partnerships as pace of robotaxi development falters
• Thatcher's legacy put in reverse by new plans for busesStrategy brings an end to the unregulated free-for-all that saw services disappear and prices leap

The Guardian

• UK criticised for ignoring Paris climate goals in infrastructure decisionsProminent scientists and lawyers have said the UK government’s decision to ignore the Paris climate agreement when deciding on major infrastructure projects undermines its presidency of UN climate talks this year.
• Why vast projects such as HS2 could be best route for UK steel industryChange in procurement rules would ensure steel used comes from British producers wherever possible
• Finally, a route out of bus privatisation | LettersPhilip Bisatt and Fran Postlethwaite hope that Andy Burnham's move to end the deregulation of bus services in Greater Manchester will be adopted by other transport authorities It is good to read that bus deregulation is to end in Greater Manchester, 35 years after being introduced by the 1985 Transport Act (Greater Manchester bus services to be brought under public control, 25 March).Bus deregulation has arguably been one of the worst legacies of the Thatcher years.
• Who pays for Suez blockage? Ever Given grounding could spark years of litigationShip likely to be centre of protracted legal battle over what caused it to run aground in the Suez and who is to blameAfter hauling its 220,000-ton bulk down the Suez canal a week after blocking the essential waterway, the Ever Given container ship is likely to become the centre of a protracted battle over who will pay for its rescue.The 400-metre-long vessel was aground on the banks of the Suez canal for a week, causing an estimated £7bn loss each day in trade owing to ships stuck on either side, and up to £10.9m a day for the canal. “We managed to refloat the ship in record time.

Times Online

• Former Serco directors ‘hid £12m profits’ [subscription]Two former Serco directors accused of fraud over electronic tagging contracts with the Ministry of Justice conspired to conceal £12 million in profits, a court was told.
• Hydrogen plane set for take-off in five years after boost from BA [subscription]A 50-seat hydrogen-powered plane will take to the skies in as little as five years under plans backed by British Airways to eliminate emissions on short-haul flights. It could eventually replace jet-fuel aircraft on domestic and some European flights.

Mail Online

• Our roads are so blighted by potholes that a FIFTH of them will need re-laying in next five yearsSome 35,000 miles of high streets, residential and country roads across the UK need resurfacing by 2026, according to the study.

Belfast Telegraph

• 'Well off' minority responsible for majority of air travel“ studyThe majority of flights are being taken by a small group of frequent flyers in countries which produce the most aviation emissions, a study has suggested.

Bradford Telegraph & Argus

• Reader letter: 'Proposed rail station site is not 'city centre' and not easily accessible'SIR - I think most people would agree that a through city centre station as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail is absolutely essential to the future prosperity of Bradford (T&A, March 23).

Other Regional Press

• EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: ALL CHANGE AT ISLAND LINE AS CLASS 483S DEPART RYDE ST JOHN’S FOR THE LAST TIMEThey were pulled from service at the start of 2021, but the end of the line has well and truly been reached for Island Line’s iconic Class 483 trains which are, 1 by 1, being lifted off the track.
• Oxford to Cambridge Expressway cost taxpayer £28m ROUGHLY £28m was spent on a new highway between Oxford and Cambridge before plans for the road were scrapped.
• North Yorkshire Moors Railway jobs on offer ahead of summer boomThe heritage railway line is recruiting for permanent and seasonal vacancies

Business Live

• Airbus and BAE Systems supplier falls into administrationMounting pressures in the aerospace industry caused the company challenges, administrators said

Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport

• Suez Canal reopens after giant stranded ship is freedTraffic has resumed in Egypt's Suez Canal after a stranded container ship blocking it for nearly a week was finally freed by salvage crews. Tug boats honked their horns in celebration as the 400m-long (1,300ft) Ever Given was dislodged on Monday with the help of dredgers. Hundreds of ships are waiting to pass through the canal which links the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. It is one of the world's busiest trade routes. Peter Berdowski, CEO of Dutch salvage company Boskalis, said the Ever Given had been refloated at 15:05 (13:05 GMT) on Monday,

Rail Technology Magazine

• £900m Heathrow rail link comes to a stand stillInitially earmarked to begin construction this year, plans to build a western rail link has been brought to a “controlled pause” due to the impact of Covid-19 on the aviation industry, raising concerns whether project may ever be implemented.

Railway Gazette

• International rail travel revival endorsed by European stakeholdersEUROPE: Stakeholders from across the rail sector have endorsed political proposals for the revitalisation and expansion of international passenger services, and committed to assist with future development to make rail ‘the preferred mode’ for international travel.

Other News Sources

• Alstom secures $1.65bn contract from Spanish rail operator RenfeFrance-based Alstom has secured a contract from the Spanish national railway operator Renfe for the supply of 152 high-capacity trains.
• Bid to directly connect Preston to Southport by trainA long-running campaign to reconnect a stretch of railway that would allow direct train travel between Preston and Southport could be set for a funding boost.
• Welsh Government hand out £70 million loan to reopen rail link closed in 1960sA £70 million loan to progress plans to re-open the rail line between Newport and Ebbw Vale has been accepted by Blaenau Gwent council.
• Cleaners branded 'lazy' as photos show build up of dirt and chewing gum in Blackburn bus stationDirt, grime, cobwebs, chewing gum, mud and leaves are just some of the grim sights people are having to endure as they wait to catch the bus, claims one commuter.